ALLOCATION OF COMMON RESOURCES IN AN ENTITY

• US 20110112880A1
• Filed: 09/21/2010
• Published: 05/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/22/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Original Assignee: eBay Inc.
• Inventors: Oda, Lisa, Ryan, Shannon M.
• Application Number:
  US12/886,828
• Publication Number:
  US 20110112880A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7.16
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063116 Schedule adjustment for a person or group

Abstract

Systems and methods for allocation of common resources in an entity are provided. Various programs within the entity each utilize a shared resource. In an example embodiment, a method comprises receiving a ranking of programs within the entity. The method also includes identifying common tasks and an amount of time required to complete each respective common task. Upon receiving a set of desired tasks associated with each of the programs, a desired budget is determined for each of the programs. The method results in allocating the common resource based on the ranking and the respective desired budget of the programs.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

receiving a ranking of programs within an organization, the programs within the organization each utilizing a shared resource;

identifying a plurality of common tasks each having a weight proportional to an amount of time required to complete each respective common task;

receiving a set of desired tasks associated with each of the programs within the organization, each task of the desired tasks corresponding to a common task of the plurality of common tasks;

determining a desired budget for each of the respective programs based on the set of desired tasks received from the respective program and the weight of the respective common tasks corresponding to the desired tasks; and

allocating the common resource based on the ranking and the respective desired budget of the programs.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the shared resource comprises a human resource.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing an actual budget to the respective program; and

receiving a revised set of desired tasks from the respective program based on the actual budget.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the ranking is based on performance of the respective programs.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising assigning a time-quantifier to the common task.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising assigning a time-quantifier to the shared resource, the time-quantifier to indicate a number of available personnel hours.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, further comprising applying a weighting factor to at least a portion of the available personnel hours of each personnel.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, further comprising modifying the time-quantifier based on a skill set of a particular employee.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 6, further comprising modifying the time-quantifier based on a scheduled leave of a particular employee.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising receiving a rush task from the respective program, and, in response to the rush task, assigning a time-quantifier to the rush task.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10, further comprising re-allocating the common resource based on a new ranking of programs.

12. The computer implemented method of claim 10, further comprising receiving an instruction from a user to increase the number of personnel-hours allocated to the respective program, the increase based on the time-quantifier assigned to the rush task.

13. The computer implemented method of claim 10, further comprising reducing an allocation to another respective program based on the time-quantifier assigned to the rush task.

14. A system comprising:

a processor-implemented priority module to receive a ranking of programs within an organization, the programs within the organization each utilizing a shared resource;

a processor-implemented task module to identify a plurality of common tasks each having a weight proportional to an amount of time required to complete each respective common task;

a processor-implemented allocation module to receive a set of desired tasks associated with each of the programs within the organization, each task of the desired tasks corresponding to a common task of the plurality of common tasks and to determine a desired budget for each of the respective programs based on the set of desired tasks received from the respective program and the weight of the respective common tasks corresponding to the desired tasks; and

a processor-implemented budget module to allocate the common resource based on the ranking and the respective desired budget of the programs.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein the shared resource comprises a human resource.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein the budget module is further to provide an actual budget to the respective program and to receive a revised set of desired tasks from the respective program based on the actual budget.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein the task module is further to assign a time-quantifier to the common task.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein the task module is further to assign a time-quantifier to the shared resource, the time-quantifier to indicate a number of available personnel hours.

19. The computer-implemented method of claim 14, wherein the allocation module is to receive a rush task from the respective program, and, in response to the rush task, assigning a time-quantifier to the rush task.

20. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having instructions executable by a processor embodied thereon, the instructions to perform a method comprising:

receiving a ranking of programs within an organization, the programs within the organization each utilizing a shared resource;

identifying a plurality of common tasks each having a weight proportional to an amount of time required to complete each respective common task;

receiving a set of desired tasks associated with each of the programs within the organization, each task of the desired tasks corresponding to a common task of the plurality of common tasks;

determining a desired budget for each of the respective programs based on the set of desired tasks received from the respective program and the weight of the respective common tasks corresponding to the desired tasks; and

allocating the common resource based on the ranking and the respective desired budget of the programs.