PROJECT PROGESS DISPLAY AND MONITORING

• US 20110271220A1
• Filed: 07/16/2010
• Published: 11/03/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/17/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Steamboat Communications Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Steamboat Communications Incorporated
• Inventors: Remsberg, Charles Jay, Taylor, Bruce Holt
• Application Number:
  US12/838,112
• Publication Number:
  US 20110271220A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/772
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling

Abstract

A project-schedule diagramming application enables generation of a diagram of a project schedule including a plurality of tasks. A data set defining each task is received from a user. The data set includes a start time and finish time for each task, an indication of at least one functional relationship between one or more tasks, and a type of each task. A user interface including an illustrated timeline is displayed, as well as a plurality of graphical elements respectively representing the plurality of tasks. Each graphical element illustrates the task start and finish times with reference to the timeline. The size of each graphical element is proportional to a duration of the represented task. Each graphical element is displayed in a format corresponding to the respective type of task represented by the graphical element. Connective elements between the graphical elements illustrating the functional relationships are displayed.

Claims

1. A computer-readable medium having stored thereon computer-readable instructions that, when executed by a processing device, enable the processing device to perform a method of generating a diagram of a project schedule including a plurality of tasks, the method comprising:

receiving from a user a data set defining each task of the plurality, the data set including a start time for each task, a finish time for each task, an indication of at least one functional relationship between each task of the plurality and another task of the plurality, and a type, of a plurality of types, of each task;

displaying a user interface including an illustrated timeline;

displaying in the user interface a plurality of graphical elements respectively representing the plurality of tasks, each graphical element illustrating the task start time and the task finish time with reference to the timeline, each graphical element having a size, the size of each graphical element being proportional to a duration of the represented task, each graphical element being displayed in a format of a plurality of formats, the format in which a graphical element is displayed corresponding to the respective type of task represented by the graphical element; and

displaying in the user interface connective elements between each graphical element and at least one other graphical element illustrating the at least one functional relationship.

2. The medium of claim 1, wherein displaying the graphical elements in a plurality of formats comprises color coding the graphical elements.

3. The medium of claim 1, wherein:

a set of tasks of the plurality defines a critical path;

graphical elements representing tasks defining the critical path are displayed in a first format; and

graphical elements representing tasks not defining the critical path are displayed in a second format different from the first format.

4. The medium of claim 1, wherein:

graphical elements representing tasks varying from an ideal project schedule are displayed in a first format; and

graphical elements representing tasks not varying from the ideal project schedule are displayed in a second format different from the first format.

5. The medium of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving from the user a selection of a first one of the graphical elements;

receiving from the user a selection of a later direction along the timeline or an earlier direction along the timeline;

if the later direction was selected, displaying marking elements associated with only each graphical element having a succeeding functional relationship to the selected graphical element; and

if the earlier direction was selected, displaying marking elements associated with only each graphical element having a preceding functional relationship to the selected graphical element.

6. The medium of claim 1, wherein the method further comprises:

receiving from the user a selection of first and second graphical elements; and

displaying marking elements associated with only each graphical element having both a succeeding functional relationship to the selected first graphical element and a preceding functional relationship to the selected second graphical element.

7. The medium of claim 5, wherein the method further comprises one of:

displaying graphical elements having an associated marking element in a first format, and displaying graphical elements not having an associated marking element in a second format different from the first format; and

excluding from display the graphical elements not having an associated marking element.

8. The medium of claim 6, wherein the method further comprises one of:

displaying graphical elements having an associated marking element in a first format, and displaying graphical elements not having an associated marking element in a second format different from the first format; and

excluding from display the graphical elements not having an associated marking element.

9. The medium of claim 1, wherein:

the data set further includes an identification of labor resources assigned to complete each task; and

the method further comprises displaying in the user interface a graphical illustration of the number of assigned resources as a function of times illustrated by the timeline and superimposed on the displayed graphical elements, wherein the graphical illustration can be modified by one of;

the user moving one or more of the graphical elements from a first portion of the user interface to a second portion of the user interface, and

the user connecting two or more of the graphical elements with at least one connective element.

10. The medium of claim 1, wherein:

the data set further includes an indication of a budgetary value to complete each task; and

the method further comprises displaying in the user interface a graphical illustration of the project budget as a function of the positioning within the user interface of the displayed graphical elements and superimposed on the displayed graphical elements.

11. A method of transferring a computer program product from at least one first computer to at least one second computer connected to the at least one first computer through a communication medium, the method comprising the steps of:

(a) accessing, on the at least one first computer, computer-executable instructions that, when executed by a processing device, enable the processing device to generate a diagram of a project schedule including a plurality of tasks by performing at least the step of;

(1) receiving from a user a data set defining each task of the plurality, the data set including a start time for each task, a finish time for each task, an indication of at least one functional relationship between each task of the plurality and another task of the plurality, and a type, of a plurality of types, of each task,

(2) displaying a user interface including an illustrated timeline,

(3) displaying in the user interface a plurality of graphical elements respectively representing the plurality of tasks, each graphical element illustrating the task start time and the task finish time with reference to the timeline, each graphical element having a size, the size of each graphical element being proportional to a duration of the represented task, each graphical element being displayed in a format of a plurality of formats, the format in which a graphical element is displayed corresponding to the respective type of task represented by the graphical element, and

(4) displaying in the user interface connective elements between each graphical element and at least one other graphical element illustrating the at least one functional relationship; and

(b) transferring the instructions from the at least one first computer to the at least one second computer through the communications medium.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein displaying the graphical elements in a plurality of formats comprises color coding the graphical elements.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein:

a set of tasks of the plurality defines a critical path;

graphical elements representing tasks defining the critical path are displayed in a first format; and

graphical elements representing tasks not defining the critical path are displayed in a second format different from the first format.

14. The method of claim 11, wherein:

graphical elements representing tasks varying from an ideal project schedule are displayed in a first format; and

graphical elements representing tasks not varying from the ideal project schedule are displayed in a second format different from the first format.

15. The method of claim 11, wherein the processing device further performs the steps of:

receiving from the user a selection of a first one of the graphical elements;

receiving from the user a selection of a later direction along the timeline or an earlier direction along the timeline;

if the later direction was selected, displaying marking elements associated with only each graphical element having a succeeding functional relationship to the selected graphical element; and

if the earlier direction was selected, displaying marking elements associated with only each graphical element having a preceding functional relationship to the selected graphical element.

16. The method of claim 11, wherein the processing device further performs the steps of:

receiving from the user a selection of first and second graphical elements; and

displaying marking elements associated with only each graphical element having both a succeeding functional relationship to the selected first graphical element and a preceding functional relationship to the selected second graphical element.

17. The method of claim 15, wherein the processing device further performs one of the steps of:

displaying graphical elements having an associated marking element in a first format, and displaying graphical elements not having an associated marking element in a second format different from the first format; and

excluding from display the graphical elements not having an associated marking element.

18. The method of claim 16, wherein the processing device further performs one of the steps of:

displaying graphical elements having an associated marking element in a first format, and displaying graphical elements not having an associated marking element in a second format different from the first format; and

excluding from display the graphical elements not having an associated marking element.

19. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the data set further includes an identification of labor resources assigned to complete each task; and

the processing device further performs the step of displaying in the user interface a graphical illustration of the number of assigned resources as a function of times illustrated by the timeline and superimposed on the displayed graphical elements, wherein the graphical illustration can be modified by one of;

the user moving one or more of the graphical elements from a first portion of the user interface to a second portion of the user interface, and

the user connecting two or more of the graphical elements with at least one connective element.

20. The method of claim 11, wherein:

the data set further includes an indication of a budgetary value to complete each task; and

the processing device further performs the step of displaying in the user interface a graphical illustration of the project budget as a function of the positioning within the user interface of the displayed graphical elements and superimposed on the displayed graphical elements.