Method and apparatus for planning and monitoring multiple tasks based on user defined criteria and predictive ability and for automatically detecting task related work

• US 7,062,449 B1
• Filed: 03/28/2000
• Issued: 06/13/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/16/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Métier Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Métier Ltd.
• Inventors: Clark, Douglas
• Primary Examiner(s): Smith, Jeffrey A.
• Application Number:
  US09/536,377
• Time in Patent Office: 2,268 Days
• Field of Search: 705/9, 705/8
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063118 Staff planning in a project environment
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0635 Risk analysis of enterprise or organisation activities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06375 Prediction of business process outcome or impact based on a proposed change
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06398 Performance of employee with respect to a job function

Abstract

Individual employees arc permitted to be individuals and plan their work as individuals. Individuals are only asked to plan their work within a limited tasking horizon. Employees track their progress using verbs that are designed to capture the reasons behind positive and negative predictive ability. Verbs are analyzed and expected predictive error, also know as risk, is calculated. Once verbs arc captured they can be analyzed for ways to improve predictive ability. In addition, the risk can be factored into the initial planning stage so as to include an expected predictive error in the initial planning. Verb and object data are automatically captured from various mediums and the associated task and project are determined by a processor based system which also automatically updates the task and project data to provide real-time project analysis.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring and managing a project, comprising the steps of:

breaking a current project into a plurality of tasks, wherein the status of said project is tracked on the basis of at least one task related event for each of said plurality of tasks;

setting a tasking horizon based on a predetermined time interval;

for each of said at least one task related event for each of said plurality of tasks, associating at least two predetermined verbs with the respective task related event;

for each task related event expected to occur during said tasking horizon, assigning the task corresponding with the respective task related event if said corresponding task has not yet been assigned;

receiving a respective predicted date for each task related event expected to occur during said tasking horizon;

receiving a corresponding actual date for each task related event for which a predicted date was received;

for each actual date received, receiving a verb associated with the respective task related event, said received verb being one of said at least two predetermined verbs; and

capturing at least the predicted dates, actual dates and verbs received for each of said task related events, and automatically updating the project status in real time based on the captured information, to thereby provide accurate and real time data regarding said current project and said plurality of tasks of said project.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

comparing said plurality of tasks of said current project to a plurality of tasks of at least one past project;

extracting previously performed task completion data for said plurality of tasks for said at least one past project; and

computing an expected task completion time for at least one of said plurality of tasks of said current project based at least in part on said previously performed task completion data.

3. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

comparing said plurality of tasks of said current project to a plurality of tasks of at least one past project;

extracting at least one risk factor associated with said plurality of tasks of said at least one past project;

and computing a risk factor for at least one of said plurality of tasks for said current project based at least in part on said extracted at least one risk factor.

4. The method according to claim 1, further comprising the step of:

computing churn for each task related event for which a predicted date and an actual date was received, based on differences between corresponding ones of said received predicted and actual dates relative to said tasking horizon.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising the step of:

computing a risk factor for at least one of said plurality of tasks based on data of at least one of said computed churn and said received verb, said data corresponding respectively to said at least one of said plurality of tasks.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein information relating to the performance of said plurality of tasks can be captured automatically upon use of an electronic communication device.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein said information relating to the performance of said plurality of tasks is provided via a device selected from the group consisting of a computer, a telephone, a facsimile machine, a copier machine, a laptop computer, a personal digital assistant, a cellular telephone, and a wireless telephone.

8. The method according to claim 6, further comprising identifying a user upon the use of a specific device to provide information relating to the performance of said plurality of tasks.

9. The method according to claim 6, further comprising micro-analyzing at least one of an individual'"'"'s effort, cost data, churn, work performance, task performance, contributions to said project, and contributions to a company based on said captured information, the identification of the user, and the specific device used to provide said information.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein information relating to the performance of said plurality of tasks is captured from at least one of electronic mail, documents, spreadsheets, and over the internet.

11. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

processing the captured information to generate a current task table;

accessing a look-up table containing historical data;

comparing said information in said current task table with said historical data in said look-up table to determine whether said information of said current task table is associated with a pre-existing project or a task within said pre-existing project; and

upon determining that said information in said current task table is associated with one of a pre-existing project or a task within a pre-existing project, automatically updating said pre-existing project or said task within said pre-existing project.

12. An apparatus for monitoring and managing a project, comprising:

a management module for breaking a project into a plurality of tasks, for setting a tasking horizon and for each of said plurality of tasks, associating at least two predetermined verbs with the respective task;

at least one task assignment station for receiving information of at least one task having a task related event expected to be performed during said tasking horizon, said at least one task being among said plurality of tasks, for entering a respective predicted date for each of at least one task related event relevant to the performance of said at least one task, for entering a respective actual date for each of said at least one task related event, each actual date corresponding to a respective predicted date for one task related event, and also for entering a selected one of said at least two predetermined verbs for each actual date entered;

wherein said management module and said task assignment station are operationally connected and wherein said management module receives predicted dates and actual dates entered at said task assignment station; and

an automatic project updating module for capturing at least the predicted dates, actual dates and verbs received for each of said task related events and automatically updating the project status in real time based on the captured information, to thereby provide accurate and real time data regarding said current project and said plurality of tasks of said project.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the automatic project updating module includes a task data processing system and at least one medium for providing data to said task data processing system.

14. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said task data processing system includes

a processor database system for processing captured information and generating a current task table, and

a look-up table containing historical information relevant to all project and task data within said data processing system.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein said task data processing system compares information in a generated current task table with said historical information in said look-up table to determine whether said information of said current task table is associated with a pre-existing project or a task within said pre-existing project;

and upon determining that said information in said current task table is associated with one of a pre-existing project or a task within a pre-existing project, automatically updates said pre-existing project or said task within said pre-existing project.

16. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said at least one medium includes at least one of a computer, a telephone, a facsimile machine, a copier machine, a laptop computer, a personal digital assistant, a cellular telephone, and a wireless telephone.

17. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein said automatic project updating module is capable of identifying a user upon the use of a specific device to provide information relating to the performance of said plurality of tasks.

18. The apparatus according to claim 17, wherein the automatic project updating module micro-analyzes at least one of an individual'"'"'s effort, cost data, churn, work performance, task performance, contributions to said project, and contributions to a company based on said captured information, the identification of the user, and the specific device used to provide said information.

19. A method for monitoring and managing a project, comprising the steps of:

capturing information relating to the performance of a plurality of tasks within a project;

processing said captured information to generate a current task table;

accessing a look-up table containing historical information relevant to pre-existing project and task data;

comparing said information in said current task table with said historical information in said look-up table to determine whether said information of said current task table is associated with a pre-existing project or a task within said pre-existing project; and

upon determining that said information in said current task table is associated with one of a pre-existing project or a task within a pre-existing project, automatically updating in real time said pre-existing project or said task within said pre-existing project.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein said information relating to the performance of said plurality of tasks can be captured automatically upon use of an electronic communication device.

21. The method according to claim 20, wherein said information relating to the performance of said plurality of tasks is provided via a device selected from the group consisting of a computer, a telephone, a facsimile machine, a copier machine, a laptop computer, a personal digital assistant, a cellular telephone, and a wireless telephone.

22. The method according to claim 20, further comprising identifying a user upon the use of a specific device to provide information relating to the performance of said plurality of tasks.

23. The method according to claim 22, further comprising micro-analyzing at least one of an individual'"'"'s effort, cost data, churn, work performance, task performance, contributions to said project, and contributions to a company based on said captured information, the identification of the user, and the specific device used to provide said information.

24. An automatic project updating module for monitoring and managing a project, comprising:

at least one communication medium for providing information relating to the performance of a plurality of tasks within a project;

a task data processing system for capturing said information relating to the performance of said plurality of tasks provided via said at least one communication medium, and for automatically updating the status of the project in real time, said task data processing system including

a processor database system for processing captured information and generating a current task table, and

a look-up table containing historical information relevant to all project and task data within said data processing system.

25. The automatic project updating module according to claim 24, wherein said task data processing system compares information in a generated current task table with said historical information in said look-up table to determine whether said information of said current task table is associated with a pre-existing project or a task within said pre-existing project;

and upon determining that said information in said current task table is associated with one of a pre-existing project or a task within a pre-existing project, automatically updates said pre-existing project or said task within said pre-existing project.

26. The automatic project updating module according to claim 24, wherein said at least one medium includes at least one of a computer, a telephone, a facsimile machine, a copier machine, a laptop computer, a personal digital assistant, a cellular telephone, and a wireless telephone.

27. The automatic project updating module according to claim 24, wherein said automatic project updating module is capable of identifying a user upon the use of a specific device to provide information relating to the performance of said plurality of tasks.

28. The automatic project updating module according to claim 27, wherein the automatic project updating module micro-analyzes at least one of an individual'"'"'s effort, cost data, churn, work performance, task performance, contributions to said project, and contributions to a company based on said captured information, the identification of the user, and the specific device used to provide said information.