Dynamically assigning priorities for the allocation of server resources to completing classes of work based upon achievement of server level goals

• US 6,272,544 B1
• Filed: 09/08/1998
• Issued: 08/07/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 09/08/1998
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Avaya Incorporated
• Inventors: Mullen, David Clarence
• Primary Examiner(s): Harrell, Robert B.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Vaughn, Jr., William C.
• Application Number:
  US09/149,877
• Time in Patent Office: 1,064 Days
• Field of Search: 709/225, 709/226, 709/224, 709/100, 709/103, 709/104, 709/105
• US Class Current: 709/226
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2209/5021 Priority
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/505 considering the load

Abstract

A facility for ranking service classes in terms of their relative levels of need for additional server resources is described. The facility utilizes a set of goals, each identifying a service class to which it applies and a goal criterion for the service class, and each specifying a desired service level specifying a minimum percentage of transactions of the service class identified by the goal for which the goal criterion should be satisfied. Each goal further specifies an indication of the level of importance of the goal. For each goal, the facility determines an achieved service level indicating the percentage of completed transactions of the service class identified by the goal for which the goal criterion specified by the goal was satisfied. The facility further identifies any goals whose desired service level exceeds their achieved service level. The facility then selects, for each service class identified by at least one identified goal, the goal identified by the service class whose importance indication indicates that it is the most important. The facility then ranks the selected service classes identified by the selected goals in accordance with the importance indications of the selected goals.

Claims

1. A method in a computer system for allocating server resources to each of a plurality of work types, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving a plurality of service level goals, each service level goal identifying a work type to which the goal applies, each service level goal further specifying a performance standard for the work type identified by the service level goal, the service level goals having an order from most significant to least significant;

identifying any service level goals within the plurality of service level goals whose performance standards are not satisfied with respect to the work types identified by the service level goals;

selecting each work type having at least one identified unsatisfied service'"'"' level goal,

for each selected work type, selecting the identified unsatisfied service level goal identifying the work type that is most significant in the order of service level goals;

assigning preference levels to the selected work types such that the assigned preference levels relate directly to the position of the selected service level goals identifying the selected work types in the order of service level goals; and

allocating server resources to the plurality of work types in accordance with the assigned preference levels;

wherein the allocating step allocates server resources to work transactions of the plurality of work types, and wherein the receiving step receives service level goals in which the performance standard is expressed using a goal criterion and a desired service level, the goal criterion specifying a standard sought to be satisfied for each transaction of the work type and the desired service level specifying a fraction of transactions of the work type for which the goal criterion is sought to be satisfied, and wherein the identifying step identifies service level goals whose goal criteria are not satisfied for at least the fractions of transactions of the work types specified by the desired service levels of the service level goals.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the allocating step allocates server resources to work transactions of the plurality of work types, and wherein the receiving step receives service level goals in which the performance standard is expressed using a plurality of goal criteria each having a desired service level, each goal criterion specifying a standard sought to be satisfied for each transaction of the work type and its desired service level specifying a fraction of transactions of the work type for which the goal criterion is sought to be satisfied, and wherein the identifying step identifies service level goals that each have at least one goal criterion that is not satisfied for at least the fractions of transactions of the work type specified by the desired service levels of the service level goals.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the allocating step allocates server resources to work transactions of the plurality of work types, and wherein the receiving step receives service level goals in which the performance standard is expressed using a desired service level and a plurality of goal criteria, the goal criteria each specifying a standard sought to be satisfied for each transaction of the work type and the desired service level specifying a fraction of transactions of the work type for which all of the goal criteria are sought to be satisfied, and wherein the identifying step identifies service level goals whose goal criteria are not all satisfied for at least the fractions of transactions of the work types specified by the desired service levels of the service level goals.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the identifying step includes the steps of, for each service level goal:

assessing an attained performance level for the service level goal; and

determining whether the attained performance level falls short of the performance standard for the service level goal.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the identifying step includes the steps of, for each service level goal:

predicting a future attained performance level for the service level goal; and

determining whether the attained performance level falls short of the performance standard for the service level goal.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the assigning step assigns human server resources to the work types in accordance with the preference levels assigned to the work types.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the assigning step assigns automated server resources to the work types in accordance with the preference levels assigned to the work types.

8. A computer system for allocating server resources to each of a plurality of work types, comprising:

a memory storing a plurality of service level goals, each service level goal identifying a work type to which the goal applies, each service level goal further specifying a performance standard for the work type identified by the goal, the service level goals having an order from most significant to least significant;

a service level goal identifier that identifies any service level goals within the plurality of service level goals whose performance standards are not satisfied with respect to the work types identified by the service level goals;

a service level goal selector that, for each work type having at least one identified service level goal, selects the identified service level goal identifying the work type that is most significant in the order of service level goals;

a preference level assignment subsystem that assigns preference levels to the work types identified by the selected service level goals such that the assigned preference levels relate directly to the position of the selected service level goals in the order of service level goals; and

a server resource allocator that allocates server resources to the plurality of work types in accordance with the assigned preference levels;

wherein the server resource allocator allocates server resources to work transactions of the plurality of work types, and wherein the memory stores service level goals in which the performance standard is expressed using a goal criterion and a desired service level, the goal criterion specifying a standard sought to be satisfied for each transaction of the work type and the desired service level specifying a fraction of transactions of the work type for which the goal criterion is sought to be satisfied, and wherein the service level goal identifier identifies service level goals whose goal criteria are not satisfied for at least the fractions of transactions of the work types specified by the desired service levels of the service level goals.

9. A computer-readable medium whose contents cause a computer system to allocate server resources to each of a plurality of work types by performing the steps of:

receiving a plurality of service level goals, each service level goal identifying a work type to which the goal applies, each service level goal further specifying a performance standard for the work type identified by the goal, the goals being ordered from most significant to least significant;

identifying any service level goals within the plurality whose performance standards are not satisfied with respect to the work types identified by the service level goals;

selecting each work type having at least one identified service level goal,

for each selected work type, selecting the identified service level goal identifying the work type that is most significant in the order of service level goals;

assigning preference levels to the selected work types such that the assigned preference levels relate directly to the position of the selected service level goals identifying the selected work types in the order of t service level goals; and

allocating server resources to the plurality of work types in accordance with the assigned preference levels;

wherein the allocating step allocates server resources to work transactions of the plurality of work types, and wherein the receiving step receives service level goals in which the performance standard is expressed using a goal criterion and a desired service level, the goal criterion specifying a standard sought to be satisfied for each transaction of the work type and the desired service level specifying a fraction of transactions of the work type for which the goal criterion is sought to be satisfied, and wherein the identifying step identifies service level goals whose goal criteria are not satisfied for at least the fractions of transactions of the work types specified by the desired service levels of the service level goals.

10. The computer-readable medium of claim 9 wherein the allocating step allocates server resources to work transactions of the plurality of work types,

and wherein the receiving step receives service level goals in which the performance standard is expressed using a goal criterion and a desired service level, the goal criterion specifying a standard sought to be satisfied for each transaction of the work type and the desired service level specifying a fraction of transactions of the work type for which the goal criterion is sought to be satisfied,

and wherein the identifying step identifies service level goals whose goal criteria are not satisfied for at least the fractions of transactions of the work types specified by the desired service levels of the service level goals.

11. The computer-readable medium of claim 9 wherein the allocating step allocates server resources to work transactions of the plurality of work types,

and wherein the receiving step receives service level goals in which the performance standard is expressed using a plurality of goal criteria each having a desired service level, each goal criterion specifying a standard sought to be satisfied for each transaction of the work type and its desired service level specifying a fraction of transactions of the work type for which the goal criterion is sought to be satisfied,

and wherein the identifying step identifies service level goals that each have at least one goal criterion that is not satisfied for at least the fractions of transactions of the work type specified by the desired service levels of the service level goals.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 9 wherein the allocating step allocates server resources to work transactions of the plurality of work types,

and wherein the receiving step receives service level goals in which the performance standard is expressed using a desired service level and a plurality of goal criteria, the goal criteria each specifying a standard sought to be satisfied for each transaction of the work type and the desired service level specifying a fraction of transactions of the work type for which all of the goal criteria are sought to be satisfied,

and wherein the identifying step identifies service level goals whose goal criteria are not all satisfied for at least the fractions of transactions of the work types specified by the desired service levels of the service level goals.

13. For a plurality of service classes each corresponding to a type of transaction, a method in a computer system for ranking the service classes in terms of their relative levels of need for additional server resources, the method comprising the steps of:

maintaining a set of goals, each goal identifying a service class to which it applies, each goal specifying a desired service level specifying a minimum percentage of transactions of the service class identified by the goal for which a goal criterion should be satisfied, specifying the goal criterion, and specifying an indication of the level of importance of the goal;

for each goal, determining an achieved service level indicating the percentage of completed transactions of the service class identified by the goal for which the goal criterion specified by the goal was satisfied;

identifying any goals whose desired service level exceeds their achieved service level;

for each service class identified by at least one identified goal, selecting the goal identified by the service class whose importance indication indicates that it is the most important; and

ranking the service classes identified by the selected goals in accordance with the importance indications of the selected goals.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of assigning server resources to process transactions of the service classes in accordance with the ranking of the service classes.

15. The method of claim 13 wherein the determining step projects an achieved service level indicating the percentage of completed transactions of the service class identified by the goal for which the goal criterion specified by the goal will be satisfied at a future time.

16. The method of claim 13 wherein the maintaining step maintains goals each having multiple goal criteria, each of the multiple goal criteria having a desired service level,

and wherein the determining step determines an achieved service level for each criterion of each goal,

and wherein identifying step identifies any goals where the desired service level for at least one criterion exceeds the achieved service level for that criterion.

17. For a plurality of service classes each corresponding to a type of transaction, a computer system for ranking the service classes in terms of their relative levels of need for additional server resources, comprising:

a memory storing a set of goals, each goal identifying a service class to which it applies, each goal specifying a desired service level specifying a minimum percentage of transactions of the identified service class for which a goal criterion should be satisfied, specifying the goal criterion, and specifying an indication of the level of importance of the goal;

a service level monitor that determines, for each goal, an achieved service level indicating the percentage of completed transactions of the service class identified by the goal for which the goal criterion specified by the goal was satisfied;

a goal discriminator that identifies any goals whose desired service level exceeds their achieved service level;

a goal selector that selects, for each service class identified by at least one identified goal, the identified goal identified by the service class whose importance indication indicates that it is the most important; and

a service class ranking subsystem that ranks the service classes identified by selected goals in accordance with the importance indications of the selected goals.

19. The computer system of claim 17 wherein the service level monitor includes a service level predictor that determines for each goal an expected service level indicating the percentage of transactions of the service class identified by the goal for which the goal criterion specified by the goal is expected to be satisfied at a future time.

18. For a plurality of service classes each describing a type of transaction, a computer-readable medium whose contents cause a computer system to rank the service classes in terms of their relative levels of need for additional server resources by performing the steps of:

maintaining a set of goals, each goal identifying a service class to which it applies, each goal specifying a desired service level specifying a minimum percentage of transactions of the identified service class for which a goal criterion should be satisfied, specifying the goal criterion, and specifying an indication of the level of importance of the goal;

for each goal, determining an achieved service level indicating the percentage of completed transactions of the service class identified by the goal for which the goal criterion specified by the goal was satisfied;

identifying any goals whose desired service level exceeds their achieved service level;

for each service class identified by at least one identified goal, selecting the identified goal identified by the service class whose importance indication indicates that it is the most important; and

ranking the service classes identified by selected goals in accordance with the importance indications of the selected goals.

20. A computer memory containing a service class preference data table usable to allocate server resources among service classes, the data structure comprising an ordered series of entries each corresponding to a different service class, the position of each entry in the ordered series indicating the relative extent to which allocation of server resources to the service class to which the entry corresponds is preferred over allocation of resources to other service classes, such that the order of the entries may be used to allocate service resources among service classes.

21. A computer memory containing a service class preference data table usable to allocate server resources among service classes, the data structure comprising a plurality of entries each corresponding to a different service class, each entry having a quantitative indication indicating the relative extent to which allocation of server resources to the service class to which the entry corresponds is preferred over allocation of resources to other service classes, such that the quantitative indications may be used to allocate service resources among service classes.