Patent ID: 8200770

Claim:
A computer-implemented method for assembling a project team using relationships defined in an Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) system, the method comprising: receiving, by one or more processors in the ERP system, a request from a team leader who is seeking individuals having a certain technical experience to work on a project, the request defining individuals having a common attribute for the certain technical experience; identifying, by the one or more processors, and based on the request, a first group of objects corresponding to employees, the identification performed using information in the ERP system obtained by extracting the common attribute from emails of the employees; identifying, by the one or more processors and based on the first group of objects, using employee-manager relationships defined in the ERP system, a secondary group of objects corresponding to managers of the employees; providing, by the one or more processors and based on the secondary group of objects, a survey in the ERP system to the managers of the employees, the survey including at least one structured question regarding which of the employees are eligible to work on the project; receiving, by the one or more processors, responses to the survey from at least some of the managers, the responses indicating eligible employees from among the first group of objects; and storing in the ERP system in response to the request, by the one or more processors and based on the responses, a definition of the project team that includes at least some of the indicated eligible employees.