METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR ASSESSING THE STATUS OF WORK WAITING FOR SERVICE

• US 20080275751A1
• Filed: 06/19/2008
• Published: 11/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 09/26/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Flockhart, Andrew D., Steiner, Robert C., Roybal, Larry J.
• Granted Patent: US 8,751,274 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/8
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• 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 10/06315 Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0635 Risk analysis of enterprise or organisation activities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0639 Performance analysis of employees; Performance analysis of enterprise or organisation operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/087 Inventory or stock management, e.g. order filling, procurement or balancing against orders
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/523 with call distribution or queueing

Abstract

The present invention provides a system and method for assessing the status of work waiting for service in a work queue or a work pool. Work items are placed in the work queue or work pool and have a service time goal. The work items in the work queue or work pool are scanned and a required queue position for each work item is calculated according to the amount of time remaining prior to the expiration of the service time goal and weighted advance time for servicing of work items in the work queue or pool. An array of counters has elements which correspond to required queue positions. Upon the calculation of the required queue position for a work item, the counter corresponding to the required queue position is incremented. When all of the work items are scanned, the array of counters is analyzed to predict a future state of the work queue or work pool.

Claims

1-17. -17. (canceled)

18. A computational component for performing a method, the method comprising:

determining a required queue position (RQP) for each of a plurality of work items, said RQP based on a remaining time for the work item and a weighted advance time for servicing of said work items;

incrementing a counter in an element of an array of counters, said element corresponding to a predefined range of required queue positions; and

analyzing said array of counters to predict a future state of said work items.

19. The computational component of claim 18, wherein said determining a required queue position step includes:

for each work item, subtracting an amount of time since said work item was received from a service time goal for said work item to obtain a remaining time for said work item.

20. The computational component of claim 19, wherein said determining a required queue position step includes:

determining said weighted advance time for servicing of work items for said work items; and

for each work item, dividing said remaining time by said weighted advance time for servicing of work items.

21. The computational component of claim 18, wherein said incrementing a counter step comprises:

determining a range of required queue positions which correspond to each element within said array of counters; and

incrementing a counter associated with the element within the array of counters which corresponds to the required queue position obtained in said determining a required queue position step.

22. The computational component of claim 18, wherein said predefined range of queue positions for each element in the array of counters is one.

23. The computational component of claim 18, wherein said predefined range of queue positions for each element in the array of counters, where the number of the element is N, is 2^N-1<

RQP≦

2^N.

24. The computational component of claim 18, wherein said analyzing step comprises:

creating an index variable;

setting said index variable to one;

creating a sum variable;

setting said sum variable to zero;

calculating a new sum as the sum of the value of the sum variable and the value of the counter in the element of the array of counters which corresponds to the index variable;

determining a highest RQP in said predefined range of RQPs in the element of the array of counters which correspond to the index variable;

determining if the sum is greater than said highest RQP;

setting a state to “

Future Risk”

when said sum is greater than said highest RQP; and

incrementing said index and repeating said calculating a new sum, determining a highest RQP, determining if the sum is greater than the highest RQP, and setting a state steps when said sum is not greater than said highest RQP.

25. The computational component of claim 24, wherein said analyzing step further comprises:

determining if there are additional elements in said array of counters; and

setting a state to “

On Target”

when there are no additional elements in said array of counters.

26. The computational component of claim 24, wherein said analyzing step further comprises:

when said sum is greater than said highest RQP, determining a time of said “

Future Risk”

.

27. The computational component of claim 26 wherein said time is calculated as the product of said highest RQP and the weighted advance time for servicing of work items.

28. The computational component of claim 24, wherein said analyzing step further comprises:

when said sum is greater than said highest RQP, determining an extent of the “

Future Risk”

.

29. The computational component of claim 28, wherein said extent is calculated as the difference between said sum and said highest RQP.