Method and system for assigning human resources to provide services

• US 6,985,872 B2
• Filed: 06/10/2002
• Issued: 01/10/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 10/03/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: ClickSoftware Technologies, Ltd. (Salesforce.com, Inc.)
• Original Assignee: ClickSoftware Technologies, Ltd. (Salesforce.com, Inc.)
• Inventors: Beniaminy, Israel, Karlskind, Michael, Benbassat, Moshe, Bendov, Amit, Arazi, Simon
• Primary Examiner(s): Weiss, John G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Robinson-Boyce, Akiba
• Application Number:
  US10/167,261
• Publication Number:
  US 20030033184A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,310 Days
• Field of Search: 705/9, 705/8, 705/7, 705/1
• US Class Current: 705/7.14
• 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 10/063112 Skill-based matching of a person or a group to a task
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06315 Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0633 Workflow analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/105 Human resources
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1097 Task assignment
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0202 Market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0205 Location or geographical consideration

Abstract

A system for assigning human resources to service tasks. A long term forecasting module enables one or more users simultaneously working on that module to assign tasks that should be fulfilled in the each specific region, based on analysis of past demand and actual service operations. A mid-term planning module enables one or more users simultaneously working on that module to roughly allocate resources to fulfill actual future tasks and expected task demands. A short-term scheduling module enables one or more users simultaneously working on that module to roughly allocate specific human resources to fulfill actual tasks. A coordination module immediately propagates any change in the parameters of the human resource assignments resulting at any one of the forecasting, planning or scheduling modules to effect the other two modules. An analyzing module repeatedly checks the assignment actual status upon any introduction of an assignment update by the forecasting and planning modules to detect discrepancies and to generate alerts to correct those discrepancies.

Claims

1. A system for assigning human resources of an enterprise having a hierarchical departmental structure to service tasks, each actual assignment involving at least the parameters of a task that should be fulfilled, a service-man to perform said task, a time frame during which the task is to be performed, a customer for whom the task is performed, and a geographical region in which the customer is located, comprising:

a long-term forecasting module executable by a processing device for;

(a) receiving via a plurality of terminals manual entries of estimated demand for future service tasks;

(b) calculating estimated demand for tasks to be fulfilled in each specific region within future periods, based on said manual entries and analysis of past demand for service;

(c) periodically performing an optimization procedure in order to update said calculated demand for tasks;

a mid-term planning module executable by a processing device for;

(a) receiving via a plurality of terminals manual entries of actual future service tasks;

(b) receiving estimated demand for tasks in each region based on analysis of past demand for service;

(c) assigning one or more service-men to fulfill each of actual service task, and further allocating personnel in each specific region for supporting said estimated demand for tasks; and

(d) periodically carrying out optimization procedure of said assignments and allocations of service-men for service tasks;

a short-term scheduling module executable by a processing device for;

(a) receiving via a plurality of terminals manual entries of actual service tasks;

(b) assigning one or more service-men to fulfill each actual service task in an optimized manner based on the capability of each available service man; and

(c) periodically carrying out optimization of previous assignments that have not yet been performed;

an analysis module executable by a processing device for periodically analyzing past demand for service tasks, performance of said service tasks, and the actual capability of each service-man or the aggregate capability of available service-men, and for updating said mid-term and long-term modules with analysis of past demand for service for the purpose of optimizing the assignments, and for calculating discrepancies in assignments; and

a coordination module executable by a processing device for iteratively and in a high rate calculating and propagating information relating to the effects of updates in task assignments from said long-term module to said mid-term module, and from said mid-term module to said short-term module and vice versa from said short term module to said mid term module and from said mid-term module to said long term module,

wherein said assignment forecasting, planning and scheduling manual entries are entered to said modules by personnel of different hierarchy levels of the enterprise, and wherein said iterations are performed in such a high rate to essentially immediately propagate effects of task updates up and down through all said modules; and

wherein the short-term module corresponds to assignments in a time period of up to several days ahead, the mid-term module corresponds to a time period of between several days and up to several weeks ahead, and the long-term module corresponds to a time period from several months and up ahead.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the human resources are divided into groups, according to geographical location.

3. The system for assigning human resources according to claim 1, wherein the human resources are further divided into groups according to skills.

4. The system according to claim 1, wherein each assignment is regarded as valid only if the service-man has skills for carrying out the service task.

5. The system according to claim 1, further comprising communication means for sharing of assignment information with other enterprises having a same system.

6. The system according to claim 1, wherein said module for forecasting and said module for planning are combined into one module.

7. The system according to claim 1, wherein said module for planning and said module for scheduling are combined into one module.

8. A program encoded in a computer readable medium for controlling a programmable computer to assign human resources of an enterprise having a hierarchical departmental structure to service tasks, each actual assignment involving at least

the parameters of a task to be fulfilled,

a service-man to perform said task,

a time frame during which the task is to be performed,

a customer for whom the task is performed, and

a geographical region in which the customer is located,

said program comprising:

a long-term forecasting module for;

receiving first manual entry data via a plurality of terminals, said first manual entry data representing manual entries of estimated demand for future service tasks;

calculating estimated demand for tasks to be fulfilled in each specific region within future periods, based on said first manual entry data and analysis of past demand for service; and

periodically performing an optimization procedure in order to update said calculated demand for tasks;

a mid-term planning module for;

receiving second manual entry data via a plurality of terminals, said second manual entry data representing manual entries of actual future service tasks;

receiving estimated demand for tasks in each region based on analysis of past demand for service;

assigning one or more service-men to fulfill each of actual service task, and further allocating personnel in each specific region for supporting said estimated demand for tasks; and

periodically carrying out optimization procedure of said assignments and allocations of service-men for service tasks;

a short-term scheduling module for;

receiving third manual entry data via a plurality of terminals, said third manual entry data representing manual entries of actual service tasks;

assigning one or more service-men to fulfill each actual service task in an optimized manner based on the capability of each available service man;

and periodically carrying out optimization of previous assignments that have not yet been performed;

an analysis module for periodically analyzing past demand for service tasks, performance of said service tasks, and the actual capability of each service-man or the aggregate capability of available service-men, and for updating said mid-term and long-term modules with analysis of past demand for service for the purpose of optimizing the assignments, and for calculating discrepancies in assignments; and

a coordination module for iteratively and in a high rate calculating and propagating information relating to the effects of updates in task assignments from said long-term module to said mid-term module, and from said mid-term module to said short-term module and vice versa, from said short term module to said mid term module and from said mid-term module to said long term module,

wherein said assignment forecasting, planning and scheduling manual entries are entered to said modules by personnel of different hierarchy levels of the enterprise, and wherein said iterations are performed in such a high rate to essentially immediately propagate effects of task updates up and down through all said modules; and

wherein the short-term module is operative with assignments in a time period of up to several days ahead, the mid-term module is operative with a time period of between several days and up to several weeks ahead, and the long-term module is operative with a time period from several months and up ahead.

9. The program according to claim 8, wherein the human resources are divided into groups, according to geographical location.

10. The program for assigning human resources according to claim 8, wherein the human resources are further divided into groups according to skills.

11. The program according to claim 8, wherein each assignment is regarded as valid only if the service-man has skills for carrying out the service task.

12. The program according to claim 8, being further operative to perform the step of sharing assignment information with other enterprises having a same program operating on a programmable computer.

13. The program according to claim 8, wherein said module for forecasting and said module for planning are combined into one module.

14. The program according to claim 8, wherein said module for planning and said module for scheduling are combined into one module.