PATENT DOCUMENT

Abstract:
The present invention relates to a way of planning an action, namely deciding whether the action is generic or unique and then planning the action according to a first procedure if the action is generic or alternatively planning the action according to a second procedure if the action is unique. The first procedure includes budgeting resources in accordance with geo-historical data and index adjustment. The second procedure includes dividing the action into a list of tasks and then for each task: determining a set of resource requirements for completing the task; specifying each resource requirement; for each specified resource requirement, identifying at least one satisfactory available resource; and respectively matching one identified resource to each specified resource requirement. The second procedure is particularly well adapted for balancing other factors in addition to financial cost and for allocating accountability very precisely.

Full Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION  
       [0001]     1. Field of the Invention  
         [0002]     The present invention relates to ways of planning. More particularly it relates to ways of planning to meet the needs of people living within a community, for example, people working to overcome developmental disabilities.  
         [0003]     2. Description of Related Art  
         [0004]     The business, academic and government literature does not lack for methods and systems of planning. Planning methods and systems are even well represented in the patent literature.  
         [0005]     It may therefore be surprising that public and private sector stakeholders have sometimes faced significant difficulty in effectively planning to meet the needs of clients within a community setting, as opposed to a rigidly controlled institutional setting. This challenge is particularly keen in view of the widespread trend to deinstitutionalize people with special needs and to integrate them and support them within their communities.  
         [0006]     A fundamental premise of many conventional community-focused planning systems, possibly a carryover from an institutional mindset, is that allocated resources be denominated in currency: a consultation with a doctor costs $175; a visit from a nurse costs $45; each client in classification A7G+ has a maximum resource allocation of $750 per month.  
         [0007]     In practice, it has been difficult to build rigorous, objective, verifiable models for planning client-support. Perhaps because each client is very much an individual when not constrained within an artificial, institutional setting. Perhaps because community-based resources often aren&#39;t most meaningfully denominated in currency.  
         [0008]     Some clients have tended to receive far too many resources, some of which could have been better devoted to others. Other clients have received too few resources or the wrong resources. In the result, many clients don&#39;t obtain the support that they require, resources are wasted, and stakeholders become disheartened or even cynical about the whole endeavor.  
         [0009]     Accordingly, what is needed is a better way to plan for the needs of clients within a community setting.  
       SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION  
       [0010]     The present invention is directed to this need.  
         [0011]     According to one aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of planning an action, comprising: deciding whether the action is generic or unique and either planning the action according to a first procedure if the action is generic or planning the action according to a second procedure if the action is unique.  
         [0012]     The first procedure might include budgeting resources in accordance with historical data or geo-historical data or adjusting the budget in accordance with an index.  
         [0013]     The second procedure might include dividing the action into a list of tasks and for each task: determining a set of resource requirements for completing the task; specifying each resource requirement; for each specified resource requirement, identifying at least one satisfactory available resource; and respectively matching one identified resource to each specified resource requirement.  
         [0014]     In this regard, identifying might include identifying at least one of an available market resource and an available non-market resource. Matching might include emphasizing to a supplier of a non-market resource the importance of that resource to the success of the plan, matching a resource requirement with the cheapest available resource identified to satisfy it, matching a resource requirement with the best available resource identified to satisfy it, matching a resource requirement with the identified available resource that is the best match, or matching a resource requirement with the identified available resource that best matches an objective of the task. Furthermore, specifying might include specifying a property other than cost, specifying cost, specifying whether a resource requirement is a requirement for a service or a requirement for a product, specifying at least one of quantity and character, where specifying quantity for a requirement for a service might include specifying at least one of frequency and duration.  
         [0015]     The method might further include, for each task estimating the total cost of the product resources and estimating the total cost of the service resources, and furthermore estimating the cost of the action as the total cost of the tasks.  
         [0016]     The method might further include determining whether the tasks and the resources are sufficient to complete the action according to guidelines and if determined insufficient producing a new list of tasks and a new match of resources.  
         [0017]     The method might further include: defining a set of goals; setting measurable objectives for each goal; scheduling actions to achieve each objective; and budgeting resources for each action.  
         [0018]     The method might further include investigating initial facts relevant to the planning and analyzing the initial facts.  
         [0019]     The method might further include comparing the actual results of the planning against planned results, including at least one of the goals; the objectives; the actions; and the resource requirements and explaining deviations between the actual results and the planned results, and aggregating at least some of such actual results, planned results, deviations and explanations with those for similar other plans.  
         [0020]     The method might further include determining whether the actual results are a complete success, a complete failure, or neither and, if neither, repeating the method.  
         [0021]     According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system for planning an action, having means for deciding whether the action is generic or unique, first means for planning the action according to a first procedure if the action is generic, and second means for planning the action according to a second procedure if the action is unique.  
         [0022]     The first planning means might include means for budgeting resources in accordance with historical data or geo-historical data and means for adjusting the budget in accordance with an index.  
         [0023]     The second planning means might include means for dividing the action into a list of tasks, means for determining a set of resource requirements for completing each task, means for specifying each resource requirement, means for identifying at least one satisfactory available resource, for each specified resource requirement and means for respectively matching one identified resource to each specified resource requirement.  
         [0024]     The identifying means might be adapted to identify at least one of an available market resource and an available non-market resource. The matching means might include means for emphasizing to a supplier of a non-market resource the importance of that resource to the success of the plan or might be adapted to match a resource requirement with the cheapest available resource identified to satisfy it, to match a resource requirement with the best available resource identified to satisfy it, to match a resource requirement with the identified available resource that is the best match, or to match a resource requirement with the identified available resource that best matches an objective of the task. The specifying means might be adapted to specify a property other than cost, to specify cost to specify whether a resource requirement is a requirement for a service or a requirement for a product, to specify at least one of quantity and character, wherein specifying quantity for a requirement for a service includes specifying at least one of frequency and duration.  
         [0025]     The system might further include means for estimating for each task the total cost of the product resources and the total cost of the service resources and for estimating the cost of the action as the total cost of the tasks.  
         [0026]     The system might further include means for determining whether the tasks and the resources are sufficient to complete the action according to guidelines, such that if insufficient, the determining means directs the dividing means to divide the action into a new list of tasks, the determining means to determine a new set of resource requirements for completing each new task, the specifying means to specify each new resource requirement and the matching means to match one identified resource to each newly specified resource requirement.  
         [0027]     The system might further include means for defining a set of goals, means for setting measurable objectives for each goal, means for scheduling actions to achieve each objective and second means for budgeting resources for each action.  
         [0028]     The system might include means for investigating initial facts relevant to the planning and means for analyzing the initial facts.  
         [0029]     The system might include means for comparing the actual results of the planning against planned results, including at least one of the goals, the objectives, the actions and the resource requirements and means for explaining deviations between the actual results and the planned results and means for aggregating at least some of such actual results, planned results, deviations and explanations with those for similar other plans.  
         [0030]     The system might include means for indicating whether the actual results compared against the planned results are one of a complete success, a complete failure, and neither and means for stopping the system in response to an indication that the actual results are one of a complete success and a complete failure.  
         [0031]     According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing a method of planning an action, comprising: deciding whether the action is generic or unique and either planning the action according to a first procedure if the action is generic or planning the action according to a second procedure if the action is unique.  
         [0032]     The first procedure might include budgeting resources in accordance with historical data or geo-historical data or adjusting the budget in accordance with an index.  
         [0033]     The second procedure might include dividing the action into a list of tasks and for each task: determining a set of resource requirements for completing the task; specifying each resource requirement; for each specified resource requirement, identifying at least one satisfactory available resource; and respectively matching one identified resource to each specified resource requirement.  
         [0034]     In this regard, identifying might include identifying at least one of an available market resource and an available non-market resource. Matching might include emphasizing to a supplier of a non-market resource the importance of that resource to the success of the plan, matching a resource requirement with the cheapest available resource identified to satisfy it, matching a resource requirement with the best available resource identified to satisfy it, matching a resource requirement with the identified available resource that is the best match, or matching a resource requirement with the identified available resource that best matches an objective of the task. Furthermore, specifying might include specifying a property other than cost, specifying cost, specifying whether a resource requirement is a requirement for a service or a requirement for a product, specifying at least one of quantity and character, where specifying quantity for a requirement for a service might include specifying at least one of frequency and duration.  
         [0035]     The computer-readable medium might include computer-executable instructions for, for each task estimating the total cost of the product resources and estimating the total cost of the service resources, and furthermore estimating the cost of the action as the total cost of the tasks.  
         [0036]     The computer-readable medium might include computer-executable instructions for determining whether the tasks and the resources are sufficient to complete the action according to guidelines and if determined insufficient producing a new list of tasks and a new match of resources.  
         [0037]     The computer-readable medium might include computer-executable instructions for: defining a set of goals; setting measurable objectives for each goal; scheduling actions to achieve each objective; and budgeting resources for each action.  
         [0038]     The computer-readable medium might include computer-executable instructions for investigating initial facts relevant to the planning and analyzing the initial facts.  
         [0039]     The computer-readable medium might include computer-executable instructions for comparing the actual results of the planning against planned results, including at least one of the goals; the objectives; the actions; and the resource requirements and explaining deviations between the actual results and the planned results, and aggregating at least some of such actual results, planned results, deviations and explanations with those for similar other plans.  
         [0040]     The computer-readable medium might include computer-executable instructions for determining whether the actual results are a complete success, a complete failure, or neither and, if neither, repeating the method.  
         [0041]     According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of planning, comprising providing historical data for budgeting resources for an action that has been determined to be generic as opposed to unique. The method might include providing geo-historical data or providing an index.  
         [0042]     According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system for planning, comprising means for providing historical data for budgeting resources for an action that has been determined to be generic as opposed to unique. The means for providing historical data might include means for providing geo-historical data. The system might further include means for providing an index.  
         [0043]     According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing a method of planning, comprising providing historical data for budgeting resources for an action that has been determined to be generic as opposed to unique. The computer-readable medium might include computer-executable instructions for providing geo-historical data or providing an index.  
         [0044]     According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of planning, comprising determining a set of resource requirements for completing a task in the performance of an action that has been decided to be unique as opposed to generic.  
         [0045]     The method might include specifying each resource requirement. In this regard, specifying might include specifying a property other than cost, specifying cost, specifying whether a resource requirement is a requirement for a service or a requirement for a product, specifying at least one of quantity and character, where specifying quantity for a requirement for a service might include specifying at least one of frequency and duration.  
         [0046]     The method might further include identifying at least one satisfactory available resource for each specified resource requirement and matching one identified resource to each specified resource requirement.  
         [0047]     The method might further include: defining a set of goals; setting measurable objectives for each goal; scheduling actions to achieve each objective; and budgeting resources for each action.  
         [0048]     The method might further include investigating initial facts relevant to the planning and analyzing the initial facts.  
         [0049]     The method might further include comparing the actual results of the planning against planned results, including at least one of the goals; the objectives; the actions; and the resource requirements and explaining deviations between the actual results and the planned results, and aggregating at least some of such actual results, planned results, deviations and explanations with those for similar other plans.  
         [0050]     The method might further include determining whether the actual results are a complete success, a complete failure, or neither and, if neither, repeating the method.  
         [0051]     According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system for planning, comprising means for determining a set of resource requirements for completing a task in the performance of an action that has been decided to be unique as opposed to generic.  
         [0052]     The system might include means for specifying each resource requirement. In this regard, specifying might include specifying a property other than cost, specifying cost, specifying whether a resource requirement is a requirement for a service or a requirement for a product, specifying at least one of quantity and character, where specifying quantity for a requirement for a service might include specifying at least one of frequency and duration.  
         [0053]     The system might further include means for identifying at least one satisfactory available resource for each specified resource requirement and means for respectively matching one identified resource to each specified resource requirement.  
         [0054]     The system might further include means for defining a set of goals, means for setting measurable objectives for each goal, means for scheduling actions to achieve each objective, and means for budgeting resources for each action.  
         [0055]     The system might further include means for investigating initial facts relevant to the planning and means for analyzing the initial facts.  
         [0056]     The system might further include means for comparing the actual results of the planning against planned results, including at least one of the goals, the objectives, the actions and the resource requirements and means for explaining deviations between the actual results and the planned results, and means for aggregating at least some of such actual results, planned results, deviations and explanations with those for similar other plans.  
         [0057]     The system might further include means for indicating whether the actual results compared against the planned results are one of: a complete success, a complete failure, and (iii) neither and, means for stopping the system in response to an indication that the actual results are one of a complete success and a complete failure.  
         [0058]     According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing a method of planning, comprising determining a set of resource requirements for completing a task in the performance of an action that has been decided to be unique as opposed to generic.  
         [0059]     The computer-readable medium might include computer-executable instructions for specifying each resource requirement. In this regard, specifying might include specifying a property other than cost, specifying cost, specifying whether a resource requirement is a requirement for a service or a requirement for a product, specifying at least one of quantity and character, where specifying quantity for a requirement for a service might include specifying at least one of frequency and duration.  
         [0060]     The computer-readable medium might include computer-executable instructions for identifying at least one satisfactory available resource for each specified resource requirement and for respectively matching one identified resource to each specified resource requirement.  
         [0061]     The computer-readable medium might include computer-executable instructions for defining a set of goals, for setting measurable objectives for each goal, scheduling actions to achieve each objective, and budgeting resources for each action.  
         [0062]     The computer-readable medium might include computer-executable instructions for investigating initial facts relevant to the planning and analyzing the facts.  
         [0063]     The computer-readable medium might include computer-executable instructions for comparing the actual results of the planning against planned results, including at least one of: the goals; the objectives; the actions and the resource requirements and for explaining deviations between the actual results and the planned results, and aggregating at least some of such actual results, planned results, deviations and explanations with those for similar other plans.  
         [0064]     The computer-readable medium might include computer-executable instructions for determining whether the actual results are a complete success, a complete failure, or neither and if neither, repeating the method.  
         [0065]     According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of planning, comprising providing guidelines for determining a set of resource requirements for completing a task in the performance of an action that has been decided to be unique as opposed to generic.  
         [0066]     The method might include providing guidelines for specifying a resource requirement. In this regard, specifying might include specifying a property other than cost, specifying cost, specifying whether a resource requirement is a requirement for a service or a requirement for a product, specifying at least one of quantity and character, where specifying quantity for a requirement for a service might include specifying at least one of frequency and duration.  
         [0067]     The method might include providing guidelines for defining a set of goals, providing guidelines for setting measurable objectives for at least one of the goals, providing guidelines for scheduling actions to achieve at least one of the objectives, or providing guidelines for budgeting resources for at least one of the actions.  
         [0068]     The method might include providing guidelines for investigating initial facts relevant to the planning and analyzing the facts.  
         [0069]     The method might include providing guidelines for comparing the actual results of the planning against planned results, including at least one of: the goals; the objectives; the actions and the resource requirements and providing guidelines for explaining deviations between the actual results and the planned results, and aggregating at least some of such actual results, planned results, deviations and explanations with those for similar other plans.  
         [0070]     The method might include providing guidelines for determining whether the actual results are a complete success, a complete failure, or neither; and if neither, repeating the method.  
         [0071]     According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system for planning, comprising means for providing guidelines for determining a set of resource requirements for completing a task in the performance of an action that has been decided to be unique as opposed to generic.  
         [0072]     The system might include means for providing guidelines for specifying at least one of the resource requirements. In this regard, specifying might include specifying a property other than cost, specifying cost, specifying whether a resource requirement is a requirement for a service or a requirement for a product, specifying at least one of quantity and character, where specifying quantity for a requirement for a service might include specifying at least one of frequency and duration.  
         [0073]     The system might include means for providing guidelines for defining a set of goals, means for providing guidelines for setting measurable objectives for at least one of the goals, means for providing guidelines for scheduling actions to achieve at least one of the objectives and means for providing guidelines for budgeting resources for at least one of the actions.  
         [0074]     The system might include means for providing guidelines for investigating initial facts relevant to the planning and means for analyzing the facts.  
         [0075]     The system might include means for providing guidelines for comparing the actual results of the planning against planned results, including at least one of: the goals, the objectives, the actions and the resource requirements and means for providing guidelines for explaining deviations between the actual results and the planned results, and means for aggregating at least some of such actual results, planned results, deviations and explanations with those for similar other plans.  
         [0076]     The system might further include means for providing guidelines for indicating whether the actual results compared against the planned results are one of a complete success, a complete failure and neither and means for stopping the system in response to an indication that the actual results are one of a complete success and a complete failure.  
         [0077]     According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing a method of planning, comprising providing guidelines for determining a set of resource requirements for completing a task in the performance of an action that has been decided to be unique as opposed to generic.  
         [0078]     The computer-readable medium might include computer-executable instructions for providing guidelines for specifying at least one of the resource requirements. In this regard, specifying might include specifying a property other than cost, specifying cost, specifying whether a resource requirement is a requirement for a service or a requirement for a product, specifying at least one of quantity and character, where specifying quantity for a requirement for a service might include specifying at least one of frequency and duration.  
         [0079]     The computer-readable medium might include computer-executable instructions for providing guidelines for defining a set of goals, for providing guidelines for setting measurable objectives for at least one of the goals, for providing guidelines for scheduling actions to achieve at least one of the objectives and for providing guidelines for budgeting resources for at least one of the actions.  
         [0080]     The computer-readable medium might include computer-executable instructions for providing guidelines for investigating initial facts relevant to the planning and analyzing the facts.  
         [0081]     The computer-readable medium might include computer-executable instructions for providing guidelines for comparing the actual results of the planning against planned results, including at least one of: the goals; the objectives; the actions; and the resource requirements and for explaining deviations between the actual results and the planned results, and aggregating at least some of such actual results, planned results, deviations and explanations with those for similar other plans.  
         [0082]     The computer-readable medium might include computer-executable instructions for providing guidelines for determining whether the actual results are a complete success, a complete failure, or neither and if neither, repeating the method.  
         [0083]     According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of planning comprising offering an available resource for matching to resource requirements specified for tasks in the performance of actions that have been decided to be unique as opposed to generic. In this regard, offering might include offering a plurality of available resources, advertising a resource on behalf of its owner, or offering a resource on behalf of its owner.  
         [0084]     According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system for planning comprising means for offering an available resource for matching to resource requirements specified for tasks in the performance of actions that have been decided to be unique as opposed to generic. In this regard, offering might include offering a plurality of available resources, advertising a resource on behalf of its owner, or offering a resource on behalf of its owner.  
         [0085]     According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing a method of planning comprising offering an available resource for matching to resource requirements specified for tasks in the performance of actions that have been decided to be unique as opposed to generic. In this regard, offering might include offering a plurality of available resources, advertising a resource on behalf of its owner, or offering a resource on behalf of its owner.  
         [0086]     According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a method of planning, comprising defining a set of goals to be accomplished by the execution of a set of actions, each such action planned according to a first procedure if it is generic and planned according to a second procedure if it is unique.  
         [0087]     In this regard, the first procedure might include at least one of: budgeting resources in accordance with historical data; budgeting resources in accordance with geo-historical data; and budgeting resources in accordance with an index.  
         [0088]     Furthermore, the second procedure might include: dividing the respective action into a list of tasks and for each task: determining a set of resource requirements for completing the task; specifying each resource requirement; for each specified resource requirement, identifying at least one satisfactory available resource and respectively matching one identified resource to each specified resource requirement.  
         [0089]     The method might further include setting measurable objectives for each goal, scheduling actions to achieve each objective and budgeting resources for each action.  
         [0090]     According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a system for planning, comprising means for defining a set of goals to be accomplished by the execution of a set of actions, each such action planned according to a first procedure if it is generic and planned according to a second procedure if it is unique.  
         [0091]     In this regard, the first procedure might include at least one of: budgeting resources in accordance with historical data; budgeting resources in accordance with geo-historical data and budgeting resources in accordance with an index.  
         [0092]     Furthermore, the second procedure might include: dividing the respective action into a list of tasks and for each task: determining a set of resource requirements for completing the task; specifying each resource requirement; for each specified resource requirement, identifying at least one satisfactory available resource and respectively matching one identified resource to each specified resource requirement.  
         [0093]     The system might further include means for setting measurable objectives for each goal, means for scheduling actions to achieve each objective, and means for budgeting resources for each action.  
         [0094]     According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer-readable medium having computer-executable instructions for performing a method of planning, comprising defining a set of goals to be accomplished by the execution of a set of actions, each such action planned according to a first procedure if it is generic and planned according to a second procedure if it is unique.  
         [0095]     In this regard, the first procedure might include at least one of: budgeting resources in accordance with historical data; budgeting resources in accordance with geo-historical data and budgeting resources in accordance with an index.  
         [0096]     Furthermore, the second procedure might include dividing the respective action into a list of tasks and for each task: determining a set of resource requirements for completing the task; specifying each resource requirement; for each specified resource requirement, identifying at least one satisfactory available resource and respectively matching one identified resource to each specified resource requirement.  
         [0097]     The computer-readable medium might further include computer-executable instructions for setting measurable objectives for each goal, for scheduling actions to achieve each objective and for budgeting resources for each action.  
         [0098]     According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided an application program interface embodied on one or more computer readable media, comprising a first group of services related to planning an action according to first functions if the action is generic and planning the action according to a second functions if the action is unique.  
         [0099]     In this regard, the first functions might enable budgeting resources in accordance with historical data or geo-historical data or might enable adjusting the budget in accordance with an index.  
         [0100]     Furthermore, the second functions might enable dividing the action into a list of tasks and, for each task determining a set of resource requirements for completing the task, specifying each resource requirement, for each specified resource requirement, identifying at least one satisfactory available resource, and respectively matching one identified resource to each specified resource requirement.  
         [0101]     According, identifying might includes identifying at least one of an available market resource and an available non-market resource. Matching might include emphasizing to a supplier of a non-market resource the importance of that resource to the success of the plan, matching a resource requirement with the cheapest available resource identified to satisfy it, matching a resource requirement with the best available resource identified to satisfy it, matching a resource requirement with the identified available resource that is the best match, or matching a resource requirement with the identified available resource that best matches an objective of the task. Specifying might include specifying a property other than cost, specifying cost, specifying whether a resource requirement is a requirement for a service or a requirement for a product, specifying at least one of quantity and character, and, in the case of specifying quantity for a requirement for a service, specifying at least one of frequency and duration.  
         [0102]     The second functions might further enable, for each task: estimating the total cost of the product resources and estimating the total cost of the service resources.  
         [0103]     The second functions might further enable estimating the cost of the action as the total cost of the tasks.  
         [0104]     The second functions might further enable determining whether the tasks and the resources are sufficient to complete the action according to guidelines and if determined insufficient, reinvoking the second functions to produce a new list of tasks and a new match of resources.  
         [0105]     The application program interface might further include a second group of services related to planning a project.  
         [0106]     The second group of services might include first functions enabling defining a set of goals, second functions enabling setting measurable objectives for each goal, third functions enabling scheduling actions to achieve each objective, fourth functions enabling budgeting resources for each action, fifth functions enabling investigating initial facts relevant to the planning, sixth functions enabling analyzing the initial facts, seventh functions enabling comparing the actual results of the planning against planned results, including at least one of: the goals; the objectives; the actions and the resource requirements, eighth functions enabling explaining deviations between the actual results and the planned results, ninth functions enabling aggregating at least some of such actual results, planned results, deviations and explanations with those for similar other plans and tenth functions enabling determining whether the actual results are a complete success, a complete failure, or neither and, if neither, reinvoking the application program interface.  
         [0107]     According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer system having a graphical user interface including a display and a selection device, a method of providing information about a planned action and selecting a method of planning the action, the method comprising presenting on the display a description of the planned action; presenting on the display a selectable first control associated with a computer-implemented method for planning a generic action by budgeting resources in accordance with historical data; presenting on the display a selectable second control associated with a computer-implemented method for planning a unique action by dividing the action into a list of tasks; receiving a selection signal indicative of the selection device pointing at the selected control; and in response to the selection signal, invoking the method for planning associated with the selected control.  
         [0108]     The method might further include presenting on the display an objective of the action.  
         [0109]     The method might further include presenting on the display guidelines for the action.  
         [0110]     The method might further include presenting on the display actual results of the action.  
         [0111]     According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer system having a graphical user interface including a display and a selection device, a method of estimating the cost of a planned action, the method comprising: presenting on the display a description of the planned action; presenting on the display a set of generic actions, of which one may be selected with the selection device as being the most equivalent to the planned action; and presenting on the display the historical cost of the equivalent generic action.  
         [0112]     The method might further include presenting on the display a set of date-range filters, of which one or more may be selected with the selection device to refine the historical cost of the equivalent generic action.  
         [0113]     The method might further include presenting on the display a set of geographic filters, of which one or more may be selected with the selection device to refine the historical cost of the equivalent generic action.  
         [0114]     The method might further include presenting on the display a set of index adjustments, of which one or more may be selected with the selection device to refine the historical cost of the equivalent generic action.  
         [0115]     According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer system having a graphical user interface including a display and a selection device, a method of matching an available resource to a resource requirement for a planned task, the method comprising: presenting on the display a description of the resource required; presenting on the display a specification of the resource required; and presenting on the display a set of available resources, of which one may be selected with the selection device to match the resource requirement.  
         [0116]     The method might further include presenting on the display the specifications for each of the available resources.  
         [0117]     The method might further include presenting on the display guidelines for matching an available resource to the resource requirement.  
         [0118]     The method might further provide that at least one of the specification of the resource required, the specifications for each of the available resources, and the guidelines is presented in tabular format.  
         [0119]     The method might further include presenting on the display a description of the planned task.  
         [0120]     According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer system having a graphical user interface including a display and a selection device, a method of estimating the aggregate cost of resources matched to a planned task, the method comprising: presenting on the display a list of the matched resources, including the respective cost per time interval for each resource and presenting on the display the estimated aggregate cost as a sum of fixed plus variable costs.  
         [0121]     The method might further include presenting the variable costs on the display as a sum of daily, weekly, monthly and yearly costs.  
         [0122]     The method might further include presenting on the display a cost savings calculated as the difference between the aggregate of the market values of each of the matched resources and the aggregate actual cost of the matched resources.  
         [0123]     The method might further include: selecting one of the listed matched resources with the selection device; presenting on the display a selectable control associated with a computer-implemented method for rematching available resources to the task; receiving a selection signal indicative of the selection device pointing at the selectable control; and in response to the selection signal, invoking the method for rematching available resources to the task to replace the selected resource.  
         [0124]     According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a computer-readable medium having stored thereon a data structure having: a first field containing data representing a description of an action; a second field containing data designating whether the action is a generic action or a unique action; a third field containing data representing an estimated cost of the action; and if the action is designated as being a unique action, a fourth field containing data representing a list of tasks that the action has been divided into. If the action is designated as being a unique action, the data structure might further include a fifth field containing data representing lists of resource requirements respectively associated with each task or a sixth field containing data representing lists of guidelines respectively associated with at least one of: a resource requirement, a task and the action, or a seventh field containing data representing lists of available resources respectively matched with resource requirement.  
         [0125]     According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided premises for planning a project with a client, having: consulting facilities for consulting with the client to define goals of the project, objectives in support of the goals, and actions for achieving the objectives; research facilities for deciding whether each action is either generic or unique and for budgeting resources to each generic action in accordance with historical data; and planning facilities for planning tasks for implementing unique actions, specifying resource requirements for each task, and matching available resources to each resource requirement. In this situations, the consulting facilities and the planning facilities might be combined.  
         [0126]     The research facilities might include access to a database of historical data.  
         [0127]     The planning facilities might include means for communicating with stakeholders in the plan, such stakeholders possibly including the client, supporters for the client, a government entity overseeing the plan, a funding entity contributing to the funding of the plan, suppliers of available resources, and a remotely-located planner. In this regard, the means for communicating might include a meeting table, a telephone, a videophone and a computing device connected to a communication network.  
         [0128]     The premises might include lounge facilities to enable a person to absent himself from the consulting or the planning.  
         [0129]     The premises might reception facilities for inviting prospective clients to learn about the planning.  
         [0130]     The premises might be sized to fit conveniently within the community being served.  
         [0131]     Alternatively or in conjunction with the premises, planning might be conducted remotely from the premises, for example in the home of a client or some other location convenient or comfortable for the client. Such planning might be conducted with the aid of a computing device, either freestanding or connected to a network, programmed with codes encoded in a computer-readable medium to acquire, manipulate and store data pertinent to the planning process in accordance with the methods of the present invention.  
         [0132]     Further aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent upon considering the following drawings, description, and claims.  
       DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION  
       [0133]     The invention will be more fully illustrated by the following detailed description of non-limiting specific embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawing figures. In the figures, similar elements and/or features may have the same reference label. Further, various elements of the same type may be distinguished by following the reference label with a second label that distinguishes among the similar elements. If only the first reference label is identified in a particular passage of the detailed description, then that passage describes any one of the similar elements having the same first reference label irrespective of the second reference label. 
     
    
     1. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS  
       [0134]      FIG. 1  is a flowchart, drawn in accordance with International Standard IS05807-1985(E), of a planning method embodying aspects of the present invention;  
         [0135]      FIG. 2  is a flowchart, drawn in accordance with International Standard IS05807-1985(E), of an embodiment of a “Budget Resources for each Action” module in the planning method of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0136]      FIG. 3  is a plan view of an embodiment of a facility for conducting the planning method of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0137]      FIG. 4  is a network diagram of general purpose programmable computers and communication devices connected together and programmed to carryout the method of  FIG. 1 ;  
         [0138]      FIG. 5  is a block diagram of a general purpose programmable computer of  FIG. 4 ;  
         [0139]      FIG. 6  is a block diagram of a database management system for managing the data of the method of  FIG. 1 , namely a Project ID database, a Facts database, a Goal database, an Objectives database, an Actions database, a Tasks database, a Resources database, a Guidelines database, a Geo-historical database, and an Aggregate Statistics database;  
         [0140]      FIG. 7  is a pictorial diagram of a Project Select form view into the Project ID database of  FIG. 6 ;  
         [0141]      FIG. 8  is a pictorial diagram of a Project Profile form view into the Project ID, Facts and Goal databases of  FIG. 6 ;  
         [0142]      FIG. 9  is a pictorial diagram of a Goal Planner form view into the Goal and Objectives databases of  FIG. 6 ;  
         [0143]      FIG. 10  is a pictorial diagram of an Action Planner form view into the Objective, Action and Guideline databases of  FIG. 6 , in which a generic action has been selected;  
         [0144]      FIG. 11  is a pictorial diagram of an Action Estimator form view into the Action and Geo-historical databases of  FIG. 6 ;  
         [0145]      FIG. 12  is a pictorial diagram of an Action Planner form view into the Objective, Action and Guideline databases of  FIG. 6 , in which a unique action has been selected;  
         [0146]      FIG. 13  is a pictorial diagram of a Task Planner form view into the Action and Task databases of  FIG. 6 ;  
         [0147]      FIG. 14  is a pictorial diagram of a Resource Specifier form view into the Task, Resource and Guideline databases of  FIG. 6 ;  
         [0148]      FIG. 15  is a pictorial diagram of a Resource Budgeter form view into the Task, and Resource databases of  FIG. 6 ;  
         [0149]      FIG. 16  is a pictorial diagram of a Task Estimator form view into the Task and Resource databases of  FIG. 6 ;  
         [0150]      FIG. 17  is a pictorial diagram of Report Builder form for selective extracting information from the Client ID database, the Client Facts database, the Goal database, the Objectives database, the Actions database, the Tasks database, the Resources database, the Guidelines database, the Geo-historical database, and the Aggregate Statistics database. 
     
    
     2. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF SPECIFIC EMBODIMENTS  
       [0000]     (a) Overview  
         [0151]     The invention will now be illustrated by explanation of specific, non-limiting, exemplary embodiments shown in the drawing figures and described in greater detail herein.  
         [0152]     In general terms, the invention provides a rigorous and objectively transparent method for creating a plan to achieve goals, including budgeting the plan. While the invention is of general application, it is particularly well suited for integrating community-based resources—often non-market resources—into a plan.  
         [0000]     (b) Planning Method  
         [0153]      FIG. 1  shows a method for planning a project, according to one embodiment of the present invention, generally illustrated at  100 .  
         [0154]     The planning method  100  begins with a plan creation stage  102 , during which the time period for the plan is established. The plan period may not be the same as the project period. Advantageously, over the span of the project period, there may be a series of plans: an initial plan and a succession of updated plans that benefit from additional information and experience gained over the course of the project.  
         [0155]     An investigation and analysis stage  104  follows, during which the salient facts about the project are identified and considered. Such facts would include initial conditions.  
         [0156]     A goal-defining stage  106  follows, during which goals for the project are established. Such goals would include end conditions.  
         [0157]     An objective-setting stage  108  follows, during which measurable objectives are established for each goal.  
         [0158]     An action-scheduling stage  110  follows, during which actions sufficient to achieve each objective are scheduled.  
         [0159]     A resource-budgeting stage  112  follows, during which resources necessary to execute each action are identified and budgeted.  
         [0160]     A performance-documentation stage  114  follows, during which actual performance of goals, objectives and actions and actual consumption of resources are documented.  
         [0161]     A performance-evaluation stage  116  follows, during which actual performance/consumption is compared to planned performance/consumption and deviations are explained.  
         [0162]     A data-aggregation stage  118  follows, during which planned and actual data and statistics are extracted and aggregated with the results of other plans to provide reference data for future plans.  
         [0163]     Finally, a project-assessment stage  120  follows, during which the plan results are analyzed to assess whether the project itself is a total success, a total failure, or neither. If a total success or a total failure, then there follows a project-debriefing stage  122 , during which lessons are sought and the planning process and the project itself are terminated. If neither a total success no a total failure, then the project is continued and the plan is updated for another period, starting with the plan creation stage  102 .  
         [0000]     (c) Budgeting Method  
         [0164]      FIG. 2  illustrates in greater detail one embodiment of the resource-budgeting stage  112 .  
         [0165]     In accordance with an outer loop  202 - 236 , all of the scheduled actions are budgeted in turn, after which the resource-budgeting stage  112  terminates  204 .  
         [0166]     At an initial sorting stage  206 , it is decided whether an action is better classified as generic or unique. In this sense, a generic action is one that would reasonably fit within a class of actions for which relevant statistics are conveniently available to the planner. For example, if the action was to move into a house in a particular town, there would be geo-historical data evidencing what houses have cost in various neighborhoods at various points in time and what it costs to move ones possessions across a specific distance. A good clue that an action is generic is that it can be easily denominated in currency.  
         [0167]     In contrast, a unique action is one for which no such data is conveniently available, possibly because the relevant population is too small or of too little interest for anyone to have tracked. For example, it is unlikely that there are statistics offering guidance about what it would cost or what other resources might be needed to teach a cat how to play mini-golf. Therefore there is no easy, top-down, statistical way to budget this action. Instead, one might adopt a more laborious, bottom-up process, deconstructing the action into recognizable tasks for which resources may be specified with more confidence.  
         [0168]     As used herein, the word “unique” does not mean “the only one of its kind”; instead, it means “without equivalent”, in that comparable data is not available for planning, budgeting or the like. In this more relative sense, the classification of an action as being either generic or unique may very much depend on what specific data sets are available.  
         [0169]     If the action is generic, then in a single action-budgeting stage  208  the action is matched with suitable geo-historical data  210 , and possibly modified by an index such as the consumer price index, to budget resources for the action  236 , after which the next action, if any, may be processed through the resource-budgeting stage  112 . Although broadly based comparable data should provide some insight for budgeting, filtering such data by date-range and/or geography and adjusting such data with indices can refine it to yield more pertinent and/or accurate insight.  
         [0170]     Alternatively, if the action is unique, then in an action-deconstruction stage  212  the action is divided into a list of tasks sufficient to complete it. As will be described further below, the action-deconstruction stage  212  is the head of a middle loop  212 - 234 .  
         [0171]     In accordance with an inner loop  214 - 232 , each of the listed tasks is in turn matched with resources sufficient to complete it and resource costs are estimated. More specifically, there is a resource-requirements stage  214  at the head of the inner loop  214 - 232 , where resource requirements sufficient to complete each task are determined and desirably classified as either products or services.  
         [0172]     Next, there is a resource-specification stage  216 ,  224 , where a specification is defined for each resource requirement, against which available resources will be tested. The specification would typically define quantity and other characteristics relevant to the task, typically along dimensions of quality and availability.  
         [0173]     Next, there is a resource-identification stage  218 ,  226 , in which available resources similar to the resource-specification are located and in effect shortlisted. These resources might be available through regular market channels, or as is often importantly the case in community situations, they may be non-market resources.  
         [0174]     Next, there is a resource-matching stage  220 ,  228 , in which one identified available resource is matched to each resource-specification and thus to the task. In this stage, the best match can be defined in many ways. The matched available resource might match the specification in all respects or only some. Some aspects may be weighted more important than others. It may or may not be desirable to exceed certain aspects of the specification. The matched available resource might be the cheapest, the best quality, or the one that best matches the objective that motivates the task.  
         [0175]     There is then a task-costing stage  222 ,  230 , in which the cost for all the resources matched with a task are estimated and totaled.  
         [0176]     There is then an action-costing stage  232  at the tail of the inner loop  214 - 232 , wherein the cost of the action is estimated as the sum of the costs estimated for each of its deconstructed tasks.  
         [0177]     Finally, there is a guideline compliance stage  234  at the tail of the middle loop  212 - 234 , to analyze whether the tasks and matched resources will complete the action in accordance with any guidelines that might have been set. If not, then the process returns to the head of the middle loop  212 - 234 , to deconstruct the action into a new list of tasks with new resource-requirements specifications and new matched resources to better comply with such guidelines, for example budget guidelines. Alternatively, if any and all guidelines were complied with, then processing returns to the head of the outer loop  202 - 236  such that a new action can be budgeted or, if all actions have been budgeted, the resource-budgeting stage  112  can terminate  204 .  
         [0000]     (d) Planning Facility  
         [0178]     The invention can be practiced in many different embodiments. Those skilled in the art will see that the method might be used with pencil and blank paper to plan simple projects, pen with forms, workbooks, and reference manuals for larger projects, and computers or computer networks with databases for still more complicated projects. As will be discussed below, computer implementations provide a number of distinct advantages.  
         [0179]     As was mentioned above, although the invention is of general application, it is particularly well suited for planning the integration of a person with special needs into a community. In this respect, the physical facilities in which the invention is practiced can contribute to benefits provided.  
         [0180]     Referring now to  FIG. 3 , facilities for practicing the invention are generally illustrated at  300 . The facilities  300  are sized to fit conveniently within the community being served, providing easy access for clients who may not have many transportation options for visiting a facility further away.  
         [0181]     The facilities  300  are divided into a public area  302  and a private area  304 . The public area  302  includes a welcoming reception area  306  and a comfortable adjacent lounge area  308 . These areas invite potential clients to learn more about the facilities  300  and the planning assistance being offered.  
         [0182]     The private area  304  includes a planning area  310 , a consulting area  312  and a research area  314 . The planning area  310  provides a friendly atmosphere, for example around a round table, for planners and clients to work together through a plan. Tools such as a telephone, videophone and an Internet-enabled computing device may be used to involving stakeholders remote from the facilities  300  in the planning process, for example the client himself if unable to attend in person, supporters for the client such as family or friends, representatives of government entities overseeing the plan, representatives of funding entities contributing to the funding of the plan, suppliers of available resources for the plan, and remotely-located planning personnel. The lounge area  308  is conveniently available if there is a need for some persons to absent themselves from part of the planning process.  
         [0183]     The consulting area  312  may be useful to support a quiet and supportive conclave for investigating and analyzing pertinent facts and establishing goals, objectives and actions for the plan or may be useful if a person leading the planning process needs to apply a difference in perceived status to advance the planning process.  
         [0184]     Finally, the research area  314 , with a telephone and an Internet enabled computing device, may be useful for gathering additional information for advancing the planning process. For example, comparable historical data might be studied to estimate costs or resources for matching resource requirements might be identified at the research area  314 .  
         [0000]     (e) Computers  
         [0185]     Referring now to  FIGS. 4 and 5 , a computing device for implementing the invention is generally illustrated at  400 . The computing device  400  includes a microprocessor  402 , input devices  404 , including a keyboard  404   a  and a mouse  404   b,  output devices  406 , including a video display  406   a  and a printer  406   b,  mass storage  408 , including a hard drive and an optical drive, memory  410 , including read only memory and random access memory, and a network interface  412 .  
         [0186]     Stored in a portion of the read only memory and the hard drive are the components of an operating system  414 , for example including Microsoft® Windows® XP, that instructs the microprocessor  402  how to communicate and interact with the other devices described above and more generally how to perform the functions of a general purpose programmable computer, including storing, accessing and manipulating data, running software applications, and communicating with remote devices across a network in accordance with networking protocols, for example TCP/IP.  
         [0187]     While the computing device  400  might help to implement the invention through the use of standard software, for example word-processing or spreadsheet software, perhaps with templates and prompts, for documenting the planning process, those skilled in the art will appreciate that dedicated software specifically adapted to implementing the invention will provide greater benefits. To this end, the computing device  400  would have access to planning application software  416  that embodies the planning method  100  and to a database management system  418  for storing, accessing and manipulating the data relevant to the planning method  100 . As best seen in  FIG. 5 , the planning application software  416  and the database management system  418  can interact with the computing device  400  via the operating system  414 . As will be described in greater detail below, the planning application software  416 , the database management system  418 , and the relevant data may in whole or in part be remote from the computing device  400  and accessible through the network interface  412  or local to the computing device  400 , for example stored on the mass storage  408  device. In this regard, the planning application software  416 , the database management system  418 , and the relevant data may be encoded on one or more computer readable media, including solid-state memory circuits, magnetic storage media, optical storage media, and electromagnetic carrier waves or any other suitable read-only or read/write medium.  
         [0000]     (f) Network  
         [0188]     Although a single computing device  400  could deliver benefits in implementing the invention, those skilled in the art will appreciate that the invention lends itself particularly well to implementation over a computer network, generally illustrated at  420 . The computer network  420  might include a local area network  422 , a virtual private network  424 , and an internetwork  426 , for example the Internet.  
         [0189]     The local area network  422  may connect the computing device  400  to a workstation  440 , a wireless tablet  442 , and a file server  444  through a router  446 , thus for example facilitating cooperation between planners in the reception area  306 , the research area  314 , and the planning area  310  in the facilities  300 .  
         [0190]     The router  446  also connects the local area network  422  to the internetwork  426  through a firewall  448 , thus facilitating wider collaboration in the planning process.  
         [0191]     For example, a planner with a laptop computer  450  connected to the local area network  422  through the virtual private network  424  could assist in planning from a remote location, for example investigating resources out in the community or meeting with a client in the client&#39;s home or another location convenient or comfortable for the client.  
         [0192]     A supplier or other partner might connect his inventory computer  452  through a firewall  454  to the local area network  422 , thus making his inventory information known for the purpose of matching available resources to resource-requirements and even for the purpose of executing a transaction to obtain the matched resources. Some or all of this inventory might be the partner&#39;s own property, or else it might be the property of other entities on behalf of whom the partner provides advertisement or extends an offer for sale or other transaction.  
         [0193]     A data-broker or government agency might allow the local area network  422  to connect to its data-server  456  through the internetwork  426  and a firewall  458  to access its collection of data, for example geo-historical data  210  and indices relevant to generic actions being planned.  
         [0194]     And finally, an application service provider might allow the local area network  422  to connect to its application-server  460  through the internetwork  426  and a firewall  462  to access planning application software  416  should it be desirable to host the application remotely.  
         [0000]     (g) Databases  
         [0195]     Thus it will be seen that some or all of the planning application software  416  and some or all of the database management system  418  may reside locally on the computing device  400  or may be distributed about the computer network  420 , accessed for example, via application program interfaces.  
         [0196]      FIG. 6  illustrates the database management system  418  in greater detail. The database management system  418  controls the storage, access and manipulation of data relevant to the planning method  100 . The relevant data may be stored in a set of databases  600  that may be related to each other as is well-known in the art. The databases  600  might be relational databases, object-oriented databases, or object-relational databases, for example.  
         [0197]     According to one embodiment, the set of databases  600  would include a Project ID database  602 , a Facts database  604 , a Goals database  606 , an Objectives database  608 , an Actions database  610 , a Tasks database  612 , a Resources database  614 , a Guidelines database  616 , a Geo-historical database  618 , and an Aggregate Statistics database  620 , as will be described in greater detail below. The Goals database  606 , the Objectives database  608 , the Actions database  610 , the Tasks database  612 , the Resources database  614  might for example include data pertaining to their planned values and actual values, statistics defining the differences between the planned and actual values, and notes describing progress, performance, the values and the statistics.  
         [0000]     (h) Forms  
         [0198]      FIG. 7  shows a Project Select view, generally illustrated at  700 , into the Project ID database  602 . The Project Select view  700  enables a user to select a project to plan or track.  
         [0199]     The Project Select view  700  includes a project query region  702  that includes a Project ID field  704 , a contact Last Name field  706  and a contact First Name field  708 . Values entered in any of these fields will cause the Project ID database  602  to be searched for an associated project. If an associated project is located, then contact details will be displayed in a contact details region  710  so that the user can confirm the located project is the one he is searching for. If no project is located, then the user can input contact details in the contact details region  710  to create a new project.  
         [0200]     The Project Select view  700  includes a project Open button  712 , a project Report button  714  and a project Cancel button  716 .  
         [0201]     The project Open button  712  opens for processing the selected project identified in the project query region  702  and the contact details region  710 , whether that be an existing project that was located by search query or a brand new project. More particularly, a Project Profile view  800  is opened, as will be described in greater detail with reference to  FIG. 8 .  
         [0202]     The project Report button  714  invokes a report builder for reporting on the selected project, as will be more fully described with respect to  FIG. 17 .  
         [0203]     The project Cancel button  716  closes the Project Select view  700  without action.  
         [0204]      FIG. 8  shows the Project Profile view, generally illustrated at  800 , into the Project ID database  602 , Facts database  604  and the Goals database  606 . The Project Profile view  800  enables a user to plan a project at its highest level, identifying and analyzing facts about the project and establishing a set of goals for the project.  
         [0205]     The Project Profile view  800  includes a plan period field  802 , an update date field  804 , a facts region  806  and a goals summary region  808 .  
         [0206]     The plan period field  802  documents the start date, end data and period of the plan. The update date field  804  documents the last time that a change was made to the plan for the project.  
         [0207]     The facts region  806  documents salient facts about the project, for example in the embodiment illustrated that the project relates to a 35 year old man (named John Smith  708 ,  706 ) who has Downs Syndrome, has limited experience meeting his own needs, and currently lives with his mother 79 and father 84.  
         [0208]     As illustrated, the facts region  806  is a simple memo field supporting freeform documentation of facts; however, the facts region  806  might also include prompts and static or dynamic templates to guide users through the investigation and analysis of the facts that are most salient to the project.  
         [0209]     The goals summary region  808  documents to level goals for the project, for example as illustrated, that John live independently, that he increase his social network, and that he improve his aerobic health.  
         [0210]     Revisions to the data presented in the Project Profile view  800  can be saved to the appropriate set of databases  600  through the database management system  418  by activating the project profile Save button  810 . Alternatively, such revisions can be discarded by activating the project profile Cancel button  812 .  
         [0211]     Any one of the goals documented in the goals summary region  808  may be selected for further processing upon activation of the Objectives button  814 . More particularly, a Goal Planner view  900  will be opened, as is described more thoroughly with respect to  FIG. 9 . In the embodiment illustrated, the goal selected for further processing is for John to live independently.  
         [0212]      FIG. 9  shows the Goal Planner view, generally illustrated at  900 , into the Goals database  606  and the Objectives database  608  The Goal Planner view  900  enables a user to define measurable objectives for the selected goal.  
         [0213]     The Goal Planner view  900  includes a goal field  902  and an objectives table  904 , wherein each objective has its own objective-row  906  that intersects a planned-column  908  and an actual-column  910 .  
         [0214]     The goal field  902  identifies the currently selected goal being processed.  
         [0215]     The objectives table  904  documents the objects by which the currently selected goal will be measured, the planned-column  908  documenting the objective as originally expressed and the actual-column  910  documenting how closely the objective was achieved. In the example embodied there are two objectives, namely that John live in his own apartment by Dec. 31, 2006 and that he obtain a paying job by Dec. 31, 2006.  
         [0216]     As illustrated, the objectives table  904  is a simple table; however, it might also include prompts and static or dynamic templates to guide users through the definition of meaningful measurable objectives for the selected goal.  
         [0217]     Revisions to the data presented in the Goal Planner view  900  can be saved to the appropriate set of databases  600  through the database management system  418  by activating the goal planner Save button  912 . Alternatively, such revisions can be discarded by activating the goal planner Cancel button  914 .  
         [0218]     Any one of the objectives documented in the objectives table  904  may be selected for further processing upon activation of the Actions button  916 . More particularly, an Action Planner view  1000  will be opened, as is described more thoroughly with respect to  FIG. 10 . In the embodiment illustrated, the objective selected for further processing is for John to live in his own apartment by Dec. 31, 2006.  
         [0219]      FIG. 10  shows the Action Planner view, generally illustrated at  1000 , into the Objectives database  608 , the Actions database  610 , and the Guidelines database  616 . The Action Planner view  1000  enables a user to define schedule actions to accomplish the selected objective.  
         [0220]     The Action Planner view  1000  includes an objective field  1002  and an actions table  1004 , wherein each action has its own action-row  1006  that intersects a planned-column  1008 , a guidelines-column  1010  and an actual-column  1012 .  
         [0221]     The objective field  1002  identifies the currently selected objective being processed.  
         [0222]     The actions table  1004  documents the actions scheduled to accomplish the currently selected objective, the planned-column  1008  documenting the action as originally expressed, the guidelines-column  1010  providing advice or constraints on scheduling such actions, and the actual-column  1012  documenting how closely the action was accomplished. In the example embodied there are six actions scheduled to accomplish the objective that John live in his own apartment by Dec. 31, 2006, namely that he locate an apartment by Nov. 31, 2006, that he pay a security deposit by Nov. 31, 2006, that he arrange his move by Dec. 15, 2006, that he move into the apartment by Dec. 31, 2006, that he pay rent each month, and that he purchase groceries each week.  
         [0223]     As illustrated, the actions table  1004  is a simple table; however, it might also include prompts and static or dynamic templates to guide users through the definition of meaningful measurable objectives for the selected goal. The guidelines in the guidelines-column  1010  might either be entered manually or extracted automatically from the guidelines database  616 .  
         [0224]     Data entered or revised in the Action Planner view  1000  can be saved to the appropriate set of databases  600  through the database management system  418  by activating a Save button  1014 . Alternatively, such revisions can be discarded by activating a Cancel button  1016 .  
         [0225]     Any one of the actions documented in the actions table  1004  may be selected for further processing. Upon activation of a Budget button  1018 , an Action Estimator view  1100  will be opened, as is described more thoroughly with respect to  FIG. 11 . Alternatively, upon activation of a Tasks button  1020 , a Task Planner view  1300  will be opened, as is described more thoroughly with respect to  FIG. 13 . In general terms, one would activate the Budget button  1018  to directly budget a generic action but would activate the Tasks button  1020  to deconstruct a unique action into a list of tasks to be budgeted.  
         [0226]     In the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 10 , the action “Pay rent each month” has been selected and the Budget button  1018  activated.  
         [0227]      FIG. 11  shows the Action Estimator view  1100 , generally illustrated at  1100 , into the Actions database  610 , the Resources database  614  and the Geo-historical database  618 . The Action Estimator view  1100  enables a user to quickly and simply budget resources for generic actions.  
         [0228]     The Acton Estimator view  1100  includes an action field  1102 , a generic-action selector  1104 , a geographic-constraint region  1106 , an historical-constraint region  1108 , and an estimate field  1110 .  
         [0229]     The action field  1102  identifies the currently selected action that is being budgeted.  
         [0230]     The generic-action selector  1104  presents a list of generic actions for which budgeting statistics are accessible. To make use of the Action Estimator view  1100  as a quick and simply way to budget resources, the user selects one of the listed generic action to match the action being budgeted. If the user determines that no suitable match exists, then the action must be budgeted through deconstruction into tasks, as will be described further below. As illustrated, the user has selected the generic action “Pay rent” to match the action “Pay rent each month”.  
         [0231]     The geographic-constraint region  1106  presents geographic constraints for filtering the geo-historical data to extract a more relevant and accurate subset. For example, the user might set a city constraint  1112 , a county constraint  1114 , a state constraint  1116  or a ZIP-code constraint  1118 , as illustrated, Seattle, King County, Wash., 98101-1688.  
         [0232]     The historical-constraint region  1108  presents historical constraints for filtering the geo-historical data to extract a more relevant and accurate subset. For example, the user might set data-collection-date constraints  1120 , as illustrated constraining the data to that collected for the years 2004 and 2005.  
         [0233]     The historical-constraint region  1108  also includes an index-adjustment selector  1122  for selecting whether or not to post-process the data with an index adjustment, for example as illustrated, the Consumer Price Index.  
         [0234]     The estimate field  1110  presents an estimated cost for the action being budgeted, based upon the geo-historical data maintained in the geo-historical database  618  as configured by the settings of the geographic-constraint region  1106 , the historical-constraint region  1108 , and the index-adjustment selector  1122 .  
         [0235]     Data entered or revised in the Action Estimator view  1100  can be saved to the appropriate set of databases  600  through the database management system  418  by activating a Save button  1124 . Alternatively, such revisions can be discarded by activating a Cancel button  1126 . In one embodiment of the invention, the saved data will include no only the estimated cost for the action, but also a list of component tasks for executing the action.  
         [0236]     Referring now to  FIG. 12 , the Action Planner view  1000  is illustrated in a different state than was illustrated in  FIG. 10 . As illustrated in  FIG. 12 , the action “Purchase groceries each week” task has been selected and the Tasks button  1020  has been activated, which causes a Task Planner view  1300  to be opened.  
         [0237]      FIG. 13  shows the Task Planner view, generally illustrated at  1300 , into the Actions database  610  and the Tasks database  612 . The Task Planner view  1300  enables a user to divide the selected action into a list of component tasks.  
         [0238]     The Task Planner view  1300  includes an action field  1302  and tasks table  1304 , wherein each task has its own task-row  1306  that intersects a planned-column  1308  and an actual-column  1310 .  
         [0239]     The action field  1302  identifies the currently selected action being deconstructed.  
         [0240]     The tasks table  1304  documents a list of tasks to accomplish the currently selected action, the planned-column  1308  documenting each task as originally expressed and the actual-column  1310  documenting how closely the task was accomplished. In the example embodied there are seven tasks listed to accomplish the action of John purchasing groceries each week, namely to: plan a weekly menu with budget, to create a shopping list, to travel to a grocery store, to select groceries, to pay for the groceries, to travel home with the groceries, and to store the groceries appropriately.  
         [0241]     As illustrated, the tasks table  1304  is a simple table; however, it might also include prompts and static or dynamic templates to guide users through the division of an action into tasks.  
         [0242]     Data entered or revised in the Task Planner view  1300  can be saved to the appropriate set of databases  600  through the database management system  418  by activating a Save button  1312 . Alternatively, such revisions can be discarded by activating a Cancel button  1314 .  
         [0243]     Any one of the tasks documented in the tasks table  1304  may be selected for further processing. Upon activation of a +Resource button  1316 , a Resource Specifier view  1400  will be opened, as is described more thoroughly with respect to  FIG. 14 . Alternatively, upon activation of an Estimate button  1318 , a Task Estimator view  1600  will be opened, as is described more thoroughly with respect to  FIG. 16 . In general terms, one would activate the +Resource button  1316  to budget resources to the selected task and would activate the Estimate button  1318  to estimate the total cost of all of the resources budgeted to the selected task. In the embodiment illustrated in  FIG. 14 , the task “Plan weekly menu within budget” has been selected.  
         [0244]      FIG. 14  shows the Resource Specifier view, generally illustrated at  1400 , into the Tasks database  612 , the Resources database  614 , and the Guidelines database  616 . The Resource Specifier view  1400  enables a user to specify the nature of any resource required to complete the selected task.  
         [0245]     The Resource Specifier view  1400  includes a task field  1402 , a resource-type selector  1404 , a resource-name field  1406 , and resource-specification table  1408 , wherein each dimension of the resource-specification is described by a dimension-column  1410 , a guidelines-column  1412  and a specification-column  1414 .  
         [0246]     The task field  1402  identifies the currently selected task for which resources are being budgeted.  
         [0247]     The resource-type selector  1404  designates whether the resource being specified is a product or a service. The resource-type may affect what dimensions are specified for a resource and may affect how available resources are matched to resource-requirements. For example, it may be easier to locate non-market service-resources than product-resources, and so cost may be a more critical factor in matching products than services.  
         [0248]     The resource-name field  1406  identifies the resource-requirement currently being specified. The resource-requirement and its name can be defined from scratch in the Resource Specifier view  1400  or else can be retrieve from a pre-existing list of resource-requirements from the resources database  614 . If a user has been granted sufficient access privileges, he may modify any of the pre-existing resource-requirements. In this embodiment, the resource-requirement being specified is named a “Menu-Planning Helper”.  
         [0249]     The resource-specification table  1408  documents the characteristics required of a resource to support the selected task. The dimension-column  1410  identifies the dimensions being specified, those illustrated being “duration”, “frequency”, “cost”, “quality”, “desirable extras”, and “backup availability”.  
         [0250]     The guidelines-column  1412  provides advice or constraints for each dimension, those illustrated being “duration less than two hours per week unless there are special circumstances”, “frequency at least bi-weekly”, “cost less than $50 per week unless special circumstances”, “quality includes bondability”, “desirable extras include qualification as a dietician”, and “backup availability is desirable but not required”.  
         [0251]     The specification-column  1414  documents the chosen specification for each of the dimensions, as illustrated being “duration is one hour per week”, “frequency is weekly”, “cost is less than $50 per week”, “quality includes bondability or equivalent trustworthiness, for example a close family member”, “desirable extras include qualification as a dietician”, and “backup availability is desirable but not required”.  
         [0252]     As illustrated, the resource-specification table  1408  is a simple table; however, it might also include prompts and static or dynamic templates to guide users through the definition of meaningful measurable objectives for the selected goal. The guidelines in the guidelines-column  1412  might either be entered manually or extracted automatically from the guidelines database  616 .  
         [0253]     Data entered or revised in the Resource Specifier view  1400  can be saved to the appropriate set of databases  600  through the database management system  418  by activating a Save button  1416 . Alternatively, such revisions can be discarded by activating a Cancel button  1418 .  
         [0254]     Furthermore, upon activation of a Budget button  1420 , a Resource Budgeter view  1500  will be opened, as is described more thoroughly with respect to  FIG. 15 .  
         [0255]      FIG. 15  shows the Resource Budgeter view, generally illustrated at  1500 , into the Tasks database  612 , and the Resources database  614  The Resource Budgeter view  1500  enables a user to match an available resource to a selected resource-requirement and the task that it supports.  
         [0256]     The Resource Budgeter view  1500  includes a task field  1502 , a resource-specification field  1504 , and an available-resource table  1506 , wherein each available resource has its own row that is intersected by a resource-name-column  1508 , and a series of dimension-columns  1510 , for example a duration-column  1510   a,  a frequency-column  1510   b,  and a cost-column  1510   c.    
         [0257]     The task field  1502  identifies the currently selected task for which resources are being budgeted, as illustrated “Plan weekly menu within budget”.  
         [0258]     The resource-specification field  1504  identifies the resource specification that is being matched to available resources, as illustrated “Menu-Planning Helper”.  
         [0259]     The available-resource table  1506  details available resources that may satisfy the resource-specification. Such available resource data may be entered manually into the available-resource table  1506  by the user, may be automatically extracted from the resources database  614  or a combination of both. The available resource data may have been received into the resources database  614  from the inventory computer  452  of a supplier or partner, as a matter of general practice or in response to a specific query, for example incorporating the resource-specification. The available-resource table  1506  may highlight one or more available resources as being good prospective matches and may also distinguish non-market from market resources. For convenience of reference, the table may also include a row for the specification and a row for guidelines.  
         [0260]     As illustrated, the available-resource table  1506  is a simple table; however, it might also include prompts and static or dynamic templates to guide users through the matching of an available resource to the selected resource-requirement. The guidelines in the guidelines row might either be entered manually or extracted automatically from the guidelines database  616 .  
         [0261]     Data entered or revised in the Resource Budgeter view  1500  can be saved to the appropriate set of databases  600  through the database management system  418  by activating a Save button  1512 . Alternatively, such revisions can be discarded by activating a Cancel button  1514 .  
         [0262]     Furthermore, upon selecting one of the available resources and activating a Match button  1516 , the selected available resource will be matched to the resource-requirement and hence the task being budgeted. As illustrated, non-market resource “Cousin Gertrude” has been matched to visit John weekly for one hour to help him plan his menu and will charge nothing more than $1 for gasoline expenses.  
         [0263]      FIG. 16  shows the Task Estimator view, generally illustrated at  1600 , into the Tasks database  612  and the Resources database  614 . The Task Estimator view  1600  enables a user to estimate the cost of a task as the sum of the costs of its matched resources. As described above, the Task Estimator view  1600  is opened when the Estimate button  1318  in the Task Planner view  1300  is activated.  
         [0264]     The Task Estimator view  1600  includes a task field  1602 , a matched-resources table  1604  wherein each resource matched to the current task has its own row that is intersected by a specification-name-column  1606 , a matched-resource-name-column  1608 , and a cost-column  1610 . The Task Estimator view  1600  also includes an estimate region  1612 .  
         [0265]     The task field  1602  identifies the current task being estimated, as illustrated being “Plan weekly menu within budget”.  
         [0266]     The matched-resources table  1604  details the available resources that have been budgeted to the task by matching its resource requirements. As illustrated being: “Cousin Gertrude as a Menu Planning Helper charging $1 per week”, “15-minute Meals as a Basic Cookbook which regularly costs $20 but was provided free as a gift”, a “Weekly Whiteboard to provide a Menu Plan Template and costing $20”, and a “Staedtler® Marker as an Erasable Marker for use with the Whiteboard and costing $2”.  
         [0267]     The estimate region  1612  sums the costs of the various matched resources, and as illustrated includes a fixed-cost field  1614 , a daily-cost field  1616 , a weekly-cost field  1618 , a monthly-cost field  1620 , a yearly-cost field  1622  and a non-market savings field  1624 . As illustrated, the estimated cost for the task “Plan weekly menu within budget” is a $ 20  fixed cost attributable to the Weekly Whiteboard, a $1 weekly cost attributable to Cousin Gertrude&#39;s gasoline expenses, a $2 yearly cost attributable to the Staedtler® Marker, and a $68 non-market savings attributed to the gifted 15-minute Meals Basic Cookbook and Cousin Gertrude volunteering her help.  
         [0268]     If a user is unhappy with the estimate, he can select one of the rows of the matched-resources table  1604  and activate a Rematch button  1630 , which will reopen the Resource Budgeter view  1500  for the resource requirement specification identified in the specification-name-column  1606  of the selected row.  
         [0269]     Data entered or revised in the Task Estimator view  1600  can be saved to the appropriate set of databases  600  through the database management system  418  by activating a Save button  1626 . Alternatively, such revisions can be discarded by activating a Cancel button  1628 .  
         [0270]      FIG. 17  shows a Report Builder view, generally illustrated at  1700 , that enables a user to configure a report on a project and its plan. As discussed above, the Report Builder view  1700  opens in response to activating the Report button  714  in the Project Select view  700 .  
         [0271]     The Report Builder view  1700  includes a basic information region  1702 , a detailed information region  1704 , and a supplementary region  1706 .  
         [0272]     The basic information region  1702  includes controls for designating whether or not to report the Project ID and contact person, contact details for the contact person, and the salient facts of the project.  
         [0273]     The detailed information region  1704  includes controls for designating whether or not to report the goals, objectives, actions, tasks, and resources for a project, and if so, whether to also report the actual performance, performance statistics, and explanatory notes.  
         [0274]     The supplementary region  1706  includes controls for designating whether or not to report the audit trail of all additions, revisions, and deletions to the project plan and whether or not to export data from the project for aggregation across multiple projects and plans. It will be appreciated that such aggregation of pertinent data may over time generate custom data sets against which otherwise unique actions could be measured generically.  
         [0275]     Designations made in the Report Builder view  1700  can be saved for convenient reuse by activating a Save button  1708  or alternatively discarded by activating a Cancel button  1710 . The designated report can be printed to a computer screen by activating a Preview button  1712  or on a printer by activating a Print button  1714 .  
       (i) DESCRIPTION SUMMARY  
       [0276]     Thus, it will be seen from the foregoing embodiments and examples that there has been described a way of planning and more particularly a way of planning to meet the needs of people with special needs living within a community, for example, people working to overcome developmental disabilities.  
         [0277]     However, while the invention has been described as having particular application for planning to meet the needs of clients having developmental disabilities, those skilled in the art will recognize that the invention has wider application, for example helping seniors to live reasonably independently in their own homes, foster children to grow into strong adults, juvenile criminals to get their lives back on track, and more generally, assisting clients in a community to meet any kind of goal, for example obtaining qualifications, improving health, losing weight or overcoming an addiction.  
         [0278]     While specific embodiments of the invention have been described and illustrated, such embodiments should be considered illustrative of the invention only and not as limiting the invention as construed in accordance with the accompanying claims. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications and substitutions can be made to the foregoing embodiments without departing from the principle and scope of the invention expressed in the claims made herein.  
         [0279]     In particular, it will be appreciated that, because there are a number of stakeholders in many such planning processes, decision-making may be distributed. To reflect this arrangement, some of the illustrated embodiments showed input or constraints provided by stakeholders other than the nominal decision-maker, for example in the form of guidelines provided by government overseers or funding sources. In this regard, those skilled in the art will realize that input, constraints or guidelines could be provided for any of the steps in the planning method, whether or not illustrated by specific embodiments.