System and method for documenting delays associated with a project
First Claim
1. A system for documenting delays comprising:
- a communications device operable by a user, wherein the communications device is adapted to;
receive from the user project information related to a delay associated with a project, wherein the reason for delay includes at least one of adverse weather conditions, lack of equipment, lack of technical expertise, customer postponement;
customer is unavailable to accept restoration of service until all repairs are completed, and circuit verification is required by customer,receive a selection of an option from a user interface to display a delay maintenance timer entry page where the project information related to the delay is entered and,receive user log in information to create a communication session and to upload the project information related to the delay during the communication session;
a server accessible by the communications device via a communications network during the communications session to receive the project information from the communications device, wherein the project information includes at least a duration and a classification of an excusable delay, wherein further an excusable delay comprises at last one of adverse weather conditions, customer postponement, customer is unavailable to accept restoration of service until all repairs are completed, and circuit verification is required by customer;
an elapsed time clock in communication with the server, wherein the elapsed time clock measures the total elapsed time from initiation to completion of the project;
a delay maintenance timer in communication with the server, wherein the delay maintenance timer aggregates all excusable delays encountered during the project in response to invocation by the server;
a systems interface coupled to the server, wherein the systems interface is adapted to facilitate uploading of the project information from the communications device to the server during the communications session, wherein the server is further adapted to invoke the delay maintenance timer by submitting the project information related to the delay maintenance timer, wherein further at the completion of the project the server subtracts the aggregated excusable delay on the delay maintenance timer from the total elapsed time to determine a discounted project time, wherein the discounted project time is compared to a service installation guarantee threshold to determine if the project was completed within the service installation guarantee threshold; and
a maintenance clock that keeps an overall time associated with the project, wherein the amount of delay time is discounted from the overall time.
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Accused Products
Abstract
A system and method for documenting delays associated with a project. The present invention includes provisions that enable a field personnel working on a project on the field to document excusable delays as the delays are encountered. The field personnel is equipped with a communications device that has access to a server. During a communications session between the communications device and the server, the field personnel uses the communications device to upload project information related to the delays to the server. The server then invokes or updates a DMT to document the time associated with the delays. The delay time documented in the DMT is then subtracted from a total time reported by a maintenance clock associated with the project.
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Citations
20 Claims
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1. A system for documenting delays comprising:
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a communications device operable by a user, wherein the communications device is adapted to; receive from the user project information related to a delay associated with a project, wherein the reason for delay includes at least one of adverse weather conditions, lack of equipment, lack of technical expertise, customer postponement;
customer is unavailable to accept restoration of service until all repairs are completed, and circuit verification is required by customer,receive a selection of an option from a user interface to display a delay maintenance timer entry page where the project information related to the delay is entered and, receive user log in information to create a communication session and to upload the project information related to the delay during the communication session; a server accessible by the communications device via a communications network during the communications session to receive the project information from the communications device, wherein the project information includes at least a duration and a classification of an excusable delay, wherein further an excusable delay comprises at last one of adverse weather conditions, customer postponement, customer is unavailable to accept restoration of service until all repairs are completed, and circuit verification is required by customer; an elapsed time clock in communication with the server, wherein the elapsed time clock measures the total elapsed time from initiation to completion of the project; a delay maintenance timer in communication with the server, wherein the delay maintenance timer aggregates all excusable delays encountered during the project in response to invocation by the server; a systems interface coupled to the server, wherein the systems interface is adapted to facilitate uploading of the project information from the communications device to the server during the communications session, wherein the server is further adapted to invoke the delay maintenance timer by submitting the project information related to the delay maintenance timer, wherein further at the completion of the project the server subtracts the aggregated excusable delay on the delay maintenance timer from the total elapsed time to determine a discounted project time, wherein the discounted project time is compared to a service installation guarantee threshold to determine if the project was completed within the service installation guarantee threshold; and a maintenance clock that keeps an overall time associated with the project, wherein the amount of delay time is discounted from the overall time. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5)
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6. A method for documenting delays comprising:
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initializing a maintenance clock upon commencement of a project, wherein the maintenance clock continuously accumulates an overall project time from a commencement to a closeout of the project; dispatching a service person to a field location of the project; while in the field, receiving an option from a user interface of a communications device to display a delay maintenance timer entry page where project information related to an encountered delay is entered, wherein the communications device receives user log information to create a communication session and uploads the project information related to the encountered delay during the communication session; receiving the project information related to the encountered delay from the communications device at the field location; establishing the communications session with a server by launching the user interface in response to a selection of an icon on the communication device that represents the option; invoking, by the server, a delay maintenance timer that is in communication with the server for encountered delays that are excusable by submitting the project information; aggregating excusable delay encountered during the project at the delay maintenance timer in response to invocation by the server; subtracting the amount of excusable delay time from the overall project time to determine the discounted project time; and comparing the discounted project time to a service installation guarantee threshold to determine if the project was completed within the service installation guarantee threshold. - View Dependent Claims (7, 8, 9, 10)
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11. A method for documenting justifiable delay time associated with a project having a service installation guarantee threshold comprising:
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initializing a maintenance clock upon commencement of the project, wherein the maintenance clock continuously accumulates an overall project time from the commencement to a closeout of the project; dispatching a person to a field location associated with the project; encountering a delay at the field location which is justifiable; gathering project information associated with the delay at the field location; determining whether the delay is a justifiable based on a set of established rules, wherein the justifiable delay is a reason for delay caused by the customer; if the delay is justifiable then; receiving justifiable delay information from a communications device at the field location; establishing a communications session with a server via the communications device; uploading the project information from the communications device to the server; updating a delay maintenance timer by the server with an amount of justifiable delay time derived from the project information; and subtracting the amount of justifiable delay time from the overall project time at the closeout of project to determine a discounted project time, wherein the discounted project time is compared to the service installation guarantee threshold to determine if the project was completed within the service installation guarantee threshold. - View Dependent Claims (12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20)
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Specification