Patent ID: 8527327
Filing Date: 2013-09-03
Classification: G06Q

Abstract:
1. A method for managing project control using a project control system comprising: a) inputting and updating at least one decision tree workflow in said project control system, the decision tree workflow comprising a sequence of questions, each question having at least one answer option, the questions and answer options being designed to survey at least one project team member whereby the survey responses indicate which causal project enablers are driving a project out of control and which causal project enablers are driving said project into control; b) inputting and updating at least one project activity workflow into said project control system, the project activity workflow being a sequence of input prompts comprising a project organization's preferred method to input and update a project activity and also to input and update a plurality of project activity meta data associated with each said project activity; c) executing said project activity workflow in said project control system to input and update said project activity and to input and update said plurality of project activity meta data; d) calculating a percentage completion variance for said project activity in said project control system, said percentage completion variance being a quantity of actual duration of said project activity minus a planned duration of said project activity, said quantity divided by said planned duration of said project activity; e) comparing said percentage completion variance with a predetermined project control limit, the percentage completion comparison being performed by said project control system; f) executing said decision tree workflow in said project control system to obtain a plurality of project performance information including at least one causal project enabler grade and at least one project performance measure grade; g) calculating an average grade for a project performance measure and also calculating an average grade for a causal project enabler, the average grade calculation being performed in said project control system, where the average grade of the project performance measure is calculated as a sum of individual grades for a plurality of said project performance measures divided by a total number of graded project performance measures, and the average grade of the causal project enablers is calculated as a sum of individual grades for a plurality of said causal project enablers divided by a total number of graded causal project enablers; h) outputting project reports including at least one project control report and at least one average grade report, wherein the average grade report comprising said average grade of each said causal project enabler and said average grade of each said project performance measure, wherein the project control report comprising said percentage completion variance and said predetermined project control limit for each said project activity; i) determining each project stage that is trending out of control and determining each project stage that is trending into control, the trend determination is performed by the said project control system, the trend determination uses multiple criteria including: determining whether said percentage completion variance for eight successive completed project activities exceed a first predetermined project control limit and determining whether said percentage completion variance for four out of five successive completed project activities exceed a second predetermined project control limit; j) determining at least one causal relationship between at least one said causal project enabler and at least one said project performance measure, the causal relationship being determined by said project control system using at least one of a plurality of causal relationship calculation techniques including a regression analysis; k) inputting and updating at least one business rule that relates at least one cause and at least one effect of project failure, the business rule being input and updated in said project control system, said business rule being a logical equation that represents said causal relationship between the cause and the effect of project failure and includes at least one said causal project enabler grade and at least one said project performance measure grade, whereby said logical equation generates a result that is one of acceptable and unacceptable, and said result is unacceptable when said at least one causal project enabler grade and said at least one said project performance measure grade each have a value that is unacceptable for their individual logical comparison with their individual predetermined threshold as specified in said logical equation; l) associating at least one corrective action with each said business rule in said project control system and outputting said corrective action into a corrective action report when a result of an evaluation of said business rule is unacceptable, where the corrective action is a predetermined sequence of activities that are known to have resolved said cause and said effect of project failure on at least one previous project; m) associating the name of at least one corrective resource with said corrective action in said project control system, whereby the corrective resource must be capable of implementing said corrective action and must be available for reallocation to said project that is trending out of control; n) executing said business rule in said project control system and outputting at least one said corrective action and at least one said corrective resource in a corrective action report; o) outputting a first group of reports that provide information for a dynamic reallocation of said at least one corrective resource, said first group of reports comprising a plurality of causal relationship information including said project control report, said average grade report and said corrective action report; p) outputting a second group of reports that illustrate a said project stage being completed within a predictable timeline, said second group of reports comprising a plurality of project control information including said project control report, q) whereby said project control system analyses answers to questions from said decision tree workflow and further analyses responses to prompts from said project activity workflow to identify said project stage that is heading out of control then identifies said cause for said project stage heading out of control then identifies said corrective action and said corrective resource that will improve project control then recommends the reallocation of said corrective resource dynamically to said project to implement said corrective action for the purposes of completing said project stage within a defined timeline.