SHOWING AND CORRECTING IRREGULARITIES IN A SCHEDULE

• US 20090287523A1
• Filed: 05/19/2008
• Published: 11/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/19/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Lau, Bonny Pui Kwan, Gonzalez Veron, Monica Estela, Steinglass, Alice Pritikin, de Vries, Peter
• Application Number:
  US12/123,449
• Publication Number:
  US 20090287523A1
• 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 10/06312 Adjustment or analysis of established resource schedule, e.g. resource or task levelling, or dynamic rescheduling

Abstract

Technologies are described herein for showing and correcting irregularities in a schedule. A project management application allows a user to manually define tasks within a schedule. The application evaluates the manually defined tasks to determine if the tasks cause an irregularity within the schedule. If so, the application provides one or more visual indications of the irregularity to the user. The application also provides functionality for allowing a user to resolve or ignore the irregularity.

Claims

1. A method for showing and correcting an irregularity in a schedule, the method comprising:

determining whether a manually defined task in the schedule causes an irregularity in the schedule; and

in response to determining that the manually defined task causes an irregularity in the schedule, providing a visual indication of the irregularity.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein providing a visual indication of the irregularity comprises setting a visual attribute for indicating the irregularity on a visual element associated with the manually defined task.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the visual element associated with the manually defined task comprises a date.

4. The method of claim 2, wherein the visual element comprises a Gantt bar.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein the visual element comprises an identifier for a resource associated with the manually defined task.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising displaying an icon for indicating the irregularity.

7. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

receiving a selection of the visual element;

in response to the selection of the visual element, displaying one or more selectable options for addressing the irregularity;

receiving a selection of one of the options; and

performing the selected one of the options for addressing the irregularity.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein a first of the options comprises an option for providing one or more recommendations for correcting the irregularity, and wherein the method further comprises displaying the one or more recommendations in response to receiving a selection of the first of the options.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the one or more recommendations comprise a recommendation for modifying one or more dates associated with the manually defined task and leaving the manually defined task in a manual scheduling mode.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the one or more recommendations comprise a recommendation for modifying one or more dates associated with the manually defined task and changing the manually defined task to an automatic scheduling mode.

11. The method of claim 8, wherein the one or more recommendations comprise a recommendation for ignoring the irregularity in the schedule caused by the manually defined task.

12. The method of claim 8, wherein a second of the options comprises an option for automatically scheduling the manually defined task, and wherein the method further comprises performing an automated scheduling for the manually defined task in response to receiving a selection of the second of the options.

13. The method of claim 9, wherein a third of the options comprises an option for ignoring the visual indication of the irregularity, and wherein the method further comprises removing the visual indication of the irregularity in response to receiving a selection of the third of the options.

14. A computer storage medium having computer executable instructions stored thereon which, when executed by a computer, cause the computer to:

receive a manually defined task for inclusion in a schedule;

determine whether the manually defined task creates an irregularity in the schedule;

in response to determining that the manually defined task creates an irregularity in the schedule, to set a visual attribute for indicating the irregularity on a visual element associated with the manually defined task;

receive a selection of the visual element;

in response to receiving the selection of the visual element, to display one or more selectable options for addressing the irregularity;

receive a selection of one of the selectable options; and

to perform the selected one of the selectable options to address the irregularity.

15. The computer storage medium of claim 14, wherein the visual element comprises one or more of a date, a Gantt bar, or an identifier for a resource associated with the manually defined task.

16. The computer storage medium of claim 15, wherein one of the selectable options corresponds to an option for providing one or more recommendations for correcting the irregularity.

17. The computer storage medium of claim 14, wherein one of the selectable options corresponds to an option for automatically scheduling the manually defined task.

18. The computer storage medium of claim 14, wherein one of the selectable options corresponds to an option for disabling the setting of the visual attribute for indicating the irregularity.

19. A method for showing and correcting an irregularity in a schedule, the method comprising:

determining whether a manually defined task in the schedule causes an irregularity in the schedule;

in response to determining that the manually defined task causes an irregularity in the schedule, setting a visual attribute for indicating the irregularity on a visual element associated with the manually defined task;

receiving a selection of the visual element;

in response to the selection of the visual element, displaying one or more selectable options for addressing the irregularity;

receiving a selection of one of the selectable options; and

performing the selected one of the selectable options for addressing the irregularity, wherein the selectable options comprise a first option for providing one or more recommendations for correcting the irregularity, a second option for automatically scheduling the manually defined task, and a third option for ignoring the visual indication of the irregularity.

20. The method of claim 19, wherein the visual element comprises one or more of a date, a Gantt bar, or an identifier for a resource associated with the manually defined task.