METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR QUANTIFYING COMPLEXITY OF INFORMATION

• US 20070282645A1
• Filed: 06/05/2006
• Published: 12/06/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 06/05/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Diao, Yixin, Filepp, Robert, Kearney, Robert D., Keller, Alexander, Brown, Aaron Baeten
• Application Number:
  US11/422,204
• Publication Number:
  US 20070282645A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management

Abstract

The invention broadly and generally provides a method of quantifying the complexity of an information technology management process, the aforesaid method comprising: (a) obtaining process-related data for the aforesaid information technology management process; wherein the aforesaid process-related data defines: at least one task, at least one role, and any number of business items which can be transferred between a plurality of roles within the aforesaid at least one role while executing the aforesaid at least one task; (b) creating a set of process component complexity metrics by applying a process complexity model to the aforesaid process-related data, the aforesaid process complexity model comprising at least one relationship of properties selected from the roles, tasks, and business items; and (c) creating a value representing the complexity of the aforesaid information technology management process from the aforesaid set of process component complexity metrics. The method disclosed is particularly useful, where the aforesaid process-related data defines at least one task comprising a decision point.

Claims

1. A method of quantifying the complexity of an information technology management process, said method comprising:

(a) obtaining process-related data for said information technology management process;

wherein said process-related data defines;

at least one task, at least one role, and any number of business items which can be transferred between a plurality of roles within said at least one role while executing said at least one task;

(b) creating a set of process component complexity metrics by applying a process complexity model to said process-related data, said process complexity model comprising at least one relationship of properties selected from the roles, tasks, and business items; and

(c) creating a value representing the complexity of said information technology management process from said set of process component complexity metrics.

2. A method as set forth in claim 1, wherein said process-related data defines at least one task comprising a decision point.

3. A method as set forth in claim 1, wherein creating said set of process component complexity metrics comprises:

(a) obtaining at least one business item complexity metric;

(b) obtaining at least one coordination complexity metric; and

(c) obtaining at least one execution complexity metric.

4. A method as set forth in claim 3, wherein obtaining at least one business item complexity metric comprises:

(a) identifying parameters that comprise a business item;

(b) providing a source score based on the type of source providing data for each of said parameters; and

(c) aggregating said source scores.

5. A method as set forth in claim 3, wherein obtaining at least one coordination complexity metric comprises:

(a) identifying the number of roles; and

(b) identifying the number of business items.

6. A method as set forth in claim 3, wherein obtaining at least one execution complexity metric comprises:

(a) identifying the level of automation;

(b) identifying a context switch; and

(c) obtaining a decision score;

said decision score reflecting whether decision-making is necessary.

7. A method as set forth in claim 3, wherein obtaining at least one coordination complexity metric comprises:

(a) identifying at least one role involved within a task;

(b) identifying a set of transferred business items containing at least one business item which is transferred between a plurality of roles involved within said task;

(c) determining a type for each business item contained within said set of transferred business items; and

(d) determining a level of adaptation for each business item contained within said set of transferred business items.

8. A method as set forth in claim 3, wherein obtaining at least one execution complexity metric comprises:

(a) providing an automation value;

said automation value identifying a level of automation involved within a task;

(b) providing a context switch value to indicate whether a context switch is required between tasks;

(c) providing a decision score which identifies whether decision making is necessary; and

(d) aggregating said automation value, said context switch value, and said decision score.

9. A method as set forth in claim 8, wherein said decision score comprises the following factors:

(a) the type of decision;

(b) the business items involved in the decision; and

(c) the level of guidance provided to facilitate making the decision.

10. A process complexity analyzer comprising:

(a) a reader for obtaining process-related data for an information technology management process;

(b) a process component metric generator, which creates at least one process component metric from said process properties; and

(c) a combiner, which creates a value representing the complexity of said information technology management process from said at least one process component metric.

11. A program storage device readable by a digital processing apparatus and having a program of instructions which are tangibly embodied on the storage device and which are executable by the processing apparatus to perform a method of quantifying the complexity of an information technology management process, said method comprising:

(a) obtaining process-related data for said information technology management process;

wherein said process-related data defines;

at least one task, at least one role, and any number of business items which can be transferred between a plurality of roles within said at least one role while executing said at least one task;

(b) creating a set of process component complexity metrics by applying a process complexity model to said process-related data, said process complexity model comprising at least one relationship of properties selected from the roles, tasks, and business items; and

(c) creating a value representing the complexity of said information technology management process from said set of process component complexity metrics.