Managing To-Do Lists In Task Schedules In A Project Management System

• US 20090287730A1
• Filed: 05/16/2008
• Published: 11/19/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 05/16/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Motoyama, Tetsuro, Fong, Avery
• Granted Patent: US 8,706,768 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting

Abstract

A project management system manages project schedule data using separate current and historical task schedule data structures. In general, current schedule data is stored separately from historical schedule data, so that the current schedule data may be retrieved separately from the historical task schedule data. The project management system may also maintain unscheduled tasks as “to-do lists.” Tasks may be added to a member'"'"'s schedule without specifying any planned dates and the tasks are added to the database. The tasks have an associated revision number of 0 to indicate that the tasks were added, but not yet scheduled. The tasks are displayed in the member schedule editor and in Web page schedules. The tasks may then be displayed in the member schedule editor and in Web page schedules in a manner that allows a user to readily determine that the tasks are “to-do list” tasks.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for managing project schedule data, the computer-implemented method comprising:

a project report module retrieving from a data repository, task schedule data for one or more of a plurality of tasks associated with a member of a project;

the project report module causing information about the plurality of tasks associated with

the member of the project to be displayed on a graphical user interface by

for the one or more of the plurality of tasks, arranging together on the graphical user interface data that identifies tasks in the one or more tasks and the schedule data for the one or more tasks, and

for one or more to-do list tasks in the plurality of tasks for which no schedule data is specified, arranging together on the graphical user interface data that identifies the one or more to-do list tasks.

2. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the project report module causing the data that identifies tasks in the one or more tasks and the schedule data for the one or more tasks to be displayed on the graphical user interface separate from the data that identifies the one or more to-do list tasks.

3. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the project report module causing the data that identifies tasks in the one or more tasks, the schedule data for the one or more tasks and the data that identifies the one or more to-do list tasks to be displayed on the graphical user interface in a separate table for each project task and non-project task and wherein within each table, the data that identifies the tasks in the one or more tasks and the schedule data for the one or more tasks is arranged together and the data that identifies the one or more to-do list tasks is arranged together.

4. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the project report module causing the data that identifies tasks in the one or more tasks, the schedule data for the one or more tasks and the data that identifies the one or more to-do list tasks to be arranged on the graphical user interface by project task and then by non-project task.

5. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, further comprising the project report module causing the data that identifies tasks in the one or more tasks and the schedule data for the one or more tasks and the data that identifies the one or more to-do list tasks to be arranged on the graphical user interface based upon one or more of whether a task has been completed, whether a task has been only started, whether a task has been only planned and whether a task is unscheduled.

6. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, further comprising, if a project task with which the plurality of tasks is associated is a completed project task, then the project report module retrieving from the data repository, data that identifies non-project tasks completed on or prior to the completion of the project task and causing the data to be displayed on the graphical user interface, wherein the non-project tasks completed on or prior to the completion of the project task includes non-project tasks for which schedule data is specified.

7. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, further comprising, if a project task with which the plurality of tasks is associated is not a completed project task, then the project report module retrieving from the data repository, data that identifies all remaining non-project tasks that have not yet been displayed on the graphical user interface and causing the data to be displayed on the graphical user interface, wherein the all remaining non-project tasks that have not yet been displayed on the graphical user interface includes non-project tasks for which schedule data is specified and non-project to-do list tasks for which schedule data is not specified.

8. A computer-readable medium for managing project schedule data, the computer-readable medium carrying instructions which, when processed by one or more processors, causes:

a project report module retrieving from a data repository, task schedule data for one or more of a plurality of tasks associated with a member of a project;

the project report module causing information about the plurality of tasks associated with the member of the project to be displayed on a graphical user interface by

for the one or more of the plurality of tasks, arranging together on the graphical user interface data that identifies tasks in the one or more tasks and the schedule data for the one or more tasks, and

for one or more to-do list tasks in the plurality of tasks for which no schedule data is specified, arranging together on the graphical user interface data that identifies the one or more to-do list tasks.

9. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 8, further comprising additional instructions which, when processed by the one or more processors, cause the project report module causing the data that identifies tasks in the one or more tasks and the schedule data for the one or more tasks to be displayed on the graphical user interface separate from the data that identifies the one or more to-do list tasks.

10. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 8, further comprising additional instructions which, when processed by the one or more processors, cause the project report module causing the data that identifies tasks in the one or more tasks, the schedule data for the one or more tasks and the data that identifies the one or more to-do list tasks to be displayed on the graphical user interface in a separate table for each project task and each non-project task and wherein within each table, the data that identifies the tasks in the one or more tasks and the schedule data for the one or more tasks is arranged together and the data that identifies the one or more to-do list tasks is arranged together.

11. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 8, further comprising additional instructions which, when processed by the one or more processors, cause the project report module causing the data that identifies tasks in the one or more tasks, the schedule data for the one or more tasks and the data that identifies the one or more to-do list tasks to be arranged on the graphical user interface by project task and then by non-project task.

12. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 8, further comprising additional instructions which, when processed by the one or more processors, cause the project report module causing the data that identifies tasks in the one or more tasks and the schedule data for the one or more tasks and the data that identifies the one or more to-do list tasks to be arranged on the graphical user interface based upon one or more of whether a task has been completed, whether a task has been only started, whether a task has been only planned and whether a task is unscheduled.

13. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 8, further comprising additional instructions which, when processed by the one or more processors, cause, if a project task with which the plurality of tasks is associated is a completed project task, then the project report module retrieving from the data repository, data that identifies non-project tasks completed on or prior to the completion of the project task and causing the data to be displayed on the graphical user interface, wherein the non-project tasks completed on or prior to the completion of the project task includes non-project tasks for which schedule data is specified.

14. The computer-readable medium as recited in claim 8, further comprising additional instructions which, when processed by the one or more processors, cause, if a project task with which the plurality of tasks is associated is not a completed project task, then the project report module retrieving from the data repository, data that identifies all remaining non-project tasks that have not yet been displayed on the graphical user interface and causing the data to be displayed on the graphical user interface, wherein the all remaining non-project tasks that have not yet been displayed on the graphical user interface includes non-project tasks for which schedule data is specified and non-project to-do list tasks for which schedule data is not specified.

15. An apparatus for managing project schedule data, the apparatus comprising a memory storing instructions which, when processed by one or more processors, causes:

a project report module retrieving from a data repository, task schedule data for one or more of a plurality of tasks associated with a member of a project;

the project report module causing information about the plurality of tasks associated with the member of the project to be displayed on a graphical user interface by

for the one or more of the plurality of tasks, arranging together on the graphical user interface data that identifies tasks in the one or more tasks and the schedule data for the one or more tasks, and

for one or more to-do list tasks in the plurality of tasks for which no schedule data is specified, arranging together on the graphical user interface data that identifies the one or more to-do list tasks.

16. The apparatus as recited in claim 15, wherein the memory stores additional instructions which, when processed by the one or more processors, cause the project report module causing the data that identifies tasks in the one or more tasks and the schedule data for the one or more tasks to be displayed on the graphical user interface separate from the data that identifies the one or more to-do list tasks.

17. The apparatus as recited in claim 15, wherein the memory stores additional instructions which, when processed by the one or more processors, cause the project report module causing the data that identifies tasks in the one or more tasks, the schedule data for the one or more tasks and the data that identifies the one or more to-do list tasks to be displayed on the graphical user interface in a separate table for each project task and each non-project task and wherein within each table, the data that identifies the tasks in the one or more tasks and the schedule data for the one or more tasks is arranged together and the data that identifies the one or more to-do list tasks is arranged together.

18. The apparatus as recited in claim 15, wherein the memory stores additional instructions which, when processed by the one or more processors, cause the project report module causing the data that identifies tasks in the one or more tasks, the schedule data for the one or more tasks and the data that identifies the one or more to-do list tasks to be arranged on the graphical user interface by project task and then by non-project task.

19. The apparatus as recited in claim 15, wherein the memory stores additional instructions which, when processed by the one or more processors, cause the project report module causing the data that identifies tasks in the one or more tasks and the schedule data for the one or more tasks and the data that identifies the one or more to-do list tasks to be arranged on the graphical user interface based upon one or more of whether a task has been completed, whether a task has been only started, whether a task has been only planned and whether a task is unscheduled.

20. The apparatus as recited in claim 15, wherein the memory stores additional instructions which, when processed by the one or more processors, cause, if a project task with which the plurality of tasks is associated is a completed project task, then the project report module retrieving from the data repository, data that identifies non-project tasks completed on or prior to the completion of the project task and causing the data to be displayed on the graphical user interface, wherein the non-project tasks completed on or prior to the completion of the project task includes non-project tasks for which schedule data is specified.

21. The apparatus as recited in claim 15, wherein the memory stores additional instructions which, when processed by the one or more processors, cause, if a project task with which the plurality of tasks is associated is not a completed project task, then the project report module retrieving from the data repository, data that identifies all remaining non-project tasks that have not yet been displayed on the graphical user interface and causing the data to be displayed on the graphical user interface, wherein the all remaining non-project tasks that have not yet been displayed on the graphical user interface includes non-project tasks for which schedule data is specified and non-project to-do list tasks for which schedule data is not specified.