Force management system user interface

• US 5,289,368 A
• Filed: 10/12/1990
• Issued: 02/22/1994
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/1990
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: IEX Corporation (Nice Ltd)
• Original Assignee: IEX Corporation (Nice Ltd)
• Inventors: Jordan, Beauford B., Castonguay, Ronald M.
• Primary Examiner(s): Envall, Jr., Roy N.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Poinvil, Frantzy
• Application Number:
  US07/596,720
• Time in Patent Office: 1,229 Days
• Field of Search: 364/401, 364/408, 364/468, 379/34, 379/113, 379/140
• US Class Current: 705/7.13
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06314 Calendaring for a resource
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06315 Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0639 Performance analysis of employees; Performance analysis of enterprise or organisation operations
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2203/402 Agent or workforce management
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/36 Statistical metering, e.g. recording occasions when traffic exceeds capacity of trunks
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 3/523 with call distribution or queueing

Abstract

A force management system includes a unique management display system for managing server schedules during a forecast time period. The system generates a schedule management screen which includes a timescale and a set of schedule activity codes for each server juxtaposed with the timescale to indicate the server'"'"'s availability to respond to an event during the server'"'"'s schedule. The system also generates a companion performance analysis screen. The performance analysis screen includes a timescale representation of forecast time period intervals, and displays call handling performance data for each interval comparing actual event load during the forecast time period with the event load expected to occur during the forecast time period.

Claims

1. A force management system for planning, scheduling and managing personnel in an environment in which there is a constantly varying event load by time of day and by day of week, comprising:

means for generating a forecast of an event load expected to occur during intervals of a forecast time period and a number of servers required to service the expected event load during each interval of the forecast time period;

means responsive to the forecast for generating candidate tours for the servers, each candidate tour defining a work schedule for the forecast time period for one of the servers;

means for assigning the servers to the candidate tours;

means for generating a schedule for each server; and

means for managing the server schedules during the forecast time period, the managing means including;

a display;

means for generating a schedule management screen on the display, the schedule management screen including a timescale and a set of schedule activity codes for each server juxtaposed with the timescale to indicate the server'"'"'s availability to respond to an event during the server'"'"'s schedule;

means for generating a performance analysis screen on the display, the performance analysis screen including a timescale representation of the intervals and event handling performance data for each interval comparing actual event load during the forecast time period with the event load expected to occur during the forecast time period;

means for editing the schedule activity codes in the schedule management screen to modify one or more server schedules;

means for refreshing the performance analysis screen to reflect how the modified server schedules affect the event handling performance data; and

means for switching between the schedule management and performance analysis screens.

2. The force management system as described in claim 1 wherein the managing means further includes:

means for processing actual event load data during the forecast time period and generating a reforecast of event loads expected to occur during remaining intervals of the forecast time period and a number of servers required to service the expected event load during each remaining interval of the forecast time period.

3. The force management system as described in claim 2 wherein the managing means further includes:

means for receiving the reforecast and refreshing the performance analysis screen to reflect the reforecast for the remaining intervals of the forecast time period.

4. A force management system for managing personnel in an environment in which there is a constantly varying event load by time of day and by day of week using a forecast of one or more event variables expected to occur during intervals of a forecast time period, comprising:

a display;

means for generating a performance analysis screen on the display, the performance analysis screen including a timescale representation of the intervals and event handling performance data for each interval comparing actual event data for an event variable during the forecast time period with event data expected to occur for the event variable during the forecast time period;

means for processing actual event data for the event variable during the forecast time period and generating a reforecast of event data expected to occur for the variable during remaining intervals of the forecast time period; and

means, responsive to the processing means, for refreshing the performance analysis screen to reflect the reforecast for the remaining intervals of the forecast time period.

5. The force management system as described in claim 4 wherein the event variable is event load.

6. The force management system as described in claim 5 wherein the forecast includes a number of servers required to service the expected event load during each interval of the forecast time period and the reforecast includes a number of servers required to service the expected event load during each remaining interval of the forecast time period.

7. The force management system as described in claim 4 wherein the event variable is average event handling time.

8. The force management system as described in claim 4 wherein the event variable is a service level.

9. The force management system as described in claim 4, further including:

means for generating a schedule management screen on the display, the schedule management screen including a timescale and a set of schedule activity codes for each server juxtaposed with the timescale to indicate the server'"'"'s availability to respond to an event during the server'"'"'s schedule;

means for editing the schedule activity codes in the schedule management screen to modify one or more server schedules; and

means for refreshing the performance analysis screen to reflect how the modified server schedules affect the event handling performance data.

10. The force management system as described in claim 9 wherein the timescale of the schedule management screen identifies each hour of a daily shift and includes a representation for each quarter hour.

11. The force management system as described in claim 10 wherein the schedule activity codes for each quarter hour of the daily shift are located under the timescale to enable an operator to compare server schedules.

12. The force management system as described in claim 10 wherein the schedule activity codes are color-coded.