Methods and systems for scheduling complex work orders for a workforce of mobile service technicians

• US 7,346,531 B2
• Filed: 04/02/2001
• Issued: 03/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/31/2000
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Energy Limited (Hitachi, Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: MDSI Software SRL
• Inventors: Jacobs, Simon
• Primary Examiner(s): Jeanty; Romain
• Application Number:
  US09/824,849
• Publication Number:
  US 20020010615A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,542 Days
• Field of Search: 705/8, 705/9, 700/200
• US Class Current: 705/7.15
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/02 Reservations, e.g. for tickets, services or events
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/04 Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/047 Optimisation of routes or paths, e.g. travelling salesman problem
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063112 Skill-based matching of a person or a group to a task
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063114 Status monitoring or status determination for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063116 Schedule adjustment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06314 Calendaring for a resource
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06315 Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06316 Sequencing of tasks or work
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/08 Logistics, e.g. warehousing, loading or distribution; Inventory or stock management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1095 Meeting or appointment
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1097 Task assignment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/60 Scheduling or organising the servicing of application requests, e.g. requests for application data transmissions using the analysis and optimisation of the required network resources admission control or resource allocation H04L47/70
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 69/329 in the application layer [OSI layer 7]
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 9/40 Network security protocols
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/80 Management or planning

Abstract

Provided herein are data structures, processes and systems to facilitate scheduling of complex work orders to a mobile workforce. Complex work orders are comprised of several distinct sub-orders that require coordinated scheduling because the start of one sub-order is dependent on the start or completion of another. The data structure provided herein identifies a set of member sub-orders required for completing complex work orders and relates those sub-orders to one another by precedence criteria that establish which sub-orders are dependent on which other sub-orders. This data structure is used in computer processes integrated with workforce management systems to permit such systems to schedule and/or assign individual work orders in a coordinated manner to satisfy the precedence criteria. Also provided are processes for validating the completion of predecessor sub-orders prior to starting successor sub-orders and transmitting warning messages to field technicians when the precedence criteria have not been satisfied.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for managing a complex work order, comprising

indicating a work order as a complex work order;

including a set of N common fields in the complex work order that identify features of the complex work order, where N is >

1;

selecting from a database containing records of ordinary orders a set of M member sub-orders for the complex work order, where M is >

1, the record of an ordinary order having an identifier and information for the ordinary order and each member sub-order having an identifier for the member sub-order and further having a set of Q fields containing information for the member sub-order, the selected member sub-orders having an identifier and information that is the same as a respective ordinary order in the data base, at least one of the N common fields,the set M member sub-orders, the set of P precedence criteria and the set of Q specific fields are modifiable; and

relating the plurality of member sub-orders by a set of P precedence criteria, where P is >

0, the precedence criteria identifying a predecessor sub-order to be started or completed prior to starting the member sub-order.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the set of M member sub-orders further includes an identifier of a type for the member suborders.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2 wherein a type of member sub-orders is selected from the group consisting of undated, current, future, splittable, and multiday sub-orders.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the precedence criteria identifies a predecessor sub-order to be completed prior to starting the member sub-order.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the precedence criteria identifies a successor sub-order to be started after completion of the member sub-order.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the precedence criteria identifies an elapsed time period for when one member sub-order can start after a start time of a predecessor sub-order.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the precedence criteria identifies that one member sub-order can start simultaneously or after the start time of a predecessor sub-order.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the Q specific fields include an indication of a skill level of a technician needed to work on the member sub-order.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the Q specific fields include an indication of equipment needed to work on the member sub-order.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the Q specific fields include an indication of a duration of time needed to complete the member sub-order.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein the Q specific fields include an indication of an identity of a technician needed to work on the member sub-order.

12. A computer-implemented method for creating a complex work order comprising,

identifying a work order as a complex work order by an identifier;

selecting a set of M member sub-orders associated with the complex work order, where M is >

1, the member sub-orders of the set selected from a database containing records of ordinary orders, where the record for the ordinary orders includes an identifier for the ordinary order and information for the ordinary order, where the identifier for the member sub-order is the same as the identifier for ordinary order and where a set of Q specific fields of a member sub-order is the same as the information for the ordinary order;

relating the member sub-orders by a set of P precedence criteria, where P is >

0, and where the precedence criteria identifies a predecessor sub-order to be started or completed prior to starting the member sub-order, at least one of the set of M member sub-orders, the set of P precedence criteria and the set of Q specific fields are modifiable; and

entering the identifier of the complex work order, the selected M member sub-orders and the P precedence criteria into a data structure stored on computer readable media configured with instructions to communicate data regarding the complex work order to a workforce management system.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 12, further comprising identifying the set of Q specific fields by selecting the M member sub-orders from a database that contains the set of Q specific for each M member sub-orders.

14. Computer readable media containing instructions for implementing the method of claim 12.