Method and system for estimating project plans for packaged software applications

A method for estimating and generating multi-dimensional project plans for implementing packaged software applications, the method comprising:

• recording user responses to a series of form-based questionnaires;
• scoring a series of project plans for a packaged software application based on the recorded user responses and a project plan scorer with a series of scoring rules;
• ranking the series of project plans based on their scores;
• listing the series of project plans in a plan list based on their rank;
• recording the user's project plan selection from the plan list;
• inputting the project plan selection and the user responses to a rule based duration estimator to determine a series of project phases and their estimated durations;
• generating a project schedule estimation in terms of a series of one or more project phases based on the rule based duration estimator;
• generating staffing, resource allocation, project cost, and project value estimations based on the project schedule estimation and normative and constructive models stored within an estimation knowledge base;
• wherein the form-based questionnaires are dynamically generated based on user responses in previous form-based questionnaires within the series of form-based questionnaires;
• wherein the user may iteratively return to the form-based questionnaires to adjust their recorded responses;
• wherein the recorded user responses are externalized to facilitate user adjustments;
• wherein the series of rules and parameters for scoring the series of project plans are externalized in one or more data storage systems to facilitate user understanding and adjustments of the scoring parameters;
• wherein the rules and parameters for estimating phase duration are externalized in one or more data storage systems to facilitate user understanding and adjustments of the phase duration parameters;
• wherein the user may adjust the generated project schedule to overlap two or more of the project phases by changing one or more of:
• the starting date of the phases and the length of the phases;
• wherein the user may adjust the generated project schedule to group by synchronization two or more of the project phases by changing the starting date of one or more phases;
• wherein the user may adjust a plurality of rollouts of the implementation project plans, to overlap two or more of the rollouts, by changing one or more starting dates of the rollouts;
• wherein the user may group by synchronization the starting date of the plurality of rollouts of the implementation project plans;
• wherein a series of plan dimensions are taken into account in estimating and generating multi-dimensional implementation project plans;
• wherein various combinations and permutations of plan dimensions provide a plurality of multi-dimensional implementation project plans;
• and
• wherein the estimating and generating multi-dimensional implementation project plans for packaged software applications is carried out over networks comprising:
• the Internet, intranets, local area networks (LAN), and wireless local area networks (WLAN).

A system for estimating and generating multi-dimensional project plans for implementing packaged software applications, the system comprising:

• a view layer configured to act as a user interface for user inputs and system outputs;
• a model and control layer configured to implement rules based on a series of estimation and implementation models, and to perform calculations of implementation project plan details and project plan schedules;
• an estimation knowledge base layer configured to hold and derive the series of estimation and implementation models;
• and
• wherein the system for estimating and generating multi-dimensional project plans for implementing packaged software applications is carried out over networks comprising:
• the internet, intranets, local area networks (LAN), and wireless local area networks (WLAN).