Method and computer program product for evaluating a project

• US 20060212325A1
• Filed: 02/23/2006
• Published: 09/21/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 03/16/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tal Levanon
• Original Assignee: Tal Levanon
• Inventors: Levanon, Tal
• Granted Patent: US 7,769,618 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06313 Resource planning in a project environment
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06314 Calendaring for a resource
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0639 Performance analysis of employees; Performance analysis of enterprise or organisation operations

Abstract

A method and computer program product, for evaluating a project, the method includes: receiving task timing information and task relationship information; locating at least one hidden critical path; and estimating a robustness of the project in response to at one characteristic of the at least one hidden critical path.

Claims

1. A method for evaluating a project, the method comprises:

receiving task timing information and task relationship information;

locating at least one hidden critical path; and

estimating a robustness of the project in response to at one characteristic of the at least one hidden critical path.

2. The method according to claim 1 further comprising removing redundant hidden critical paths.

3. The method according to claim 1 comprising calculating path duration slack for multiple paths in the network.

4. The method according to claim 3 wherein the locating at least one hidden path comprises ignoring paths that are characterized by a path duration slack that is smaller than a path duration slack threshold.

5. The method according to claim 1 further comprising generating a network representative of the project in response to start to start task relationship information.

6. The method according to claim 1 further comprising generating a network representative of the project in response to finish to finish task relationship information.

7. The method according to claim 1 further comprising generating a network representative of the project in response to positive and negative lags in task relationship information.

8. The method according to claim 1 further comprising calculating task duration standard deviation and a task duration average;

and evaluating a duration of tasks in response to a relationship between the duration of the tasks, the task duration standard deviation and the task duration average.

9. The method according to claim 1 further comprising evaluating a length of a project in response to relationship between a duration of a longest path in a network representative of the project and between a duration of a critical path in the network.

10. The method according to claim 1 further comprising generating a list of the hidden critical tasks from the hidden critical paths.

11. A computer program product that comprises a computer readable program, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer causes the computer to locate at least one hidden critical path;

and estimate a robustness of the project in response to at one characteristic of the at least one hidden critical path.

12. The computer program product according to claim 11, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer further causes the computer to remove redundant hidden critical paths.

13. The computer program product according to claim 11, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer further causes the computer to calculate path duration slack for multiple paths in the network.

14. The computer program product according to claim 11, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer further causes the computer to ignore paths that are characterized by a path duration slack that is smaller than a path duration slack threshold.

15. The computer program product according to claim 11, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer further causes the computer to generate a network representative of the project in response to start to start task relationship information.

16. The computer program product according to claim 11, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer further causes the computer to generate a network representative of the project in response to finish to finish task relationship information.

17. The computer program product according to claim 11, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer further causes the computer to validate the received task information and task relationship information by comparing between a duration of a longest path in a network representative of the project and between a duration of a critical path in the network.

18. The computer program product according to claim 11, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer further causes the computer to calculate task duration standard deviation and a task duration average;

and evaluating a duration of tasks in response to a relationship between the duration of the tasks, the task duration standard deviation and the task duration average.

19. The computer program product according to claim 11, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer further causes the computer to evaluate a length of a project in response to relationship between a duration of a longest path in a network representative of the project and between a duration of a critical path in the network.

20. The computer program product according to claim 11, wherein the computer readable program when executed on a computer further causes the computer to generate a list of the hidden critical tasks from the hidden critical paths.