Interactive system for managing, tracking and reporting work and staff performance in a business environment

• US 20070192157A1
• Filed: 08/08/2006
• Published: 08/16/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 02/15/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: EG Solutions PLC
• Original Assignee: EG Solutions PLC
• Inventors: Gooch, Elizabeth Ann
• Application Number:
  US11/501,140
• Publication Number:
  US 20070192157A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7.14
• 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 10/06316 Sequencing of tasks or work
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06375 Prediction of business process outcome or impact based on a proposed change
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06395 Quality analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06398 Performance of employee with respect to a job function
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1097 Task assignment

Abstract

Tracking flow of work includes storing setup information in a database in which the setup information includes tasks to be performed. The tasks are allocated to users designated to perform the tasks and details of completed tasks are stored in the database. Users may receive information relating to tasks and staff members as well as reports based on setup information, forecast information or details of completed tasks.

Claims

1. A system for monitoring the flow of work comprising:

a communication network;

one or more user devices connected to the communication network, the user devices including displays;

a database storing setup information, tasks to be performed and completed task information;

one or more servers connected to the communication network and configured to;

present on each of the displays, via the communication network, an interactive program wherein the interactive program allows users to enter into the database, the setup information, the tasks to be performed and the completed task information, and

deliver information to the user device through the communication network in response to receiving a request by a user, wherein the delivered information includes at least one of the following;

a task allocated to a user, task information, staff member information, a report based on the setup information and completed task information, and forecasting information.

2. The system of claim 1 wherein the setup information comprises department information, section information and staff member information.

3. The system of claim 1 wherein the completed task information comprises the quality of each completed task, a time stamp of when each task was completed and an amount of time taken to complete each task.

4. The system of claim 1 wherein the one or more servers are configured to:

allocate a task to a user automatically based on at least one of the following;

availability of the user, attendance schedule of the user and skill level of the user.

5. The system of claim 1 wherein the one or more servers are configured to:

automatically allocate a second task to a user designated to perform the second task based on completion of a first task.

6. The system of claim 5 including allocating the second task to the user designated to perform the second task after at least one of the following:

a predetermined period of time has elapsed since completion of the first task or a due date for completion of the first task has passed.

7. The system of claim 1 wherein the one or more servers are configured to:

automatically allocate a second group of tasks to users designated to perform the second group of tasks after completion of a first group of tasks.

8. The system of claim 7 including allocating the second group of tasks after at least one of the following:

a predetermined period of time has elapsed since completion of the first group of tasks or a due date for completion of the first group of tasks has passed.

9. The system of claim 1 wherein the one or more servers are configured to:

determine an amount of time to complete each task based on a skill level of the user designated to perform the task; and

determine a number of users to complete the tasks based on skill levels of users available to perform the tasks and difficulty of the tasks to be performed.

10. The system of claim 1 wherein the one or more servers are configured to:

determine future staffing needs based on at least one of the following;

volume of the tasks to be performed, difficulty of the tasks to be performed or scheduled completion dates for the tasks to be performed.

11. The system of claim 1 wherein the one or more servers are configured to:

determine a task quality based on errors committed by a user performing the task.

12. The system of claim 1 wherein the one or more servers are configured to:

determine a performance of a user based on a skill level of the user, how often the user completes each task on time and a quality of each task completed by the user.

13. The system of claim 1 wherein the report is a graphical report and displays at least one of the following:

status of both allocated and unallocated tasks, staffing levels, staff member attendance, staff member skills, staff member progress and performance, section progress and performance, department progress and performance, quality of completed tasks, staff member cost information, work cost information and department, section or staff member trends.

14. A computer-implemented method for tracking flow of work comprising:

storing setup information in a database, wherein the setup information includes tasks to be performed;

allocating the tasks to users designated to perform the tasks;

storing details of completed tasks in the database; and

delivering information to users that includes at least one of the following;

task information, staff member information, a report based on the setup information and the details of completed tasks or forecast information.

15. The computer-implemented method according to claim 14 including:

displaying the delivered information on a computer.

16. The computer-implemented method according to claim 14 wherein each task is allocated to a user based on availability and attendance schedule of the user.

17. The computer-implemented method according to claim 14 wherein each task is allocated to a user based on a skill level of the user.

18. The computer-implemented method according to claim 14 including:

allocating a second task to a user designated to perform the second task based on completion of a first task.

19. The computer-implemented method according to claim 18 including allocating the second task to the user designated to perform the second task at a predetermined period of time after completion of the first task.

20. The computer-implemented method according to claim 18 including allocating the second task to the user designated to perform the second task after a due date for completion of the first task has passed.

21. The computer-implemented method according to claim 14 including:

allocating a second group of tasks to users designated to perform the second group of tasks after completion of a first group of tasks.

22. The computer-implemented method according to claim 21 including allocating the second group of tasks at a predetermined period of time after completion of the first group of tasks.

23. The computer-implemented method according to claim 21 including allocating the second group of tasks after a due date for completion of the first group of tasks has passed.

24. The computer-implemented method according to claim 14 including:

determining an expected amount of time to complete each task based on a skill level of the user designated to perform the task.

25. The computer-implemented method according to claim 14 including:

determining a number of users to complete the tasks based on skill levels of users available to perform the tasks and difficulty of the tasks to be performed.

26. The computer-implemented method according to claim 14 including:

determining future staffing needs based on at least one of the following;

volume of the tasks to be performed, difficulty of the tasks to be performed and scheduled completion dates for the tasks to be performed.

27. The computer-implemented method according to claim 14 including:

determining a quality of each task performed based on errors committed by a user performing the task.

28. The computer-implemented method according to claim 14 including:

determining a user'"'"'s performance based on a skill level of the user, how often the user completes a task on time and quality of the tasks completed by the user.

29. The computer-implemented method according to claim 14 including:

determining performance of a group of users based on at least one of the following;

a combined skill level of the users in the group, quality of tasks completed by the users in the group, users available in the group, how often each user in the group completes a task, number of tasks performed by the group, number of tasks outstanding or number of hours worked by the group.

30. The computer-implemented method according claim 14 wherein allocation of tasks is based on a volume of tasks to be performed and scheduled completion dates for the tasks.

31. The computer-implemented method according to claim 14 wherein the report is a graphical report and displays at least one of the following:

status of both allocated and unallocated items of work, staffing levels, staff member attendance, staff member skills, staff member progress and performance, section progress and performance, department progress and performance, quality of completed work, staff member cost information, work cost information and department, section or staff member trends.

32. An article comprising a machine-readable medium storing machine-executable instructions that, when applied to a machine, cause the machine to:

store setup information in a database, wherein the setup information includes tasks to be performed;

allocate, through a communication network, the tasks to users designated to perform the tasks;

store details of completed tasks in the database; and

deliver information based on the setup information and the details of the completed tasks,

wherein the delivered information includes at least one of the following;

a task allocated to a user, task information, staff member information, a report based on the setup information and completed task information, or forecasting information.

33. The article of claim 32 including instructions that, when applied to the machine, cause the machine to:

automatically allocate a task to a user based on at least one of the following;

availability of the user, attendance schedule of the user and skill level of the user.

34. The article of claim 32 including instructions that, when applied to the machine, cause the machine to:

automatically allocate a second task to a user designated to perform the second task after completion of a first task.

35. The article of claim 32 including instructions that, when applied to the machine, cause the machine to:

automatically allocate a second group of tasks to users designated to perform the second group of tasks after completion of a first group of tasks.

36. The article of claim 32 including instructions that, when applied to the machine, cause the machine to:

determine an expected amount of time to complete each task based on a skill level of the user designated to perform the task and

determine a number of users to complete the tasks based on skill levels of users available to perform the tasks and difficulty of the tasks to be performed.

37. The article of claim 32 including instructions that, when applied to the machine, cause the machine to:

determine future staffing needs based on at least one of the following;

volume of the tasks to be performed, difficulty of the tasks to be performed and scheduled completion dates for the tasks to be performed.

38. The article of claim 32 including instructions that, when applied to the machine, cause the machine to:

determine a task quality based on errors committed by a user performing the task.

39. The article of claim 32 including instructions that, when applied to the machine, cause the machine to:

determine a performance of a user based on a skill level of the user, how often the user completes each task on time and a quality of each task completed by the user.

40. The article of claim 32 wherein the report is a graphical report that displays at least one of the following:

status of both allocated and unallocated tasks, staffing levels, staff member attendance, staff member skills, staff member progress and performance, section progress and performance, department progress and performance, quality of completed work, staff member cost information, work cost information and department, section or staff member trends.