Anonymous respondent method for evaluating business performance

• US 7,720,737 B2
• Filed: 11/06/2002
• Issued: 05/18/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/30/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Alex F D'Alessandro
• Original Assignee: Alex F D'Alessandro
• Inventors: D'Alessandro, Alex F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Kalinowski; Alexander
• Assistant Examiner(s): TINKLER, MURIEL S
• Application Number:
  US10/289,099
• Publication Number:
  US 20030061141A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,750 Days
• Field of Search: 705/35, 705/36.R, 705/36.T, 705/38, 705/39, 705/40, 705/41, 705/7, 705/10, 705/37
• US Class Current: 705/36.00R
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0639 Performance analysis of employees; Performance analysis of enterprise or organisation operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06393 Score-carding, benchmarking or key performance indicator [KPI] analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0203 Market surveys; Market polls
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/00 Finance; Insurance; Tax strategies; Processing of corporate or income taxes
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 40/06 Asset management; Financial planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/02 of the type wherein the student is expected to construct an answer to the question which is presented or wherein the machine gives an answer to the question presented by a student

Abstract

A system for providing accurate, quantifiable and reproducible assessments of an organization'"'"'s performance based on predetermined criteria. The system includes a telecommunications infrastructure administered by a survey administrator. Employees or non-employees of a company or other organization to be evaluated log on to the system and answer a plurality of questions relating to various aspects of the business entity'"'"'s operations. The information may be obtained through Internet communications or through touch-tone telephone systems. The data is stored in a database and subsequently analyzed by the survey administrator for evaluation and forecasting of the business entity'"'"'s performance.

Claims

1. A method for quantifying predetermined performance criteria of an organization comprising the steps of:

providing a library of surveys having questions;

selecting predetermined performance criteria;

selecting a survey from said library based on said predetermined performance criteria;

providing an automated survey administrator;

defining a predetermined pool of respondents;

recording answers on a remote web server;

enabling the members of said predetermined pool of respondents to access said web server on a computer network;

providing an answer sheet in the form of a web page for recording said answers through said web server to a database;

enabling said automated survey administrator to access said database;

providing a predetermined formula for evaluating said answers based on said predetermined performance criteria; and

producing a quantified result, using said predetermined formula

such that said members of said predetermined pool of respondents answer said questions in private and in apparent and actual anonymity and said automated survey administrator stores said answers in said database and said quantified result indicates the performance of said organization.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said members of said predetermined pool of respondents are employees of said organization.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said members of said predetermined pool of respondents are non-employees of said organization.

4. A computer-implemented method for quantifying predetermined performance criteria relating to the performance of an organization, comprising the steps of:

selecting predetermined performance criteria;

providing sets of survey questions for evaluating said predetermined performance criteria;

selecting one of said sets of survey questions based on said predetermined performance criteria;

selecting a predetermined pool of respondents;

providing an automated survey administrator;

providing an automated data-gathering interface connected to a computer network enabling the members of said predetermined pool of respondents to record answers to said survey questions in private and with apparent and actual anonymity;

providing a database containing said answers stored by said data-gathering interface;

providing a formula for evaluating said answers based on said predetermined performance criteria;

producing a quantified result via a computer, using said formula; and

providing said quantified result in real-time to offer said organization timely improvement indicators.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said computer network is accessed by a wired computing device such as a personal computer.

6. The method of claim 4, wherein said computer network is accessed by a wireless hand-held appliance.

7. The method of claim 4 further comprising the steps of:

archiving said quantified result; and

comparing said quantified result with archived quantified results from earlier assessments.

8. The method of claim 4 further comprising the steps of:

selecting a set of comparison organizations with archived quantified results; and

comparing said quantified result with said archived quantified results from said comparison organizations.