MEETING MANAGEMENT SYSTEM WITH FAILOVER AND FAILBACK CAPABILITIES FOR MEETING MODERATORS

• US 20100174575A1
• Filed: 01/02/2009
• Published: 07/08/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 01/02/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: O'SULLIVAN, PATRICK J., HARPUR, LIAM, FARRELL, COLM, ZIMMET, CAROL S.
• Application Number:
  US12/348,074
• Publication Number:
  US 20100174575A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/8
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063112 Skill-based matching of a person or a group to a task
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063116 Schedule adjustment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/107 Computer-aided management of electronic mailing [e-mailing]
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1095 Meeting or appointment

Abstract

Meeting management software can include a moderator assigner module. The moderator assigner can include a moderator failover capability and a moderator failback capability. The moderator failover capability can substitute a replacement for a moderator when the moderator is determined to be unavailable for a scheduled meeting. The moderator failback capability can substitute a moderator for a replacement when a believed to be unavailable moderator is determined to be available for a scheduled meeting for which the replacement has been established.

Claims

1. A meeting management software system comprising:

meeting management software stored in a storage medium comprising a moderator assigner, said moderator assigner comprising a moderator failover capability and a moderator failback capability, wherein said moderator failover capability is configured to substitute a replacement for a moderator when the moderator is determined to be unavailable for a scheduled meeting, wherein said moderator failback capability is configured to substitute a moderator for a replacement when a believed to be unavailable moderator is determined to be available for a scheduled meeting for which the replacement has been previously substituted.

2. The system of claim 1, said moderator assigner is configured to utilize a plurality of user configured factors and programmatically defined rules to determine a replacement for the scheduled moderator from a plurality of candidates.

3. The system of claim 1, said moderator assigner is configured to filter the plurality of candidates before determining a replacement based upon user configured scope limiting parameters.

4. The system of claim 1, said meeting management software further comprising:

an attendance predictor configured to predict whether a scheduled moderator will be attending a scheduled meeting before the scheduled meeting occurs based upon an analysis of communications and electronic content related to the scheduled moderator.

5. The system of claim 1, said meeting management software further comprising:

a security handler configured to adjust access privileges related to a scheduled meeting handled by the meeting management software, wherein adjustments to the access privileges are based upon a moderator role and meeting content to be accessed by a user with the moderator role, wherein the adjustments increase permissions for a replacement when the moderator failover capability is enacted, and wherein the adjustments decrease permissions for the replacement when the failback capability is enacted.

6. The system of claim 1, said meeting management software further comprising:

a notifier configured to convey messages to meeting suitable participants when the moderator failback capability is enacted and when the moderator failback capability is enacted.

7. The system of claim 1, said moderator assigner being configured to selectively disable the moderator failback capability, wherein when the moderator failback capability is disabled and when the believed to be unavailable moderator is determined to be available for the scheduled meeting, the replacement retains a role of moderator for the scheduled meeting.

8. A method for meeting management comprising:

detecting a failover event that predicts a scheduled moderator for a meeting is likely to be unable to attend the meeting;

responsive to detecting the failover event, assigning a replacement for the scheduled moderator; and

updating records of a meeting management system to reflect the assigned replacement.

9. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

analyzing a plurality of electronic documents and communications to determine that a high likelihood exists that the scheduled moderator is likely to miss the meeting,

responsive to results from analyzing the plurality of electronic documents and communications, firing the failover event.

10. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

utilizing a plurality of user configured factors and programmatically defined rules to determine a tentative replacement for the scheduled moderator from a plurality of candidates.

11. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

filtering the plurality of candidates before determining a tentative replacement based upon user configured scope limiting parameters.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the user configured factors comprise at least one of:

seniority, skill level, expertise, and location.

13. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

computing a suitability score for each of the candidates in the set; and

determining the tentative replacement based upon the computed suitability score.

14. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

prompting the tentative replacement to accept or refute an assignment as the replacement;

receiving a response from the prompting;

when the response indicates an acceptance, assigning the tentative replacement as the replacement for the scheduled moderator; and

when the response indicates a refutation, determining a next most suitable candidate as the tentative replacement and repeating the prompting for the next most suitable candidate to accept or refute the assignment and receiving the response from the prompting for the next most suitable candidate.

15. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

detecting a failback event that indicates the scheduled moderator will likely be able to attend the meeting even though the replacement has been assigned;

responsive to detecting the failback event, reassigning the scheduled moderator as moderator for the meeting in place of the replacement; and

updating records of the meeting management system to reflect the reassigning of the scheduled moderator for the meeting.

16. The method of claim 8, further comprising:

detecting a failback event that indicates the scheduled moderator will likely be able to attend the meeting even though the replacement has been assigned;

determining that a failback prevention condition has been established for the meeting; and

responsive to the failback prevention condition, retaining the replacement in a role of moderator for the meeting.

17. A computer program product for meeting management comprising a computer usable medium having computer usable program code embodied therewith, the computer program product comprising:

computer usable program code configured to detect a failover event that predicts a scheduled moderator for a meeting is likely to be unable to attend the meeting;

computer usable program code configured to, responsive to detecting the failover event, assign a replacement for the scheduled moderator; and

computer usable program code configured to update records of a meeting management system to reflect the assigned replacement.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, further comprising:

computer usable program code configured to analyze a plurality of electronic documents and communications to determine that a high likelihood exists that the scheduled moderator is likely to miss the meeting; and

computer usable program code configured to, responsive to results of analyzing the plurality of electronic documents and communications, fire the failover event.

19. The computer program product of claim 17, further comprising:

computer usable program code configured to utilize a plurality of user configured factors and programmatically defined rules to determine a tentative replacement for the scheduled moderator from a plurality of candidates.

20. The computer program product of claim 19, further comprising:

computer usable program code configured to filter the plurality of candidates before determining a tentative replacement based upon user configured scope limiting parameters.