Predictive growth burn rate in development pipeline

• US 8,639,553 B1
• Filed: 04/13/2006
• Issued: 01/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/13/2006
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG), Vizrea Corporation
• Original Assignee: Sprint Communications Company LP (Deutsche Telekom AG)
• Inventors: Knauth, Margaret J., Roberts, Debra L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Meinecke Diaz, Susanna M
• Assistant Examiner(s): SWARTZ, JAMIE H
• Application Number:
  US11/403,669
• Time in Patent Office: 2,847 Days
• Field of Search: 705/7.22, 705/7.15
• US Class Current: 705/7.22
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063114 Status monitoring or status determination 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

Abstract

A method is provided for predictive growth and burn rate analysis in software pipeline management. The method comprises providing, for each of multiple projects in a software project pipeline, a set of inputs that includes labor demand, labor supply, and one or more historical data points. The method also includes aggregating the inputs, and calculating an overall labor supply/demand balance. The method then compares the difference between the balance and the historical data points to a reasonable threshold.

Claims

1. A software development pipeline planning tool that comprises:

an interface component stored as executable instructions on a non-transitory computer-readable medium executable by a computer to accept, for each of multiple projects in a software pipeline, a set of inputs that includes

     1) labor demand,

     2) labor supply, and

     3) one or more historical data points;

a productivity analysis component stored as executable instructions on a non-transitory computer-readable medium executable by a computer to multiply a productivity multiplier by the labor supply to determine an effective labor supply, wherein the productivity multiplier is based on patterns in one or more of vacation schedules, sick time, administrative time, and training schedules, and varies by geography and at least one of month, calendar season, and fiscal planning period; and

a growth analysis component stored as executable instructions on a non-transitory computer-readable medium executable by a computer to aggregate the inputs, calculate an overall labor supply/demand balance of an amount labor demand exceeds the effective labor supply, determine a threshold from historical data points indicating a cap on how quickly the labor supply may grow over a given period of time when labor demand exceeds the effective labor supply, compare the overall labor supply/demand balance to the threshold, and set a flag when the overall labor supply/demand balance exceeds the threshold.

2. The tool of claim 1, wherein the growth analysis component notifies a user if the difference between the overall labor supply/demand balance and the historical data exceeds the threshold.

3. The tool of claim 1, wherein the growth analysis component determines the threshold based on growth that was achievable in the past, based on the historical data points.

4. The tool of claim 1, wherein the threshold is at least a five percent (5%) difference and no more than a ten percent (10%) difference.

5. The tool of claim 1, wherein the growth analysis component accepts a new value for the threshold from the user.

6. The tool of claim 1, wherein the plurality of inputs of labor supply and labor demand further comprise labor supply for works-in-progress projects, labor demand for works-in-progress projects, labor supply placeholders for future project estimates, and labor demand placeholders for future project estimates.

7. The tool of claim 1, further comprising a reporting component that generates a coded report having a first code when the labor supply exceeds the labor demand, having a second code when the labor demand exceeds the labor supply and having a third code when the difference between the overall labor supply/demand balance and the historical data exceeds the threshold.

8. The tool of claim 1, further comprising a feedback component operable to adjust at least one of the labor supply and the labor demand;

wherein

1) adjusting the labor supply comprises at least one of reallocating existing labor supply, providing additional training, one of hiring additional labor supply, and terminating unnecessary labor supply; and

2) adjusting the labor demand comprises at least one of adjusting the timing of at least one project, canceling at least one project, and reallocating existing labor supply to change the labor demand.

9. A method for predictive growth and burn rate analysis

in software pipeline management that comprises:

providing, by a processor, for each of multiple projects in a software project pipeline, a set of inputs that includes labor demand, labor supply, and one or more historical data points;

aggregating, by a processor, the inputs;

multiplying a productivity multiplier by the labor supply to determine an effective labor supply wherein the productivity multiplier is based on patterns in one or more of vacation schedules, sick time, administrative time, and training schedules, and varies by geography and at least one of month, calendar season, and fiscal planning period;

calculating, by a processor, an overall labor supply/demand balance wherein the overall labor supply/demand balance is an amount by which labor demand exceeds the effective labor supply;

determining, by a processor, a threshold from the historical data points indicating a cap on how quickly the labor supply may grow over a given period of time when labor demand exceeds the effective labor supply;

comparing, by a processor, the overall labor supply/demand balance to the threshold; and

setting, by a processor, a flag when the overall labor supply/demand balance exceeds the threshold.

10. The method of claim 9, further comprising notifying a user if the difference between the overall labor supply/demand balance and the historical data exceeds the threshold.

11. The method of claim 9, further comprising determining the threshold based on growth that was achievable in the past, based on the historical data points.

12. The method of claim 9, wherein the threshold is at least a five percent (5%) difference and no more than a ten percent (10%) difference.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising reporting in a coded report;

wherein the coded report reflects a first code when the labor supply exceeds the labor demand, a second code when the labor demand exceeds the labor supply and a third code when the difference between the overall labor supply/demand balance and the historical data exceeds the threshold.

14. The method of claim 9, further comprising applying a spreading algorithm that generates project timing for the projects in the software development pipeline such that the difference between the overall labor supply/demand balance and the historical data points does not exceed the threshold.

15. The method of claim 9, further comprising adjusting at least one of the labor supply and the labor demand, wherein:

1) adjusting the labor supply comprises at least one of reallocating existing labor supply, providing additional training, hiring additional labor supply, and terminating unnecessary labor supply, and

2) adjusting the labor demand comprises at least one of adjusting the timing of at least one project, canceling at least one project, and reallocating existing labor supply to change the labor demand.