Abstract:
Methods, systems, and products are disclosed for predicting work force requirements. Work order information is retrieved describing work orders, and weather information is retrieved describing a weather event. The work order information and the weather information are combined to determine an impact on the work orders due to the weather event. The work force requirements are then predicted to resolve the work orders.

Description:
COPYRIGHT NOTIFICATION 
       [0001]    A portion of the disclosure of this patent document and its attachments contain material which is subject to copyright protection. The copyright owner has no objection to the facsimile reproduction by anyone of the patent document or the patent disclosure, as it appears in the Patent and Trademark Office patent files or records, but otherwise reserves all copyrights whatsoever. 
       BACKGROUND 
       [0002]    Exemplary embodiments generally relate to work orders and work force management to resolve the work orders. 
         [0003]    Efficient deployment of work forces is desired. Small businesses to large corporations strive to quickly resolve customer issues without incurring excessive labor costs. Accurate prediction of work force needs may thus help reduce labor and equipment costs. 
     
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE SEVERAL VIEWS OF THE DRAWINGS 
         [0004]    These and other features, aspects, and advantages of the exemplary embodiments are better understood when the following Detailed Description is read with reference to the accompanying drawings, wherein: 
           [0005]      FIGS. 1 and 2  are schematics illustrating an environment in which exemplary embodiments may be implemented; 
           [0006]      FIG. 3  is a schematic illustrating another environment in which exemplary embodiments may be implemented; 
           [0007]      FIG. 4  is a schematic illustrating various databases, according to exemplary embodiments; 
           [0008]      FIGS. 5 and 6  are schematics illustrating a business management application, according to exemplary embodiments; 
           [0009]      FIG. 7  is a generic block diagram illustrating the business management application operating within a processor-controlled device, according to exemplary embodiments; and 
           [0010]      FIG. 8  depicts other possible operating environments for additional aspects of the exemplary embodiments. 
       
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
       [0011]    The exemplary embodiments will now be described more fully hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings. The exemplary embodiments may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. These embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete and will fully convey the exemplary embodiments to those of ordinary skill in the art. Moreover, all statements herein reciting embodiments, as well as specific examples thereof, are intended to encompass both structural and functional equivalents thereof. Additionally, it is intended that such equivalents include both currently known equivalents as well as equivalents developed in the future (i.e., any elements developed that perform the same function, regardless of structure). 
         [0012]    Thus, for example, it will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that the diagrams, schematics, illustrations, and the like represent conceptual views or processes illustrating the exemplary embodiments. The functions of the various elements shown in the figures may be provided through the use of dedicated hardware as well as hardware capable of executing associated software. Those of ordinary skill in the art further understand that the exemplary hardware, software, processes, methods, and/or operating systems described herein are for illustrative purposes and, thus, are not intended to be limited to any particular named manufacturer. 
         [0013]    As used herein, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless expressly stated otherwise. It will be further understood that the terms “includes,” “comprises,” “including,” and/or “comprising,” when used in this specification, specify the presence of stated features, integers, steps, operations, elements, and/or components, but do not preclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integers, steps, operations, elements, components, and/or groups thereof. It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being “connected” or “coupled” to another element, it can be directly connected or coupled to the other element or intervening elements may be present. Furthermore, “connected” or “coupled” as used herein may include wirelessly connected or coupled. As used herein, the term “and/or” includes any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items. 
         [0014]    It will also be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element from another. For example, a first device could be termed a second device, and, similarly, a second device could be termed a first device without departing from the teachings of the disclosure. 
         [0015]      FIGS. 1 and 2  are schematics illustrating an environment in which exemplary embodiments may be implemented.  FIG. 1  illustrates a client-server network architecture, and  FIG. 2  illustrates a web-based environment. Starting with  FIG. 1 , a device  20  communicates with a source  22  of data via a communications network  24 . The device  20  has a processor  26  (e.g., “μP”), application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), or other component that executes a business management application  28  stored in a memory  30 . The business management application  28  may cause the processor  26  to produce a graphical user interface  32 . The graphical user interface  32  is illustrated as being visually produced on a display device  34 , yet the graphical user interface  32  may also have audible features. Although the device  20  is generically shown, the device  20 , as later paragraphs will explain, may be a server, workstation, communications device, or any processor-controlled device. 
         [0016]    The business management application  28  may predict work force requirements. According to exemplary embodiments, the business management application  28  includes one or more sets of processor-executable instructions that predict what personnel, and/or how many personnel, may be needed to meet some objective  40 . The business management application  28 , for example, may predict the number of employees needed to complete a project, to construct a building, or to repair a machine. The business management application  28  retrieves a set  42  of data and applies the set  42  of data to an algorithm  44 . The set  42  of data is illustrated as being remotely retrieved via the communications network  24  from the source  22 . The set  42  of data, however, may be locally retrieved from the memory  30  of the device  20 . Regardless, the business management application  28  may predict the work force  46  needed to meet the objective  40 . The business management application  28  may then generate an output  48 , and the output  48  may include the set  42  of data, the work force  46 , and/or the objective  40 . The output  48 , for example, may be a web page, a file, and/or a graphical user interface. 
         [0017]    The business management application  28  may be accessed from a web-based portal. As  FIG. 2  illustrates, the business management application  28  may communicate with, or be accessed from, a web server  56 .  FIG. 2  illustrates the output  48  communicating via a secure intranet  58  to the web server  56 . The web server  56  stores the output  48  in memory for distribution to a client  60 . The web server  56 , for example, may store a portal web page  62  that is accessed and downloaded from the communications network  24 . The client  60  communicates with the web server  56  and downloads the portal web page  62 . The portal web page  62  may require authentication credentials (such as a secure username and password). When the client  60  successfully authenticates, the web server  56  and/or the portal web page  62  allows the client  60  to download the output  48 . The client  60  may then visually display and/or audibly produce the output  48 . The client  60 , for example, may render the output  48  as HTML, javascript, and/or other code or content. 
         [0018]    The device  20 , the web server  56 , and the client  60  are only simply illustrated. Because the architecture and operating principles of processor-controlled devices are well known, their hardware and software components are not further shown and described. If the reader desires more details, the reader is invited to consult the following sources: A NDREW  T ANENBAUM , C OMPUTER  N ETWORKS  (4 th  edition 2003); W ILLIAM  S TALLINGS , C OMPUTER  O RGANIZATION AND  A RCHITECTURE : D ESIGNING FOR  P ERFORMANCE  (7 th  E.d 2005); and D AVID  A. P ATTERSON  &amp; J OHN  L. H ENNESSY , C OMPUTER  O RGANIZATION AND  D ESIGN : T HE  H ARDWARE /S OFTWARE  I NTERFACE  (3 rd . Edition 2004). 
         [0019]    Exemplary embodiments may be applied regardless of networking environment. The communications network  24  may be a cable network operating in the radio-frequency domain and/or the Internet Protocol (IP) domain. The communications network  24 , however, may also include a distributed computing network, such as the Internet (sometimes alternatively known as the “World Wide Web”), an intranet, a local-area network (LAN), and/or a wide-area network (WAN). The communications network  24  may include coaxial cables, copper wires, fiber optic lines, and/or hybrid-coaxial lines. The communications network  24  may even include wireless portions utilizing any portion of the electromagnetic spectrum and any signaling standard (such as the I.E.E.E. 802 family of standards, GSM/CDMA/TDMA or any cellular standard, and/or the ISM band). The communications network  24  may even include powerline portions, in which signals are communicated via electrical wiring. The concepts described herein may be applied to any wireless/wireline communications network, regardless of physical componentry, physical configuration, or communications standard(s). 
         [0020]      FIG. 3  is a schematic illustrating another environment in which exemplary embodiments may be implemented. Here the device  20  may access one or more databases  70  to acquire the set  30  of data. That is, the business management application  28  may query any of the databases  70  for information that helps predict work force requirements. The various databases  70  are illustrated as being remotely located from the device  20 . That is, the device  20  may query the databases  70  (via the communications network  24 ) to obtain information. The various databases  70 , however, may be locally stored in the device  20 . A work order database  72 , for example, stores work order information related to work orders. A work force database  74  stores work force information for a pool of employees, contractors, and other workers. A customer database  76  stores information on customers or subscribers. A facility database  78  stores facility information describing buildings, infrastructure, and other assets. A traffic database  80  may store delayed, near real-time, or real-time traffic information describing congestion on roadways. A mapping database  82  may store street indexes to generate driving maps and distance information. A historical database  84  may store historical information describing past work force needs. A weather database  86  stores delayed, near real-time, or real-time weather information. A public service commission (“PSC”) database  88  stores rules, regulations, and/or utility information available from a state and/or Federal public service commission. As the following paragraphs explain, the business management application  28  may query any of the databases  70  for information that helps predict work force requirements. 
         [0021]      FIG. 4  is a schematic further illustrating databases  70 , according to exemplary embodiments. The work force database  74  stores worker information associated with each worker. The work force database  74 , for example, may store a worker&#39;s name, address, work schedule(s), vacation schedule(s), working hours, accumulated working hours (daily, weekly, monthly, and/or yearly), and accumulated overtime hours (again daily, weekly, monthly, and/or yearly). The work force database  74  may also store one or more skills sets associated with each worker. The work force database  74  may also store a current location associated with each worker. 
         [0022]    The historical database  84  may store historical information describing past work force needs. The historical database  84 , for example, may store tables that associate objectives to historical work force requirements. The historical database  84  may associate past maintenance tasks to the number of workers required to complete each maintenance task. The historical database  84  may even associate one or more specialized workers with particular repair, so that the specialized workers may be quickly recalled for the same repair. The historical database  84  may associate past work force requirements for past objectives. If the same objective needs to again be performed, the historical database  84  may help predict work force requirements. 
         [0023]    The traffic database  80  may store delayed, near real-time, or real-time traffic information. The traffic information, for example, may describe congestion on roadways. The traffic database  80  may store street indexes to generate driving maps and distance information. The traffic database  80  may also store terrain information, such as elevations and contours. The business management application  28  may thus use the traffic database  80  to generate street maps and driving directions and to estimate driving distances to a particular location. 
         [0024]    The business management application  28  may also access the weather database  86 . The weather database  86  stores delayed, near real-time, or real-time weather information  100  associated with a location. The weather database  86 , for example, may provide a Doppler radar data feed to the business management application  28 . The Doppler data feed may then be used to predict work force requirements given the weather conditions, as later paragraphs will explain. 
         [0025]    The business management application  28  may also access the public service commission (or “PSC”) database  88 . The public service commission database  88  stores utility information  102  available from a state and/or Federal public service commission. The public service commission database  88 , for example, may store rules, regulations, and compliance information associated with gas, water, electric, and telecommunications utilities. The public service commission database  88  may even store utility information for private utilities, such as private water/gas wells and private electrical generation (e.g., solar panels). The utility information  102  may then be used to predict work force requirements, as later paragraphs will explain. 
         [0026]    The business management application  28  may thus use the databases  70  to predict work force requirements. The business management application  28  retrieves information from one or more of the databases  70  and predicts what workers, and/or how many workers, may be needed to meet the objective  40 . The business management application  28  may use information from one or more of the databases  70  to solve the algorithm  44 . The business management application  28  may additionally or alternatively apply a set  110  of rules and/or a set  112  of strategies to predict work force requirements. The set  110  of rules and/or the set  112  of strategies may include artificial intelligence or fuzzy-logic based statements that improve work force predictions. The business management application  28  may thus use static and/or dynamic information from the databases  70 , and incorporate historical trends from the historical database  84 , to predict and/or dispatch a work force. The business management application  28 , for example, may use the set  110  of rules and/or the set  112  of strategies to reduce the amount of overtime incurred by the work force while still satisfying utility compliance requirements from the public service commission database  88 . The business management application  28  may thus monitor the progress/completion of tasks to ensure customer needs are satisfied while reducing overtime costs. 
         [0027]    The business management application  28  thus provides a single, company-wide knowledge tool. Because the business management application  28  may accept static and dynamic feeds from any data source, the business management application  28  is thus a single software platform for use in all areas of a business. The business management application  28  thus eliminates multiple software platforms, and reduces IT costs and licensing fees. The commonality of the business management application  28  also permits increased efficiencies in both field and center operations. The business management application  28  thus transforms a diverse, multi-application force-to-load dispatch model into an intelligent business decision tool for all operations. 
         [0028]      FIG. 5  is a schematic further illustrating the business management application  28 , according to exemplary embodiments. Here the business management application  28  receives the real-time weather information  100  (such as the Doppler feed) from the weather database  86 . The business management application  28 , for example, may use current weather conditions and forecasted weather conditions to predict the number of required workers before, during, and/or after a weather event. As a storm approaches, the business management application  28  may use the historical database  84  and the weather information  100  to predict additional workers will be needed to repair storm damage. 
         [0029]    The business management application  28  may also use the utility information  102  from the public service commission database  88 . Here the business management application  28  evaluates the utility information  102  to determine whether utility rules and regulations are satisfied. Some public service commissions, for example, may require that ninety five percent (95%) or more of service outages are repaired, or “cleared,” within twenty four (24) hours. Other rules or regulations may require:
       Trouble reports cleared within 36 hours &gt;77%,   Out of Service cleared within 8 working hours &gt;90%,   Installation completed within 5 days &gt;90%,   IPTV repairs within 72 hours &gt;95%, and   Repeat reports (repair) per 100 access lines &lt;=1.0.
 
The business management application  28  may thus compare the utility information  102  from the public service commission database  88  to PSC rules &amp; regulations  120 . When the business management application  28  learns that one or more of the PSC rules &amp; regulations  120  are satisfied, the business management application  28  may then implement the set  112  of strategies to conserve resources and/or gain advantages.
       
 
         [0035]    A few scenarios help explain the PSC rules &amp; regulations  120 . Suppose a state&#39;s public service commission requires that 90% of all utility installation requests are completed within five (5) days. When the business management application  28  retrieves the utility information  102 , the business management application  28  learns that currently 95% of all installation requests have been completed within five (5) days. The PSC rules &amp; regulations  120 , in other words, have been safely exceeded. Because the PSC rules &amp; regulations  120  have been exceeded, the business management application  28  may reduce or deny worker overtime to reduce labor costs. Similarly, suppose the utility information  102  indicates that 88% of all trouble reports have been cleared or completed within the past thirty six (36) hours. The PSC rules &amp; regulations  120 , however, only require 77% compliance. Again, the PSC rules &amp; regulations  120  have been exceeded, so the business management application  28  may reduce or deny worker overtime. The business management application  28  may even “pull” from jobs and reassign workers to higher priority efforts. Or, the business management application  28  may grant more vacation requests to build team spirit, to reduce worker fatigue, or to achieve some other strategy. The business management application  28  may thus compare one or more current values of the utility information  102  to threshold values  122  of the PSC rules &amp; regulations  120 . When the current value of the utility information  102  equals or exceeds the threshold value  122 , the business management application  28  may then implement alternate strategies to conserve resources and/or gain advantages. 
         [0036]      FIG. 6  is a schematic further illustrating the business management application  28 , according to exemplary embodiments. Here the business management application  28  may retrieve a facility density  130  from the customer database  76  and/or the facility database  78 . The facility density  130 , for example, may describe a density measurement of facilities per some location or area. The facility density  130  may describe the number of telecommunications wire centers per region or the number of access lines per square mile. The facility density  130 , likewise, may describe the number of cable converters or set-top boxes per region or per square mile. The facility density  130  may also describe the number of electric meters, water meters, or other infrastructure equipment per region or area. The business management application  28  may then select a dispatch strategy from the set  112  of strategies based on the facility density  130 . 
         [0037]    The business management application  28  may also have a clock and calendar input  140 . The clock and calendar input  140  provides at least a time and date. The business management application  28  may then use the clock and calendar input  140  to predict work force requirements. The business management application  28 , for example, may provide a clock management tool with flexibility for different job types associated with unique dispatch strategies and metrics. The business management application  28  may analyze the impact of carrying over a load from a previous day after analysis of overtime, force-to-load, PSC penalties, and future weather forecast. The business management application  28  may also consider daylight savings time and longer/shorter daylight hours. Technicians, for example, may be dispatched from “dawn &#39;til dusk” instead of “8 to 5.” The business management application  28  may thus use the clock and calendar input  140  to receive daily sunrise and sunset times when predicting work force needs. 
         [0038]    The business management application  28  may also use artificial intelligence when predicting work force demands. The business management application  28  receives the weather information, the conditions, PSC rules &amp; regulations  120 , overtime information from the work force database  74 , the clock and calendar input  140 , additional (flex) force needs from the work order database  72  and/or the work force database  74 , and the facility density  130 . The business management application  28  may also retrieve the historical information from the historical database  84 . The business management application  28  may then compare this set  42  of data and apply the set  110  of rules and/or the set  112  of strategies. The business management application  28 , in other words, may use artificial intelligence or fuzzy-logic based rules to predict work force needs, perhaps based on historical trends/events. 
         [0039]    Approaching storms, for example, may cause the business management application  28  to increase the work force. As a storm moves west-to-east, the business management application  28  may forecast the amount of force necessary to clear all field work before the storm arrives in each local area. The eastern states can prepare to move workers and equipment, and plan for any additional (flex) force or overtime as necessary, based on the intensity of the storm and comparisons to other areas with similar geographic/density make-ups. 
         [0040]    The business management application  28  may also predict work force needs for IPTV. Internet Protocol television (or “IPTV”) is an emerging technology, and AT&amp;T® offers U-VERSE® as an IPTV service. AT&amp;T&#39;s U-VERSE® service commits to a two-hour access window and on-site, on-time service is more important than meeting the two-hour commitment time. The commitment time is 4-6 hours beyond the “end access” window. The business management application  28  may thus dispatch technicians based on the access window as opposed to meeting the commitment time. 
         [0041]    The business management application  28  may also correlate turfs and clocks. The business management application  28  may include a clocks feature  150 . When the clocks feature  150  is disabled, or “off,” in low density wire centers, all turfs will be suspended on technician profiles preventing dispatch into the wire center. When the clocks feature  150  is enabled, or “on,” the turfs will automatically activate in Technician profiles allowing travel to the remote area. 
         [0042]    The business management application  28  may select a dispatch strategy for rural areas. When the facility density  130  is low (as in more rural areas), the set  110  of rules and/or the set  112  of strategies may cause the business management application  28  to implement different dispatch strategies. In rural areas, for example, the business management application  28  may send technicians to an area based on a designated frequency as well as the other variables indicated above. This rural strategy may reduce the number of inefficient truck rolls to a sparsely populated or rural area. 
         [0043]    As another example, the business management application  28  may quantify approaching weather events. Suppose the business management application  28  receives a Doppler radar data feed as the weather information  100 . The business management application  28  may combine the Doppler radar data feed with the facility density  130  to accurately predict the impact of an approaching weather event. The business management application  28  may combine the Doppler data feed with the facility density  130  and with the historical information, using the equation 
         [0000]      Weather Impact=D op F d H i ,  (Equation 1)
 
         [0000]    where D op  is the Doppler data feed, F d  is the facility density  130 , and H i  is the historical information. The quantity (D op F d ) estimates the effect of the approaching weather front on a utility&#39;s infrastructure. If a severe storm approaches, the Doppler data feed D op  will have a higher value. If the severe storm approaches a densely populated area, the facility density  130  (F d ) may be high. Hence the quantity (D op F d ) will have a larger value, indicating the approaching storm may have a great impact on the utility&#39;s infrastructure. Many customers, in other words, may be affected. If, on the other hand, the severe storm approaches a sparsely populated area, the facility density  130  (F d ) may be low. The quantity (D op F d ) may thus have a smaller value that indicates only a relatively small number of customers will be affected. If only scattered, high altitude rain approaches, the Doppler data feed D op  may have a low value, and the quantity (D op F d ) may have a small value for even densely populated areas. A low-valued Doppler data feed D op  that approaches a sparsely populated area produces a low quantity (D op F d ), perhaps indicating a negligible impact on facilities. 
         [0044]    The business management application  28 , however, may also consider historical trends. Even though a severe storm approaches a densely populated area, the historical information (H i ) may reveal that only 20% of facilities have been historically affected by a similar value of the Doppler data feed D op . The quantity (D op F d ) may thus be reduced, or discounted, by the historical information. Hence the impact of the approaching weather may be estimated by the quantity D op F d H i . If a severe storm approaches a densely populated area with high historical repairs, then the quantity D op F d H i  may have a large value. The business management application  28  may thus predict a large increase in work force demands. If, however, the facilities are historically unaffected by severe storms, then the quantity D op F d H i  may be small, perhaps causing the business management application  28  to predict little or no change in work force demands. 
         [0045]      FIG. 7  is a schematic illustrating still more exemplary embodiments.  FIG. 7  is a generic block diagram illustrating the business management application  28  operating within a processor-controlled device  300 . As the above paragraphs explained, business management application  28  may operate in any processor-controlled device  300 .  FIG. 7 , then, illustrates the business management application  28  stored in a memory subsystem of the processor-controlled device  300 . One or more processors communicate with the memory subsystem and execute the software algorithm  30 . Because the processor-controlled device  300  illustrated in  FIG. 7  is well-known to those of ordinary skill in the art, no detailed explanation is needed. 
         [0046]      FIG. 8  depicts other possible operating environments for additional aspects of the exemplary embodiments.  FIG. 8  illustrates the business management application  28  operating within various other devices  400 .  FIG. 8 , for example, illustrates that the business management application  28  may entirely or partially operate within a set-top box (“STB”) ( 402 ), a personal/digital video recorder (PVR/DVR)  404 , personal digital assistant (PDA)  406 , a Global Positioning System (GPS) device  408 , an interactive television  410 , an Internet Protocol (IP) phone  412 , a pager  414 , a cellular/satellite phone  416 , or any computer system, communications device, or processor-controlled device utilizing the processor  50  and/or a digital signal processor (DP/DSP)  418 . The device  400  may also include watches, radios, vehicle electronics, clocks, printers, gateways, mobile/implantable medical devices, and other apparatuses and systems. Because the architecture and operating principles of the various devices  400  are well known, the hardware and software componentry of the various devices  400  are not further shown and described. If, however, the reader desires more details, the reader is invited to consult the following sources: L AWRENCE  H ARTE  et al., GSM S UPERPHONES  (1999); SI EGMUND  R EDL  et al., GSM  AND  P ERSONAL  C OMMUNICATIONS  H ANDBOOK  (1998); and J OACHIM  T ISAL , GSM C ELLULAR  R ADIO  T ELEPHONY  (1997); the GSM Standard 2.17, formally known  Subscriber Identity Modules, Functional Characteristics  (GSM 02.17 V3.2.0 (1995-01))”; the GSM Standard 11.11, formally known as  Specification of the Subscriber Identity Module—Mobile Equipment  ( Subscriber Identity Module—ME )  interface  (GSM 11.11 V5.3.0 (1996-07))”; M ICHEAL  R OBIN  &amp; M ICHEL  P OULIN , D IGITAL  T ELEVISION  F UNDAMENTALS  (2000); J ERRY  W HITAKER AND  B LAIR  B ENSON , V IDEO AND  T ELEVISION  E NGINEERING  (2003); J ERRY  W HITAKER , DTV H ANDBOOK  (2001); J ERRY  W HITAKER , DTV: T HE  R EVOLUTION IN  E LECTRONIC  I MAGING  (1998); and E DWARD  M. S CHWALB, I TV H ANDBOOK : T ECHNOLOGIES AND  S TANDARDS  (2004). 
         [0047]    Exemplary embodiments may be physically embodied on or in a computer-readable storage medium. This computer-readable medium may include CD-ROM, DVD, tape, cassette, floppy disk, memory card, and large-capacity disks. This computer-readable medium, or media, could be distributed to end-subscribers, licensees, and assignees. These types of computer-readable media, and other types not mention here but considered within the scope of the exemplary embodiments. A computer program product comprises processor-executable instructions for predicting work force needs, as explained above. 
         [0048]    While the exemplary embodiments have been described with respect to various features, aspects, and embodiments, those skilled and unskilled in the art will recognize the exemplary embodiments are not so limited. Other variations, modifications, and alternative embodiments may be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the exemplary embodiments.