Method and apparatus for hardware realization process assessment

• US 6,327,571 B1
• Filed: 04/15/1999
• Issued: 12/04/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: WSOU Investments, LLC (WSOU Holdings, LLC)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Nygren, Stephen F., Nikoonezhad, Seema, McDonough, Kathryn Mary, Khayat, Zakwan
• Primary Examiner(s): Hafiz, Tariq R.
• Assistant Examiner(s): NORMAN, MARC E
• Application Number:
  US09/292,424
• Time in Patent Office: 964 Days
• Field of Search: 705/10, 705/7, 705/11
• US Class Current: 705/7.32
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0203 Market surveys; Market polls

Abstract

The invention provides techniques for performing hardware realization process assessment (HRPA). In an illustrative embodiment, a processing system receives response data, in response to a request for HRPA information, from users associated with a company, organization or other entity to be evaluated. The system transforms the response data in accordance with a predefined transformation including, e.g., a transformation of particular consensus responses to corresponding numerical values, and an averaging of the numerical values across a given analysis category. The system retrieves stored calibration data representative of responses of one or more related entities, and then generates a graphical display including a plot indicative of the transformed response data for the users associated with the entity and including at least a subset of the retrieved stored calibration data. For example, the graphical display may plot the response data in a format which provides simultaneous display of multiple HRPA categories, and which is indicative of upper, lower and middle quartiles of transformed response data from the other related entities.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for processing data associated with a hardware realization process assessment of an entity, the method comprising the steps of:

receiving response data, in response to a request for hardware realization process assessment information, from a plurality of users associated with the entity, the response data characterizing hardware development processes of the entity in a plurality of information categories;

transforming the response data in accordance with a predefined transformation including at least a transformation of particular responses to corresponding numerical values;

retrieving stored calibration data representative of responses of one or more related entities; and

generating a graphical display including at least first and second plots indicative of at least a portion of the transformed response data for the users associated with the entity, the first plot being configured so as to provide a comparison of the hardware development processes of the entity to corresponding processes of the one or more related entities, the first plot providing for each of the plurality of information categories an associated performance indication for the entity and a category-based comparison indication for the one or more related entities, the second plot corresponding to particular one of the plurality of information categories and having a set of plotted points with each of the plotted points representative of one or more of the numerical values and an associated question-based comparison indication for the one or more related entities, the category-based and question-based comparison indications being determined based at least in part on the calibration data.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the entity comprises at least one of a company, an organization and a project.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the entity is a first company and the one or more related entities include a plurality of other companies operating in a field related to that of the first company.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the request for hardware realization process assessment information includes a questionnaire including at least one information request in at least a subset of the following categories:

Customer Focus, Project Management, Product Definition, Product Development &

Manufacturing, Quality Focus, Leadership &

Management, Common Physical Environment, and Supplier Management.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the predefined transformation for a given one of the categories includes a transformation of particular consensus responses to corresponding numerical values, and an averaging of the numerical values across the given one of the categories.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the graphical display includes a display of the calibration data in a format indicative of at least one of an upper quartile and a lower quartile of response data from the other related entities.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the graphical display comprises a Kiviat chart having a plurality of spokes, with each of at least a subset of the spokes corresponding to a category of information in the request for hardware realization process assessment information.

8. The method of claim 1 wherein the graphical display includes a set of plotted points corresponding to a particular category of information in the request for hardware realization process assessment information.

9. An apparatus for processing data associated with a hardware realization process assessment of an entity, the apparatus comprising:

a processor-based system having a processor coupled to a memory and being operative (i) to receive response data, in response to a request for hardware realization process assessment information, from a plurality of users associated with the entity, the response data characterizing hardware development processes of the entity in a plurality of information categories;

(ii) to transform the response data in accordance with a predefined transformation including at least a transformation of particular responses to corresponding numerical values;

(iii) to retrieve stored calibration data representative of responses of one or more related entities; and

(iv) to generate a graphical display including at least first and second plots indicative of at least a portion of the transformed response data for the users associated with the entity, the first plot being configured so as to provide a comparison of the hardware development processes of the entity to corresponding processes of the one or more related entities, the first plot providing for each of the plurality of information categories an associated performance indication for the entity and a category-based comparison indication for the one or more related entities, the second plot corresponding to a particular one of the plurality of information categories and having a set of plotted points, with each of the plotted points representative of one or more of the numerical values, and an associated question-based comparison indication for the one or more related entities, the category-based and question-based comparison indications being determined based at least in part on the calibration data.

10. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the entity comprises at least one of a company, an organization and a project.

11. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the entity is a first company and the one or more related entities include a plurality of other companies operating in a field related to that of the first company.

12. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the request for hardware realization process assessment information includes a questionnaire including at least one information request in at least a subset of the following categories:

Customer Focus, Project Management, Product Definition, Product Development &

Manufacturing, Quality Focus, Leadership &

Management, Common Physical Environment, and Supplier Management.

13. The apparatus of claim 12 wherein the predefined transformation for a given one of the categories includes a transformation of particular consensus responses to corresponding numerical values, and an averaging of the numerical values across the given one of the categories.

14. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the graphical display includes a display of the calibration data in a format indicative of at least one of an upper quartile and a lower quartile of response data from the other related entities.

15. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the graphical display comprises a Kiviat chart having a plurality of spokes, with each of at least a subset of the spokes corresponding to a category of information in the request for hardware realization process assessment information.

16. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the graphical display includes a set of plotted points corresponding to a particular category of information in the request for hardware realization process assessment information.

17. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the processing system includes a database for storing the calibration data associated with the other related entities.

18. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the processing system is operative to request the hardware realization process assessment information via a web page associated with the system and accessible to at least a subset of the users via a network connection.

19. The apparatus of claim 9 wherein the processing system is operative to receive at least a portion of the response data over a network connection established between the system and a user terminal associated with one or more of the plurality of users.

20. A computer-readable medium storing one or more software programs for processing data associated with a hardware realization process assessment of an entity, wherein the one or more programs when executed by a processor include:

a step for receiving response data, in response to a request for hardware realization process assessment information, from a plurality of users associated with the entity, the response data characterizing hardware development processes of the entity in a plurality of information categories;

a step for transforming the response data in accordance with a predefined transformation including at least a transformation of particular responses to corresponding numerical values;

a step for retrieving stored calibration data representative of responses of one or more related entities; and

a step for generating a graphical display including at least first and second plots indicative of at least a portion of the transformed response data for the users associated with the entity, the first plot being configured so as to provide a comparison of the hardware development processes of the entity to corresponding processes of the one or more related entities, the first plot providing for each of the plurality of information categories an associated performance indication for the entity and a category-based comparison indication for the one or more related entities, the second plot corresponding to a particular one of the plurality of information categories and having a set of plotted points with each of the plotted points representative of one or more of the numerical values and an associated question-based comparison indication for the one or more related entities, the category-based and question-based comparison indications being determined based at least in part on the calibration data.