System and method for workflow management

• US 10,546,272 B2
• Filed: 05/07/2008
• Issued: 01/28/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 05/08/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (MetLife Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: Metropolitan Life Insurance Company (MetLife Incorporated)
• Inventors: Cartledge, Denise, Danis, Henry, Jacobus, Jay, Burke, Susan, Millington, Michele, Sierra, Sal, Smith, Gwen
• Primary Examiner(s): Feacher, Renae
• Application Number:
  US12/149,755
• Publication Number:
  US 20090132331A1
• Time in Patent Office: 4,283 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0633 Workflow analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/1097 Task assignment

Abstract

A system includes a data storage medium to store a plurality of user profiles and at least one work project, each of the work project including at least one task that is characterized by a task definition, and a processor to receive a request for work from a user, the processor including a task management engine to allocate the at least one task to the user based on the user profile and the task definition in response to the request for work.

Claims

1. A system, comprising:

a data storage medium to store a plurality of user profiles and a plurality of tasks that are characterized by a task definition and each of the plurality of uses profiles includes a work distribution role;

a computer-processor programmed to;

provide remote access to users of an organization over a network so any one of the users can view, access and complete tasks through a graphical user interface;

display, in a first page of the graphical user interface presented to a first user, tasks assigned to the first user, each assigned task indicating its status and scheduled date, the assigned tasks including;

a first active task in a hold status indicating that the first active task is placed on hold; and

a second active task in a status that requires assistance indicating that an additional action is required from a second user;

display, in the first page of the graphical user interface, a first clickable button to initiate a request for work;

automatically disable the first clickable button when the first user has at least one active task;

automatically enable the first clickable button when the first user does not have any active task;

display, in the first page of the graphical user interface, a second clickable button to let the first user enter a task retroactively after the task is completed for storage into the data storage medium;

automatically identify tasks from the plurality of tasks stored in the data storage medium that the first user is eligible to perform based on the first user profile and the task definition after the first user clicks the first clickable button to initiate the request for work;

automatically determine a priority for each of the identified tasks wherein greater priority is given first to tasks with escalation status then to fixed schedule tasks with earliest deadline then to tasks matching work preferences associated with the first user;

automatically allocate to the first user the task with the greatest determined priority;

set a status threshold on the allocated task so as to redistribute the allocated task when the status threshold is met;

automatically display the allocated task to the first user in the graphical user interface;

determine whether the allocated task approaches the status threshold; and

automatically display an alert in the graphical user interface to alert the first user when the allocated task approaches the status threshold before re-distribution occurs,

wherein the data storage medium includes a repository to track the tasks allocated to the user.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of user profiles comprises work preferences and wherein the work preferences include one or more of preferred customer, preferred team, preferred location, and preferred work project.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the first user profile comprises work preferences associated with the user, and wherein the computer-processor is further programmed to allocate to the user the task with the greatest determined priority based on the work preferences.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the task definition includes escalation rules.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein a selection priority is used to allocate the at least one task to the user based on the escalation rules.

6. A method, comprising:

defining and storing a plurality of user profiles in a data storage medium, wherein each of the plurality of user profiles includes a work distribution role;

defining and storing a work project in the data storage medium, the work project including at least one task, each of the at least one task being characterized by a task definition, wherein the data storage medium includes a repository to track tasks allocated to a user;

providing remote access to users of an organization over a network so any one of the users can view, access and complete tasks through a graphical user interface;

displaying, in a first page of the graphical user interface presented to a first user, tasks assigned to the first user, each assigned task indicating its status and scheduled date, the assigned tasks including;

a first active task in a hold status indicating that the first active task is placed on hold; and

a second active task in a status that requires assistance indicating that an additional action is required from a second user;

displaying, in the first page of the graphical user interface, a first clickable button to initiate a request for work;

automatically disabling the first clickable button when the first user has at least one active task;

automatically enabling the first clickable button when the first user does not have any active task;

displaying, in the first page of the graphical user interface, a second clickable button to let the first user enter a task retroactively for storage into the data storage medium after the task is completed;

receiving, by a computer-processor, the first user'"'"'s request for work after the first user clicks the first clickable button;

automatically identifying, by the computer;

processor and in response to the request for work, a plurality of tasks that the first user is eligible to perform based on the first user profile

automatically determining, by the computer;

processor, a priority for each of the identified tasks, wherein greater priority is given first to tasks with escalation status, then to fixed schedule tasks with earliest deadline, then to tasks matching work preferences associated with the first user; and

automatically allocating to the first user, by the computer-processor, the task with the greatest determined priority;

setting a status threshold on the allocated task so as to redistribute the allocated task when the status threshold is met;

automatically displaying the allocated task to the first user in the graphical user interface;

determining whether the allocated task approaches the status threshold; and

automatically displaying an alert in the graphical user interface to alert the first user when the allocated task approaches the status threshold before re-distribution occurs.

7. The method of claim 6, wherein each of the plurality of user profiles includes a work distribution owner type.

8. The method of claim 6, wherein each of the plurality of user profiles includes work preferences.

9. The method of claim 8, wherein the work preferences include one or more of preferred customer, preferred team support, preferred location, and preferred work project.

10. The method of claim 8, wherein the computer-processor is further programmed to allocate to the user the task with the greatest determined priority based on the work preferences.

11. The method of claim 6, wherein the task definition includes escalation rules.

12. The method of claim 11, wherein a selection priority is used to allocate the at least one task to the user is based on the escalation rules.

13. A computer program product including a non-transitory computer readable medium having stored thereon computer executable instructions that, when executed on a computer, configure the computer to perform a method comprising the steps of:

defining and storing a plurality of user profiles in a data storage medium, wherein each of the plurality of user profiles includes a work distribution role;

defining and storing a work project in the data storage medium, the work project including at least one task, each of the at least one task being characterized by a task definition wherein the data storage medium includes a repository to track tasks allocated to a user;

providing remote access to users of an organization over a network so any one of the users can view, access and complete tasks through a graphical user interface;

displaying, in a first page of the graphical user interface presented to a first user, tasks assigned to the first user, each assigned task indicating its status and scheduled data, the assigned tasks including;

a first active task in a hold status indicating that the first active task is placed on hold; and

a second active task in a status that requires assistance indicating that an additional action is required from a second user;

displaying, in the first page of the graphical user interface, a first clickable button to initiate a request for work;

automatically disabling the first clickable button when the first user has at least one active task;

automatically enabling the first clickable button when the first user does not have any active task; and

displaying, in the first page of the graphical user interface, a second clickable button to let the first user enter a task retroactively for storage into the data storage medium after the task is completed;

receiving the first user'"'"'s request for work after the first user clicks the first clickable button;

automatically identifying, by the computer;

processor and in response to the request for work, a plurality of tasks that the first user is eligible to perform based on the first user profile and the task definition;

automatically determining a priority for each of the identified tasks, wherein greater priority is given first to tasks with escalation status, then to fixed schedule tasks with an earliest deadline, then to tasks matching work preferences associated with the first user;

automatically allocating to the first user the task with the greatest determined priority,

setting a status threshold on the allocated task so as to redistribute the allocated task when the status threshold is met;

automatically displaying the allocated task to the first user in the graphical user interface;

determining whether the allocated task approaches the status threshold; and

automatically displaying an alert in the graphical user interface to alert the first user when the allocated task when the allocated task approaches the status threshold before re-distribution occurs.