Patent Publication Number: US-2005137924-A1

Title: Method and System for a resource allocation and analysis decision support tool

Description:
BACKGROUND  
      1. Technical Field  
      Embodiments of the invention relate to the field of project resource tools, and more specifically to a resource allocation and analysis decision support tool.  
      2. Background Information and Description of Related Art  
      Managers as well as individuals in a company desire to optimize the utilization of resources to support various projects and activities. However, the information about resource availability across multiple groups or allocation across multiple projects is often not available. Current tools only offer storage of indicators for a specific project. Information and reports about resource availability and resource allocation across multiple projects is not available in these tools.  
    
    
     BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS  
      The invention may best be understood by referring to the following description and accompanying drawings that are used to illustrate embodiments of the invention. In the drawings:  
       FIG. 1  is a block diagram illustrating one generalized embodiment of a system incorporating the invention.  
       FIG. 2  is an exemplary project information report according to an embodiment of the invention.  
       FIG. 3  is an exemplary resource allocation summary according to an embodiment of the invention.  
       FIG. 4  is an exemplary vacation information report according to an embodiment of the invention.  
       FIG. 5  is an exemplary milestone information report according to an embodiment of the invention.  
       FIG. 6  is a flow diagram illustrating a method according to an embodiment of the invention.  
       FIG. 7  is a block diagram illustrating a suitable computing environment in which certain aspects of the illustrated invention may be practiced.  
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION  
      Embodiments of a system and method for a resource allocation and analysis decision support tool are described. In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth. However, it is understood that embodiments of the invention may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, well-known circuits, structures and techniques have not been shown in detail in order not to obscure the understanding of this description.  
      Reference throughout this specification to “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature, structure, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment is included in at least one embodiment of the invention. Thus, the appearances of the phrases “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” in various places throughout this specification are not necessarily all referring to the same embodiment. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, or characteristics may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments.  
      Referring to  FIG. 1 , a block diagram illustrates a system  100  according to one embodiment of the invention. Those of ordinary skill in the art will appreciate that the system  100  may include more components than those shown in  FIG. 1 . However, it is not necessary that all of these generally conventional components be shown in order to disclose an illustrative embodiment for practicing the invention.  
      System  100  includes a resource allocation and analysis decision support tool  102 . The tool  102  allows management as well as individuals to make informed decisions by optimally utilizing resources to support activities and projects. The tool  102  allows individuals to enter and edit resource and project information, view summaries of resources within multiple organizational levels and projects, view resource availability and vacation time, view project summaries, and generate various other reports. The tool  102  is connected to a web server  104  to allow individuals to enter, edit, and view information over the web. Resource and project information may be stored in a tool database  106 . Information from a human resources (HR) database  108  may be written to the tool database  106  as the information changes. This provides a central repository for resource and project information.  
      Various reports, graphs, and summaries may be generated by the tool  102  according to the user&#39;s needs. These reports may include a list of all projects and whether they are in progress, a list of resources and their availability, a list of resources and their scheduled time off, a list of resources and what projects they are assigned to, a summary of project allocation across organizations, a list of all new projects, a list of project milestones, and a list of project and resource head count. Projects may also be sorted using various criteria, such as size, risk, or priority.  
      Security may be maintained by maintaining a global user list. The user list identifies which level of security the user is entitled to and what role best describes the user. For example, any individual may edit his own resource information, but a manager role may be necessary to edit project information, or a system administrator role may be necessary to edit fields and picklists.  
       FIG. 2  is an exemplary project information report according to an embodiment of the invention. A system administrator may set up different fields for entering information about resources and projects. Picklists for particular fields may also be set up to allow a user to pick from several options. Individuals may then enter data about themselves. Project data may also be entered. Once the data about resources and projects is collected, the tool  102  may generate different summaries and reports for viewing. For example,  FIG. 2  illustrates an exemplary project information report generated by tool  102 . The project information report shown includes various information about different projects currently in progress.  
       FIG. 3  is an exemplary resource allocation summary according to an embodiment of the invention. This summary shows resource allocation information about a specific resource, including the resource&#39;s availability and the resource&#39;s allocation across multiple projects.  
       FIG. 4  is an exemplary vacation information report according to an embodiment of the invention. This report shows the vacation time of multiple resources for a selected time period.  
       FIG. 5  is an exemplary milestone information report according to an embodiment of the invention. This report shows milestone dates and status for projects currently in progress. Various other reports and summaries may be generated to meet the user&#39;s needs.  
       FIG. 6  illustrates a method according to one embodiment of the invention. At  600 , fields for entering data related to projects and resources are created. At  602 , a list of multiple projects based on the data entered in the fields is generated. In one embodiment, a list of projects currently in progress is generated. In one embodiment, a list of new projects that have been started within a selected time frame is generated. In one embodiment, the multiple projects are sorted based on a predetermined criteria, such as priority, size, or risk. At  604 , a viewable and editable list showing which projects each resource is assigned to is generated. In one embodiment, a resource list showing the availability of each resource is generated. The resource list may show the vacation time of each resource. In one embodiment, a milestone list indicating the milestone dates of each of the multiple projects is generated.  
       FIG. 7  is a block diagram illustrating a suitable computing environment in which certain aspects of the illustrated invention may be practiced. In one embodiment, the method described above may be implemented on a computer system  700  having components  702 - 712 , including a processor  702 , a memory  704 , an Input/Output device  706 , a data storage device  712 , and a network interface  710 , coupled to each other via a bus  708 . The components perform their conventional functions known in the art and provide the means for implementing the system  100 . Collectively, these components represent a broad category of hardware systems, including but not limited to general purpose computer systems and specialized packet forwarding devices. It is to be appreciated that various components of computer system  700  may be rearranged, and that certain implementations of the present invention may not require nor include all of the above components. Furthermore, additional components may be included in system  700 , such as additional processors (e.g., a digital signal processor), storage devices, memories, and network or communication interfaces.  
      As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the content for implementing an embodiment of the method of the invention, for example, computer program instructions, may be provided by any machine-readable media which can store data that is accessible by system  100 , as part of or in addition to memory, including but not limited to cartridges, magnetic cassettes, flash memory cards, digital video disks, random access memories (RAMs), read-only memories (ROMs), and the like. In this regard, the system  100  is equipped to communicate with such machine-readable media in a manner well-known in the art.  
      It will be further appreciated by those skilled in the art that the content for implementing an embodiment of the method of the invention may be provided to the system  100  from any external device capable of storing the content and communicating the content to the system  100 . For example, in one embodiment of the invention, the system  100  may be connected to a network, and the content may be stored on any device in the network.  
      While the invention has been described in terms of several embodiments, those of ordinary skill in the art will recognize that the invention is not limited to the embodiments described, but can be practiced with modification and alteration within the spirit and scope of the appended claims. The description is thus to be regarded as illustrative instead of limiting.