System and method of calculating a projected service cost assessment

• US 7,600,154 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2006
• Issued: 10/06/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Kyndryl Incorporated, ServiceNow Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Appleman, Robert L., Metz, Walter C. Jr., Sawin, David A., De Van, Cary Frederick, Simmons, Hoyt C., Champion, David F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Iqbal; Nadeem
• Application Number:
  US11/375,559
• Publication Number:
  US 20070219838A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,302 Days
• Field of Search: 714/26, 714/27, 714/31, 714/38, 705/7, 705/8, 705/10, 705/11
• US Class Current: 714/26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06375 Prediction of business process outcome or impact based on a proposed change
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/02 Total factory control, e.g. smart factories, flexible manufacturing systems [FMS] or integrated manufacturing systems [IMS]

Abstract

A method, apparatus, and computer-usable medium for computing a serviceability assessment, calculating a preventative maintenance assessment, and in response to computing the serviceability and preventative maintenance assessments, computing a projected service cost assessment. A preferred embodiment of the present invention includes a processor, a data bus, and a computer-readable medium including a serviceability assessment tool. The serviceability assessment tool further includes a serviceability assessment module, a hardware installation assessment module, a preventative maintenance assessment module, and a projected service cost assessment module.

Claims

1. A computer-implementable method comprising:

computing a serviceability assessment;

calculating a preventative maintenance assessment;

in response to said computing and said calculating, computing a projected service cost assessment;

selecting a system part among a plurality of system parts to be assessed;

applying a selected set of criteria to said selected system part;

classifying said selected system part as a customer replaceable unit (CRU) or a non-customer replaceable unit (Non-CRU); and

in response to classifying said selected system part as a CRU, determining if said selected system part is a first or second tier CRU.

2. The computer-implementable method according to claim 1, wherein said computing a serviceability assessment further comprises:

defining a plurality of evaluation questions;

assigning a plurality of threshold values to enable said classifying said selected system part as said CRU or said non-CRU;

defining a plurality of calibration constants to indicate a plurality of target values to be met by said plurality of system parts; and

assigning a plurality of brand parameters to indicate characteristics of a particular supplier of certain system parts among said plurality of system parts.

3. The computer-implementable method according to claim 1, further comprising:

in response to classifying said selected system part as a Non-CRU, estimating a repair and replacement time for said selected system part.

4. The computer-implementable method according to claim 1, further comprising:

assessing a cost of hardware installation.

5. A system comprising:

a processor;

a data bus coupled to said processor; and

a computer-usable medium embodying computer code, said computer-usable medium being coupled to said data bus, said computer program code comprising instructions executable by said processor and configured for;

computing a serviceability assessment;

calculating a preventative maintenance assessment; and

in response to said computing and said calculating, computing a projected service cost assessment;

selecting a system part among a plurality of system parts to be assessed;

applying a selected set of criteria to said selected system part;

classifying said selected system part as a customer replaceable unit (CRU) or a non-customer replaceable unit (Non-CRU); and

in response to classifying said selected system part as a CRU, determining if said selected system part is a first or second tier CRU.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein said instructions for computing a serviceability assessment are further configured for:

defining a plurality of evaluation questions;

assigning a plurality of threshold values to enable said classifying said selected system part as said CRU or said non-CRU;

defining a plurality of calibration constants to indicate a plurality of target values to be met by said plurality of system parts; and

assigning a plurality of brand parameters to indicate characteristics of a particular supplier of certain system parts among said plurality of system parts.

7. The system according to claim 5, wherein said instructions are further configured for:

in response to classifying said selected system part as a Non-CRU, estimating a repair and replacement time for said selected system part.

8. The system according to claim 5, wherein said instructions are further configured for:

assessing a cost of hardware installation.

9. A computer-usable medium embodying computer program code, said computer program code comprising computer executable instructions configured for:

computing a serviceability assessment;

calculating a preventative maintenance assessment;

in response to said computing and said calculating, computing a projected service cost assessment;

selecting a system part among a plurality of system parts to be assessed;

applying a selected set of criteria to said selected system part;

classifying said selected system part as a customer replaceable unit (CRU) or a non-customer replaceable unit (Non-CRU); and

in response to classifying said selected system part as a CRU, determining if said selected system part is a first or second tier CRU.

10. The computer-usable medium according to claim 9, wherein said embodied computer program code for said computing a serviceability assessment further comprises computer executable instructions configured for:

defining a plurality of evaluation questions;

assigning a plurality of threshold values to enable said classifying said selected system part as said CRU or said non-CRU;

defining a plurality of calibration constants to indicate a plurality of target values to be met by said plurality of system parts; and

assigning a plurality of brand parameters to indicate characteristics of a particular supplier of certain system parts among said plurality of system parts.

11. The computer-usable medium according to claim 9, wherein said embodied computer program code further comprises computer executable instructions configured for:

in response to classifying said selected system part as a Non-CRU, estimating a repair and replacement time for said selected system part.

12. The computer-usable medium according to claim 9, wherein said embodied computer program code further comprises computer executable instructions configured for:

assessing a cost of hardware installation.

13. The computer-usable medium according to claim 9, wherein said computer executable instructions are deployable to a client computer from a server at a remote location.

14. The computer-usable medium according to claim 9, wherein said computer executable instructions are provided by a service provider to a customer on an on-demand basis.