SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR DUSPLAYING INHERENT PROJECT UNCERTAINTY
First Claim
1. A method of displaying a project schedule comprised of a plurality of tasks, the method comprising:
- receiving from a user a definition of at least some of a plurality of tasks comprising a project, the received definition for a task comprising a task identifier, a relationship to at least one other of the plurality of tasks, and a range of work associated with the task;
applying a statistical model to estimate an expected task completion date for each of the plurality of tasks having a definition, wherein the statistical model is applied to the range of work associated with a task and the expected task completion date reflects a date within the range of work by which the associated task will likely be completed; and
displaying a graphical representation of the plurality of tasks comprising the project to the user, wherein the graphical representation includes, for each of the plurality of tasks that have a range of work associated with the task, an indication of the range of work associated with each task and the expected task completion date within the range of work.
1 Assignment
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Accused Products
Abstract
A software and/or hardware facility for graphically displaying schedule uncertainty inherent in projects. In some embodiments, the facility generates uncertainty bars for display to users that express the uncertainty inherent in work items, such as projects and/or tasks. An uncertainty bar can visually indicate the work item'"'"'s earliest start date, earliest expected finish date, expected finish date, latest expected finish date and latest finish date, as calculated by the facility. For a project that has multiple component tasks, the facility can generate an uncertainty bar for each component task. The facility can also generate an uncertainty bar for the entire project. In some embodiments, the facility generates graphs that display the history of uncertainty for work items.
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Citations
29 Claims
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1. A method of displaying a project schedule comprised of a plurality of tasks, the method comprising:
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receiving from a user a definition of at least some of a plurality of tasks comprising a project, the received definition for a task comprising a task identifier, a relationship to at least one other of the plurality of tasks, and a range of work associated with the task; applying a statistical model to estimate an expected task completion date for each of the plurality of tasks having a definition, wherein the statistical model is applied to the range of work associated with a task and the expected task completion date reflects a date within the range of work by which the associated task will likely be completed; and displaying a graphical representation of the plurality of tasks comprising the project to the user, wherein the graphical representation includes, for each of the plurality of tasks that have a range of work associated with the task, an indication of the range of work associated with each task and the expected task completion date within the range of work. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
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10. A system of displaying a project schedule comprised of a plurality of tasks, the system comprising:
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an input module for receiving from a user a definition of at least some of a plurality of tasks comprising a project, the received definition for a task comprising a task identifier, a relationship to at least one other of the plurality of tasks, and a range of work associated with the task; a task estimation module for applying a statistical model to estimate an expected task completion date for each of the plurality of tasks having a definition, wherein the statistical model is applied to the range of work associated with a task and the expected task completion date reflects a probable date within the range of work by which the associated task should be completed; and a presentation module for displaying a graphical representation of the plurality of tasks comprising the project to the user, wherein the graphical representation includes, for each of the plurality of tasks that have a range of work associated with the task, an indication of the range of work associated with each task and the expected task completion date within the range of work. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18)
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19. In a project management system, a method of displaying the historical progression of uncertainty in work remaining of a work item, the method comprising:
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receiving a first estimate of a range of work remaining for a work item at a first time; calculating a first expected work remaining for the work item at the first time based at least in part on the first estimate; receiving a second estimate of a range or work remaining for the work item at a second time; calculating a second expected work remaining for the work item at the second time based at least in part on the second estimate; and displaying a graph of the first expected work remaining within the first estimate at the first time and the second expected work remaining within the second estimate at the second time. - View Dependent Claims (20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25)
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26. A method of displaying the effort remaining for a plurality of sub-items that comprise an item, the method comprising:
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receiving from a user a definition of at least some of a plurality of sub-items, the received definition comprising a sub-item identifier, a relationship to at least one other of the plurality of sub-items, and a range of effort associated with the sub-item; applying a statistical model to estimate an expected remaining effort for each of the plurality of sub-items having a definition, wherein the statistical model is applied to the range of effort associated with a sub-item and the expected remaining effort reflects a probable amount of effort required for completion of the associated sub-item; and displaying a graphical representation of the plurality of sub-items comprising the item to the user, wherein the graphical representation includes, for each of the plurality of sub-items that have a range of effort associated with the sub-item, an indication of the range of effort associated with each sub-item and the expected remaining effort required for completion of the associated sub-item. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29)
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Specification