System and method for workflow management

• US 20090132331A1
• Filed: 05/07/2008
• Published: 05/21/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (MetLife Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (MetLife Incorporated)
• Inventors: Millington, Michele, Cartledge, Denise, Danis, Henry, Sierra, Salvador, Jacobus, Jay, Burke, Susan, Smith, Gwen
• Granted Patent: US 10,546,272 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/9
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0633 Workflow analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1097 Task assignment

Abstract

A system includes a data storage medium to store a plurality of user profiles and at least one work project, each of the work project including at least one task that is characterized by a task definition, and a processor to receive a request for work from a user, the processor including a task management engine to allocate the at least one task to the user based on the user profile and the task definition in response to the request for work.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a data storage medium to store a plurality of user profiles and at least one work project, each of the work project including at least one task that is characterized by a task definition; and

a processor to receive a request for work from a user, the processor including a task management engine to allocate the at least one task to the user based on the user profile and the task definition in response to the request for work.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of user profiles includes a work distribution role.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of user profiles includes a work distribution owner type.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of user profiles includes work preferences.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the work preferences include one or more of preferred customer, preferred team, preferred location, and preferred work project.

6. The system of claim 4, wherein a selection priority used by the task engine to allocate the at least one task to the user is based on the work preferences.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the task definition includes escalation rules.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein a selection priority used by the task engine to allocate the at least one task to the user is based on the escalation rules.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein the data storage medium includes a repository to track the work project owned by the user.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the task management engine prevents the user from receiving additional tasks if the user has an active task, or more than a specified number of pending tasks in the repository.

11. A method, comprising:

defining and storing a plurality of user profiles in a data storage medium;

defining and storing a work project in the data storage medium, the work project including at least one task that is characterized by a task definition;

receiving a request for work from a user at a processor;

determining, via the processor including a task management engine, which of the at least one task can be worked by the user requesting work based on the user profile and the task definition; and

allocating, via the processor, the at least one task to the user requesting work based on the determining step.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein each of the plurality of user profiles includes a work distribution role.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein each of the plurality of user profiles includes a work distribution owner type.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein each of the plurality of user profiles includes work preferences.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the work preferences include one or more of preferred customer, preferred team support, preferred location, and preferred work project.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein a selection priority used by the task engine to allocate the at least one task to the user is based on the work preferences.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein the task definition includes escalation rules.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein a selection priority used by the task engine to allocate the at least one task to the user is based on the escalation rules.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein the data storage medium includes a repository to track the work project owned by the user.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the task management engine prevents the user from receiving additional tasks if the user has an active task, or more than the specified number of pending tasks in the repository.

21. A computer program product including a computer readable medium having stored thereon computer executable instructions that, when executed on a computer, configure the computer to perform a method comprising the steps of:

defining and storing a plurality of user profiles in a data storage medium;

defining and storing a work project in the data storage medium, the work project including at least one task that is characterized by a task definition;

receiving a request for work from a user;

determining which of the at least one task can be worked by the user requesting work based on the user profile and the task definition; and

allocating the at least one task to the user requesting work based on the determining step.