Method and system of managing a business process

• US 7,881,961 B2
• Filed: 02/10/2005
• Issued: 02/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 02/10/2005
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Hulu LLC (The Walt Disney Company)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Ricketts, John A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jeanty; Romain
• Assistant Examiner(s): MILLER, ALAN S
• Application Number:
  US11/055,403
• Publication Number:
  US 20060178923A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,182 Days
• Field of Search: 705 7- 11, 370/230, 370/241, 370/252, 700100-102
• US Class Current: 705/7.12
• 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 10/063112 Skill-based matching of a person or a group to a task
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063116 Schedule adjustment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06312 Adjustment or analysis of established resource schedule, e.g. resource or task levelling, or dynamic rescheduling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06315 Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0639 Performance analysis of employees; Performance analysis of enterprise or organisation operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 50/04 Manufacturing
• CPC Class Codes: Y02P 90/30 Computing systems specially adapted for manufacturing

Abstract

A method of managing capacity in a business process on demand for providing a service to a service requester. The method comprises the steps of providing a business process having one or more service inputs, at least one service output, at least one capacity constraint having a capacity level and a queue located ahead of the capacity constraint having an upper queue threshold and a lower queue threshold. The method further comprises gathering with a performance monitoring subsystem a set of business process data, and adjusting with a capacity management subsystem the capacity level of the capacity constraint in response to the set of business process data gathered by the performance monitoring subsystem.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method of achieving a desired service level for one or more of a plurality of service factors for providing a service to a service requester, said computer implemented method comprising:

providing a business process having one or more service inputs, one or more service outputs, one or more capacity constraints each having a capacity level, and a buffer with an upper buffer threshold and a lower buffer threshold for a buffer level, wherein said buffer queues up transactions that pile up ahead of said capacity constraints, wherein said capacity constraints are resources used to provide the service to the service requester, and wherein said upper buffer threshold and said lower buffer threshold are respectively upper and lower capacity limits of the buffer;

a processor in a computer system measuring with a performance monitoring subsystem a set of business process data including service input data for said one or more service inputs, service output data for said one or more service outputs, capacity constraint data for said one or more capacity constraints, non-constraint data for each non-constraint, and queue data for said buffer;

wherein said performance monitoring subsystem comprises said computer system having software installed thereon to manage a particular business process, and wherein said queue data comprises a number of times per a predetermined period that said buffer level goes beyond the upper buffer threshold, a number of times per said predetermined period that said buffer level goes beyond the lower buffer threshold, and a length of time that said buffer level exceeds the upper buffer threshold and said lower buffer threshold;

transmitting said set of business process data measured by said performance monitoring subsystem to a capacity management subsystem, wherein said capacity management subsystem utilizes said computer system used by said performance monitoring subsystem; and

directing said capacity management subsystem to adjust said capacity level of said one or more capacity constraints in response to said set of business process data transmitted by said performance monitoring subsystem in order to achieve said desired service level for said one or more of said plurality of service factors that are associated with said one or more service outputs.

2. The computer implemented method according to claim 1, wherein said measuring with a performance monitoring subsystem further comprises:

measuring an existing service level for each of said set of business process data, including an existing service level for said plurality of service factors associated with said one or more service outputs.

3. The computer implemented method according to claim 1, wherein said directing said capacity management subsystem further comprises:

evaluating with said performance monitoring subsystem said set of business process data measured by said performance monitoring subsystem before transmitting said set of business process data to said capacity management subsystem; and

instructing said capacity management subsystem to adjust either upward or downward said capacity level of said one or more capacity constraints in order to achieve said desired service level for said one or more of said plurality of service factors.

4. The computer implemented method according to claim 1, wherein said directing said capacity management subsystem to adjust said capacity level of said one or more capacity constraints further comprises one or more of activating alternate web sites, adding shifts, removing shifts, adding personnel, removing personnel, resuming normal operations, reducing work schedules, increasing work schedules, reassigning resources between business processes for services utilizing the same process, reassigning resources among clients using the same process, accelerating non-critical tasks, deferring non-critical tasks, bumping critical service inputs to the front, substituting automated processing for non-automated processing, hiring subcontractors, releasing subcontractors, obtaining resources, and shedding resources.

5. The computer implemented method according to claim 1, wherein said one or more service inputs comprises one of:

service requests and service transactions.

6. The computer implemented method according to claim 1, wherein said plurality of service factors associated with said one or more service outputs comprises:

speed, cost, quality and scope.

7. The computer implemented method according to claim 5, wherein said service requests comprises at least one of:

in-person contact by service requesters, phone calls, faxes and text messages, and wherein said service transactions comprises at least one of;

paper documents and digital records.

8. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein the service utilizes a low cost resource and a higher cost resource operating in series, wherein the higher cost resource is more expensive to utilize than the low cost resource, and wherein the low cost resource is a capacity constraint and the higher cost resource is not a capacity constraint to the service, the computer implemented method further comprising:

increasing a capacity of the low cost resource until the higher cost resource becomes the capacity constraint to the service.

9. The computer implemented method of claim 1, wherein one of the service inputs is a phone call, wherein one of the capacity constraints is for a live agent who handles phone calls, and wherein the computer implemented method further comprises:

the live agent transferring the phone call to an interactive voice response (IVR) system.

10. A computer program product for achieving a desired service level for one or more of a plurality of service factors for providing a service to a service requester, said computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage media;

first program instructions to provide a business process having one or more service inputs, one or more service outputs, one or more capacity constraints each having a capacity level, and a buffer with an upper buffer threshold and a lower buffer threshold for a buffer level, wherein the buffer queues up transactions that pile up ahead of the capacity constraints, wherein said capacity constraints are resources used to provide the service to the service requester, and wherein said upper buffer threshold and said lower buffer threshold are respectively upper and lower capacity limits of the buffer;

second program instructions to measure a set of business process data including service input data for said one or more service inputs, service output data for said one or more service outputs, capacity constraint data for said one or more capacity constraints, non-constraint data for each non-constraint, and queue data for said buffer, wherein said queue data comprises a number of times per a predetermined period that the buffer level goes beyond the upper buffer threshold, a number of times per the predetermined period that the buffer level goes beyond the lower buffer threshold, and a length of time that the buffer level exceeds the upper buffer threshold and the lower buffer threshold;

third program instructions to transmit said set of business process data measured by said performance monitoring subsystem to a capacity management subsystem; and

fourth program instructions to direct said capacity management subsystem to adjust said capacity level of said one or more capacity constraints in response to said set of business process data transmitted by said performance monitoring subsystem in order to achieve said desired service level for said one or more of said plurality of service factors that are associated with said one or more service outputs; and

wherein

said first, second, third, and fourth program instructions are tangibly encoded on said computer readable storage media.

11. The computer program product of claim 10, further comprising:

fifth program instructions to measure an existing service level for each of said set of business process data, including an existing service level for said plurality of service factors associated with said one or more service outputs; and

wherein

said fifth program instructions are tangibly encoded on said computer readable storage media.

12. The computer program product of claim 10, further comprising:

fifth program instructions to evaluate said set of business process data measured by said performance monitoring subsystem before transmitting said set of business process data to said capacity management subsystem; and

sixth program instructions to adjust either upward or downward said capacity level of said one or more capacity constraints in order to achieve said desired service level for said one or more of said plurality of service factors; and

wherein

said fifth and sixth program instructions are tangibly encoded on said computer readable storage media.

13. The computer program product of claim 10, further comprising:

fifth program instructions to alternate web sites, add shifts, add personnel, increase work schedules, reassign resources between business processes for services utilizing a same process, reassign resources among clients that use a same process, defer non-critical tasks, and substitute automated processing for non-automated processing; and

wherein

said fifth program instructions are tangibly encoded on said computer readable storage media.

14. A computer system comprising:

a processor, a computer readable memory, and a computer readable storage media;

first program instructions to provide a business process having one or more service inputs, one or more service outputs, one or more capacity constraints each having a capacity level, and a buffer with an upper buffer threshold and a lower buffer threshold for a buffer level, wherein the buffer queues up transactions that pile up ahead of the capacity constraints, wherein said capacity constraints are resources used to provide the service to the service requester, and wherein said upper buffer threshold and said lower buffer threshold are respectively upper and lower capacity limits of the buffer;

second program instructions to measure a set of business process data including service input data for said one or more service inputs, service output data for said one or more service outputs, capacity constraint data for said one or more capacity constraints, non-constraint data for each non-constraint, and queue data for said buffer, wherein said queue data comprises a number of times per a predetermined period that the buffer level goes beyond the upper buffer threshold, a number of times per the predetermined period that the buffer level goes beyond the lower buffer threshold, and a length of time that the buffer level exceeds the upper buffer threshold and the lower buffer threshold;

third program instructions to transmit said set of business process data measured by said performance monitoring subsystem to a capacity management subsystem; and

fourth program instructions to direct said capacity management subsystem to adjust said capacity level of said one or more capacity constraints in response to said set of business process data transmitted by said performance monitoring subsystem in order to achieve said desired service level for said one or more of said plurality of service factors that are associated with said one or more service outputs; and

wherein

said first, second, third, and fourth program instructions are tangibly encoded on said computer readable storage media for execution by said processor via said computer readable memory.

15. The computer system of claim 14, further comprising:

fifth program instructions to measure an existing service level for each of said set of business process data, including an existing service level for said plurality of service factors associated with said one or more service outputs; and

wherein

said fifth program instructions are tangibly encoded on said computer readable storage media for execution by said processor via said computer readable memory.

16. The computer system of claim 14, further comprising:

fifth program instructions to evaluate said set of business process data measured by said performance monitoring subsystem before transmitting said set of business process data to said capacity management subsystem; and

sixth program instructions to adjust either upward or downward said capacity level of said one or more capacity constraints in order to achieve said desired service level for said one or more of said plurality of service factors; and

wherein

said fifth and sixth program instructions are tangibly encoded on said computer readable storage media for execution by said processor via said computer readable memory.

17. The computer system of claim 14, further comprising:

fifth program instructions to alternate web sites, add shifts, add personnel, increase work schedules, reassign resources between business processes for services utilizing the same process, reassign resources among clients that use a same process, accelerate non-critical tasks, defer non-critical tasks, and substitute automated processing for non-automated processing, wherein

said fifth program instructions are tangibly encoded on said computer readable storage media for execution by said processor via said computer readable memory.