Method and system for the management of professional services project information

Abstract

A method and system are provided for the transfer and/or aggregation of data and, in particular, integrating data used in managing a professional services practice. The invention preferably transfers and/or aggregates data relating to the identity of client and matters for whom professional services are being rendered with data relating to the work which data may be maintained in inconsistent, proprietary formats, comprising one or more of the following types of information: accounting; budgeting; docketing; time and billing; work product; word processing; records; project management; and/or other information relating to the professional services. The system of the present invention preferably comprises data storage and data processing means adapted to use the data in substantially portable and/or application-independent format, and/or and transfer or aggregate data between common, and/or proprietary data formats.

Description

PRIOR APPLICATION[0001]This application is a division of and claims priority to U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10 / 315,160, filed Dec. 10, 2002 claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 60 / 337,158, filed Dec. 10, 2001, each of which applications is incorporated by reference, as if fully set forth herein.FIELD OF THE INVENTION[0002]The present invention relates to a method and system for, and apparatus adapted to, manage information used in a business and, in particular, a professional services practice. The present invention preferably facilitates the transfer, compilation, aggregation, integration, and / or distribution of data. The data may be in: one or more software applications; common or proprietary, structured or unstructured, formats; centralized or distributed database(s); and / or compatible or incompatible formats.[0003]Data typically must be transferred, cleaned, converted, and / or coded from a native format into the recipient's format, before it can be used by the...

AI Technical Summary

Benefits of technology

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Problems solved by technology

These applications are not adapted to, and in many instances, are not capable of, cooperating or communicating with one another.

The architecture of computer networks has compounded the difficulties of managing these disparate systems.

Apart from the substantial challenges this imposes on network managers and systems administrators, it has made the ready transferability of data between components more difficult, if not impossible.

Typically the data was maintained in a format that was proprietary and, in some cases, exclusive to the single application, or at least not readily portable to other applications.

While these restrictions help preserve the security, integrity, and reliability of the data, they impair the transferability of the data.

Yet, these systems generally remain: proprietary; rigid in their formatting; and rigid in their ability to transfer or exchange information with other software applications and to accept related project management and/or financial information.

Extranets remain complex and limited in their functionality.

Web-based systems have not resolved the fundamental problem that pertinent data is stored in multiple inconsistent formats.

The rigidity of most docketing systems, however, impairs or prevents the data from being readily exchanged with other applications.

Consequently, data is typically manually transferred (cut and pasted) or simply key-entered repeatedly in each application in which it is needed, presenting multiple additional opportunities for errors and data corruption.

As a result, the same intended address now resides in multiple locations in the firm's computer network, each likely being different and possibly containing incorrect and inconsistent information, style, and formatting.

At each point where it was entered or used, time is wasted in reentering the same information.

At each entry point, there are new opportunities for additional errors being introduced.

Yet, while the data may be portable between the applications to a greater or lesser degree, incompatibilities remain, that have resulted in corruption or loss of the data, or general protection faults.

For example, errors and inconsistencies frequently result between Palm databases, Notes databases, and relationship management databases that purport to contain the same information.

The data is not reliably transferred between them in practice, due to software flaws and/or incompatibilities.

Moreover, the undue complexity of these systems makes them difficult for even sophisticated users to use competently.

In Applicant's experience, these problems extend to all of the types of data used in a professional service(s) practices.

Even these limited applications, however, encountered substantial problems in transferring data from one application to another prior to the present invention.

Docketing and accounting systems have generally been even more problematic with respect to the portability and/or application-independence of their data.

In a professional services setting, such as law and/or medicine, centralized database applications have generally been disfavored for several reasons.

First, the cost and complexity of these types of integration projects have been prohibitive.

Second, the rapid evolution of hardware and software further contraindicate the massive investment required for centrally integrated databases.

Third, the distributed nature of professional services, as well as security concerns, teach away from massive integration in a professional services setting.

Thus, there has long been an unresolved need for secure, reliable, simple data transfer between applications.

Prior known approaches have failed to meet this long-felt and unresolved need, particularly in a professional service(s) setting.

Professional service(s) markets, therefore, have had to rely on either mass-marketed software applications that are not adapted to their particular needs, and/or customized and/or proprietary solutions that are expensive, complex, and limited in their flexibility and adaptability.

This results in duplication in purchasing and training, while only certain programs or features of each application are actually used.

Rather, each software application is typically written in a different, and incompatible, proprietary format.

These proprietary formats are generally not compatible with other software applications.

In practice, however, this was not the case.

Transferring data was cumbersome, time consuming, and required manual intervention and conversion, typically, with specialized assistance from personnel specifically trained in the proprietary software.

Such incompatibilities regularly cause catastrophic failures.

Nor has the advent of Windows XP and other operating systems resolved these problems.

This marketing simply underscores the failure of prior known approaches to resolve this fundamental and long-felt need.

Moreover, Windows XP continues to suffer faults with a “Task List” interface provided to terminate the offending application(s).

These types of failures are unacceptable in a modern business environment.

Mass-marketed application software companies have not met these challenges.

In reality, mass marketed business application software of the type used in professional services practices has come nowhere near achieving these levels of reliability.

This is wasteful and introduces multiple opportunities for error in data entry, maintenance, and retrieval.

Typically, the more powerful the tool, the more rigorous the training requirements.

PC-based network systems have fostered the proliferation of incompatible, proprietary applications software.

These proprietary systems have resulted in: maintenance problems; undue complexity in systems architecture and design; excessive network systems support requirements; the need for duplicate copies of applications software; increased systems maintenance; increased cost; impaired access to data; increased training time and expense; diversion of professional time to non-productive uses; and, ultimately, impairment of access to the information needed to run the practice or business.

Training time must be balanced against the value of upgrades, which sap even more resources.

As a result, the paperless office never arrived.

The result has been information overload.

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