Business method for quality assurance of services

• US 6,859,781 B1
• Filed: 11/12/1999
• Issued: 02/22/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 11/12/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Kurlanski, Kathleen Moore, Gloor, Russell Frederick, Miller, Myla Steelman
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James
• Assistant Examiner(s): Reagan, James A
• Application Number:
  US09/439,310
• Time in Patent Office: 1,929 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/8, 705/9, 705/7, 705/10, 358/1, 379/112, 235/380
• US Class Current: 705/7.28
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06313 Resource planning in a project environment
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0635 Risk analysis of enterprise or organisation activities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06375 Prediction of business process outcome or impact based on a proposed change
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06395 Quality analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/103 Workflow collaboration or project management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0601 Electronic shopping [e-shopping]
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99945 Object-oriented database structure processing
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99948 Application of database or data structure, e.g. distributed, multimedia, or image

Abstract

The quality of information technology services provided by an organization to a customer is assured. Assurance reviews of a first solution are performed and a second solution is defined to correct deficiencies. A third assurance review is performed. Customer commitment to the second solution is obtained. A readiness review, a project management review, and a deliverable readiness review are performed assuring customer need satisfaction.

Claims

1. A quality assurance method for an information technology services solution, comprising the steps of:

defining a first information technology services solution by a provider having a business objective for a customer having a need;

electronically performing a first assurance review of said for solution to determine whether said first solution is technically viable, deliverable, and includes technical risk identification, assessment, and containment plans;

electronically performing a second assurance review of said first solution to determine whether said first solution includes complete schedules, a complete cost and profit case, and said first solution satisfies both provider business objectives and said customer need;

defining a second information technology services solution by said provider, by correcting any deficiencies identified in said first assurance review with respect to whether said first solution is technically viable, deliverable, and includes technical risk identification, assessment, and containment plans, and by correcting any deficiencies identified in said second assurance review respect to whether said first solution includes complete schedules, a complete cost and profit case, and said first solution satisfies both provider business objectives and said customer need;

obtaining a customer commitment to said second solution;

thereafter, performing a first readiness review of said second solution to identify new issues or risks which arose during said obtaining customer commitment step, determine whether delivery plans are established, and establish baselines for performances and said profit case;

if said first ready this review has determined that said delivery plans are established then periodically performing a project management review to verify said second solution is being managed as defined, meeting said profit case, and meeting said customer need; and

if said project management review has verified that said second solution is being managed as defined, meeting said profit case, in meeting said customer need then thereafter, performing a deliverable readiness review to verify that said second solution has been delivered to said customer and that said second solution satisfies the customer'"'"'s need.

2. The method set forth in claim 1, further comprising the steps of;

performing a third assurance review of said second solution to determine whether said deficiencies have been satisfactorily corrected; and

if said third assaurance revise has determined that said deficiencies have satisfactorily connected then obtaining a commitment by the customer to said second solution.

3. The method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said first readiness review is performed by conducting a meeting to examine whether written delivery plans comprising communication delivery plans, organization delivery plans, tracking delivery plans, change control delivery plans, quality management delivery plans, and reporting delivery plans are all established.