Business process management system having dynamic task assignment

• US 8,136,114 B1
• Filed: 04/21/2006
• Issued: 03/13/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Gailloux, Michael A., Biere, Devon L.
• Primary Examiner(s): An, Meng
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEE, TAMMY EUNHYE
• Application Number:
  US11/408,475
• Time in Patent Office: 2,153 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 718/104
• 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

Disclosed herein is a system and method for the dynamic assignment of tasks within an enterprise through determining a group of one or more candidate resources based on defined attributes of a task. The group of one or more candidate resources is then analyzed to intelligently assign the task to one of the resources based on one or more of presence, location, schedule, workload, and performance history for each candidate resource.

Claims

1. A method for the dynamic assignment of tasks to resources, comprising:

determining, by a computer, a group of one or more candidate resources based on defined attributes of a task to be assigned, wherein the task attributes include a specified deadline for task completion;

analyzing, by a computer, the task and the group of one or more candidate resources to assign the task to a resource based on factors comprising the resource'"'"'s work schedule, performance history, workload, and the task'"'"'s level of effort, wherein the resource'"'"'s performance history represents an average amount of time previously required by the resource to complete the task'"'"'s type of task, and wherein the task'"'"'s level of effort represents an amount of effort one or more resources in an enterprise are expected to take to complete the task;

processing the level of effort for the task to be assigned with one or more of the workload, performance history, and work schedule for each candidate resource in the group of one or more candidate resources to determine a task completion time for each candidate resource, wherein the processing comprises;

multiplying, for each candidate resource in the group of one or more candidate resources, a weighting factor by a corresponding level of effort for each task previously assigned to a corresponding candidate resource and the task to be assigned; and

determining, for each candidate resource in the group of one or more candidate resources, the task completion time by adding each result of the multiplying;

rescheduling at least one task previously assigned to at least one of the one or more candidate resources to be completed by another resource when the processing estimates that the task completion time for each candidate resource is beyond the specified deadline for task completion; and

notifying the resource of the task assignment.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the group of one or more candidate resources is filtered based on one or more of a presence, qualification, and work schedule of each candidate resource in the group of one or more candidate resources.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the processing determines which candidate resource has the earliest task completion time.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the task is assigned to the resource based on the earliest task completion time.

5. The method of claim 2, wherein candidate resource presence is determined through detecting the candidate resource on an interface technology.

6. The method of claim 5, wherein the task is assigned to the resource through the interface technology.

7. The method of claim 1, further comprising dynamically refreshing the assignment and notification of tasks as changes occur with the resource.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the amount of effort is determined by averaging an amount of time a plurality of resources in the enterprise take to complete the task'"'"'s type of task.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the weighting factor is a decimal equivalent of the performance history.

10. A system for dynamically assigning tasks to resources, comprising:

a business process management system that tracks a workload and performance history for each of a plurality of candidate resources; and

at least one resource computing device coupled to the business process management system to receive assigned tasks and to provide resource work schedule information,

wherein the business process management system is configured to;

compare a level of effort for completing a task to be assigned with one or more of the following;

a work schedule, the workload, and the performance history of a candidate resource of the plurality of candidate resources, and

reprioritize one or more tasks already assigned to one of the candidate resources to be completed in a different order when the comparison determines that the task cannot be assigned to any candidate resource,

wherein the resource'"'"'s performance history represents an average amount of time previously required by the resource to complete the task'"'"'s type of task,

wherein the task'"'"'s level of effort represents an amount of time one or more resources in an enterprise are expected to take to complete the task,

wherein the comparison comprises configuring the business process management system to determine, for each candidate resource of the plurality of candidate resources, a completion time for the one or more tasks already assigned to a corresponding candidate resource, and

wherein the determination of the completion time comprises configuring the business process management system to;

multiply, for each candidate resource of the plurality of candidate resources, a weighting factor by a corresponding level of effort for each task previously assigned to a corresponding candidate resource; and

determine, for each candidate resource, the task completion time by adding each result of the multiplying.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the task has task attributes including a task type, and a service level agreement for indicating when the task is to be completed.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the business process management system also assigns the task to the resource based on the service level agreement.

13. The system of claim 10, wherein if the comparison determines that the task cannot be assigned to any candidate resource then one or more tasks already assigned to one of the candidate resources are further reassigned.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the comparison further comprises configuring the business process management system to:

add, for each candidate resource, the level of effort for completing the task to be assigned to the completion time for the one or more tasks already assigned to obtain an estimated completion time; and

compare the estimated completion time with the service level agreement indicating when the task is to be completed.

15. The system of claim 10, wherein the business process management system determines a presence of at least one of the candidate resources through interacting with an interface technology on the computing device.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein the business process management system communicates the assignment of the task to the resource through the interface technology.

17. The system of claim 10, wherein the business process management system determines the schedule of at least one of the candidate resources through interacting with a calendar technology on the computing device.

18. The system of claim 10, wherein the business process management system dynamically refreshes the assignment of tasks as changes occur with one or more resources.