SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR IMPROVING EFFICIENCY OF A WORKFORCE

• US 20150302323A1
• Filed: 04/17/2014
• Published: 10/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 04/17/2014
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: General Electric Company
• Original Assignee: General Electric Company
• Inventors: CONNOLLY, PAUL
• Application Number:
  US14/255,005
• Publication Number:
  US 20150302323A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0633 Workflow analysis

Abstract

A method (e.g., for increasing the efficiency of a mission) includes tracking, with an electronic locating device, movements of an operator while the operator is performing a sequential series of tasks in a first order to complete a mission, examining the movements of the operator and completion of the tasks in the first order with one or more computer processors to determine if the tasks can be completed in a more efficient order than the first order, determining a different, second order of the tasks that is more efficient than the first order in which the tasks were completed when the movements of the operator were tracked, and generating a presentation of the second order of the tasks for display on an electronic mobile device during another performance of the tasks.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

tracking, with an electronic locating device, movements of an operator while the operator is performing a sequential series of tasks in a first order to complete a mission;

examining the movements of the operator and completion of the tasks in the first order with one or more computer processors to determine if the tasks can be completed in a more efficient order than the first order;

determining a different, second order of the tasks that is more efficient than the first order in which the tasks were completed when the movements of the operator were tracked; and

generating a presentation of the second order of the tasks for display on an electronic mobile device during another performance of the tasks.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the movements of the operator are tracked with a mobile phone that includes the electronic locating device.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the mission includes at least one of repair or maintenance of a vehicle.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein the electronic mobile device on which the second order of the tasks is displayed comprises at least one of a mobile phone or a tablet computer carried by the operator during the another performance of the tasks.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the second order to complete performance of the tasks is more efficient than the first order when completion of the mission is done with the tasks being performed in the second order takes less time than performance of the tasks in the first order.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein tracking the movements of the operator also includes determining times at which at least one of the movements occur or the tasks are completed.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the movements of the operator and completion of the tasks are examined to determine duplicative movements of the operator during performance of the tasks in the first order, wherein the second order to complete performance of the tasks is more efficient than the first order when the second order of the tasks eliminates at least one of the duplicative movements of the operator from the second order of the tasks.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein determining the second order of the tasks includes identifying restrictions on which of the tasks must be performed prior to other ones of the tasks.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the presentation of the second order includes displaying visual instructions to the operator for one or more of the tasks during a time period that the operator is performing the one or more of the tasks and notifying the operator when the operator deviates from at least one of the second order of the tasks or a movement dictated by the second order of the tasks.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein examining the movements of the operator and completion of the tasks includes identifying a change in location for one or more tools used by the operator during completion of the tasks.

11. A system comprising:

a location receiving device configured to track movements of an operator while the operator is performing a sequential series of tasks in a first order to complete a mission; and

one or more computer processors configured to examine the movements of the operator and completion of the tasks in the first order to determine if the tasks can be completed in a more efficient order than the first order, determine a different, second order of the tasks that is more efficient than the first order in which the tasks were completed when the movements of the operator were tracked, and generate a presentation of the second order of the tasks for display on an electronic mobile device during another performance of the tasks.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the location receiving device is configured to track the movements of the operator by communicating with a mobile phone that is with the operator during performance of the tasks.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the mission includes at least one of repair or maintenance of a vehicle.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the electronic mobile device on which the presentation of the second order of the tasks is displayed comprises at least one of a mobile phone or a tablet computer carried by the operator during performance of the mission.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein the second order to complete performance of the tasks is more efficient than the first order when completion of the mission is done with the tasks being performed in the second order takes less time than performance of the tasks in the first order.

16. The system of claim 11, wherein the location receiving device is configured to track the movements of the operator and times at which at least one of the movements occur or the tasks are completed.

17. The system of claim 11, wherein the one or more processors are configured to determine duplicative movements of the operator during performance of the tasks in the first order, wherein the second order of the tasks is more efficient than the first order when the second order eliminates at least one of the duplicative movements of the operator from the second order of the tasks.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the one or more processors are configured to identify restrictions on which of the tasks must be performed prior to other ones of the tasks.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein the one or more processors are configured to identify a change in location for one or more tools used by the operator during completion of the tasks according to the second order.

20. A method comprising:

identifying a previous order in which a series of tasks of a mission on a first vehicle were performed using tools and movements of an operator who performed the series of tasks in the previous order;

determining an alternate order to complete the series of tasks of the mission on a second vehicle, the alternate order including at least one of a different sequence of the tasks or a different location of at least one of the tools, wherein completing the mission according to the alternate order of the tasks consumes less time than completing the mission according to the previous order of the tasks;

instructing, via a mobile electronic device that includes one or more computer processors, the operator how to move between the tools and the tasks according to the alternate order of the tasks during performance of the mission on the second vehicle;

monitoring movements of the operator and completion of the tasks during performance of the mission on the second vehicle; and

communicating a warning signal to the mobile electronic device responsive to determining that the operator is not performing the tasks of the mission according to the alternate order of the tasks.