Planning and scheduling modification of a configuration

• US 20050283392A1
• Filed: 09/04/2001
• Published: 12/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture Global Services GmbH (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Garrow, Gary R., Newton, Charles P. III, Wetzer, Michael, Weir, Patrick E., West, David P. II
• Granted Patent: US 7,461,008 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7.22
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06312 Adjustment or analysis of established resource schedule, e.g. resource or task levelling, or dynamic rescheduling

Abstract

A method and system of planning modification of a configuration of an item of equipment supports an integrated approach toward managing one or more configuration modifications and planning and scheduling issues. Planning factors are tracked. One or more planning factors are relevant to a modification of a configuration of an item of equipment. A balanced configuration modification plan and schedule is arranged based on the planning factors. It is decided whether to institute the balanced configuration plan or at least a portion of the balanced configuration plan. The resources to carry out the balanced configuration plan are allocated.

Claims

1. A method of planning modification of a configuration of an item of equipment, the method comprising:

tracking planning factors relevant to a modification of a configuration of the item;

arranging a balanced configuration modification plan and schedule based on the planning factors;

deciding whether to institute the balanced configuration plan or at least a portion of the balanced configuration plan; and

allocating at least one of manpower, facilities, components, and tooling consistent with the balanced configuration plan.

2. The method of planning according to claim 1 wherein the tracking comprises maintaining legal requirement data and technical requirement data as the planning factors, the legal requirement data and the technical requirement data providing a basis for determining a priority of a modification of corresponding different components of the item.

3. The method of planning according to claim 1 wherein the tracking comprises maintaining temporal availability data on at least one of maintenance equipment, repair facilities, test equipment, diagnostic equipment, based on other maintenance activities for other items.

5. The method of planning according to claim 1 wherein the tracking comprises maintaining a database that lists alternate components and associated alternate configurations for the item as replacements for primary components and their associated primary configurations.

6. The method of planning according to claim 1 wherein the tracking comprises maintaining forecast data of scheduled maintenance activities as one of the planning factors.

4. The method of planning according to claim I wherein the tracking comprises maintaining traceability data as one of the planning factors that tracks changes to an item on a real-time basis to allow visibility to different users to promote coordination and error reduction in the modification process.

7. A method of planning modification of a configuration of an item of equipment, the method comprising:

establishing a time interval for revision of a configuration to obtain a target configuration;

providing a primary component identifier and a secondary component identifier as an alternate to the primary component identifier, the primary component identifier and the secondary component identifier being compatible with the target configuration;

tracking an item availability date for the revision of the subject item based on at least one of a planned usage of the subject item and other maintenance activity for the subject item;

tracking a revision availability of a revision-supporting device for supporting at least one of testing and installing the revision of a configuration of the subject item;

tracking component availability of the primary component and the secondary component;

selecting one of the primary component and the secondary component based on the temporal coinciding of the item availability, revision availability, and component availability;

tracking the worker availability of a qualified worker to perform the revision; and

scheduling the revision of the subject item at a revision area based on the item availability, the revision availability, the component availability, and the worker availability within the time interval.

8. The method according to claim 7 wherein the time interval is based on a regulatory requirement.

9. The method according to claim 7 wherein the primary component is associated with a primary software component and the secondary component is associated with a secondary software component.

10. The method according to claim 7 wherein the revision-supporting device comprises a test device for testing the item after the revision has been completed.

11. The method according to claim 7 wherein the end item is rerouted to the revision area from another area where other maintenance activity was scheduled during the time interval.

12. The method according to claim 7 further comprising combining the revision with another revision during the time interval.

13. The method according to claim 7 further comprising combining the revision with a planned maintenance activity during the time interval.

14. The method according to claim 7 further comprising canceling a prior revision and rescheduling the cancelled prior revision in a combined revision that includes the canceled prior revision and the revision during the interval.

15. A method of planning modification to multi-dimensioned configurations of an item of equipment, the method comprising:

updating at least one configuration record concerning the item;

accessing the at least one configuration record to establish reference performance data for the item;

comparing the reference performance data of the item to observed performance data;

planning modification to the item when the observed performance data is noncompliant with the reference performance data for the item.

16. The method of claim 15 wherein the configuration record comprises operational configuration data.

17. The method of claim 16 wherein the operational configuration data comprise non-original equipment manufacture supplied modifications.

18. The method of claim 15 wherein the configuration record comprises functional configuration data.

19. The method of claim 15 wherein the configuration record comprises logical configuration data.

20. The method of claim 15 wherein the configuration record comprises physical configuration data.

21. The method of claim 15 wherein the reference performance information is provided by an original equipment manufacturer.