Integrated project and staffing management

• US 7,962,358 B1
• Filed: 11/06/2006
• Issued: 06/14/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 11/06/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Luebbert, Scott J., Preston, Sandy L., Skahan, Scott, Myzer, Mark R., Fernandez, Pramod B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Jarrett; Scott L
• Application Number:
  US11/557,092
• Time in Patent Office: 1,681 Days
• Field of Search: 705/7
• 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

Abstract

A system and method for integrated resource and project planning are provided. A system for project forecast and resource forecast management integration includes a web-based Graphical User Interface (GUI) including an input component and a display component; wherein the input component receives project inputs relating to approved projects and proposed projects and further receives resource inputs relating to actual resources and placeholder resources. The system also includes a generation/analysis component that, based on the received inputs, generates a resource forecast of actual resources and placeholder resources, and generates a project forecast of approved projects and proposed projects. The system also includes a reporting component that generates a report on the resource forecast and the project forecast for display in the display component of the GUI; the reporting component generating the report for at least one of a resource level, a role level, and a project level.

Claims

1. A system for project forecast and resource forecast management integration in an enterprise, the system comprising:

a web-based Graphical User Interface (GUI) including an input component and a display component, wherein the input component receives project inputs relating to approved projects and proposed projects, wherein the project inputs comprise for each project a scheduled timeframe, an hours input, and a flag that indicates whether the project is approved or proposed, wherein the hours input further comprises a project total and a project date range, the proposed projects are projects that have entered a project management and development process but have not obtained final approval, and wherein the input component further receives resource inputs relating to actual resources and placeholder resources, wherein the placeholder resources are resources that the enterprise does not possess that are anticipated to be acquired by the enterprise;

a generation/analysis component that, based on the received inputs, generates a resource forecast of actual resources and placeholder resources, and generates a project forecast of approved projects and proposed projects, wherein the resource forecast includes resource assignment and availability for a given time period for both the actual resources and the placeholder resources, wherein the project forecast comprises a project management plan that includes an assignment of the actual resources and the placeholder resources to the approved projects and the proposed projects, the hours assigned for completion of the approved projects, the hours assigned for completion of the proposed projects, and scheduling for work on the approved projects and on the proposed projects, and wherein the generation/analysis component applies a spreading algorithm to the hours input to divide the hours input into a total for each time unit in the project date range for the resource forecast and the project forecast, wherein the time unit comprises one of a week, a month, a quarter, and a year; and

a reporting component that generates a report on the resource forecast and the project forecast for display in the display component of the GUI, the reporting component generating the report at each of a resource level, a role level, and a project level, the reporting component applies a designation to distinguish approved projects from proposed projects in the resource forecast and the project forecast, and the reporting component applies a designation to distinguish actual resources from placeholder resources in the resource forecast and the project forecast;

wherein the reporting component comprises a filter component and a rules component, wherein the filter component filters the report on the resource forecast and the project forecast according to an identity of a user of the GUI and prevents access by a third party labor supplier to enterprise proprietary information, and wherein the rules component limits access to the reported resource forecast and project forecast according to the identity of the user, provides access to data pertinent to the third party labor supplier, and limits access by the third party labor supplier to view, change, update, and delete inputs to only projects or resources for which the third party labor supplier is authorized.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the project inputs further comprise for each project a Project Identifier, one or more Impacted Skill Group(s), and one or more specific activity fields.

3. The system of claim 2 wherein the hours input further comprises a weekly total and a project date range;

wherein the generation/analysis component applies a spreading algorithm to the hours input, and the input hours is applied to each week in the project date range for the resource forecast and the project forecast.

4. The system of claim 2, wherein the resource inputs comprise for each resource a Resource Identifier, one or more Skill Set(s), an hours input, and a flag that indicates whether the resource is actual or placeholder.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the resource forecast and project forecast generated is one of weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annually, per a selection entered in the GUI.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the reporting component generates the report for the resource level, the role level, and the project level.

7. A method for project forecast and resource forecast management integration in an enterprise, the method comprising:

receiving at a web-based GUI a plurality of inputs, wherein the inputs comprise project inputs relating to approved projects and proposed projects that have entered a project management and development process but have not obtained final approval and resource inputs relating to actual resources and placeholder resources, wherein the project inputs comprise for each project a scheduled timeframe, an hours input, and a flag that indicates whether the project is approved or proposed, wherein the hours input further comprises a project total and a project date range, and wherein the placeholder resources are resources that the enterprise does not possess that are anticipated to be acquired by the enterprise;

based on the received inputs, generating, by a processor, a resource forecast of actual resources and placeholder resources, wherein the resource forecast includes resource assignment and availability for a given time period for both the actual resources and the placeholder resources;

based on the inputs, generating, by a processor, a project forecast of approved projects and proposed projects, wherein the project forecast comprises a project management plan that includes an assignment of the actual resources and the placeholder resources to the approved projects and the proposed projects, the hours assigned for completion of the approved projects, the hours assigned for the completion of the proposed projects, and scheduling for work on the approved projects and the proposed projects, applying a spreading algorithm to the hours input to divide the hours input into a total for each time unit in the project date range for the resource forecast and the project forecast, wherein the time unit comprises one of a week, a month, a quarter, and a year;

generating, by a processor, a report on the resource forecast and the project forecast for each one of a resource level, a role level, and a project level, wherein the report includes a designation to distinguish approved projects from proposed projects in the resource forecast and the project forecast, and the report includes a designation to distinguish actual resources from placeholder resources in the resource forecast and the project forecast; and

displaying a filtered report in the web-based GUI wherein the resource forecast and the project forecast are filtered according to an identity of a user of the GUI and according to rules that prevents access by a third party labor supplier to enterprise proprietary information, and wherein the rules limits access to the reported resource forecast and project forecast according to the identity of the user, provides access to data pertinent to the third party labor supplier, and limits access by the third party labor supplier to view, change, update, and delete inputs to only projects or resources for which the third party labor supplier is authorized.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein the project inputs comprise for each project a Project Identifier, a scheduled timeframe, one or more Impacted Skill Group(s), an hours input, one or more specific activity fields, and a flag that indicates whether the project is approved or proposed.

9. The method of claim 7, wherein the hours input further comprises a project total and a project date range, and wherein the generation/analysis component applies a spreading algorithm to the hours input to divide the hours input into a weekly total, and the weekly total is applied to each week in the project date range for the resource forecast and the project forecast.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the resource inputs comprise a Resource Identifier, one or more Skill Set(s), an hours input, and a flag that indicates whether the resource is actual or placeholder.

11. The method of claim 7, applying a designation to distinguish approved projects from proposed projects in the resource forecast and the project forecast.

12. The method of claim 11, applying a designation to distinguish actual resources from placeholder resources in the resource forecast and the project forecast.

13. The method of claim 7, wherein the resource forecast and project forecast generated is one of weekly, monthly, quarterly, and annually, per a selection entered in the GUI.

14. The method of claim 7, further comprising accepting a toggle to convert a first project from approved to proposed, or proposed to approved, without clearing any inputs for the first project;

and applying a designation to distinguish between approved projects and proposed projects in the resource forecast and the project forecast.

15. The method of claim 7, further comprising generating the report for the resource level, the role level, and the project level.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising changing the designation for a particular resource from a placeholder resource to actual resource when a toggle input is received.