Idea management

• US 7,533,034 B2
• Filed: 01/10/2002
• Issued: 05/12/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: BrainBank, Inc.
• Original Assignee: BrainBank, Inc.
• Inventors: Laurin, Andre Paul Cyrille, Jean Ste-Marie, Karell Serge
• Primary Examiner(s): Jeanty, Romain
• Application Number:
  US10/044,779
• Publication Number:
  US 20020107722A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,679 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/7, 705/10
• US Class Current: 705/7.15
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063114 Status monitoring or status determination for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0637 Strategic management or analysis, e.g. setting a goal or target of an organisation; Planning actions based on goals; Analysis or evaluation of effectiveness of goals
• 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

Abstract

A system, method and computer program product for idea management and development of a structured idea. The methodology includes obtaining a structured response over a computer network from an employee of a business. In certain embodiments of the invention the system and method may be employed without the use of a computer network. The structured response is developed through a series of templates in which the employee enters information into a template. From the responses in the first template a second template is selected. The second template may request information regarding the financial consequences of implementing the idea. Once the structured idea is developed through the series of templates a routing decision is made by the server. The server determines one or more members of the business management to whom the idea is routed based in part on information entered by the employee in the templates.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for providing through a computer network to business management a plan for implementing a user'"'"'s suggestion for business improvement, the method comprising:

in a first computer process, causing presentation to a user seeking to submit a suggestion for business improvement, a series of two or more templates for entering a structured response on a terminal device, wherein one of the templates presented to the user allows the user to characterize the type of suggestion as falling into at least one of a plurality of categories selected from a group of cost saving, revenue generation, quality improvement, safety improvement, customer service improvement, development of a new product, policy change and advertising or corporate slogan;

receiving over a computer network the structured response, entered into the two or more templates from the user, wherein the structured response includes a characterization of the type of suggestion entered into one or more templates by the user and a server logically selects at least one of the templates presented to the user according to the type of suggestion characterized by the user; and

in a second computer process, determining the network routing of data from the structured response to business management based upon entries of the response in one or more templates.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the server logically selects a plurality of templates subsequent to a first template based upon data entered by the user in one or more templates.

3. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one template provides for entry of cost savings information.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein at least one template provides for access to a database containing cost information.

5. The method according to claim 1 wherein a template is provided based upon a selected department of the business.

6. The method according to claim 1 wherein a financial template is provided based upon the type of suggestion characterized.

7. The method according to claim 6, further comprising calculating a financial benefit based upon submissions in the financial template.

8. The method according to claim 7 further comprising obtaining financial data requested from the network.

9. The method according to claim 8 wherein access to financial data is controlled through a user'"'"'s log-in for the computer network.

10. The method according to claim 8 wherein if no financial data is available in a database associated with the network and the user enters financial data in a template the method further comprises:

adding the financial data to the database for a subsequent user suggestion.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining the network routing is dependent in part on a business group that is selected on a template by the user.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining the network routing is dependent in part on a user'"'"'s response to whether the suggestion has a financial benefit.

13. The method according to claim 1 wherein determining the network routing is dependent in part on a selected department affected by the user suggestion.

14. The method according to claim 1 wherein determining the network routing is dependent in part on whether the user indicates that the suggestion is a team suggestion.

15. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining the network routing is dependent in part on the suggestion characterized by the user.

16. The method according to claim 1, wherein a template provides a user with selectable items having associated financial information.

17. The method according to claim 16, wherein a processor determines the net financial impact based upon the one or more selectable items selected.

18. The method according to claim 17, wherein the processor obtains financial information from a business database based upon the selected selectable items.

19. The method according to claim 16 wherein an employee may add one or more financial impact items and request financial information from the business database about the financial impact items.

20. The method according to claim 1, further comprising receiving information from a template at a processor wherein the information contains financial data about a financial impact item and adding the financial data about the financial impact item to a business database.

21. The method according to claim 1, wherein a template is provided which allows a user to enter one or more potential implementers of the employee suggestion.

22. The method according to claim 21, wherein determining the network routing is dependent in part upon the one or more potential implementers selected.

23. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining the network routing is dependent in part upon a deadline selected by the user.

24. The method according to claim 1 wherein determining the network routing is dependent in part upon information about the user submitting the suggestion.

25. The method according to claim 24, wherein the user is an employee and such information may include the department of the business that the employee works in.

26. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

receiving over a network a structured reply to the structured response from one or more members of business management.

27. The method according to claim 26, wherein the structured reply is based upon response by business management to one or more templates.

28. The method according to claim 26, wherein business management is sent cost information from a cost database associated with a processor.

29. The method according to claim 26, wherein receipt of the structured reply causes a processor to contact the user submitting the structured suggestion.

30. The method according to claim 29, wherein the processor contacts the user via e-mail.

31. The method according to claim 26, wherein the processor routes a new template to the user requesting more information about the employee suggestion in response to the structured reply.

32. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

maintaining a user suggestion log in memory associated with the processor.

33. The method according to claim 32, wherein the user suggestion log contains information entered by the user on a series of templates, information regarding routing of the user suggestion and status of the user suggestion.

34. The method according to claim 32, upon request by the employee submitting the employee suggestion, providing a displayable version of the user suggestion log via the computer network to a computer associated with the user submitting the suggestion.

35. The method according to claim 1, wherein a template is provided to the user for entering information regarding implementation of the user suggestion.

36. The method according to claim 35, wherein the information regarding implementation includes identification of possible implementers.

37. The method according to claim 36, further comprising:

after receiving information from business management indicating acceptance of the user suggestion, sending via the computer network information about the user suggestion to the possible implementers.

38. The method according to claim 1, if a deadline for response to the user suggestion expires, sending a reminder via the computer network to the business management that received the user suggestion.

39. The method according to claim 1, wherein determining network routing is based in part on workload of the business management.

40. A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having computer readable code thereon for providing to business management a plan for implementing a user'"'"'s suggestion, the computer readable code comprising:

computer code for presenting to a user seeking to submit a suggestion for business improvement, a series of two or more templates for entering a structured response, wherein at least one of the templates contains a field for selecting the type of suggestion from the group of cost saving, revenue generation, quality improvement, safety improvement, customer service improvement, development of a new product, policy change and advertising or corporate slogan;

computer code for obtaining over a computer network the structured response, entered into the two or more templates, from the user, wherein the structured response includes a characterization of the type of suggestion entered into one or more templates by the user and at least one of the templates presented to the user is selected according to the type of suggestion characterized by the user;

computer code for determining network routing of data from the structured response to business management based upon entries of the response in one or more templates.

41. The computer program product according to claim 40, further comprising:

computer code for selecting additional templates to develop the structured response wherein, a plurality of templates is selected based upon information entered by the user within at least one prior template.

42. The computer program product according to claim 40, wherein at least one template provides for entry of cost savings information.

43. The computer program product according to claim 40, wherein at least one of the templates provides for access to a database containing cost information.

44. The computer program product according to claim 40, wherein a template is chosen based upon a selected department of the business.

45. The computer program product according to claim 40, wherein a financial template is provided based upon the type of suggestion characterized.

46. The computer program product according to claim 45, further comprising computer code for calculating a financial benefit based upon one or more transmitted submissions from the financial template.

47. The computer program product according to claim 40 further comprising:

computer code for obtaining financial data requested from the network.

48. The computer program product according to claim 47 wherein access to financial data is controlled through an employee'"'"'s log-in for the computer network.

49. The computer program product according to claim 48 wherein if no financial data is available in a database associated with the network and the user enters financial data in a template the computer program product further comprises:

computer code for adding the financial data to the database for a subsequent user suggestion.

50. The computer program product according to claim 40, wherein in the computer code for determining the network routing, the network routing is determined in part on a business group that is selected on a template by the user.

51. The computer program product according to claim 40, wherein in the computer code for determining the network routing, the network routing is dependent in part on a user'"'"'s response to whether the suggestion has a financial benefit.

52. The computer program product according to claim 40, wherein in the computer code for determining the network routing, the network routing is dependent in part on a selected department affected by the user suggestion.

53. The computer program product according to claim 40, wherein in the computer code for determining the network routing, the network routing is dependent in part on whether the user indicates that the suggestion is a team suggestion.

54. The computer program product according to claim 40, wherein in the computer code for determining the network routing, the network routing is dependent in part on the suggestion characterized by the user.

55. The computer program product according to claim 40, wherein a template provides the user with selectable items having associated financial information.

56. The computer program product according to claim 55, having computer code for determining the net financial impact based upon the one or more selected selectable items having associated financial information.

57. The computer program product according to claim 56, further comprising computer code for obtaining financial information from a cost database based upon the selected selectable items.

58. The computer program product according to claim 57 further comprising computer code for sending a request for financial information about one or more financial impact items to one or more sources.

59. The computer program product according to claim 40, further comprising:

computer code for receiving information from a template wherein the information contains financial data about a financial impact item; and

computer code for adding the financial data about the financial impact item to a cost database.

60. The computer program product according to claim 40, wherein a template is provided which allows the user to enter one or more potential implementers of the employee suggestion.

61. The computer program product according to claim 60, wherein the computer code for determining the network routing is dependent in part upon the one or more potential implementers selected.

62. The computer program product according to claim 40, wherein the computer code for determining the network routing is dependent in part upon a deadline selected by the user.

63. The computer program product according to claim 40, wherein the user is an employee of the business and the computer code for determining the network routing is dependent in part upon information about the employee submitting the suggestion.

64. The computer program product according to claim 63, wherein such information may include the department of the business that the employee works in.

65. The computer program product according to claim 40, further comprising:

computer code for receiving over a network a structured reply to the structured response from one or more members of business management.

66. The computer program product according to claim 65, wherein the structured reply is based upon response by business management to one or more templates.

67. The computer program product according to claim 65, further comprising computer code for sending business management cost information from a cost database.

68. The computer program product according to claim 67, further comprising code for sending the message via electronic mail.

69. The computer program product according to claim 65, further comprising computer code for sending a message to the user submitting the structured suggestion upon receipt of the structured reply.

70. The computer program product according to claim 65, further comprising computer code for routing a new template to the user requesting more information about the user suggestion in response to the structured reply.

71. The computer program product according to claim 40, further comprising:

maintaining a user suggestion log in memory.

72. The computer program product according to claim 71, wherein the employee suggestion log contains information entered by the user on a series of templates, information regarding routing of the user suggestion and status of the user suggestion.

73. The computer program product according to claim 71, further comprising:

computer code for providing a displayable version of the user suggestion log via the computer network, upon receipt of a request by the user submitting the employee suggestion.

74. The computer program product according to claim 40, further comprising computer code for providing a template to the user for entering information regarding implementation of the employee suggestion.

75. The computer program product according to claim 74, wherein the information regarding implementation includes identification of possible implementers.

76. The computer program product according to claim 75, further comprising:

computer code for sending via the computer network information about the user suggestion to the possible implementers, after receiving information from business management indicating acceptance of the user suggestion.

77. The computer program product according to claim 40, further comprising:

computer code for sending a reminder via the computer network to the business management that received the user suggestion if a deadline for response to the user suggestion expires.

78. The computer program product according to claim 40, wherein network routing is based in part on workload of the business management.

79. A method for directing a computerized idea submission in a business to appropriate business managers for improving the business, the method comprising:

in a first computer process, causing presentation of a plurality of templates to a user, wherein the templates require one or more responses, wherein one of the templates presented to the user allows the user to characterize the type of idea as falling into at least one of a plurality of categories selected from a group of cost saving, revenue generation, quality improvement, safety improvement, customer service improvement, development of a new product, policy change and advertising or corporate slogan;

in a second computer process, receiving a completed set of templates from the user creating a structured idea;

in a third computer process, determining the routing of the structured idea to an appropriate business manager based at least in part upon the one or more responses;

in a fourth computer process, providing an evaluation template to the appropriate business manager based upon the determined routing;

in a fifth computer process, receiving a completed evaluation template from the appropriate business manager; and

in a sixth computer process, routing the idea to an implementer if the idea is approved, wherein the routing is determined in part on the completed evaluation template.