Method for managing human resources

• US 8,577,713 B2
• Filed: 05/07/2010
• Issued: 11/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 09/09/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation, ServiceNow Incorporated
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Henderson, Mark A., Carr, Thomas E., Eck, Brian T., Garofolo, Philip J., Weber, Mark A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sterrett, Jonathan G
• Assistant Examiner(s): DELICH, STEPHANIE ZAGARELLA
• Application Number:
  US12/775,630
• Publication Number:
  US 20100223091A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,278 Days
• Field of Search: 705/7.11, 705/7.12, 705/7.13, 705/7.14, 705/7.15, 705/7.16, 705/7.17, 705/7.21, 705/7.23, 705/7.25
• US Class Current: 705/7.25
• 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 10/06315 Needs-based resource requirements planning or analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0637 Strategic management or analysis, e.g. setting a goal or target of an organisation; Planning actions based on goals; Analysis or evaluation of effectiveness of goals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/067 Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/103 Workflow collaboration or project management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1053 Employment or hiring

Abstract

Disclosed herein is an integrated method and system for managing human resources. Specifically, the method and system integrates several processes (e.g., a process for developing a strategy and particularly for developing a set of rules on how human resources will be managed and sourced, a process for developing a long-term strategic plan for sourcing human resources to satisfy demands, a process for developing a near-term operational plan recommending individual human resources be used to satisfy selected demands, a process for selecting and assigning individual resources to specific engagements, etc.). Thus, the method operates through a spectrum of time horizons from the strategic to real time, providing a coherent and cohesive system for matching supply to demand based on the priorities of the business as represented through the set of rules.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method of managing human resources comprising:

maintaining and periodically updating, on a memory device of a computer system of a company, a record of human resource supplies, said human resource supplies comprising a plurality of individual human resources available from internal and external supply sources with respect to said company and said record of said human resource supplies comprising a list of different skills of each of said individual human resources and an indication of availability of each of said individual human resources;

providing a business strategy that drives profitability and revenue targets;

based on said business strategy and said record of human resource supplies, periodically developing, by said computer system, a set of rules providing guidelines for obtaining said human resource supplies and for assigning said individual human resources to satisfy demands on a demands list;

based on said set of rules and on said record of human resource supplies, periodically developing, by said computer system, a first-level plan specifying which of said supply sources should be used, over a specified first time period, to satisfy said demands on said demands list, said first-level plan being periodically developed at shorter intervals than said set of rules; and

based on said first-level plan, on said demands list, on said record of human resources supplies and on said set of rules, periodically developing, by said computer system, a second-level plan, said second-level plan recommending assignment of specific individual human resources to satisfy any specific demands that are on said demands list and that have required action times falling within a next specified second time period, said next specified second time period being within said specified first time period and said second-level plan being periodically developed at shorter intervals than said first-level plan such that said second-level plan comprises a short-term plan as compared to said first-level plan; and

,

when a required action time for a specific demand approaches within said next specified second time period, performing the following;

determining current availability of a specific individual human resource recommended for assignment to said specific demand in said second-level plan;

reviewing pricing information to determine whether a cost of assigning said specific individual human resource to satisfy said specific demand is within previously established cost guidelines; and

assigning said specific individual human resource to satisfy said specific demand based on said current availability, on said pricing information, and on said set of rules.

2. The method of claim 1, said developing of said set of rules comprising:

identifying supply sources that have said human resource supplies;

prioritizing said supply sources;

prioritizing application of said human resources supplies to satisfy said demands on said demands list; and

setting at least one of target supply bench levels, target investment levels for training, and target investment levels for acquisition.

3. The method of claim 2, said developing of said first-level plan comprising:

determining said demands list, said demands list comprising a listing of demands for each different skill; and

determining which of said supply sources can satisfy each of said demands on said demands list based on said set of rules, said supply sources comprising at least one of currently available supplies, supplies available through out-sourcing, supplies available through acquisition, and supplies available through skill development.

4. The method of claim 3, said developing of said first-level plan further comprising planning how many of each of said demands on said demands list should be satisfied by each of said supply sources.

5. The method of claim 3, said determining of said demands list comprising:

determining ongoing engagements, future engagements and possible engagements; and

determining each of said different skills required for each of said ongoing engagements, said future engagements, and said possible engagements.

6. The method of claim 3, said developing of said second-level plan comprising:

reviewing a most-recent first-level plan;

updating said demands list;

selecting said specific demand from said demands list;

identifying said specific individual human resource that is currently available, that has said different skills required to satisfy said specific demand, and that can be assigned based on said set of rules; and

recommending assignment of said specific individual human resource to satisfy said specific demand.

7. A computer implemented method of managing human resources comprising:

maintaining and periodically updating, on a memory device of a computer system of a company, a record of human resource supplies, said human resource supplies comprising a plurality of individual human resources available from internal and external supply sources with respect to said company and said record of said human resource supplies comprising a list of different skills of each of said individual human resources and an indication of availability of each of said individual human resources;

providing a business strategy that drives profitability and revenue targets in a services environment;

based on said business strategy and said record of human resource supplies, periodically developing, by said computer system, a set of rules providing guidelines for obtaining said human resource supplies and for assigning said individual human resources to satisfy demands on a demands list;

based on said set of rules and on said record of human resource supplies, periodically developing, by said computer system, a first-level plans specifying which of said supply sources should be used, over a specified first time period, to satisfy said demands on said demands list, said first-level plan being periodically developed at shorter intervals than said set of rules and said demands comprising ongoing demands, future demands and possible demands; and

based on said first-level plan, on said demands list, on said record of human resources supplies and on said set of rules, periodically developing, by said computer system, a second-level plan recommending assignment of specific individual human resources to satisfy any specific demands that are on said demands list and that have required action times falling within a next specified second time period, said next specified second time period being within said specified first time period and said second-level plan being periodically developed at shorter intervals than said first-level plan such that said second-level plan comprises a short-term plan as compared to said first-level plan; and

when a required action time for a specific demand approaches within said next specified second time period, performing the following;

determining current availability of a specific individual human resource recommended for assignment to said specific demand in said second-level plan;

reviewing pricing information to determine whether a cost of assigning said specific individual human resource to satisfy said specific demand is within previously established cost guidelines; and

assigning said specific individual human resource to satisfy said specific demand based on said current availability, on said pricing information, and on said set of rules.

8. The method of claim 7, said developing of said set of rules comprising:

identifying supply sources that have said human resource supplies;

prioritizing said supply sources,

prioritizing application of said human resource supplies to satisfy said demands on said demands list; and

setting at least one of target supply bench levels, target investment levels for training, and target investment levels for acquisition.

9. The method of claim 7, said developing of said first-level plan comprising:

determining said demands list, said demands list comprising a listing of said ongoing demands, said future demands, and said possible demands for each different skill; and

determining which of said supply sources can satisfy each of said ongoing demands, said future demands, and said possible demands on said demands list based on said set of rules, said supply sources comprising at least one of currently available supplies, supplies available through out-sourcing, supplies available through acquisition, and supplies available through skill development.

10. The method of claim 9, said developing of said first-level plan further comprising planning how many of each of said ongoing demands, said future demands, and said possible demands, on said demands list should be satisfied by each of said supply sources.

11. The method of claim 9, said determining of said demands list comprising:

determining ongoing engagements, future engagements and possible engagements; and

determining each of said different skills required for each of said ongoing engagements, said future engagements, and said possible engagements.

12. The method of claim 9, said developing of said second-level plan comprising:

reviewing a most-recent first-level plan;

updating said demands list;

selecting said specific demand from said demands list;

identifying said specific individual human resource that is currently available, that has said different skills sufficient to satisfy specific, and that can be assigned based on said set of rules; and

recommending assignment of said specific individual human resource to satisfy said specific demand within said second time period.

13. A program storage device readable by computer, tangibly embodying a program of instructions executable by said computer to perform a method of managing human resources, said method comprising:

maintaining and periodically updating a record of human resource supplies, said human resource supplies comprising a plurality of individual human resources available from internal and external supply sources with respect to a company and said record of said human resource supplies comprising a list of different skills of each of said individual human resources and an indication of availability of each of said individual human resources;

providing a business strategy that drives profitability and revenue targets;

based on said business strategy and said record of human resource supplies, periodically developing a set of rules providing guidelines for obtaining said human resource supplies and for assigning said individual human resources to satisfy demands on a demands list;

based on said set of rules and on said record of said human resource supplies, periodically developing a first-level plans specifying which of said supply sources should be used, over a specified first time period, to satisfy said demands on said demands list, said first-level plan being periodically developed at shorter intervals than said set of rules; and

based on said first-level plan, on said demands list, on said record of human resources supplies and on said set of rules, periodically developing a second-level plan, said second-level plan recommending assignment of specific individual human resources to satisfy any specific demands that are on said demands list and that have required action times falling within a next specified second time period, said next specified second time period being within said specified first time period and said second-level plan being periodically developed at shorter intervals than said first-level plan such that said second-level plan comprises a short-term plan as compared to said first-level plan; and

when a required action time for a specific demand approaches within said next specified second time period, performing the following;

determining current availability of a specific individual human resource recommended for assignment to said specific demand in said second-level plan;

reviewing pricing information to determine whether a cost of assigning said specific individual human resource to satisfy said specific demand is within previously established cost guidelines; and

assigning said specific individual human resource to satisfy said specific demand based on said current availability, on said pricing information, and on said set of rules.

14. The program storage device of claim 13, said developing of said set of rules comprising:

identifying supply sources that have said human resource supplies;

prioritizing said supply sources,

prioritizing application of said human resource supplies to satisfy said demands on said demands list; and

setting at least one of target supply bench levels, target investment levels for training, and target investment levels for acquisition.

15. The program storage device of claim 13, said developing of said first-level plan comprising:

determining said demands list, said demands list comprising a listing of demands for each different skill; and

determining which of said supply sources can satisfy each of said demands on said demands list based on said set of rules, said supply sources comprising at least one of currently available supplies, supplies available through out-sourcing, supplies available through acquisition, and supplies available through skill development.

16. The program storage device of claim 15, said developing of said first-level plan further comprising planning how many of each of said demands on said demands list should be satisfied by each of said supply sources.

17. The program storage device of claim 15, said determining of said demands list comprising:

determining ongoing engagements, future engagements and possible engagements; and

determining each of said different skills required for each of said ongoing engagements, said future engagements, and said possible engagements.

18. The program storage device of claim 15, said developing of said second-level plan comprising:

reviewing a most-recent first-level plan;

updating said demands list;

selecting said specific demand from said demands list;

identifying said specific individual human resource that is currently available, that has said different skills required to satisfy said specific demand, and that can be assigned based on said set of rules; and

recommending assignment of said specific individual human resource to satisfy said specific demand.

19. A system for managing human resources with different skills, said system comprising:

a memory device storing a periodically updated record of human resource supplies, said human resource supplies comprising a plurality of individual human resources available from internal and external supply sources with respect to a company and said record of said human resource supplies comprising a list of different skills of each of said individual human resources and an indication of availability of each of said individual human resources;

a first processor adapted to periodically develop, based on a business strategy that drives profitability and revenue targets and on said record of human resources supplies, a set of rules providing guidelines for obtaining said human resource supplies and for assigning said individual human resources to satisfy demands on demands list;

a second processor in communication with said first processor and adapted to periodically develop, based on said set of rules and said record of human resource supplies, a first-level plans specifying which of said supply sources should be used, over a specified first time period, to satisfy said demands on said demands list, said first-level plan being periodically developed at shorter intervals than said set of rules; and

a third processor in communication with said second processor and adapted to periodically develop, based on said first-level plan, on said demands list, on said record of human resource supplies, and on said set of rules, a second-level plan, said second-level plan recommending assignment of specific individual human resources to satisfy any specific demands that are on said demands list and that have required action times falling within a next specified second time period, said next specified second time period being within said specified first time period and said second-level plan being periodically developed at shorter intervals than said first-level plan such that said second-level plan comprises a short-term plan as compared to said first-level plan; and

a fourth processor in communication with said first processor, said second processor, and said third processor, said fourth processor being adapted to perform the following, when a required action time for a specific demand approaches within said next specified second time period;

determine current availability of a specific individual human resource recommended for assignment to said specific demand in said second-level plan;

review pricing information to determine whether a cost of assigning said specific individual human resource to satisfy said specific demand is within previously established cost guidelines; and

assign said specific individual human resource to satisfy said specific demand based on said current availability, on said pricing information, and on said set of rules.

20. The system of claim 19, said memory device further storing said set of rules.

21. The system claim 20, said demands on said demands list each comprising a demand for a different skill and said set of rules comprising at least one of a list of supply sources that may be used to acquire said different skills, a supply sources priority listing, a priority listing of said demands to be satisfied by said human resource supplies, and at least one of a target supply bench level, a target investment level for training, and target investment level for acquisition.

22. The system of claim 19, said memory device further storing said first-level plan and said second-level plan.