Demand Management Methods

Abstract

This application relates to a method for demand management, comprising: receiving demands sent by a demand initiator and constructing all lifecycle nodes of the demand; wherein each lifecycle node is configured with a corresponding demand contact person. This application also determines a stakeholder index for the demand, which represents the degree of influence of stakeholders on the demand. Based on the relative relationship between the stakeholder index and pre-defined high and low decision boundary values, the degree of influence on the stakeholder index is determined, and the notification frequency to the demand contact person is determined based on the degree of influence of the stakeholder index. Real-time notifications are then sent to the demand contact person based on the notification frequency. This application manages each demand contact person based on the demand's stakeholder index, which strengthens the timeliness judgment of demand flow and improves demand processing efficiency.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of requirements management technology, and in particular to a method for requirements management. Background Technology

[0002] Existing requirements management methods focus on ensuring consistency across the requirements lifecycle by layering requirements, understanding their relationship to test execution within the lifecycle, and structuring requirements. However, these methods prioritize the requirements themselves while neglecting the management of intermediaries and stakeholders at each stage of the requirements lifecycle, leading to inefficient requirements flow. Summary of the Invention

[0003] To at least partially overcome the inefficiency of demand flow and real-time synchronization of demand status in related technologies, this application provides a demand management method.

[0004] The proposed solution is as follows:

[0005] A method for demand management includes:

[0006] Receive the request sent by the request initiator;

[0007] Construct all lifecycle nodes of the aforementioned requirement; each lifecycle node is configured with a corresponding requirement contact person.

[0008] Determine the stakeholder index of the demand; the stakeholder index is used to represent the degree to which the demand is influenced by stakeholders;

[0009] The degree of influence on the stakeholder index is determined based on the relative relationship between the stakeholder index and the pre-set high and low decision boundary values.

[0010] The notification frequency for the contact person is determined based on the degree of influence of the stakeholder index, and the contact person is notified in real time based on the notification frequency.

[0011] Preferably, in one possible implementation of this application, determining the stakeholder index of the demand includes:

[0012] Create a stakeholder factor matrix and provide it to each stakeholder; the stakeholder factor matrix includes: at least two influencing factors and different levels of weights assigned to each influencing factor, the different levels of weights corresponding to different index values;

[0013] Based on the stakeholder factor matrix maintained by each stakeholder, the independent index of each stakeholder is obtained;

[0014] The stakeholder index is obtained based on the independent index of each stakeholder.

[0015] Preferably, in one feasible implementation of this application, determining the degree of influence on the stakeholder index based on the relative relationship between the stakeholder index and a pre-set high / low decision boundary value includes:

[0016] If the stakeholder index is less than a pre-set low decision boundary value, then the impact of the stakeholder index is determined to be low.

[0017] If the stakeholder index falls within the range of a pre-defined low decision boundary value and a pre-defined high decision boundary value, then the degree of influence of the stakeholder index is determined.

[0018] If the stakeholder index is greater than a pre-set high decision boundary value, then the stakeholder index is determined to have a high degree of influence.

[0019] Preferably, in one possible implementation of this application, it further includes:

[0020] Maintain the dependencies of the requirements and determine the dependent requirements of the requirements; the dependent requirements include: pre-dependent requirements and post-dependent requirements;

[0021] The requirements and their dependent requirements are associated with and integrated with the relevant stakeholders, lifecycle nodes, and other relevant information.

[0022] Obtain the current lifecycle node status, outputs, and immediate notifications of the aforementioned prerequisite dependencies;

[0023] The current lifecycle node status, outputs, and immediate notifications of the preceding dependent requirement are sent to the requirement contact person associated with the current lifecycle node of the preceding dependent requirement.

[0024] Preferably, in one possible implementation of this application, it further includes:

[0025] Send the output, current status, and immediate notification of the required information to the subsequent dependent requirements.

[0026] Preferably, in one possible implementation of this application, it further includes:

[0027] Calculate the processing time for each lifecycle node of the requirement;

[0028] Calculate the overall delivery efficiency of the requirement based on the processing time of each lifecycle node of the requirement;

[0029] Generate a visual view to show the processing time of each lifecycle node of the requirement, as well as the overall delivery efficiency of the requirement.

[0030] Preferably, in one possible implementation of this application, it further includes:

[0031] When the request flows to the current lifecycle node, a real-time message is pushed to the person in charge of the request at the current lifecycle node.

[0032] Preferably, in one possible implementation of this application, it further includes:

[0033] During the flow of the demand, the different degrees of influence of the stakeholder index are marked with different diagrams.

[0034] The technical solution provided in this application can include the following beneficial effects: In the requirement management method of this application, requirements sent by requirement initiators are received, and all lifecycle nodes of the requirement are constructed; wherein, each lifecycle node is configured with a corresponding requirement contact person. This application also determines the stakeholder index of the requirement, which is used to represent the degree of influence of stakeholders on the requirement. Based on the relative relationship between the stakeholder index and pre-set high and low decision boundary values, the degree of influence on the stakeholder index is determined, and the notification frequency to the requirement contact person is determined based on the degree of influence of the stakeholder index. Real-time notifications are then sent to the requirement contact person based on the notification frequency. This application manages each requirement contact person according to the requirement's stakeholder index, which strengthens the timeliness judgment of requirement flow and improves requirement processing efficiency.

[0035] It should be understood that the above general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only, and do not limit this application. Attached Figure Description

[0036] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and form part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with this application and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of this application.

[0037] Figure 1 This is a flowchart illustrating a demand management method provided in one embodiment of this application;

[0038] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the entire lifecycle nodes of a requirement provided in one embodiment of this application;

[0039] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of a stakeholder factor matrix provided in one embodiment of this application. Detailed Implementation

[0040] Exemplary embodiments will now be described in detail, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. When the following description relates to the drawings, unless otherwise indicated, the same numbers in different drawings denote the same or similar elements. The embodiments described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all embodiments consistent with this application. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatuses and methods consistent with some aspects of this application as detailed in the appended claims.

[0041] A method for demand management, referring to Figure 1 ,include:

[0042] S11: Receive the request sent by the request initiator;

[0043] Since the rapid development of the internet starting in the 1960s, followed by the emergence of mobile internet, a large number of technology companies have arisen. Software engineering, as a management method for solving the production and invention processes of internet companies, has also undergone decades of continuous development. With the increasingly rapid pace of technological iteration, improving the efficiency of demand alignment and delivery allows for faster market response, enabling companies to stay ahead of the competition. This embodiment provides a demand management method based on the above-mentioned needs.

[0044] Request initiators can submit and send requests they wish to connect with in the request matching management system. Requests include necessary attributes such as: an overview of the request, priority, contact person, detailed description of the request, and value level.

[0045] S12: Construct all lifecycle nodes of the requirement; each lifecycle node is configured with a corresponding requirement contact person;

[0046] Reference Figure 2 The entire lifecycle of a requirement includes at least the following stages: requirement initiation, requirement assessment, requirement design, requirement scheduling, requirement development, requirement testing, requirement release, and requirement acceptance.

[0047] After a requirement is submitted, the system will push the requirement to the requirement analyst's IM tool (real-time communication tool) through the message center IM-API interface. Upon receiving the requirement, the requirement analyst can access the system via a link pushed from the IM tool to evaluate and design the requirement.

[0048] Once the design is completed and submitted, the requirements will automatically be routed to the designated person in charge of the requirements, and the requirement's pending scheduling status will be pushed to the person in charge's instant messaging tool.

[0049] After the requirement manager conducts an offline requirement review, the requirement can be transferred in the system to enter the requirement development stage. The detailed schedule of the requirement is pushed through the message center via IM tool, and the development manager follows up on the development according to the plan.

[0050] After development is completed, the requirements are submitted for testing through the system and then transferred to the quality engineer. The quality engineer obtains the information that testing can begin through the IM tool, and the requirements enter the requirements testing node.

[0051] Once the IM tool testing is complete, the version administrator will be notified to release it online. The system will automatically push the release status to the request initiator for requirement acceptance.

[0052] Preferably, in this embodiment, when the demand flows to the current lifecycle node, a real-time message is pushed to the demand contact person corresponding to the current lifecycle node.

[0053] Once a requirement is transferred to a node, its status needs to be communicated to the relevant node's contact person via IM tools as soon as possible, and the outputs of each node should be delivered in the system.

[0054] Preferably, this embodiment also provides a one-click reminder function, which can send a reminder message to the contact person's IM tool to expedite the process if the contact person fails to respond within a preset time.

[0055] S13: Determine the stakeholder index for demand; the stakeholder index is used to indicate the degree to which demand is influenced by stakeholders.

[0056] Specifically:

[0057] Create a stakeholder factor matrix and provide it to each stakeholder; the stakeholder factor matrix includes: at least two influencing factors and different levels of weights assigned to each influencing factor, with different levels of weights corresponding to different index values;

[0058] Based on the stakeholder factor matrix maintained by each stakeholder, the independent index of each stakeholder is obtained;

[0059] The stakeholder index is obtained based on the independent indices of each stakeholder.

[0060] In this embodiment, stakeholders refer to personnel related to the requirements, including but not limited to the person who proposes the requirements, requirements analysts, developers, testers, project managers, and personnel who have already paid attention to the requirements.

[0061] like Figure 3As shown, in addition to managing the contact persons for request handling, this embodiment also provides a stakeholder factor matrix. By weighting stakeholders during the request execution process, the timeliness of request flow is enhanced, thereby improving request efficiency. By setting up the matrix to form a two-dimensional factor matrix, it is possible to generate, but is not limited to, a rights and interests matrix, an influence and support matrix, etc.

[0062] Each stakeholder can independently maintain a stakeholder factor matrix, with each factor corresponding to three weights: high, medium, and low. Different weights correspond to different index values. The stakeholder index for a given demand is the weighted sum of the index values ​​from all stakeholder factor matrices.

[0063] Stakeholder index can be used (n∈(1,+∞) means that n is the number of stakeholders.)

[0064] S14: Determine the degree of influence on the stakeholder index based on the relative relationship between the stakeholder index and the pre-set high and low decision boundary values;

[0065] Specifically:

[0066] If several stakeholder indices are less than the pre-set low decision boundary value, then the impact of the stakeholder indices is determined to be low.

[0067] If several stakeholder indices fall within a pre-defined low decision boundary value and a pre-defined high decision boundary value range, then the degree of influence of the stakeholder indices is determined.

[0068] If several stakeholder indices exceed the pre-set high decision boundary value, then the stakeholder indices are considered to have a high degree of influence.

[0069] In this embodiment, the high and low decision boundary values ​​are preset and will not change with demand. They are maintained according to the product to which this demand belongs, and the same high and low decision boundary values ​​are used for the same product.

[0070] High and low decision boundary values ​​include high decision boundary values ​​and low decision boundary values.

[0071] 1) When the stakeholder index is less than the low decision boundary value, the impact of the stakeholder index is low;

[0072] 2) Stakeholder index ∈ (low decision boundary value, high decision boundary value), stakeholder influence is moderate;

[0073] 3) Stakeholder index > high decision boundary value, stakeholder influence is high.

[0074] Preferably, during the flow of demand, the different degrees of influence of the stakeholder index are marked with different diagrams.

[0075] In this embodiment, a visualized view of stakeholder index analysis results is provided to indicate the degree to which the needs of the contact person are affected by stakeholders.

[0076] S15: Determine the notification frequency to the contact person based on the impact of the stakeholder index, and notify the contact person in real time based on the notification frequency.

[0077] In this embodiment, different stakeholder indices will lead to different stakeholder impacts. Different stakeholder impacts will trigger real-time notifications from IM tools at different frequencies, ensuring that the importance of the requirement can be promptly communicated to the relevant person, so that the requirement can be addressed in a timely manner, thereby improving the efficiency of requirement coordination.

[0078] The demand management method in this embodiment includes: receiving demands sent by a demand initiator and constructing all lifecycle nodes of the demand; wherein each lifecycle node is configured with a corresponding demand contact person. This application also determines a stakeholder index for the demand, which represents the degree of influence of stakeholders on the demand. Based on the relative relationship between the stakeholder index and pre-set high / low decision boundary values, the degree of influence on the stakeholder index is determined. The notification frequency to the demand contact person is determined based on the degree of influence of the stakeholder index, and the demand contact person is notified in real time based on the notification frequency. This application manages each demand contact person based on the demand's stakeholder index, which strengthens the timeliness judgment of demand flow and improves demand processing efficiency.

[0079] The demand management method in some embodiments further includes:

[0080] Maintain the dependencies between requirements and identify the dependent requirements; dependent requirements include: pre-dependent requirements and post-dependent requirements.

[0081] Connect and integrate the requirements and their dependents, the stakeholders, and each lifecycle node.

[0082] Get the current lifecycle node status, outputs, and immediate notifications of the preceding dependent requirements;

[0083] Send the current lifecycle node status, outputs, and immediate notifications of the preceding dependent requirements to the corresponding requirement contact person associated with the current lifecycle node of the preceding dependent requirements.

[0084] Furthermore, the methods also include:

[0085] Send the required outputs, current status, and immediate notifications to subsequent dependent requirements.

[0086] The dependencies between requirements are many-to-many, and the dependencies have a pre- and post-dependent relationship. That is, the current requirement may depend on both pre- and post-dependent requirements.

[0087] Following the requirements assessment and design phase, the current requirement can identify and associate dependent requirements. If the current requirement is a subsequent requirement, the relevant contact person for the current requirement can automatically obtain the outputs, status, and notifications of the preceding requirements.

[0088] Furthermore, subsequent requirements can also obtain outputs, statuses, and notifications from current requirements.

[0089] The demand management method in some embodiments further includes:

[0090] Processing time for each lifecycle node of the computing requirement;

[0091] Calculate the overall delivery efficiency of the requirement based on the processing time of each lifecycle node.

[0092] Generate a visual view to show the processing time of each lifecycle node of the requirement, as well as the overall delivery efficiency of the requirement.

[0093] In this embodiment, the processing time for each lifecycle node of the computational requirement is as follows:

[0094] The required single-node connection time is (T) 后节点结束 -T 前节点结束 (T represents the date and time). In this embodiment, the overall delivery efficiency of the requirement is also calculated based on the processing time of each lifecycle node of the requirement:

[0095] Overall demand delivery efficiency is (n is the number of lifecycle nodes).

[0096] Preferably, the visualization view in this embodiment is a Gantt chart. In this embodiment, a Gantt chart of the demand process is automatically generated based on the measurement results. This allows for a direct view of the processing time of each node in the demand lifecycle, which helps to determine the processing efficiency of each node and identify bottlenecks that can be improved.

[0097] Preferably, if dependencies between different needs are established, this embodiment can also provide the splicing of a Gantt chart of demand history dependencies.

[0098] It is understood that the same or similar parts in the above embodiments can be referred to each other, and the contents not described in detail in some embodiments can be referred to the same or similar contents in other embodiments.

[0099] It should be noted that in the description of this application, the terms "first," "second," etc., are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance. Furthermore, in the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, "a plurality of" means at least two.

[0100] Any process or method described in the flowchart or otherwise herein can be understood as representing a module, segment, or portion of code comprising one or more executable instructions for implementing a particular logical function or process, and the scope of the preferred embodiments of this application includes additional implementations in which functions may be performed not in the order shown or discussed, including substantially simultaneously or in reverse order depending on the function involved, as will be understood by those skilled in the art to which embodiments of this application pertain.

[0101] It should be understood that various parts of this application can be implemented using hardware, software, firmware, or a combination thereof. In the above embodiments, multiple steps or methods can be implemented using software or firmware stored in memory and executed by a suitable instruction execution system. For example, if implemented in hardware, as in another embodiment, it can be implemented using any one or a combination of the following techniques known in the art: discrete logic circuits having logic gates for implementing logical functions on data signals, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs) having suitable combinational logic gates, programmable gate arrays (PGAs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), etc.

[0102] Those skilled in the art will understand that all or part of the steps of the methods in the above embodiments can be implemented by a program instructing related hardware. The program can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium, and when executed, the program includes one or a combination of the steps of the method embodiments.

[0103] Furthermore, the functional units in the various embodiments of this application can be integrated into a processing module, or each unit can exist physically separately, or two or more units can be integrated into a module. The integrated module can be implemented in hardware or as a software functional module. If the integrated module is implemented as a software functional module and sold or used as an independent product, it can also be stored in a computer-readable storage medium.

[0104] The storage media mentioned above can be read-only memory, disk, or optical disk, etc.

[0105] In the description of this specification, the references to terms such as "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "example," "specific example," or "some examples," etc., indicate that a specific feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with that embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of this application. In this specification, the illustrative expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the specific features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in one or more embodiments or examples.

[0106] Although embodiments of this application have been shown and described above, it is understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and should not be construed as limiting this application. Those skilled in the art can make changes, modifications, substitutions and variations to the above embodiments within the scope of this application.

Claims

1. A method of demand management, characterized by, The method comprises the following steps: receiving a demand sent by a demand initiator; constructing all life cycle nodes of the demand, each of which is configured with a corresponding demand interface person; determining an influencer index of the demand, which represents the degree of influence of the demand on the influencer; determining the degree of influence of the influencer index according to the relative relationship between the influencer index and a pre-set high-low decision boundary value, wherein the high-low decision boundary value is maintained according to the product to which the demand belongs, and the same high-low decision boundary value is used for the same product; determining the notification frequency of the demand interface person according to the degree of influence of the influencer index, and performing real-time notification on the demand interface person through an instant messaging tool based on the notification frequency; the determination of the influencer index of the demand comprises: creating an influencer factor matrix and providing it to each influencer, the influencer factor matrix comprising at least two influence factors and different level weights configured for each influence factor, the different level weights corresponding to different index values; obtaining an independent index of each influencer according to the influencer factor matrix maintained by each influencer; obtaining the influencer index according to the independent index of each influencer; further comprising: maintaining the dependency relationship of the demand to determine the dependent demand of the demand; the dependent demand comprises pre-dependent demand and post-dependent demand; associating and integrating the demand interface person, influencer and each life cycle node of the demand and the dependent demand of the demand; obtaining the current life cycle node state, output and instant notification of the pre-dependent demand; sending the current life cycle node state, output and instant notification of the pre-dependent demand to the demand interface person corresponding to the demand associated with the current life cycle node of the pre-dependent demand.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein, the determination of the degree of influence of the influencer index according to the relative relationship between the influencer index and the pre-set high-low decision boundary value comprises: if the influencer index is less than the pre-set low decision boundary value, the degree of influence of the influencer index is determined to be low; if the influencer index is within the range of the pre-set low decision boundary value and the pre-set high decision boundary value, the degree of influence of the influencer index is determined to be medium; if the influencer index is greater than the pre-set high decision boundary value, the degree of influence of the influencer index is determined to be high.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein, further comprising: sending the output, current state and instant notification of the demand to the post-dependent demand.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein, further comprising: calculating the processing duration of each life cycle node of the demand; calculating the overall delivery efficiency of the demand according to the processing duration of each life cycle node of the demand; generating a visual view to display the processing duration of each life cycle node of the demand and the overall delivery efficiency of the demand.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein, further comprising: when the demand flows to the current life cycle node, performing real-time message push on the demand interface person corresponding to the current life cycle node.

6. The method of claim 2, wherein, further comprising: in the process of the demand flow, different influence degrees of the influencer index are marked with different illustrations.

Images