Method for managing human resources

• US 7,788,180 B2
• Filed: 09/09/2005
• Issued: 08/31/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Weber, Mark A., Carr, Thomas E., Garofolo, Philip J., Henderson, Mark A., Eck, Brian T.
• Primary Examiner(s): Boswell; Beth V.
• Assistant Examiner(s): DELICH, STEPHANIE ZAGARELLA
• Application Number:
  US11/162,428
• Publication Number:
  US 20070061179A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,817 Days
• Field of Search: 705/8, 705/9, 705/10
• US Class Current: 705/56
• 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 10/06315 Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis
• 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 10/067 Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/103 Workflow collaboration or project management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1053 Employment or hiring

Abstract

Disclosed herein is an integrated method and system for managing human resources. Specifically, the method and system integrates several processes (e.g., a process for developing a strategy and particularly for developing a set of rules on how human resources will be managed and sourced, a process for developing a long-term strategic plan for sourcing human resources to satisfy demands, a process for developing a near-term operational plan recommending individual human resources be used to satisfy selected demands, a process for selecting and assigning individual resources to specific engagements, etc.). Thus, the method operates through a spectrum of time horizons from the strategic to real time, providing a coherent and cohesive system for matching supply to demand based on the priorities of the business as represented through the set of rules.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method of managing human resources comprising:

maintaining and periodically updating, on at least one memory device of a computer system of a company, a record of human resource supplies, said human resource supplies comprising individual human resources available from internal and external supply sources with respect to said company, said record of said human resource supplies comprising a list of different skills of each of said individual human resources and an indication of availability of each of said individual human resources;

providing a business strategy comprising offerings of said company and profitability and revenue targets for said offerings;

based on said business strategy and on said record of human resource supplies, periodically developing, by a first processor of said computer system, a set of rules providing guidelines for obtaining said human resource supplies from said internal and external supply sources and for assigning said individual human resources to satisfy said offerings, wherein said developing of said set of rules comprises;

prioritizing said internal and external supply sources; and

setting at least one of target supply bench levels, target investment levels for training, and target investment levels for acquisition;

based on said set of rules and said record of human resource supplies, periodically developing, by a second processor of said computer system, a first-level plan specifying which of said internal and external supply sources should be used, over a specified first time period, to satisfy ongoing demands, future demands and possible demands, wherein said first-level plan is periodically developed at shorter intervals than said set of rules, and wherein said developing of said first-level plan comprises;

developing a list of engagements for said offerings during said specified first period of time, said list of engagements comprising ongoing engagements generating said ongoing demands, future engagements generating said future demands and possible engagements generating said possible demands;

based on said list of engagements, developing a demands list comprising a list of any skills required to satisfy each of said ongoing demands, said future demands and said possible demands; and

based on said set of rules and on said record of human resource supplies, indicating, in said first level plan, skill types and numbers thereof from said demands list which are to be sourced through currently available internal supplies, through supplies available by acquisition, through supplies available by skill development, and through external supplies;

based on said first-level plan, on said demands list, on said record of human resource supplies and on said set of rules, periodically developing, by a third processor of said computer system, a second-level plan, said second-level plan recommending assignment of a specific individual human resource to satisfy a specific demand within a specified second time period, wherein said second-level plan is periodically developed at shorter intervals than said first-level plan, wherein said specified second period of time is within said specified first period of time, wherein said second-level plan comprises a short-term plan as compared to said first-level plan, and wherein said developing of said second-level plan comprises;

selecting, from said demands list, said specific demand, wherein said specific demand requires satisfaction within said specified second time period;

selecting, from said record of human resource supplies, said specific individual human resource, wherein said specific individual human resource has a required skill to satisfy said specific demand and can be assigned based on said set of rules and said first-level plan; and

recommending, in said second-level plan, assignment of said specific individual human resource to satisfy said specific demand

after said developing of said second level plan, evaluating, by a fourth processor of said computer system, said second level plan, said evaluating comprising;

determining a current availability of said at least one specific individual human resource; and

reviewing pricing information to determine whether a cost of assigning said specific individual human resource to satisfy said specific demand is within previously established cost guidelines;

when said specific individual human resource is currently available and when said cost of assigning said specific individual human resource to satisfy said specific demand is within said previously established cost guidelines, assigning, by said fourth processor, said specific individual human resource to satisfy said specific demand; and

,

when said specific individual human resource is not currently available or when said cost of assigning said specific individual human resource is not within said previously established cost guidelines, assigning, by said fourth processor, a different specific individual human resource from said record of human resource supplies to satisfy said specific demand based on said set of rules, on current availability of said different specific individual, on said pricing information, and on said set of rules.

2. A program storage device readable by computer, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by said computer to perform a method of managing human resources, said method comprising:

maintaining and periodically updating a record of human resource supplies, said human resource supplies comprising individual human resources available from internal and external supply sources with respect to said company, said record of said human resource supplies comprising a list of different skills of each of said individual human resources and an indication of availability of each of said individual human resources;

providing a business strategy comprising offerings of said company and profitability and revenue targets for said offerings;

based on said business strategy and said record of human resource supplies, periodically developing a set of rules providing guidelines for obtaining said human resource supplies from said internal and external supply sources and for assigning said individual human resources to satisfy said offerings, wherein said developing of said set of rules comprises;

prioritizing said internal and external supply sources; and

setting at least one of target supply bench levels, target investment levels for training, and target investment levels for acquisition;

based on said set of rules and said record of human resource supplies, periodically developing a first-level plan specifying which of said internal and external supply sources should be used, over a specified first time period, to satisfy ongoing demands, future demands and possible demands, wherein said first-level plan is periodically developed at shorter intervals than said set of rules and wherein said developing of said first-level plan comprises;

developing a list of engagements for said offerings during said specified first period of time, said list of engagements comprising ongoing engagements generating said ongoing demands, future engagements generating said future demands and possible engagements generating said possible demands;

based on said list of engagements, developing a demands list comprising a list of any skills required to satisfy each of said ongoing demands, said future demands and said possible demands; and

based on said set of rules and on said record of human resource supplies, indicating, in said first level plan, skill types and numbers thereof from said demands list which are to be sourced through currently available internal supplies, through supplies available by acquisition, through supplies available by skill development, and through external supplies;

based on said first-level plan, on said demands list, on said record of human resource supplies and on said set of rules, periodically developing a second-level plan, said second-level plan recommending assignment of a specific individual human resource to satisfy a specific demand within a specified second time period, wherein said second-level plan is periodically developed at shorter intervals than said first-level plan, wherein said specified second period of time is within said specified first period of time, wherein said second-level plan comprises a short-term plan as compared to said first-level plan, and wherein said developing of said second-level plan comprises;

selecting, from said demands list, said specific demand, wherein said specific demand requires satisfaction within said specified second time period;

selecting, from said record of human resource supplies, said specific individual human resource, wherein said specific individual human resource has a required skill to satisfy said specific demand and can be assigned based on said set of rules and said first-level plan; and

recommending, in said second-level plan, assignment of said specific individual human resource to satisfy said specific demand;

after development of said second level plan, evaluating said second level plan, said evaluating comprising;

determining a current availability of said specific individual human resource; and

reviewing pricing information to determine whether a cost of assigning said specific individual human resource to satisfy said specific demand is within previously established cost guidelines;

when said specific individual human resource is currently available and when said cost of assigning said specific individual human resource to satisfy said specific demand is within said previously established cost guidelines, assigning said specific individual human resource to satisfy said specific demand; and

,

when said specific individual human resource is not currently available or when said cost of assigning said specific individual human resource is not within said previously established cost guidelines, assigning a different specific individual human resource from said record of human resource supplies to satisfy said specific demand based on said set of rules, on current availability of said different specific individual, on said pricing information, and on said set of rules.

3. A system for managing human resources with different skills, said system comprising:

a memory device maintaining a periodically updated record of human resource supplies, said human resource supplies comprising individual human resources available from internal and external supply sources with respect to said company, said record of said human resource supplies comprising a list of different skills of each of said individual human resources and an indication of availability of each of said individual human resources;

a first processor adapted to periodically develop, based on a business strategy comprising offerings of said company and profitability and revenue targets for said offerings and further based on said record of human resource supplies, a set of rules providing guidelines for obtaining said human resource supplies from said internal and external supply sources and for assigning said individual human resources to satisfy said offerings, wherein said set of rules is developed by prioritizing said internal and external supply sources; and

by setting at least one of target supply bench levels, target investment levels for training, and target investment levels for acquisition;

a second processor in communication with said first processor and adapted to periodically develop, based on said set of rules and said record of human resource suppliers, a first-level plan specifying which of said internal and external supply sources should be used, over a specified first time period, to satisfy ongoing demands, future demands and possible demands, wherein said first-level plan is periodically developed at shorter intervals than said set of rules and wherein development of said first-level plan comprises;

developing a list of engagements for said offerings during said specified first period of time, said list of engagements comprising ongoing engagements generating said ongoing demands, future engagements generating said future demands and possible engagements generating said possible demands;

based on said list of engagements, developing a demands list comprising a list of any skills required to satisfy each of said ongoing demands, said future demands and said possible demands; and

based on said set of rules and on said record of human resource supplies, indicating, in said first level plan, skill types and numbers thereof from said demands list which are to be sourced through currently available internal supplies, through supplies available by acquisition, through supplies available by skill development, and through external supplies;

a third processor in communication with said second processor and adapted to periodically develop, based on said first-level plan, on said demands list, on said record of human resource supplies and on said set of rules, a second-level plan, said second-level plan recommending assignment of a specific individual human resource to satisfy a specific demand within a specified second time period, wherein said second-level plan is periodically developed at shorter intervals than said first-level plan, wherein said specified second period of time is within said specified first period of time, wherein said second-level plan comprises a short-term plan as compared to said first-level plan, and wherein development of said second-level plan comprises;

selecting, from said demands list, said specific demand, wherein said specific demand requires satisfaction within said specified second time period;

selecting, from said record of human resource supplies, said specific individual human resource, wherein said specific individual human resource has a required skill to satisfy said specific demand and can be assigned based on said set of rules and said first-level plan; and

recommending, in said second-level plan, assignment of said specific individual human resource to satisfy said specific demand;

a fourth processor in communication with said first processor, said second processor, and said third processor, wherein said fourth processor is adapted to evaluate said second level plan by;

determining a current availability of said specific individual human resource; and

reviewing pricing information to determine whether a cost of assigning said specific individual human resource to satisfy said specific demand is within previously established cost guidelines, and wherein said fourth processor is further adapted to perform the following;

when said specific individual human resource is currently available and when said cost of assigning said specific individual human resource to satisfy said specific demand is within said previously established cost guidelines, assign said specific individual human resource to satisfy said specific demand; and

,

when said specific individual human resource is not currently available or when said cost of assigning said specific individual human resource is not within said previously established cost guidelines, assign a different specific individual human resource from said record of human resource supplies to satisfy said specific demand based on said set of rules, on current availability of said different specific individual, on said pricing information, and on said set of rules.