System and method for project management and completion
AssigneeAppirio, Inc.
InventorJohn M. Hughes
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
In general, in one aspect, a system for planning and executing projects, facilitates creating a project model comprising tasks and dependencies, determining the complexity of the tasks, and modifying the tasks to maintain complexity within predetermined bounds. The system can facilitate designating one or more tasks to be redundant tasks, and undertaking the redundant tasks with redundant resources. In some embodiments, the system includes a module for evaluating task criticality and designating redundant tasks based on the task complexity and criticality.
Claims15
A system for planning and executing projects, the system comprising at least one memory storing computer-executable instructions and at least one processing unit for executing the instructions stored in the memory, the execution of the instructions resulting in the processor being programmed to provide one or more application modules comprising:
- a model specification module for creating a project model comprising tasks and dependencies among the tasks;
- a task complexity module for determining the complexity of the tasks and for modifying the tasks to maintain the complexity within predetermined bounds, the modifying comprising dividing a first one of the tasks into a plurality of separate tasks if the probability of completion, by a resource, of the first task is below a first threshold;
- a redundant task designation module for designating a second one of the tasks as a redundant task if the probability of completion of the second task is below a second threshold;
- and
- a task market module for (i) making the redundant tasks available in a task market for completion by a plurality of redundant resources participating in the task market, and (ii) limiting the number of redundant resources that may undertake a redundant task based on the probability of completion thereof.
A method, implemented on at least one computer, for planning and executing projects, the computer comprising:
- at least one memory storing computer-executable instructions;
- and
- at least one processing unit for executing the instructions stored in the memory, wherein execution of the instructions results in the at least one computer performing the steps of:
- defining a plurality of task types;
- facilitating specification, by project managers, of a project model comprising tasks and dependencies among the tasks, wherein each task is designated as one of the defined task types;
- determining a complexity of tasks and modifying tasks to maintain the complexity within predetermined bounds, the modifying comprising dividing a first task into a plurality of separate tasks if the probability of completion, by a resource, of the first task is below a first threshold
- calculating the probability of completion of each task based on the task type and historical data for the task type;
- designating a second task as a candidate to be undertaken by redundant resources if the probability of completion of the second task is below a second threshold;
- making the candidate tasks available in a task market for completion by a plurality of resources participating in the task market;
- limiting the number of redundant resources that may undertake a redundant task based on the probability of completion thereof;
- and
- tracking the success of each resource that undertakes a candidate task and updating the historical data for the task type associated with the candidate task based on the success of the undertaking resource.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.