Competency self-assessment approval

• US 7,805,381 B2
• Filed: 06/27/2002
• Issued: 09/28/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/29/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Siebel Systems Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Habichler, Juergen, Weng, Yu Cheng, Lau, Isaac, Deighton, Anthony
• Primary Examiner(s): OUELLETTE, JONATHAN P
• Application Number:
  US10/185,891
• Publication Number:
  US 20070208575A1
• Time in Patent Office: 3,015 Days
• Field of Search: 705/1, 705/320
• US Class Current: 705/320
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06398 Performance of employee with respect to a job function
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/105 Human resources

Abstract

A method, system, and computer-readable medium for using competency-related information for individuals to provide a variety of benefits is described. In some situations, individuals may propose self-assessments of competencies that they believe that they possess, such as specified skill levels of specified skills. Various techniques to independently approve proposed self-assessed competencies can be provided, such as by defining groups of appropriate reviewers (e.g., supervisors, peers and/or subordinates) for self-assessed competencies and by automatically retrieving and processing validation information from such reviewers upon receipt of a competency self-assessment in order to determine whether to approve the self-assessed competency. Various approval criteria for a proposed competency self-assessment can also be specified, such as agreement of a majority of reviewers, unanimous validation by some or all of the specified reviewers, and/or a threshold for a weighted average of reviewers'"'"' assessed skill levels for the proposing individual.

Claims

1. A method in a computing system, the method comprising:

the computer system receiving a definition of a skill assessment group for a skill;

the computer system receiving from an employee a first value representing a self-assessment of the skill of the employee;

the computer system determining reviewers based at least in part on the skill assessment group definition for the skill;

the computer system displaying a list of the determined reviewers on a user-interface;

in response to the employee selecting a button on the user-interface, the computer system sending a request to each of the determined reviewers to provide a value representing their respective assessment of the skill of the employee;

the computer system receiving second values from at least some of the determined reviewers, wherein each of the second values represents a respective assessment of the skill of the employee;

the computer system calculating a third value as a function of the second values; and

the computer system comparing the third value with the first value;

the computer system replacing a value stored in memory with the first value if the third value is greater than or equal to the first value, wherein the value represents a prior assessment of the skill of the employee.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the reviewers are determined relative to the employee and to a work position of the employee, such that the reviewers for the employee include at least one supervisor of the employee, at least one peer of the employee, and at least one subordinate of the employee.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

the computer system receiving a definition of a criteria that comprises a specified threshold;

wherein calculating the third value comprises;

assigning a validation value to each of the second values;

assigning a weight to each of the second values based at least in part on the reviewer from which the second value was obtained;

calculating the third value based on the assigned validation values, the criteria and the assigned weights.

4. A computer-implemented method comprising:

the computer system receiving from a first employee a first value representing a self-assessment of a first skill of the first employee;

the computer system determining first reviewers;

the computer system displaying a list of the determined reviewers on a user-interface.

in response to the employee selecting a button on the user-interface, the computer system sending a request to each of the determined first reviewers to provide a value representing their respective assessment of the first skill of the first employee;

the computer system receiving first assessment values from at least some of the determined first reviewers, wherein each of the first assessment values represents a respective assessment of the first skill of the first employee;

the computer system calculating a third value as a function of the first assessment values; and

the computer system comparing the third value with the first value;

the computer system updating stored competency information for the first employee if the third value is equal to or greater than the first value;

the computer system receiving from a second employee a second value representing a self-assessment of a second skill of the second employee;

the computer system determining second reviewers;

the computer system sending a request to each of the determined second reviewers to provide a value representing their respective assessment of the second skill of the second employee;

the computer system receiving second assessment values from at least some of the determined second reviewers, wherein each of the second assessment values represents a respective assessment of the second skill of the second employee;

the computer system calculating a fourth value as a function of the second assessment values; and

the computer system comparing the fourth value with the second value.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein the updating of the stored competency information includes indicating information about the first valuation values.

6. The method of claim 4 wherein the determined first reviewers include at least one supervisor of the first employee, at least one peer of the first employee, and at least one subordinate of the first employee.

7. The method of claim 4 wherein the determined first reviewers are distinct from the determined second reviewers.

8. The method of claim 4 wherein the third and fourth values are distinct.

9. The method of claim 4 wherein the third and fourth values are equal to each other.

10. A method in a computing system, the method comprising:

the computer system receiving a definition of a skill assessment group for a skill;

the computer system receiving from an employee a first value representing a self-assessment of the skill of the employee;

the computer system determining reviewers based at least in part on the skill assessment group definition for the skill;

the computer system displaying a list of the determined reviewers on a user-interface;

in response to the employee selecting a button on the user-interface, the computer system sending a request to each of the determined reviewers to provide a value representing their respective assessment of the skill of the employee;

the computer system receiving second values from at least some of the determined reviewers, wherein each of the second values represents a respective assessment of the skill of the employee;

the computer system comparing each of the second value to the first value;

the computer system replacing a value stored in memory with the first value if each of the second values is greater than or equal to the first value, wherein the value represents a prior assessment of the skill of the employee.