Patent ID: 7356376
Filing Date: 2008-04-08
Classification: G06Q

Abstract:
1. A method of balancing workload using critical dates, the method comprising: (a) assigning a promised delivery date to orders received from customers; (b) identifying one or more tasks associated with each of the orders; (c) assigning an expedited date or a customer requested date to each of the tasks of some of the orders; (d) determining a work start date for each of the one or more tasks in each of the orders; (e) initializing an index n equal to 1; (f) assigning a first priority to tasks having a work start date D; (g) assigning a second priority to tasks scheduled to begin on day D+n and having the expedited date; (h) assigning a third priority to tasks scheduled to begin on day D+n and having the customer requested date; and (i) working on tasks in priority order, wherein work on a lower priority task is not commenced until work on all tasks with higher priorities has been completed.