ENHANCED POSTAL DATA MODELING FRAMEWORK

• US 20120016709A1
• Filed: 09/27/2011
• Published: 01/19/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/21/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Original Assignee: Accenture Global Services Limited (Accenture PLC)
• Inventors: Marchildon, Joel, Fu, Lisa, Kelk, Geofrey Owen, Moran, Brian, Kennedy, James A.
• Granted Patent: US 9,126,235 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7.22
• CPC Class Codes: B07C 3/006 Electric or electronic control circuits, e.g. delay lines delay devices per se H03H7/30, H03H11/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06312 Adjustment or analysis of established resource schedule, e.g. resource or task levelling, or dynamic rescheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0633 Workflow analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/105 Human resources
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0201 Market modelling; Market analysis; Collecting market data

Abstract

An enhanced postal data modeling framework, in which postal data which describes characteristics of a mail sortation process is accessed, and the postal data is mapped to production management data which describes characteristics of a model production management process in an initial state and which is capable of being processed by a production management application. The production management data is input for processing by the production management application to produce forecasted production management data which predicts characteristics of the model production management process in a subsequent state, the forecasted production management data is modeled to forecasted postal data which predicts characteristics of the mail sortation process, and at least a portion of the forecasted postal data is provided to a user.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method comprising:

obtaining post office data that describes a workflow of a post office, wherein the post office data is incapable of being processed by a production management application;

generating, using the post office data, data that is capable of being processed by the production management application;

generating forecasted data by processing the generated data using the production management application;

generating, using the forecasted data, forecasted post office data; and

altering, by one or more computers, the workflow using the forecasted post office data.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein generating, using the post office data, data that is capable of being processed by the production management application comprises:

generating, using post office data that describes a forecast deposit and collection of mail, data associated with a planned work order.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein generating, using the post office data, data that is capable of being processed by the production management application comprises:

generating, using post office data that describes an actual deposit and collection of mail, data associated with a work center characteristic.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein generating, using the post office data, data that is capable of being processed by the production management application comprises:

generating, using post office data that describes a mail sortation area characteristic, data associated with a work center characteristic.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein generating, using the post office data, data that is capable of being processed by the production management application comprises:

generating, using post office data that describes a forecast allocation matrix, data associated with a bill of materials.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein generating, using the post office data, data that is capable of being processed by the production management application comprises:

generating, using post office data that describes characteristics of raw, semi-sorted, and fully sorted mail inducted in the mail sortation process, data associated with characteristics of raw, semi-finished, and fully finished processing materials

7. The method of claim 1, wherein generating, using the post office data, data that is capable of being processed by the production management application comprises:

generating, using post office data that describes labor requirements, data associated with resource levels.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein generating, using the post office data, data that is capable of being processed by the production management application comprises:

generating, using post office data that describes mechanized sortation capabilities, data associated with machine capabilities.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein generating forecasted post office data comprises generating data that specifies whether one or more machines are over-utilized or under-utilized.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein altering the workflow comprises reassigning mail actually received at the post office to a different one or more post office.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein altering the workflow comprises notifying one or more customers regarding mail expected to be delivered to each of the one or more customers.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein generating forecasted post office data comprises generating data that specifies whether one or more machines do or do not possess sufficient resources to process a particular type and volume of processing materials.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein altering the workflow comprises reassigning staffing of the post office.

14. A system comprising:

one or more computers and one or more storage devices storing instructions that are operable, when executed by the one or more computers, to cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising;

obtaining post office data that describes a workflow of a post office, wherein the post office data is incapable of being processed by a production management application;

generating, using the post office data, data that is capable of being processed by the production management application;

generating forecasted data by processing the generated data using the production management application;

generating, using the forecasted data, forecasted post office data; and

altering the workflow using the forecasted post office data.

15. The system of claim 14, wherein generating, using the post office data, data that is capable of being processed by the production management application comprises:

generating, using post office data that describes a forecast deposit and collection of mail, data associated with a planned work order.

16. The system of claim 14, wherein generating, using the post office data, data that is capable of being processed by the production management application comprises:

generating, using post office data that describes an actual deposit and collection of mail, data associated with a work center characteristic.

17. The system of claim 14, wherein generating, using the post office data, data that is capable of being processed by the production management application comprises:

generating, using post office data that describes a mail sortation area characteristic, data associated with a work center characteristic.

18. The system of claim 14, wherein generating, using the post office data, data that is capable of being processed by the production management application comprises:

generating, using post office data that describes a forecast allocation matrix, data associated with a bill of materials.

19. The system of claim 14, wherein generating, using the post office data, data that is capable of being processed by the production management application comprises:

generating, using post office data that describes characteristics of raw, semi-sorted, and fully sorted mail inducted in the mail sortation process, data associated with characteristics of raw, semi-finished, and fully finished processing materials

20. The system of claim 14, wherein generating, using the post office data, data that is capable of being processed by the production management application comprises:

generating, using post office data that describes labor requirements, data associated with resource levels.

21. The system of claim 14, wherein generating, using the post office data, data that is capable of being processed by the production management application comprises:

generating, using post office data that describes mechanized sortation capabilities, data associated with machine capabilities.

22. The system of claim 14, wherein generating forecasted post office data comprises generating data that specifies whether one or more machines are over-utilized or under-utilized.

23. The system of claim 14, wherein altering the workflow comprises reassigning mail actually received at the post office to a different one or more post office.

24. The system of claim 14, wherein altering the workflow comprises notifying one or more customers regarding mail expected to be delivered to each of the one or more customers.

25. The system of claim 14, wherein generating forecasted post office data comprises generating data that specifies whether one or more machines do or do not possess sufficient resources to process a particular type and volume of processing materials.

26. The system of claim 14, wherein altering the workflow comprises reassigning staffing of the post office.

27. A non-transitory computer-readable medium storing software comprising instructions executable by one or more computers which, upon such execution, cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising:

obtaining post office data that describes a workflow of a post office, wherein the post office data is incapable of being processed by a production management application;

generating, using the post office data, data that is capable of being processed by the production management application;

generating forecasted data by processing the generated data using the production management application;

generating, using the forecasted data, forecasted post office data; and

altering the workflow using the forecasted post office data.

28. The medium of claim 27, wherein generating, using the post office data, data that is capable of being processed by the production management application comprises:

generating, using post office data that describes a forecast deposit and collection of mail, data associated with a planned work order.

29. The medium of claim 27, wherein generating, using the post office data, data that is capable of being processed by the production management application comprises:

generating, using post office data that describes an actual deposit and collection of mail, data associated with a work center characteristic.

30. The medium of claim 27, wherein generating, using the post office data, data that is capable of being processed by the production management application comprises:

generating, using post office data that describes a mail sortation area characteristic, data associated with a work center characteristic.

31. The medium of claim 27, wherein generating, using the post office data, data that is capable of being processed by the production management application comprises:

generating, using post office data that describes a forecast allocation matrix, data associated with a bill of materials.

32. The medium of claim 27, wherein generating, using the post office data, data that is capable of being processed by the production management application comprises:

generating, using post office data that describes characteristics of raw, semi-sorted, and fully sorted mail inducted in the mail sortation process, data associated with characteristics of raw, semi-finished, and fully finished processing materials

33. The medium of claim 27, wherein generating, using the post office data, data that is capable of being processed by the production management application comprises:

generating, using post office data that describes labor requirements, data associated with resource levels.

34. The medium of claim 27, wherein generating, using the post office data, data that is capable of being processed by the production management application comprises:

generating, using post office data that describes mechanized sortation capabilities, data associated with machine capabilities.

35. The medium of claim 27, wherein generating forecasted post office data comprises generating data that specifies whether one or more machines are over-utilized or under-utilized.

36. The medium of claim 27, wherein altering the workflow comprises reassigning mail actually received at the post office to a different one or more post office.

37. The method of claim 27, wherein altering the workflow comprises notifying one or more customers regarding mail expected to be delivered to each of the one or more customers.

38. The medium of claim 27, wherein generating forecasted post office data comprises generating data that specifies whether one or more machines do or do not possess sufficient resources to process a particular type and volume of processing materials.

39. The medium of claim 27, wherein altering the workflow comprises reassigning staffing of the post office.