Task management system

• US 6,101,481 A
• Filed: 06/30/1998
• Issued: 08/08/2000
• Est. Priority Date: 01/25/1996
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Taskey Pty Limited
• Original Assignee: Taskey Pty Limited
• Inventors: Miller, Neil G.
• Primary Examiner(s): Tkacs, Stephen R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Morgan, George D.
• Application Number:
  US09/101,113
• Time in Patent Office: 770 Days
• Field of Search: 705/8, 705/9, 705/1, 705/11, 705/7
• US Class Current: 705/7.13
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A method is described of managing a plurality of tasks to be carried out by a plurality of personnel, each of the tasks having identified task details relevant thereto, in which the method includes: identifying task personnel who will be directly involved in carrying out each task; allocating sole responsibility for each task to a task controller, and transferring task details to and/or between task personnel and controllers such that task details relevant to a task are provided to and accessible by only the task controller and the task personnel for the task; wherein recommendations for modifying task details relevant to a task can only be made by task personnel for the task, and wherein a task or task details for a task can only be modified by the task controller for the task and/or an administrator, the method utilizes a data processing assembly operable under the control of program means embodied on a machine-readable storage medium that provides a task management system for coordinating the plurality of tasks, and the task management system includes: transfer means for transferring the task details to and/or between the task personnel and controllers; recommendation protocol means for establishing a protocol that the recommendations for modifying task details relevant to a task can only be made by the task personnel for the task, and modification protocol means for establishing a protocol that the modifications to a task or the task details for a task can only be made by the task controller for the task and/or the administrator.

Claims

1. A method of managing a plurality of tasks to be carried out by a plurality of personnel, each of the tasks having identified task details relevant thereto, said method including:

identifying task personnel who will be directly involved in carrying out each task;

allocating sole responsibility for each task to a task controller, and

transferring task details to and/or between task personnel and controllers such that task details relevant to a task are provided to and accessible by only the task controller and the task personnel for said task;

wherein recommendations for modifying task details relevant to a task can only be made by task personnel for said task, and wherein a task or task details for a task can only be modified by the task controller for said task and/or an administrator;

said method utilising a data processing assembly operable under the control of program means embodied on a machine-readable storage medium that provides a task management system for coordinating said plurality of tasks, said task management system including;

transfer means for transferring said task details to and/or between said task personnel and controllers;

recommendation protocol means for establishing a protocol that said recommendations for modifying task details relevant to a task can only be made by the task personnel for said task, and

modification protocol means for establishing a protocol that said modifications to a task or said task details for a task can only be made by the task controller for said task and/or said administrator.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said task details are related and identified by means of a task breakdown structure.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1, wherein said task details when transferred are displayed to said task controller and said task personnel.

4. A method of managing a plurality of tasks to be carried out by a plurality of personnel, each of the tasks having identified task details relevant thereto, said method including:

identifying task personnel who will be directly involved in carrying out each task;

allocating sole responsibility for each task to a task controller, and

transferring task details to and/or between task personnel and controllers such that task details relevant to a task are provided to and accessible by only the task controller and the task personnel for said task;

wherein recommendations for modifying task details relevant to a task can only be made by task personnel for said task, and wherein a task or task details for a task can only be modified by the task controller for said task and/or an administrator;

said method utilizing a data processing assembly operable under the control of program means embodied on a machine-readable storage medium that provides a task management system for coordinating said plurality of tasks, said task management system including;

transfer means for transferring said task details to and/or between said task personnel and controllers;

recommendation protocol means for establishing a protocol that said recommendations for modifying task details relevant to a task can only be made by the task personnel for said task, and

modification protocol means for establishing a protocol that said modifications to a task or said task details for a task can only be made by the task controller for said task and/or said administrator; and

wherein a task or task details for a task are modified by any one or more of the following operations;

moving a single task;

moving a block of tasks;

deleting a task;

completing a task action;

merging tasks;

merging task details;

copying and pasting a task, and

templating a task.

5. A method as claimed in claim 4, wherein a said operation includes any one or more of the following:

adjusting the details of a task in accordance with child task time blowout;

adjusting the details of a task in accordance with parent task time blowout;

checking that a parent task is started when a child task of the parent has begun, and

updating progress of a parent task when progress of a child task of the parent has changed.

6. A management system for coordinating a plurality of tasks to be carried out by a plurality of task personnel identified as being directly involved in carrying out each task and controlled by a task controller having sole responsibility for each task, each of the tasks having task details relevant thereto, said system including:

transfer means for transferring task details to and/or between task personnel and controllers such that task details relevant to a task are provided to and accessible by only the task controller and the task personnel for said task;

recommendation protocol means for establishing a protocol that recommendations for modifying task details relevant to a task can only be made by task personnel for said task, and

modification protocol means for establishing a protocol that modifications to a task or task details for a task can only be made by the task controller and/or an administrator.

7. A management system as claimed in claim 6, wherein each of the task personnel, each task controller and the administrator is provided with a computer and wherein said transfer means comprises a plurality of transient communication linkages between data storage means storing data relating to the task details and the computers of the task controller and the task personnel.

8. A management system as claimed in claim 7, wherein said transient communication linkages are established and removed under the control of a computer program.

9. A management system as claimed in claim 8, wherein said protocols are established under the control of said computer program which constitutes said protocol means.

10. A computer program embodied on a machine-readable storage medium that provides a management system for coordinating a plurality of tasks to be carried out by a plurality of task personnel identified as being directly involved in carrying out each task and controlled by a task controller having sole responsibility for each task, each of the tasks having task details relevant thereto, said system including:

transfer means for transferring task details to and/or between task personnel and controllers such that task details relevant to a task are provided to and accessible by only the task controller and the task personnel for said task;

recommendation protocol means for establishing a protocol that recommendations for modifying task details relevant to a task can only be made by task personnel for said task, and

modification protocol means for establishing a protocol that modifications to a task or task details for a task can only be made by the task controller and/or an administrator.

11. A method of managing a plurality of tasks to be carried out by a plurality of personnel, each of the tasks having identified task details relevant thereto, said method including:

identifying task personnel who will be directly involved in carrying out each task;

allocating sole responsibility for each task to a task controller, and

transferring task details to and/or between task personnel and controllers such that task details relevant to a task are provided to and accessible by only the task controller and the task personnel for said task;

wherein recommendations for modifying task details relevant to a task can only be made by task personnel for said task, and wherein a task or task details for a task can only be modified by the task controller for said task and/or an administrator;

said method utilising a data processing assembly operable under the control of program means embodied on a machine-readable storage medium that provides a management system for coordinating said plurality of tasks.

12. A method of managing a plurality of tasks to be carried out by a plurality of personnel, each of the tasks having identified task details relevant thereto, said method including:

identifying task personnel who will be directly involved in carrying out each task;

allocating sole responsibility for each task to a task controller, and

transferring task details to and/or between task personnel and controllers such that task details relevant to a task are provided to and accessible by only the task controller and the task personnel for said task;

wherein recommendations for modifying task details relevant to a task can only be made by task personnel for said task, and wherein a task or task details for a task can only be modified by the task controller for said task and/or an administrator.

13. A method of using a computer for managing a plurality of tasks to be carried out by a plurality of personnel, each of the tasks having identified task details relevant thereto, said method including:

identifying task personnel who will be directly involved in carrying out each task;

allocating sole responsibility for each task to a task controller, and

transferring task details to and/or between task personnel and controllers such that task details relevant to a task are provided to and accessible by only the task controller and the task personnel for said task;

wherein recommendations for modifying task details relevant to a task can only be made by task personnel for said task, and wherein a task or task details for a task can only be modified by the task controller for said task and/or an administrator.

14. A method of managing a plurality of tasks to be carried out by a plurality of personnel, each of the tasks having identified task details relevant thereto, said method including:

identifying task personnel who will be directly involved in carrying out each task;

allocating sole responsibility for each task to a task controller, and

transferring task details to and/or between task personnel and controllers such that task details relevant to a task are provided to and accessible by only the task controller and the task personnel for said task;

wherein recommendations for modifying task details relevant to a task can only be made by task personnel for said task, and wherein a task or task details for a task can only be modified by the task controller for said task and/or an administrator;

said method utilizing a data processing assembly operable under the control of program means embodied on a machine-readable storage medium that provides a task management system for coordinating said plurality of tasks, said task management system including;

transfer means for transferring said task details to and/or between said task personnel and controllers;

recommendation protocol means for establishing a protocol that said recommendations for modifying task details relevant to a task can only be made by the task personnel for said task, and

modification protocol means for establishing a protocol that said modifications to a task or said task details for a task can only be made by the task controller for said task and/or said administrator; and

wherein a task or task details for a task are modified by any one or more of the following operations;

moving a single task;

moving a block of tasks;

deleting a task;

completing a task action;

merging tasks;

merging task details;

copying and pasting a task, and

templating a task.

15. A method as claimed in claim 14, wherein said task details are related and identified by means of a task breakdown structure.

16. A method as claimed in claim 14, wherein said task details when transferred are displayed to said task controller and said task personnel.

17. A method as claimed in claim 14, wherein a said operation includes any one or more of the following:

adjusting the details of a task in accordance with child task time blowout;

adjusting the details of a task in accordance with parent task time blowout;

checking that a parent task is started when a child task of the parent has begun, and

updating progress of a parent task when progress of a child task of the parent has changed.