Intelligent system for dynamic resource management

• US 6,275,812 B1
• Filed: 12/08/1998
• Issued: 08/14/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 12/08/1998
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Lucent Technologies, Inc. (Nokia Corporation)
• Inventors: Haq, Tanveer UI, Barnhorst, Bradley S., Betro, Salvatore A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Trammell, James P.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Tran, Tongoc
• Application Number:
  US09/207,451
• Time in Patent Office: 980 Days
• Field of Search: 705/7, 705/8, 705/9, 705/11
• US Class Current: 705/7.14
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063112 Skill-based matching of a person or a group to a task

Abstract

A system or method for human resource skill management, training, career development, and deployment, linking specialties, job functions, skill sets, and experience/training profiles. The method uses skill templates, an innovation that allows for systematic evaluation of employee skills. A weighting system is used to establish the relative significance of various skills. Skills are sub-classified as per technology. Assessment of employee suitability for a project is based on quantitative evaluation and not on a subjective consideration. Various new skills assessment metrics have been introduced.

Claims

1. A method for managing resources in a company having a plurality of specialties and jobs within the specialties, each job having a plurality of associated technologies and skills, and having a plurality of employees, each employee having a plurality of skills in a plurality of technologies, the method comprising the steps of:

a) establishing a database of specialties, comprising a plurality of specialty records, each specialty record corresponding to a job within a specialty and having a plurality of skills entries for the skills associated with at least one technology associated with the job, each skill entry having at least a weight and an index value;

b) for each specialty record, assigning a numerical value to the weight in each skill entry for at least one of the associated technologies, the weight being assigned to reflect the relative importance of the skill to the performance of the specialty;

c) establishing a database of skills templates, comprising a plurality of skills templates, each skills template corresponding to a job within a specialty and having a plurality of skills entries for the skills associated with at least one technology associated with the job, each skill entry having at least a weight and an index value;

d) for each skills template, assigning a numerical value to the weight in each skill entry for at least one of the associated technologies, the weight being assigned to reflect the relative importance of the skill to the performance of the job;

e) for each skills template, assigning a numerical value to the index in each skill entry for at least one of the associated technologies, the index value being assigned to reflect the desired value which an ideal employee would have for that skill in that technology;

f) establishing a database of employees, comprising at least a plurality of skills assessment records, each skills assessment record being associated with an employee and a job, and each skills assessment record having a plurality of skills entries for the skills associated with at least one technology associated with the job, each skill entry having at least a weight, an index value, and a point score;

g) for a plurality of the employees and at least one job, completing the employee skills assessment by the steps of;

i) copying the weight value for each skill and technology from the specialty record for the specialty to the corresponding weight value in the employee record;

ii) assigning a numerical value to the index for each skill for at least one technology, the numerical value reflecting the relative skill of the employee;

iii) computing a point value for each skill by multiplying the weight value by the index value;

iv) computing a skills index average by dividing the total of the point values by the total of the weight values;

h) evaluating the suitability of a plurality of employees for a assignment to a job in a technology by computing and comparing numeric suitability values from the skills assessment records for the employees and the skills templates for the job.

2. The method of claim 1 in which the evaluation of step (h) comprises the steps of:

i) creating a suitability assessment record for each employee to be evaluated, comprising a plurality of skills entries corresponding to the skills entries in the skills template for the job and technology, each skill entry comprising at least a weight and an index value;

ii) copying a numeric value for weight for each skills entry in the suitability assessment record from the skill entry in the skills template,

iii) entering into the index value of the suitability assessment record the smaller of the index value from the employee skills assessment record and the index value from the skills template;

iv) computing a point value for each skill entry in the suitability assessment record by multiplying the weight by the index value;

v) computing a suitability skills index average by dividing the total of the point values by the total of the weight values, the suitability skills index average giving a measure of the suitability of the employee for the job.

3. The method of claim 2, in which the evaluation of step (h) further comprises the steps of:

vi) computing a second point value for each skill entry in the suitability assessment record by multiplying the weight from the suitability assessment record by the index value from the employee'"'"'s skills assessment record;

vii) computing a relative skills index average by dividing the total of the second point values by the total of the weight values, the relative skills index average giving a measure of the over qualification of the employee for the job.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising a step, before step (h), of evaluating the numeric values in the skills template and revising the numeric values in view of a specific job assignment.

5. The method of claim 1, in which the assignment of index values of step (g)(ii) is done by the employee.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising, for a plurality of employees evaluated in step (h), the step of combining the numeric suitability values with at least one additional factor pertaining to the employees.

7. The method of claim 6, in which the additional factor is the availability of the employee in specified time periods.

8. The method of claim 6, in which the additional factor is the desires of the employee.

9. The method of claim 6, in which the additional factor is the geographic location of the employee.

10. The method of claim 6, in which the additional factor is the skills index average.

11. The method of claim 1, in which the database of skills templates is established by the steps of:

i) establishing a list of jobs;

ii) for at least one of the jobs, determining the roles and responsibilities of the job;

iii) for at least one of the roles and responsibilities, determining the skills sets for the job, for at least one technology;

iv) for at least one skill set for a job and a technology, defining the training and experience profile required for the skill.

12. The method of claim 1, in which the database of employees further comprises a target career templates for at least one employee.

13. The method of claim 1, in which the database of employees further comprises a deployment schedule for at least one employee.

14. The method of claim 1, in which the database of employees further comprises a geographical location for at least one employee.