Graphical planning and scheduling system

• US 8,400,467 B1
• Filed: 05/01/2009
• Issued: 03/19/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/01/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PMA Technoloiges, LLC
• Original Assignee: PMA Technoloiges, LLC
• Inventors: Ponce de Leon, Gui
• Primary Examiner(s): Amini, Javid A
• Application Number:
  US12/387,469
• Time in Patent Office: 1,418 Days
• Field of Search: 345/619
• US Class Current: 345/619
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06316 Sequencing of tasks or work

Abstract

A graphical planning and scheduling system is described. The system is based on the Graphical Planning Method and object oriented principles. The system is graphics-driven and may support gestural and surface computing. The system may allow resource leveling, schedule optimization, and time/cost tradeoffs to occur interactively on a display and in conjunction with network construction. The system may allow forward and backward planning and scheduling of projects. The system may also allow project stakeholders to interactively participate in collaborative planning and scheduling sessions.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for graphically planning and scheduling a project comprising:

detecting a user interaction on one or more graphical objects on a time-scaled display, the one or more graphical objects being logically linked to at least one linked graphical object on the time-scaled display, the one or more graphical objects representing one of an activity, a milestone, a logic relationship, an embedded node and a benchmark and the at least one linked graphical object representing one of a different activity, a different milestone, a different logic relationship, a different embedded node and a different benchmark;

performing one or more calculations on the one or more graphical objects in response to the user interaction, including performing a healing algorithm;

updating data structures representative of the one or more graphical objects in response to the calculations;

re-positioning the at least one linked graphical object on the time-scaled display, wherein the re-positioning converts a negative gap to a zero gap; and

updating the time-scaled display based on the updated data structures.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the user interaction comprises at least one of a mouse click, mouse movement, key press, gestural input or surface input.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the detecting further comprises:

monitoring the occurrence of a user interaction;

creating a packet of data including instructions for processing the user interaction; and

sending the packet of data to a response unit.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more calculations comprises:

calculating one or more of a float, drift, total float, gap, resource consumption or cost.

5. The method of claim 1 wherein the performing further comprises:

creating a modification log for the one or more graphical objects as a function of the calculating.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein the updating further comprises:

updating the data structures as a function of the modification log.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein the detecting, performing, updating, and updating are operable to communicate in memory.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

updating data structures representative of the one or more graphical objects in response to the user interaction, and wherein the performing is based on the updated data structures.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein the user interaction is a physical manipulation of the graphical object on the time-scaled display.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more graphical objects includes one or more rules governing how the one or more graphical objects behave with respect to shifting forward and backward on the time-scaled display.

11. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more graphical objects includes one or more rules governing a finish-to-start, a finish-to-finish, a start-to-start or a start-to-finish relationship between the one or more graphical object and the at least one linked graphical objects.

12. The method of claim 1 wherein the one or more graphical objects is the embedded node, and the embedded node is intermediate of a start node and a finish node of the one or more graphical objects.

13. The method of claim 1 wherein the performing of the one or more calculations is conducted for the one or more graphical objects and the at least one linked graphical object in response to the user interaction.

14. The method of claim 1 wherein the at least one linked graphical object includes a successor or predecessor graphical object directly linked to the one or more graphical objects and a successor or predecessor object indirectly linked to the one or more graphical objects through another link with the successor or predecessor graphical object that is directly linked to the one or more graphical objects.

15. The method of claim 1 wherein a change to a position of the one or more graphical objects by the user interaction causes a change to a position of the at least one linked graphical object on the time-scaled display, unless the position of the at least one linked object is constrained by a date rule or a link to another graphical object.

16. A system for graphically planning and scheduling a project comprising:

a graphical user interface;

memory;

an event processor operable to detect a user interaction with one or more graphical objects on the graphical user interface, the one or more graphical objects being logically linked to at least one linked graphical object on the graphical user interface, the one or more graphical objects representing one of an activity, a milestone, a logic relationship, embedded node and a benchmark and the at least one linked graphical object representing one of a different activity, a different milestone, a different logic relationship, a different embedded node and a different benchmark;

an object processor coupled with the event processor and operable to update data structures representative of the one or more graphical objects in response to the user interaction;

a logic processor coupled with the object processor and operable to perform calculations based on the updated data structures, including performing a healing algorithm; and

a graphics processor coupled with the object processor and operable to display the updated data structures on the graphical user interface, wherein the graphics processor is also operable to re-position the at least one linked graphical object on the graphical user interface, wherein the re-positioning converts a negative gap to a zero gap.

17. The system of claim 16 wherein the event processor is further operable to create a data packet required to process the user interaction and send the data packet to the object processor.

18. The system of claim 16 wherein the object processor is further operable to determine if the user interaction requires a change in at least one logic, resource consumption or cost.

19. The system of claim 16 wherein the logic processor is operable to calculate at least one of a float, drift, total float, gap, resource consumption, or cost based on the updated data structures.

20. The system of claim 16 wherein the logic processor is operable to create a log of modifications resulting from the calculations.

21. The system of claim 20 wherein the logic processor is further operable to send the log to the object processor, and wherein the object processor is operable to update the data structures as a function of the log.

22. The system of claim 16 further comprising:

detection means for detecting user interaction applied to one or more graphical objects;

update means for updating data structures representative of the one or more graphical objects in response to the user interaction;

performing means for performing calculations on the updated data structures; and

display means for displaying the updated data structures in real-time on a time-scaled display.

23. A computer program product comprising software encoded in non-transitory computer-readable media, for graphically planning and scheduling a project, the software comprising instructions, operable when executed, to:

detect a user interaction with one or more graphical objects on a time-scaled display, the one or more graphical objects being logically linked to at least one linked graphical object on the time-scaled display, the one or more graphical objects representing one of an activity, a milestone, a logic relationship, an embedded node and a benchmark and the at least one linked graphical object representing one of a different activity, a different milestone, a different logic relationship, a different embedded node and a different benchmark;

perform one or more calculations on the one or more graphical objects in response to the user interaction, including performing a healing algorithm;

update data structures representative of the one or more graphical objects in response to the calculations;

re-positioning the at least one linked graphical object on the time-scaled display, wherein the re-positioning converts a negative gap to a zero gap; and

update the time-scaled display based on the updated data structures.