Optimally rearranging team members in an agile environment

• US 10,387,811 B2
• Filed: 08/29/2016
• Issued: 08/20/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Carnevale, Giulia, Gianfico, Marco, Ragusa, Roberto, Ullal, Sidharth
• Primary Examiner(s): Knox, Tyler W
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bolen, Nicholas D
• Application Number:
  US15/249,893
• Publication Number:
  US 20180060785A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,086 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063112 Skill-based matching of a person or a group to a task
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06313 Resource planning in a project environment

Abstract

An approach is provided for rearranging assignments of workers to teams in an agile environment. Project requirements are collected and skills of workers are determined. Based on the project requirements and the skills, an initial arrangement of assignments of the workers to the teams is generated. During project execution, data from sensors worker locations and content of communications among the workers are obtained. The data from the sensors identifies workers who are sitting on chairs. Based on the data from the sensors, worker locations, and the content of the communications, a weighted graph is generated that represents the workers, strengths of relationships among the workers, and strengths of relationships between the workers and the teams. Based on the weighted graph, an optimal rearrangement of the assignments of the workers to the teams is automatically and dynamically generated. The optimal rearrangement specifies a match between the skills and the project requirements.

Claims

1. A method of rearranging assignments of workers to teams in an agile environment to manage energy usage, the method comprising the steps of:

a computer collecting requirements of a project and determining skills of workers;

during a preliminary phase that precedes an execution of the project and based on the requirements of the project and the skills, the computer generating an initial arrangement of assignments of the workers to the teams;

during the execution of the project, the computer obtaining data from sensors which (i) indicates that one or more people are sitting on chairs and (ii) identifies the one or more people as being one or more of the workers assigned to the teams, wherein the sensors are coupled to the chairs, respectively, and wherein the obtained data is based on the sensors detecting the one or more people sitting on the chairs by detecting, for a given person sitting in a given chair, an increase in pressure exerted on the given chair by the given person;

during the execution of the project, the computer obtaining information about a location of the workers from smart devices;

during the execution of the project, the computer obtaining content of intranet chat and email communications among the workers;

during the execution of the project and based on the data from the sensors, the information about the location of the workers, and the content of the intranet chat and email communications, the computer generating a weighted graph that represents the workers, strengths of relationships among the workers, and strengths of relationships between the workers and the teams;

the computer obtaining data about energy consumption in rooms and floors in one or more buildings in which the workers work;

the computer obtaining costs of energy footprints of respective workers, wherein the step of generating the weighted graph is further based on the data about the energy consumption and the costs of the energy footprints of the respective workers;

based on the weighted graph, the computer determining optimal sizes of the teams and an availability of the chairs for the teams;

based on the weighted graph, the sizes of the teams, and the availability of the chairs, the computer determining an optimal usage of the chairs and the rooms in the agile environment, which allows one or more rooms that were previously being used to be left empty;

the computer receiving an indication that the one or more rooms are left empty based on the optimal usage of chairs and the rooms, the empty one or more rooms using less energy than the one or more rooms had used prior to being left empty; and

during the execution of the project, the computer decreasing an amount of energy used in the one or more rooms that were previously being used and are being left empty by adjusting heating or cooling in the one or more rooms and by automatically and dynamically generating an optimal rearrangement of the assignments of the workers to the teams by using (i) the data about energy consumption in the rooms and the floors in the one or more buildings in which the workers work, (ii) the costs of the energy footprints of the respective workers, and (iii) the weighted graph which represents the workers, the strengths of relationships among the workers, and the strengths of the relationships between the workers and the teams, and which is based on the data from the sensors, the information about the location of the workers obtained from the smart devices, and the content of the intranet chat and the email communications among the workers, wherein the optimal rearrangement specifies a match between the skills of the workers and the requirements of the project.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of the computer rearranging the assignments of the workers to the teams based on the optimal rearrangement, wherein a result of the step of rearranging the assignments of the workers to the teams is an increase in productivity of the workers in completing the project, a decrease in a cost of completing the project, or the increase in the productivity and the decrease in the cost.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of generating the weighted graph includes:

the computer generating nodes of the weighted graph, the nodes representing respective workers;

the computer generating edges of the weighted graph, each edge being between a corresponding two nodes included in the nodes of the weighted graph and representing a relationship between two workers represented by the two nodes;

based on the data from the sensors, the information about the location of the workers, and the content of the intranet chat and email communications, the computer determining the strengths of the relationships among the workers;

based on the strengths of the relationships among the workers, the computer determining weights of respective edges of the weighted graph.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising the steps of:

based on the data from the sensors, the information about the location of the workers, and the content of the intranet chat and email communications, the computer determining a first worker currently assigned to a first team and a second worker currently assigned to a second team are in proximity for an amount of time that exceeds a predetermined threshold amount, the first and second teams being different teams;

the computer determining that a skill of the second worker is included in a set of skills required by a project assigned to the first team;

based on the first and second workers being in proximity for the amount of time that exceeds the predetermined threshold amount and the skill of the second worker being included in the required set of skills, the computer increasing a weight assigned to an edge of the weighted graph that represents a strength of a relationship between the first and second workers; and

based on the increased weight assigned to the edge of the weighted graph, the computer reassigning the second worker from the second team to the first team.

5. The method of claim 3, further comprising the steps of:

based on the data from the sensors, the information about the location of the workers, and the content of the intranet chat and email communications, the computer determining a first worker is in proximity to a second worker for a first amount of time that exceeds a first threshold amount, the first worker currently assigned to a first team and the second worker currently assigned to a second team, the first and second teams being different teams;

based on the data from the sensors and the information about the location of the workers, the computer determining the first and second workers are seated in respective chairs for respective amounts of time that each exceed a second threshold amount;

based on the first and second workers being in proximity for the first amount of time that exceeds the predetermined threshold amount, the computer increasing a first weight assigned to an edge of the weighted graph that represents a strength of a relationship between the first and second workers;

based on the first and second workers being seated for the amounts of time that each exceed the second threshold amount, the computer increasing second and third weights assigned to first and second nodes, respectively, of the weighted graph that represent the first and second workers, respectively; and

based on the increased first, second, and third weights, the computer assigning the first and second workers to first and second chairs, respectively, the first and second chairs being in proximity, wherein the step of assigning results in an enhancement of a collaboration between the first and second workers.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

the computer determining a match between a skill of a worker and a skill required by the project;

based on the match between the skill of the worker and the skill required by the project, the computer determining a strength of a relationship between the worker and a team to which the project is assigned; and

based at least in part on the strength of the relationship between the worker and the team, the computer assigning the worker to the team as part of the initial arrangement.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of:

providing at least one support service for at least one of creating, integrating, hosting, maintaining, and deploying computer-readable program code in the computer, the program code being executed by a processor of the computer to implement the steps of collecting the requirements of the project, determining the skills of the workers, generating the initial arrangement of assignments of the workers to the teams, obtaining the data from the sensors on the chairs, obtaining the information about the location of the workers, obtaining the content of the intranet chat and email communications, generating the weighted graph, obtaining the data about the energy consumption, obtaining the costs of the energy footprints, determining the optimal sizes of the teams and the availability of the chairs, determining the optimal usage of the chairs and the rooms, receiving the indication that the one or more rooms are left empty, and decreasing the amount of energy used in the one or more rooms.

8. A computer program product, comprising:

a computer-readable storage medium; and

a computer-readable program code stored in the computer-readable storage medium, the computer-readable program code containing instructions that are executed by a central processing unit (CPU) of a computer system to implement a method of rearranging assignments of workers to teams in an agile environment to manage energy usage, the method comprising the steps of;

the computer system collecting requirements of a project and determining skills of workers;

during a preliminary phase that precedes an execution of the project and based on the requirements of the project and the skills, the computer system generating an initial arrangement of assignments of the workers to the teams;

during the execution of the project, the computer system obtaining data from sensors which (i) indicates that one or more people are sitting on chairs and (ii) identifies the one or more people as being one or more of the workers assigned to the teams, wherein the sensors are coupled to the chairs, respectively, and wherein the obtained data is based on the sensors detecting the one or more people sitting on the chairs by detecting, for a given person sitting in a given chair, an increase in pressure exerted on the given chair by the given person;

during the execution of the project, the computer system obtaining information about a location of the workers from smart devices;

during the execution of the project, the computer system obtaining content of intranet chat and email communications among the workers;

during the execution of the project and based on the data from the sensors, the information about the location of the workers, and the content of the intranet chat and email communications, the computer system generating a weighted graph that represents the workers, strengths of relationships among the workers, and strengths of relationships between the workers and the teams;

the computer system obtaining data about energy consumption in rooms and floors in one or more buildings in which the workers work;

the computer system obtaining costs of energy footprints of respective workers, wherein the step of generating the weighted graph is further based on the data about the energy consumption and the costs of the energy footprints of the respective workers;

based on the weighted graph, the computer system determining optimal sizes of the teams and an availability of the chairs for the teams;

based on the weighted graph, the sizes of the teams, and the availability of the chairs, the computer system determining an optimal usage of the chairs and the rooms in the agile environment, which allows one or more rooms that were previously being used to be left empty;

the computer system receiving an indication that the one or more rooms are left empty based on the optimal usage of chairs and the rooms, the empty one or more rooms using less energy than the one or more rooms had used prior to being left empty; and

during the execution of the project, the computer system decreasing an amount of energy used in the one or more rooms that were previously being used and are being left empty by adjusting heating or cooling in the one or more rooms and by automatically and dynamically generating an optimal rearrangement of the assignments of the workers to the teams by using (i) the data about energy consumption in the rooms and the floors in the one or more buildings in which the workers work, (ii) the costs of the energy footprints of the respective workers, and (iii) the weighted graph which represents the workers, the strengths of relationships among the workers, and the strengths of the relationships between the workers and the teams, and which is based on the data from the sensors, the information about the location of the workers obtained from the smart devices, and the content of the intranet chat and the email communications among the workers, wherein the optimal rearrangement specifies a match between the skills of the workers and the requirements of the project.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the method further comprises the step of the computer system rearranging the assignments of the workers to the teams based on the optimal rearrangement, wherein a result of the step of rearranging the assignments of the workers to the teams is an increase in productivity of the workers in completing the project, a decrease in a cost of completing the project, or the increase in the productivity and the decrease in the cost.

10. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the step of generating the weighted graph includes:

the computer system generating nodes of the weighted graph, the nodes representing respective workers;

the computer system generating edges of the weighted graph, each edge being between a corresponding two nodes included in the nodes of the weighted graph and representing a relationship between two workers represented by the two nodes;

based on the data from the sensors, the information about the location of the workers, and the content of the intranet chat and email communications, the computer system determining the strengths of the relationships among the workers;

based on the strengths of the relationships among the workers, the computer system determining weights of respective edges of the weighted graph.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

based on the data from the sensors, the information about the location of the workers, and the content of the intranet chat and email communications, the computer system determining a first worker currently assigned to a first team and a second worker currently assigned to a second team are in proximity for an amount of time that exceeds a predetermined threshold amount, the first and second teams being different teams;

the computer system determining that a skill of the second worker is included in a set of skills required by a project assigned to the first team;

based on the first and second workers being in proximity for the amount of time that exceeds the predetermined threshold amount and the skill of the second worker being included in the required set of skills, the computer system increasing a weight assigned to an edge of the weighted graph that represents a strength of a relationship between the first and second workers; and

based on the increased weight assigned to the edge of the weighted graph, the computer system reassigning the second worker from the second team to the first team.

12. The computer program product of claim 10, wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

based on the data from the sensors, the information about the location of the workers, and the content of the intranet chat and email communications, the computer system determining a first worker is in proximity to a second worker for a first amount of time that exceeds a first threshold amount, the first worker currently assigned to a first team and the second worker currently assigned to a second team, the first and second teams being different teams;

based on the data from the sensors and the information about the location of the workers, the computer system determining the first and second workers are seated in respective chairs for respective amounts of time that each exceed a second threshold amount;

based on the first and second workers being in proximity for the first amount of time that exceeds the predetermined threshold amount, the computer system increasing a first weight assigned to an edge of the weighted graph that represents a strength of a relationship between the first and second workers;

based on the first and second workers being seated for the amounts of time that each exceed the second threshold amount, the computer system increasing second and third weights assigned to first and second nodes, respectively, of the weighted graph that represent the first and second workers, respectively; and

based on the increased first, second, and third weights, the computer system assigning the first and second workers to first and second chairs, respectively, the first and second chairs being in proximity, wherein the step of assigning results in an enhancement of a collaboration between the first and second workers.

13. A computer system comprising:

a central processing unit (CPU);

a memory coupled to the CPU;

sensors coupled to respective chairs, each sensor configured to detect a presence of a given person sitting on a respective chair;

radio frequency identification (RFID) scanners attached to the respective chairs, each RFID scanner configured to identify and determine a location of the given person who is in proximity to the respective chair by reading a RFID tag carried by the given person; and

a computer readable storage device coupled to the CPU, the storage device containing instructions that are executed by the CPU via the memory to implement a method of rearranging assignments of workers to teams in an agile environment to manage energy usage, the method comprising the steps of;

the computer system collecting requirements of a project and determining skills of workers;

during a preliminary phase that precedes an execution of the project and based on the requirements of the project and the skills, the computer system generating an initial arrangement of assignments of the workers to the teams;

during the execution of the project, the sensors detecting that one or more people are sitting on chairs;

during the execution of the project, the RFID scanners detecting RFID tags carried by the one or more people;

during the execution of the project and in response to the sensors detecting that the one or more people are sitting on the chairs and the RFID scanners detecting the RFID tags, the computer system obtaining data from the sensors and the RFID scanners which (i) indicates that the one or more people are sitting on the chairs and (ii) identifies the one or more people as being one or more of the workers assigned to the teams, wherein the sensors are coupled to the chairs, respectively, and wherein the obtained data from the sensors is based on the sensors detecting the one or more people sitting on the chairs by detecting, for a given person sitting in a given chair, an increase in pressure exerted on the given chair by the given person;

during the execution of the project, the computer system obtaining information about a location of the workers from smart devices;

during the execution of the project, the computer system obtaining content of intranet chat and email communications among the workers;

during the execution of the project and based on the data from the sensors, the information about the location of the workers, and the content of the intranet chat and email communications, the computer system generating a weighted graph that represents the workers, strengths of relationships among the workers, and strengths of relationships between the workers and the teams;

the computer system obtaining data about energy consumption in rooms and floors in one or more buildings in which the workers work;

the computer system obtaining costs of energy footprints of respective workers, wherein the step of generating the weighted graph is further based on the data about the energy consumption and the costs of the energy footprints of the respective workers;

based on the weighted graph, the computer system determining optimal sizes of the teams and an availability of the chairs for the teams;

based on the weighted graph, the sizes of the teams, and the availability of the chairs, the computer system determining an optimal usage of the chairs and the rooms in the agile environment, which allows one or more rooms that were previously being used to be left empty;

the computer system receiving an indication that the one or more rooms are left empty based on the optimal usage of chairs and the rooms, the empty one or more rooms using less energy than the one or more rooms had used prior to being left empty; and

during the execution of the project, the computer system decreasing an amount of energy used in the one or more rooms that were previously being used and are being left empty by adjusting heating or cooling in the one or more rooms and by automatically and dynamically generating an optimal rearrangement of the assignments of the workers to the teams by using (i) the data about energy consumption in the rooms and the floors in the one or more buildings in which the workers work, (ii) the costs of the energy footprints of the respective workers, and (iii) the weighted graph which represents the workers, the strengths of relationships among the workers, and the strengths of the relationships between the workers and the teams, and which is based on the data obtained from the sensors and the RFID scanners, the information about the location of the workers obtained from the smart devices, and the content of the intranet chat and the email communications among the workers, wherein the optimal rearrangement specifies a match between the skills of the workers and the requirements of the project.

14. The computer system of claim 13, wherein the method further comprises the step of the computer system rearranging the assignments of the workers to the teams based on the optimal rearrangement, wherein a result of the step of rearranging the assignments of the workers to the teams is an increase in productivity of the workers in completing the project, a decrease in a cost of completing the project, or the increase in the productivity and the decrease in the cost.

15. The computer system of claim 13, wherein the step of generating the weighted graph includes:

the computer system generating nodes of the weighted graph, the nodes representing respective workers;

the computer system generating edges of the weighted graph, each edge being between a corresponding two nodes included in the nodes of the weighted graph and representing a relationship between two workers represented by the two nodes;

based on the data from the sensors, the information about the location of the workers, and the content of the intranet chat and email communications, the computer system determining the strengths of the relationships among the workers;

based on the strengths of the relationships among the workers, the computer system determining weights of respective edges of the weighted graph.

16. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

based on the data from the sensors, the information about the location of the workers, and the content of the intranet chat and email communications, the computer system determining a first worker currently assigned to a first team and a second worker currently assigned to a second team are in proximity for an amount of time that exceeds a predetermined threshold amount, the first and second teams being different teams;

the computer system determining that a skill of the second worker is included in a set of skills required by a project assigned to the first team;

based on the first and second workers being in proximity for the amount of time that exceeds the predetermined threshold amount and the skill of the second worker being included in the required set of skills, the computer system increasing a weight assigned to an edge of the weighted graph that represents a strength of a relationship between the first and second workers; and

based on the increased weight assigned to the edge of the weighted graph, the computer system reassigning the second worker from the second team to the first team.

17. The computer system of claim 15, wherein the method further comprises the steps of:

based on the data from the sensors, the information about the location of the workers, and the content of the intranet chat and email communications, the computer system determining a first worker is in proximity to a second worker for a first amount of time that exceeds a first threshold amount, the first worker currently assigned to a first team and the second worker currently assigned to a second team, the first and second teams being different teams;

based on the data from the sensors and the information about the location of the workers, the computer system determining the first and second workers are seated in respective chairs for respective amounts of time that each exceed a second threshold amount;

based on the first and second workers being in proximity for the first amount of time that exceeds the predetermined threshold amount, the computer system increasing a first weight assigned to an edge of the weighted graph that represents a strength of a relationship between the first and second workers;

based on the first and second workers being seated for the amounts of time that each exceed the second threshold amount, the computer system increasing second and third weights assigned to first and second nodes, respectively, of the weighted graph that represent the first and second workers, respectively; and

based on the increased first, second, and third weights, the computer system assigning the first and second workers to first and second chairs, respectively, the first and second chairs being in proximity, wherein the step of assigning results in an enhancement of a collaboration between the first and second workers.