Smart Task Tracking

• US 20130111480A1
• Filed: 11/02/2011
• Published: 05/02/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/02/2011
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Cox, Susan M., Janakiraman, Janani, Lu, Fang, Salem, Loulwa F.
• Application Number:
  US13/287,190
• Publication Number:
  US 20130111480A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 718/100
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3423 where the assessed time is active or idle time
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 11/3438 monitoring of user actions tracking the activity of the user H04L67/535
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group

Abstract

Embodiments of the invention relate to dynamic creation and tracking of one or more tasks. Each task has one or more properties that define the task. Activities are monitored in real-time, and one or more tasks associated with the monitored activity are placed in a queue. Progress of the queued tasks is monitored in view of any associated milestones. Upon completion of the task, the associated milestones are updated to reflect that either the milestones have been met or to change associated milestone data so that future processing of the monitored tasks may include the updated milestone data.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

storing at least two tasks in data storage, each of the at least two tasks includes at least one defined milestone associated with duration for completion of the stored task;

concurrently monitoring at least two activities associated with one or more of the stored tasks, including placing each task associated within one of the monitored activities in a tracking queue;

tracking progress of the monitored tasks in the tracking queue, including time for attainment of the defined milestone data associated with task completion in the data storage;

recognizing completion of the defined milestone and updating the defined milestone data in the data storage; and

dynamically adjusting duration for completion of at least one of the tasks based on changes in a behavior pattern as reflected in the updated milestone data.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising recognizing a behavior pattern that comprises at least one of the defined tasks, and dynamically adding the at least one defined task associated with the recognized pattern to the tracking queue in response to the recognition.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein the step of dynamically adding the at least one defined task to the tracking queue further comprising assigning pre-defined task information to the added task.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising dynamically adding a new task to the tracking queue, including dynamically configuring new task information for the new added task and storing the new task information in the data storage.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising associating a location with the task, and tracking a user with the associated location.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising in real-time detecting the location of the user and sending a task notification to the user in response to the detected location, including inquiring with the user for tracking a task associated with the task notification.

7. A system comprising a processing unit in communication with data storage;

a functional unit in communication with the processing unit, the functional unit comprising;

an activity manager to monitor at least two activities associated with one or more tasks, the activity manager to place each of the tasks in a tracking queue;

a progress manager in communication with the activity manager, the progress manager to track the tasks in the tracking queue, including time to attain a milestone associated with task completion;

an update manager in communication with the progress manager, the update manager to update the milestone in response to completion of the milestone; and

an adjustment manager in communication with the update manager, the adjustment manager to dynamically adjust duration for completion of at least one of the tasks based on changes in a behavior patterns as reflected in the milestone data as updated by the update manager.

8. The system of claim 7, further comprising a pattern manager in communication with activity manager, the pattern manager to recognize a behavior pattern that comprises at least one of the defined tasks, and to dynamically add the at least one defined task associated with the recognized pattern to the tracking queue in response to the recognition.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the pattern manager assigns pre-defined task information to the added task.

10. The system of claim 7, further comprising the activity manager to dynamically add a new task to the tracking queue, including dynamically configuring new task information for the new added task and storing the new task information in the data storage.

11. The system of claim 7, further comprising the activity manager to associate a location with the task, and to track a user with the associated location.

12. The system of claim 11, further comprising a location manager in communication with the activity manager, the location manager to detect the location of the user in real-time and to send a task notification to the user in response to the detected location, including inquiring with the user for tracking a task associated with the task notification.

13. A computer program product for use with tracking tasks with disparate completion time, the computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied thereon, which when executed causes a computer to implement the method comprising:

storing at least two tasks in data storage, each of the at least two tasks includes at least one defined milestone associated with duration for completion of the stored task;

concurrently monitoring at least two activities associated with one or more of the stored tasks, including placing each task associated within one of the monitored activities in a tracking queue;

tracking progress of the monitored tasks in the tracking queue, including time for attainment of the defined milestone data associated with task completion in the data storage;

recognizing completion of the defined milestone and updating the defined milestone data in the data storage; and

dynamically adjusting duration for completion of at least one of the tasks based on changes in a behavior pattern as reflected in the updated milestone data.

14. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising recognizing a behavior pattern that comprises at least one of the defined tasks, and dynamically adding the at least one defined task associated with the recognized pattern to the tracking queue in response to the recognition.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, wherein the instructions for dynamically adding the at least one defined task to the tracking queue further comprising assigning pre-defined task information to the added task.

16. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising dynamically adding a new task to the tracking queue, including dynamically configuring new task information for the new added task and storing the new task information in the data storage.

17. The computer program product of claim 13, further comprising associating a location with the task, and tracking a user with the associated location.

18. The computer program product of claim 17, further comprising in real-time detecting the location of the user and sending a task notification to the user in response to the detected location, including inquiring with the user for tracking a task associated with the task notification.