Scheduling for service projects via negotiation

• US 9,355,388 B2
• Filed: 08/14/2013
• Issued: 05/31/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Balachandran, T. K., Huang, Pu, Katircioglu, Kaan K., Li, Ta-Hsin, Li, Ying, Martens, Axel, Mohan, Rakesh, Ratakonda, Krishna C., Segal, Richard B., Smith, Lisa A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Won, Michael Y
• Application Number:
  US13/966,706
• Publication Number:
  US 20150052182A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,021 Days
• Field of Search: 709/203, 709/224, 709/226
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/04 Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1097 Task assignment
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/50 Network service management, e.g. ensuring proper service fulfilment according to agreements
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 41/5006 Creating or negotiating SLA contracts, guarantees or penalties

Abstract

Assignment scheduling for service projects, in one aspect, may comprise preparing input parameter data for servicing a client service request; generating a schedule for servicing the client service request by executing an optimization algorithm with the input parameter data; determining whether the schedule is acceptable by the client; and repeating automatically the preparing, the generating, the transmitting and the determining until it is determined that the schedule is acceptable by the client, wherein each iteration automatically prepares different input parameter data for inputting to the optimization algorithm and generates a different schedule based on the different input parameter data.

Claims

1. A method for assignment scheduling for service projects, comprising:

receiving, by at least one processor, a client service request;

preparing, by the at least one processor, input parameter data for servicing the client service request;

generating, by the at least one processor, a schedule for servicing the client service request by executing an optimization algorithm with the input parameter data;

transmitting, by the at least one processor, the schedule to a client;

determining, by the at least one processor, whether the schedule is acceptable by the client based on receiving an acceptance or rejection posted on a web by the client; and

repeating automatically by the at least one processor, the preparing, the generating, the transmitting and the determining until it is determined that the schedule is acceptable by the client, wherein each iteration prepares different input parameter data for inputting to the optimization algorithm and generates a different schedule based on the different input parameter data,

wherein the different input parameter data, which gradually increases number of assignments from a previous iteration, is prepared automatically by the at least one processor without receiving additional parameter data from the client, and wherein the optimization algorithm comprises maximizing a service provider'"'"'s profit,

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the determining whether the schedule is acceptable by the client comprises detecting the client posting a rejection or acceptance on a client interface communicating with the at least one processor.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the client service request is received via a web interface.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising enabling automatically signing a service agreement by the at least one processor in response to determining that the schedule is acceptable by the client.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the optimization algorithm comprises minimizing a total project time-span for a flexible and negotiable project.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the optimization algorithm operates under a plurality of constraints, the plurality of constraints comprising:

that a task i will start only once;

that the task i will start before period |T|−

L(i)+2, wherein T represents a planning horizon, L(i) represents a duration of said task i;

mapping of local time l to global time t;

sum of all worker r assigned to said task i satisfies a demand d(i,s,l) representing demand of skill s at time l of said task i;

said worker r are not over-utilized; and

one or more precedence relationships between tasks are preserved.