System and method for collecting and providing resource rate information using resource profiling

• US 8,799,039 B2
• Filed: 01/25/2010
• Issued: 08/05/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 04/24/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: IQNavigator Incorporated
• Original Assignee: IQNavigator Incorporated
• Inventors: Cullen, Andrew A. III
• Primary Examiner(s): Meinecke Diaz, Susanna M
• Application Number:
  US12/692,937
• Publication Number:
  US 20100153863A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,653 Days
• Field of Search: 705/322, 705/7.11
• US Class Current: 705/7.11
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063112 Skill-based matching of a person or a group to a task
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06375 Prediction of business process outcome or impact based on a proposed change
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1057 Benefits or employee welfare, e.g. insurance, holiday or retirement packages
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/02 Marketing; Price estimation or determination; Fundraising
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0206 Price or cost determination based on market factors

Abstract

A computer system and method is disclosed for collecting resource rate information associated with a plurality of resource profiles and providing resource rate statistical data for a specific resource profile via a web-based interface. Each resource profile is defined from hierarchical profile selections to identify a job category, and each job category has one or more skills associated therewith. A database maintains the resource profiles and associated resource rate information. The resource rate information is collected from a variety of sources, including business entities that interface with the database to upload actual resource rate information (e.g., actual salaries, wage rates and other compensation information) for one or more resource profiles associated with the business entity.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

via at least one computer comprising a processor and memory, collecting a plurality of resource rate information identifying compensation information for a plurality of resources from a plurality of actual-market-rate sources, the plurality of actual-market-rate sources comprising a plurality of business entities that employ at least a portion of the plurality of resources;

via the at least one computer, associating each of said plurality of resource rate information with resource profile information;

wherein said resource profile information is organized into a plurality of resource profiles, each resource profile hierarchically defining at least a job category and skills;

wherein, for at least a portion of the resource profile information, the associating comprises associating therewith resource rate information for more than one of the plurality of resources;

via the at least one computer, storing each of said plurality of resource rate information, said associated resource profile information, and a date in a resource record within a database, the database comprising a plurality of resource records; and

receiving a request for statistical resource-rate data from a requestor, the request comprising resource criteria;

wherein the resource criteria comprises a date span and profile information defined according to a structure of the plurality of resource profiles;

comparing the resource criteria to each of the plurality of resource records to determine one or more matching resource records;

calculating, by the at least one computer, the statistical resource-rate data based on the resource-rate information stored in the one or more matching resource records;

analyzing resource records in the database to determine whether one or more of said resource records should be updated, said resource records associated with said actual market rate sources being updated within a pre-configured time period after creation thereof;

requesting updated resource profile information and updated resource rate information to update said one or more resource records;

storing said updated resource profile information and said updated resource rate information within said one or more resource records;

providing a penalty message to a user associated with said one or more resource records to be updated when said updated resource profile information and said updated resource rate information is not received; and

preventing the requestor from receiving requested information unless resource rate information is provided by the requestor.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing hierarchical profile selection data to a user to select from; and

receiving hierarchical profile selections selected from said hierarchical profile selection data from the user to define the plurality of resource profiles.

3. The method of claim 2, wherein said hierarchical profile selections include a business sector selection, a business arena selection and a business family selection, said providing hierarchical profile selection data further comprising:

providing business sector selection data including said business sector selection to the user;

receiving said business sector selection from the user;

determining business arena selection data associated with said business sector selection and providing said business arena selection data including said business arena selection to the user;

receiving said business arena selection from the user;

determining business family selection data associated with said business arena selection and providing said business family selection data including said business family selection to the user; and

receiving said business family selection from the user.

4. The method of claim 2, further comprising:

storing said hierarchical profile selection data in resource profile fields within the database in a hierarchical and relational structure.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said storing said resource profile information further comprises:

storing said resource profile information in fields within the database in a hierarchical and relational structure mirroring select ones of said resource profile fields.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein said providing hierarchical profile selection data further comprises:

providing said hierarchical profile selection data as pre-configured resource profiles; and

receiving said hierarchical profile selections as one of said pre-configured resource profiles.

7. The method of claim 2, wherein said skills include at least one or more general function selections identifying the level of skill associated with said hierarchical resource profile, and wherein said providing hierarchical profile selection data further comprises:

providing general function selection data including said one or more general function selections to the user; and

receiving said one or more general function selections selected from said general function selection data from the user.

8. The method of claim 7, wherein said skills include at least one or more skill category selections identifying the type of skills associated with the resource and said resource profile, said providing hierarchical profile selection data further comprising:

providing skills category selection data including said one or more skills category selections to the user; and

receiving said one or more skills category selections selected from said skills category selection data from the user.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein said skills further includes skills sets selections identifying the experience that the resource possesses for each of said one or more skills category selections, said providing hierarchical profile selection data further comprising:

providing skills sets selection data including said one or more skills sets selections for each of said skills category selections to the user; and

receiving said one or more skills sets selections selected from said skills sets selection data from the user.

10. The method of claim 2, the method comprising:

wherein said hierarchical profile selections of select resource profile information from the resource profile information include a business sector selection, a business arena selection based upon said business sector selection and a business family selection based upon said business arena selection;

wherein the resource criteria comprises a business sector criteria, a business arena criteria based upon said business sector criteria and a business family criteria based upon said business arena criteria.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said comparing further comprises:

comparing said business sector criteria to said business sector selection, said business arena criteria to said business arena selection and said business family criteria to said business family selection.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein said comparing further comprises:

wherein said resource criteria includes at least a skills criteria; and

comparing said skills criteria to ones of said skills that are associated with said resource profile of the select resource profile information.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein said ones of said skills that are associated with said select resource profile information include at least one or more general function selections identifying the level of skill associated with said resource profile, and wherein said comparing further comprises:

wherein said resource criteria includes at least a general function criteria;

comparing said general function criteria to said one or more general function selections associated with said select resource profile information.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein said ones of said skills that are associated with said select resource profile information include at least one or more skill category selections identifying the type of skills associated with the resource and said resource profile, said comparing further comprising:

wherein said resource criteria includes at least a skills category criteria; and

comparing said skills category criteria to said one or more skills category selections associated with said select resource profile information.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein said ones of said skills that are associated with said select resource profile information further includes skills sets selections identifying the experience that the resource possesses for each of said one or more skills category selections, said comparing further comprising:

wherein said resource criteria includes at least a skills sets criteria; and

comparing said skills sets criteria to said skills sets selections associated with said select resource profile information.

16. The method of claim 1, wherein said collecting further comprises:

providing resource rate selection data to a user to select from;

receiving said resource rate information selected from said resource rate selection data from the user.

17. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing said resource rate selection data in resource rate fields within the database in a hierarchical and relational structure.

18. The method of claim 17, wherein said storing said resource rate information further comprises:

storing said resource rate information in fields within the database in a hierarchical and relational structure mirroring select ones of said resource rate fields.

19. The method of claim 1, wherein said storing further comprises:

storing said resource rate information and said associated resource profile information associated with each of said resources of a particular business entity within separate ones of said resource records in said database.

20. The method of claim 1, wherein said storing further comprises:

storing at least a portion of said resource rate information and said associated resource profile information within a single one of said resource records within said database.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein said comparing further comprises:

wherein said resource criteria includes resource profile criteria and resource rate criteria; and

comparing said resource profile criteria to said resource profile information of select resource profile information and said resource rate criteria to said resource rate information associated with said select resource profile information.

22. The method of claim 1, wherein said comparing further comprises:

comparing said resource criteria with select resource profile information using matching criteria defining an acceptable amount of said resource criteria that should match said select resource profile information.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

modifying said matching criteria to determine new matching resource records; and

calculating new statistical data related to said resource rate information included within said new matching resource records.

24. The method of claim 1, wherein said calculating further comprises:

calculating said statistical resource-rate data using statistical criteria indicating a type of said statistical resource-rate data to calculate.

25. The method of claim 24, wherein said calculating further comprises:

receiving said statistical criteria from a user requesting said statistical resource-rate data and providing said resource criteria; and

calculating said statistical resource-rate data using said statistical criteria.

26. The method of claim 24, further comprising:

modifying said statistical criteria to determine new matching resource records; and

calculating new statistical data related to said resource rate information included within said new matching resource records.

27. The method of claim 1, wherein said comparing further comprises:

modifying said resource criteria to determine new matching resource records; and

calculating new statistical data related to said resource rate information included within said new matching resource records.

28. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

providing criteria selection data to a user to select from; and

receiving said resource criteria selected from said criteria selection data from the user.

29. The method of claim 28, wherein said providing criteria selection data further comprises:

providing said criteria selection data as pre-configured resource criteria options; and

receiving said resource criteria as one of said pre-configured resource criteria options.

30. The method of claim 1, wherein the requestor is one of the plurality of business entities.

31. The method of claim 1, wherein the resource profile information comprises a resource type for each of the plurality of resources.

32. The method of claim 31, wherein the resource type is selected from the group consisting of full-time employee, staff supplementation contractor, project work contractor, independent contractor and contingent worker.

33. A computer-program product comprising a non-transitory computer-usable medium having computer-readable program code embodied therein, the computer-readable program code adapted to be executed to implement a method comprising:

collecting a plurality of resource rate information identifying compensation information for a plurality of resources from a plurality of actual-market-rate sources, the plurality of actual-market-rate sources comprising a plurality of business entities that employ at least a portion of the plurality of resources;

associating each of said plurality of resource rate information with resource profile information;

wherein said resource profile information is organized into a plurality of resource profiles, each resource profile hierarchically defining at least a job category and skills;

wherein, for at least a portion of the resource profile information, the associating comprises associating therewith resource rate information for more than one of the plurality of resources;

storing each of said plurality of resource rate information, said associated resource profile information, and a date in a resource record within a database, the database comprising a plurality of resource records; and

receiving a request for statistical resource-rate data from a requestor, the request comprising resource criteria;

wherein the resource criteria comprises a date span and profile information defined according to a structure of the plurality of resource profiles;

comparing the resource criteria to each of the plurality of resource records to determine one or more matching resource records;

calculating the statistical resource-rate data based on the one or more matching resource records;

analyzing resource records in the database to determine whether one or more of said resource records should be updated, said resource records associated with said actual market rate sources being updated within a pre-configured time period after creation thereof;

requesting updated resource profile information and updated resource rate information to update said one or more resource records;

storing said updated resource profile information and said updated resource rate information within said one or more resource records;

providing a penalty message to a user associated with said one or more resource records to be updated when said updated resource profile information and said updated resource rate information is not received; and

preventing the requestor from receiving requested information unless resource rate information is provided by the requestor.