Workforce optimization by improved provision of job performance plan

• US 10,423,904 B2
• Filed: 06/05/2015
• Issued: 09/24/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Energy Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: ABB Schweiz AG (ABB Limited)
• Inventors: Saliba, Sleman, Harjunkoski, Iiro, Franke, Carsten
• Primary Examiner(s): Singh, Gurkanwaljit
• Application Number:
  US14/732,370
• Publication Number:
  US 20150356491A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,572 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/29 Geographical information databases
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063112 Skill-based matching of a person or a group to a task
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063114 Status monitoring or status determination for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063116 Schedule adjustment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06398 Performance of employee with respect to a job function
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/103 Workflow collaboration or project management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/105 Human resources
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/402 Agent or workforce management
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 4/021 Services related to particular areas, e.g. point of interest [POI] services, venue services or geofences

Abstract

A computer-implemented method provides a job performance plan for a plurality of jobs to be performed at geographical locations. The computer receives job data that represent job requirements for specified locations and processes the job data with the data-structure to provide an initial job performance plan. The computer receives updated job data and identifies a sub-set of the data structure. The computer processes the updated job data with the sub-set to provide an updated job performance plan, wherein some of the routes are re-assigned to specified job performers. The sub-set is selected under consideration of location clusters. Step repetitions with different clusters are provided to increase accuracy.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for providing a job performance plan for a plurality of jobs to be performed at geographical locations and being assigned to job performers, the method comprising:

in a processor of the computer;

pre-processing a data-structure to identify routes between the geographical locations;

receiving job data that represent job requirements for specified locations and that represent availability of job performers to travel along the routes and perform the jobs at the locations;

processing the job data with the data-structure to provide an initial job performance plan, wherein some of the routes are assigned to specified job performers;

receiving updated job data with a representation that is a geographical location with an updated job requirement;

identifying, in response to receiving the updated job data, a sub-set of the data-structure having a first portion and a second portion by;

selecting, in the data-structure, the first portion to correspond to a first area with first geographical locations that comply with a first condition in relation to the updated location;

selecting, in the data-structure, representations of a set of performers that are assigned to geographic locations within the first area; and

selecting, in the data-structure, the second portion to correspond to a second area with second geographical locations of jobs that are also assigned to the set of performers who are assigned to the geographic locations within the first area; and

processing the updated job data with both portions of the sub-set of the data-structure to output an updated job performance plan, wherein some of the routes are re-assigned to specified job performers.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein pre-processing the data-structure to identify routes between the geographical locations is executed with a graph data structure in that nodes represent the geographical locations, and in that edges represent travel parameters (Res) for the job performers travelling between the geographical locations, and wherein selecting the first portion includes selecting a first sub-set of nodes that correspond to the first area with the first geographical locations;

and selecting the second portion includes selecting a second sub-set of nodes that correspond to the second area with the second geographical locations.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein pre-processing the data-structure to identify routes between the geographical locations includes storing routes vectors and corresponding accumulated travel parameters in data attributes at the nodes of the data-structure.

4. The method according to claim 3, wherein pre-processing the data-structure to identify routes between the geographical locations includes removing route vectors and corresponding accumulated travel parameters (AccRes) if the accumulated travel parameters (AccRes) exceed pre-defined threshold values.

5. The method according to claim 1, wherein processing the updated job data with the sub-set of the data-structure to provide an updated job performance plan includes processing the updated job data together with the representation of the updated location.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein the first condition for the first area of geographical locations is complied with for geographical locations that surround the updated location with a predetermined maximal distance value.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein the maximal distance value is selected from the group of:

a geographical air distance calculated from geographical coordinates,

a distance calculated under consideration of travel ways,

an overall time that is required to travel,

energy consumption that is required to travel, and

emissions caused by the travel.

8. The method according to claim 6, wherein the first condition for the first area of geographical locations is complied with for a plurality of geographical locations that are assigned to an assigned job performer and that have an average distance value that is smaller than the predetermined maximal distance value.

9. The method according to claim 1, wherein when processing the updated job data leads to an updated job performance plan such that a specified location remains without a job performer assigned to that location, the steps identifying the sub-set of the data-structure, and processing the updated job data are repeated with a representation of the specified location being received as updated job data.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein repetition of the identifying step uses a second condition that is related to the first condition by a numerical factor that makes the first area for an updated first portion smaller than the previously used first area.

11. The method according to claim 9, wherein repetition of the identifying step is executed for an updated first portion that represents a geographical area with substantially the same size as the previously used geographical area.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein the processing steps are executed by an engine.

13. The method according to claim 12, wherein the processing steps are executed by a separate solver program.

14. A computer for providing a job performance plan for a plurality of jobs to be performed at geographical locations and being assigned to job performers, the computer comprising circuitry configured to:

pre-process a data-structure to identify routes between the geographical locations;

receive job data that represent job requirements for specified locations and that represent availability of job performers to travel along the routes and perform the jobs at the locations;

process the job data with the data-structure to provide an initial job performance plan, wherein some of the routes are assigned to specified job performers;

receive updated job data with a representation that is a geographical location with an updated job requirement;

identify, in response to receipt of the updated job data, a sub-set of the data-structure having a first portion and a second portion by;

selecting, in the data-structure, the first portion to correspond to a first area with first geographical locations that comply with a first condition in relation to the updated location;

selecting, in the data-structure, representations of a set of performers that are assigned to geographic locations within the first area; and

selecting, in the data-structure, the second portion to correspond to a second area with second geographical locations of jobs that are also assigned to the set of performers who are assigned to the geographic locations within the first area; and

process the updated job data with both portions of the sub-set of the data-structure to output an updated job performance plan, wherein some of the routes are re-assigned to specified job performers.

15. A computer program product including a computer program stored on a non-transitory computer readable medium that, when the computer program is loaded into a memory of a computer and is executed by at least one processor of the computer, causes the computer to:

pre-process a data-structure to identify routes between geographical locations;

receive job data that represent job requirements for specified locations and that represent availability of job performers to travel along the routes and perform jobs at the locations;

process the job data with the data-structure to provide an initial job performance plan, wherein some of the routes are assigned to specified job performers;

receive updated job data with a representation that is a geographical location with an updated job requirement;

identify, in response to receipt of the updated job data, a sub-set of the data-structure having a first portion and a second portion by;

selecting, in the data-structure, the first portion to correspond to a first area with first geographical locations that comply with a first condition in relation to the updated location;

selecting, in the data-structure, representations of a set of performers that are assigned to geographic locations within the first area; and

selecting, in the data-structure, the second portion to correspond to a second area with second geographical locations of jobs that are also assigned to the set of performers who are assigned to the geographic locations within the first area; and

process the updated job data with both portions of the sub-set of the data-structure to output an updated job performance plan, wherein some of the routes are re-assigned to specified job performers.