Project management system with inspection functionality

• US 8,862,489 B2
• Filed: 09/16/2008
• Issued: 10/14/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/16/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Motoyama, Tetsuro, Fong, Avery
• Primary Examiner(s): Padot, Timothy
• Application Number:
  US12/211,341
• Publication Number:
  US 20100070321A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,219 Days
• Field of Search: 705/7, 705/8, 705/9, 705/28, 705/7.11, 705/7.12, 705/7.13, 705/7.15, 705/301, 700/103, 717/101, 707/999.007, 702/83, 702/122, 702/185, 714/38.1
• US Class Current: 705/7.15
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063114 Status monitoring or status determination for a person or group

Abstract

A project management system manages project schedule data using project task state data. The project task state data indicates the current state of project tasks and is used to determine which project tasks are to be included in a member schedule editor, member schedule reports and inspection reports. The project management system also provides support for various inspection functionality. This includes, for example, identifying and naming inspection material for use in inspection meeting forms and inspection meeting documents. The inspection functionality also includes generating an inspection index and an inspection statistics report.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for managing inspections, the computer-implemented method comprising:

generating and storing in a project schedule database schedule data for a plurality of project tasks in a project;

generating and storing in association with the schedule data in the project schedule database, state data that is separate from the schedule data and indicates a current state of one or more of the plurality of project tasks, wherein the current state includes one of the project task is completed, the project task has been started but is not completed, the project task is planned but not started, only a start date is specified for the project task, and the project task is unscheduled;

receiving, at a web server, a request to perform an inspection; and

in response to receiving the request to perform the inspection, one or more computer processors causing;

automatically identifying and selecting, by the web server, one or more project tasks of the plurality of project tasks to be inspection material, wherein automatically identifying and selecting one or more project tasks of the plurality of project tasks to be inspection material includes determining, based upon corresponding state data for at least one project task of the plurality of project tasks, that the at least one project task has a state of started but not completed, planned but not started, or has only a start date specified and the at least one project task has a child project task that is a review, test, or inspection task;

retrieving the inspection material from the project schedule database, wherein the inspection material includes schedule data for the one or more project tasks that are inspection material, and

generating an inspection meeting form that identifies at least the inspection material and allows a user to specify at least one or more inspectors, one or more preparation times for the one or more inspectors and one or more attributes of one or more defects that correspond to the inspection, wherein the one or more attributes of the one or more defects include at least location, description and severity; and

in response to an indication that the inspection has been completed;

generating an inspection report that identifies at least the one or more inspectors, the inspection material and the one or more attributes of one or more defects that correspond to the inspection, and

generating and storing in an inspection index an index entry that references the inspection report, and

generating, based upon the inspection index, an inspection index document that includes information about a plurality of inspections that have been completed including the inspection and wherein the inspection index document includes a plurality of links to a plurality of inspection reports for the plurality of inspections, wherein the plurality of links includes a link to the inspection report.

2. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, further comprising generating and including in the inspection material, in association with the schedule data for the one or more project tasks, identification data that identifies the one or more project tasks and child project tasks for the one or more project tasks.

3. The computer-implemented method as recited in claim 1, wherein retrieving the inspection material from the project schedule database is performed by processing a single query against the project schedule database, wherein the single query includes a parameter for the state data.

4. A non-transitory computer-readable medium for managing inspections, the non-transitory computer-readable medium storing instructions which, when processed by one or more processors, causes:

generating and storing in a project schedule database schedule data for a plurality of project tasks in a project;

generating and storing in association with the schedule data in the project schedule database, state data that is separate from the schedule data and indicates a current state of one or more of the plurality of project tasks, wherein the current state includes one of the project task is completed, the project task has been started but is not completed, the project task is planned but not started, only a start date is specified for the project task and the project task is unscheduled;

receiving, at a web server, a request to perform an inspection; and

in response to receiving the request to perform the inspection, one or more computer processors causing;

automatically identifying and selecting, by the web server, one or more project tasks of the plurality of project tasks to be inspection material, wherein automatically identifying and selecting one or more project tasks of the plurality of project tasks to be inspection material includes determining, based upon corresponding state data for at least one project task of the plurality of project tasks, that the at least one project task has a state of started but not completed, planned but not started, or has only a start date specified and the at least one project task has a child project task that is a review, test, or inspection task;

retrieving the inspection material from the project schedule database, wherein the inspection material includes schedule data for the one or more project tasks that are inspection material, and

generating an inspection meeting form that identifies at least the inspection material and allows a user to specify at least one or more inspectors, one or more preparation times for the one or more inspectors and one or more attributes of one or more defects that correspond to the inspection, wherein the one or more attributes of the one or more defects include at least location, description and severity; and

in response to an indication that the inspection has been completed;

generating an inspection report that identifies at least the one or more inspectors, the inspection material and the one or more attributes of one or more defects that correspond to the inspection,

generating and storing in an inspection index an index entry that references the inspection report, and

generating, based upon the inspection index, an inspection index document that includes information about a plurality of inspections that have been completed including the inspection and wherein the inspection index document includes a plurality of links to a plurality of inspection reports for the plurality of inspections, wherein the plurality of links includes a link to the inspection report.

5. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 4, further comprising additional instructions which, when processed by the one or more processors, causes generating and including in the inspection material, in association with the schedule data for the one or more project tasks, identification data that identifies the one or more project tasks and child project tasks for the one or more project tasks.

6. The non-transitory computer-readable medium as recited in claim 4, wherein retrieving the inspection material from the project schedule database is performed by processing a single query against the project schedule database, wherein the single query includes a parameter for the state data.

7. An apparatus for managing inspections, the apparatus comprising:

one or more processors; and

a memory storing instructions which, when processed by one or more processors, causes;

generating and storing in a project schedule database schedule data for a plurality of project tasks in a project;

generating and storing in association with the schedule data in the project schedule database, state data that is separate from the schedule data and indicates a current state of one or more of the plurality of project tasks, wherein the current state includes one of the project task is completed, the project task has been started but is not completed, the project task is planned but not started, only a start date is specified for the project task and the project task is unscheduled;

receiving, at a web server, a request to perform an inspection; and

in response to receiving the request to perform the inspection, one or more computer processors causing;

automatically identifying and selecting, by the web server, one or more project tasks of the plurality of project tasks to be inspection material, wherein automatically identifying and selecting one or more project tasks of the plurality of project tasks to be inspection material includes determining, based upon corresponding state data for at least one project task of the plurality of project tasks, that the at least one project task has a state of started but not completed, planned but not started, or has only a start date specified and the at least one project task has a child project task that is a review, test, or inspection task;

retrieving the inspection material from the project schedule database, wherein the inspection material includes schedule data for the one or more project tasks that are inspection material, and

generating an inspection meeting form that identifies at least the inspection material and allows a user to specify at least one or more inspectors, one or more preparation times for the one or more inspectors and one or more attributes of one or more defects that correspond to the inspection, wherein the one or more attributes of the one or more defects include at least location, description and severity; and

in response to an indication that the inspection has been completed;

generating an inspection report that identifies at least the one or more inspectors, the inspection material and the one or more attributes of one or more defects that correspond to the inspection,

generating and storing in an inspection index an index entry that references the inspection report, and

generating, based upon the inspection index, an inspection index document that includes information about a plurality of inspections that have been completed including the inspection and wherein the inspection index document includes a plurality of links to a plurality of inspection reports for the plurality of inspections, wherein the plurality of links includes a link to the inspection report.

8. The apparatus as recited in claim 7, wherein the memory stores additional instructions which, when processed by the one or more processors, causes generating and including in the inspection material, in association with the schedule data for the one or more project tasks, identification data that identifies the one or more project tasks and child project tasks for the one or more project tasks.

9. The apparatus as recited in claim 7, wherein retrieving the inspection material from the project schedule database is performed by processing a single query against the project schedule database, wherein the single query includes a parameter for the state data.