Similar Project Recommendation System

Abstract

To provide a technology that allows users to easily and accurately find existing projects similar to anticipated projects, such as new projects, when preparing for such projects. [Solution] The similar project recommendation system searches for similar projects from existing projects that are similar to a hypothetical project, and comprises a storage means 13 for recording existing projects, a processing means 11 for searching for similar projects that are similar to the hypothetical project, and a display means 14 for displaying the searched similar projects. The processing means 11 calculates the similarity by performing text mining on the text data displaying the existing projects and the text data displaying the hypothetical project, based on the project overview, project name, and project concerns of both projects. The display means 14 displays existing projects with a high ranking based on the similarity as similar projects.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a system for searching for existing similar projects similar to an assumed project so that the results of existing projects such as past projects can be used in preparing for future assumed projects such as new projects.

Background Art

[0002] When construction work such as new construction, renovation, or replacement of buildings such as buildings, schools, hospitals, research institutes, factories, etc., or renewal work of equipment, or management of these buildings and equipment is regarded as a project, each project occurs individually, and necessary preparations such as cost calculation, procurement of materials, and personnel adjustment are made according to the design and plan for execution. However, when a project starts, these preparations have to start from scratch, and the labor is immeasurable. Also, it is necessary to check various situations such as market trends, construction market conditions, and procurement routes to suppress risks. When starting such a new project, if a similar project has been carried out in the past, by proceeding with the preparations in view of the past cases, it is possible to promote the efficient progress of the new project and also reduce various risks.

[0003] To refer to past cases, information is collected from past project staff, or a search is conducted using keywords such as project names from a database that stores project histories. However, relying on the knowledge of past project staff does not always result in obtaining useful and necessary information, and searching for similar projects from past existing projects takes time and effort to carefully check the information of the hit projects, or it is often difficult to search for appropriate cases because it depends on the ability of the searcher. Due to the database structure, it was very difficult to open and search deep-level files such as document files on a file server.

[0004] In response to this, as a technology related to a system for finding similar past cases, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. 2011-170496 (Patent Document 1) describes a technology in which, by inputting the type of construction target and construction part that are the same as or similar to the planned construction, past construction projects that targeted similar types and construction parts are picked up. [Prior art documents] [Patent Documents]

[0005] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Publication No. 2011-170496 [Overview of the project] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0006] However, the construction type and construction area entered for searching for existing projects represent only a part of the new project. Even if an existing project with the same construction type and construction area is found, that project may still only represent a part of it. As a result, when comparing the entirety of the found project with the new project, they may not be considered as similar as initially thought.

[0007] Therefore, the present invention provides a technology that allows for the accurate and effortless searching of existing projects similar to anticipated projects, such as new projects, when preparing for such projects. [Means for solving the problem]

[0008] The similar project recommendation system disclosed herein is a similar project recommendation system that searches for similar projects from existing projects that are similar to a assumed project, and comprises a storage means for recording existing projects, a processing means for searching for similar projects that are similar to the assumed project, and a display means for displaying the searched similar projects, wherein the processing means calculates the similarity by performing text mining on the text data displaying the existing projects and the text data displaying the assumed project based on the project overview, project name, and project concerns of both projects, and the display means displays existing projects with a high ranking based on the similarity as similar projects.

[0009] The similar project recommendation system disclosed herein is a system that searches for similar projects from existing projects that are similar to the project being considered. Therefore, it can utilize data from existing projects and select multiple existing projects as candidates for similar projects. Furthermore, since it has a storage means for recording existing projects, a processing means for searching for similar projects similar to the assumed project, and a display means for displaying the searched similar projects, it is possible to utilize existing project data recorded in the storage means, have the processing means search for similar projects, and display the searched similar projects.

[0010] In addition, the processing means calculates the similarity by performing text mining on the text data displaying the existing project and the text data displaying the assumed project, based on the project overview, project name, and project concerns of both projects. Since the similarity is based on the information displayed for both projects, the probability of similarity is high, and it is easier to obtain the desired similar project.

[0011] Furthermore, since the display means displays existing projects with high rankings based on similarity as similar projects, multiple projects judged to be similar projects are displayed along with their rankings, making it easy to refer to multiple similar projects starting with those with a high degree of similarity. Note that a high-ranking existing project refers to an existing project with the highest similarity, and then lists all existing projects from the highest-ranking project up to a predetermined rank set by the administrator or promoter. In the example shown in Figure 4, described later, there are 10 existing projects with high rankings.

[0012] This disclosure relates to a similar project recommendation system that calculates the similarity score by vectorizing the text data. This disclosure uses vectorization of the text data to calculate the similarity, allowing for the mechanical calculation of the degree of similarity based on the text, and enabling the acquisition of the similarity as a numerical value, making it easier to rank similar data.

[0013] This disclosure provides a similar project recommendation system that calculates the similarity by weighting the project name and the concerns of the project among the text data that displays the existing projects. This disclosure calculates the similarity by weighting the project name and the concerns of the project among the text data that displays the existing project. Therefore, it places importance on the project name, which concisely describes the content of the project, and is excellent at extracting anticipated concerns that should be sought in existing projects.

[0014] This disclosure describes a similar project recommendation system in which the similarity is expressed numerically, and points are added to the numerical value to set a higher similarity score when the performance management categories in the text data displaying the existing project and the assumed project match. This disclosure indicates that the similarity score is expressed numerically, and when the performance management categories in the text data displaying the existing project and the assumed project match, points are added to the numerical value to set a higher similarity score. This allows the fact that differences in performance management categories have a significant impact on the similarity between projects to be reflected in the search for similar projects. Therefore, the accuracy of the search for similar projects can be increased.

[0015] This disclosure relates to a similar project recommendation system that displays similar projects in a word cloud format. This disclosure includes a word cloud format for displaying the aforementioned similar projects, making it easy to visualize key keywords for similarity determination and their degree of importance. This facilitates the determination of similarities and allows users to instantly recognize the outlines of multiple candidate similar projects before reviewing detailed content. [Effects of the Invention]

[0016] According to the similar project recommendation system of the present invention, when preparing a project such as a new project, it is possible to accurately search for existing projects that are similar to it without requiring much effort. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0017] [Figure 1] This is a system configuration diagram of a similar project recommendation system. [Figure 2] This is a block diagram showing the functional configuration of a similar project recommendation system. [Figure 3] This figure shows an example of a project portal screen. [Figure 4] This figure shows an example of a screen displaying multiple similar projects with high rankings that are similar to a new project. [Figure 5] This is a diagram showing one similar project displayed on the screen.

Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0018] The similar project recommendation system of the present disclosure (hereinafter also simply referred to as "this system") will be described in more detail. When various buildings, facilities, equipment construction, management, etc. related to buildings such as buildings, schools, hospitals, research institutes, factories, etc. are regarded as projects, when a new project occurs, by using the data already recorded in the database such as existing projects carried out in the past, this system searches for and presents similar projects similar to this new project.

[0019] <System Configuration of this System> FIG. 1 shows a system configuration diagram of this system. This system 10 is connected and operated via a network 5 with a management server 1, a manager terminal 2 (2a, 2b,...) used by a person related to the management and maintenance of this system 10 (hereinafter referred to as "manager"), and a promoter terminal 3 (3a, 3b,...) used by a person related to the planning and execution of a project (hereinafter referred to as "project promoter").

[0020] The management server 1 receives instructions from various terminals 2, 3 via the network 5 and performs processing according to those instructions. This management server 1 has a central processing unit (CPU) that functions as an arithmetic unit and a control unit, a main storage device such as a RAM, an external storage device such as a hard disk, a communication device such as a modem, a computer program, etc. These components constitute functional blocks to be described later.

[0021] The management server 1 may be a computer connected to a network other than various terminals 2, 3, or may be used in combination with the manager terminal 2 used by the manager. Also, it may be a cloud-type management server.

[0022] Administrator terminal 2 is a computer used by one or more administrators, and may be one or more computers 2a, 2b, ... This administrator terminal 2 is configured to connect to a network such as an internal LAN or the Internet, and is equipped with communication devices capable of communication. When a program is launched and it connects to the network, it can retrieve and display data stored on management server 1, send data entered via an input device to management server 1, and receive data from management server 1 and output it in the form of email or other format via an output device. This computer that becomes administrator terminal 2 may be a so-called personal computer, a mobile phone terminal, a tablet terminal, or the like.

[0023] Project promoter terminal 3 is a computer used by one or more project promoters, and may be one or more computers 3a, 3b, ... This project promoter terminal 3 is configured to connect to a network such as an internal LAN or the internet and is equipped with communication devices that enable communication. When a program is launched and it connects to the network, it can retrieve and display data stored on management server 1, send data entered via an input device to management server 1, and receive data from management server 1 and output it via an output device in the form of email or other formats. The computer that becomes this project promoter terminal 3 may be a so-called personal computer, a mobile phone terminal, a tablet terminal, or the like. Furthermore, either or both of the above-mentioned administrator and project promoter will be referred to as project stakeholders.

[0024] <Functional Configuration of This System> Figure 2 shows the functional configuration of the management server 1 as a functional block diagram. As shown in Figure 2, the management server 1 has a processing means 11, an ID recognition means 12, a storage means 13, a display means 14, and other means 15 such as a communication means.

[0025] The processing means 11 controls the various means described below and operates them to perform their functions, and selects and retrieves necessary data from the various data recorded in the storage means 13, and processes it by classifying it into specific items according to the purpose, or by performing calculations such as aggregation.

[0026] The ID recognition means 12 has the function of identifying predetermined ID information for identifying persons who can access the system 10. More specifically, in response to access requests to the system 10 from various terminals 2 and 3, it determines whether the person has access rights, and if so, the extent of those access rights, i.e., what they have access rights to. For example, access requests from project promoter terminal 3 may be denied if the project in question has no connection whatsoever to the project promoter. ID recognition can be performed through identification numbers, and assigning identification numbers to users of various terminals 2 and 3, or assigning identification numbers to various terminals 2 and 3, is one way of performing ID recognition using identification numbers.

[0027] The memory means 13 has the function of recording various project-related items, such as people involved in the project, buildings, facilities, and equipment, as management items and storing them as a database. The display means 14 displays the management items stored by the storage means 13 and the information obtained by the processing means 11 via various terminals 2 and 3, outputs them as reports via output means such as a printer, and displays input screens on the various terminals 2 and 3 for processing by the terminal users.

[0028] The management server 1 also has other means, such as an alert generation means that detects abnormal values ​​and issues alerts, and a communication means that transmits various outputs such as alert information and reports to various terminals 2 and 3, and can perform these various functions.

[0029] <Processing operations of this system> This system 10 is a system that handles various matters related to projects, such as project creation, planning, execution, and management, and can perform various processes as follows:

[0030] (1) Database management This system 10 has the following database in its storage means 13 to record management items related to the project.

[0031] • Project number database 13a A project number is a number assigned to each project; in other words, it is an identification number for the project. The database that records these project numbers is the project number database.

[0032] • Sub-item database 13b The sub-item database is a database that records predetermined items extracted from the project details. These predetermined items are items viewed from various perspectives to identify the project and can also be called management items. Examples of these management items include business category, performance management category, location category, service type, customer action, names of people in various positions related to the project such as project leader name, order recipient name, and chief engineer name, various periods such as project period, construction period, and design period, various dates such as project order date, construction start date, settlement date, contract date, and handover date, various amounts such as total project amount, construction cost, budget, order amount, cost, and gross profit, and various percentages such as gross profit margin, target reduction rate, percentage of actual costs incurred relative to budget, and period reduction rate. A sub-item database is a collection of various management item databases that record various management items related to a project.

[0033] The management items included in the sub-item database preferably include business categories among the above. Business categories are classified according to the target of the project. Therefore, the sub-item database includes a business category database, which contains data such as CM business, office business, CRE business, DX support business, etc.

[0034] Furthermore, it is preferable that the management items included in the sub-item database include performance management categories among those mentioned above. Performance management categories are categories for aggregation, analysis, monitoring, and improvement in order to achieve performance targets, and are classified according to the main industry to which the customer belongs. Therefore, the sub-item database includes a performance management category database, which includes data such as medical, research institute, factory, logistics, warehouse, office, commercial, financial, hotel, and school.

[0035] • Project name database 13c A project name database is a database that records the names of projects. A project name is a concise name that can describe the project in a single phrase. It may be displayed according to a predetermined format, or it may be displayed using a free expression method. If these project names are called "arbitrary project names," a separate display project name can be assigned to these arbitrary project names.

[0036] The project name used for display can be a project name that is displayed using only words that are acceptable to disclose to those without access rights to the project, or a project name that is displayed using a unified display method prioritizing readability. This is because, when searching for similar projects, project managers or others searching for similar projects cannot display project names containing confidential information if they do not have access rights to the found similar projects. Therefore, it is necessary to assign a project name that is acceptable to display to those without access rights. The project name database records both this arbitrary project name and the project name used for display.

[0037] • Project Overview Database 13d A project overview database is a database that records all the documents, drawings, photographs, and other materials describing the details of a project. Therefore, even though it's called an overview, it's a database that includes detailed information about the project, and can be described as a database that compiles all the documents for a single project.

[0038] Next, we will show an example of the content of a project registered in the project overview database.

[0039] [Project Name] Construction Management Services for the Design Phase of the XX City XX Gymnasium Development Project [Business content] In the XX City XX Gymnasium Improvement Project, in order to achieve efficient and rational design and construction, and to further improve the quality of the construction, a design-build (DB) method has been adopted, which involves contracting out design and construction as a single package, utilizing the technical capabilities and know-how of private companies. The DB contractor has already been selected. We will provide support for the design work carried out by the DB contractor in order to implement this improvement project smoothly and systematically. [Target facilities] • Construction site: 10-6, 5-chome, XX City, within XX Park ·Main use: Gymnasium • Total floor area: Approximately 5,000 m² 2 ·Structure: RC construction, some S construction [Estimated project cost] • Project cost: Approximately 5 billion yen (including tax) Project costs include design fees, construction supervision fees, and construction costs (including demolition costs for existing facilities). [schedule] ·Design period (planned): May 2020 to December 2020 [Details of job duties] □Basic design stage (1) Consideration at the start of the basic design phase (2) Confirmation of the basic design □Detailed design phase (1) Consideration at the start of the detailed design phase (2) Confirmation of the details of the detailed design [Concerns] The progress towards the initial design schedule is insufficient. It appears that there is insufficient coordination between the designer and the contractor. Consideration for the surrounding area of ​​the construction site

[0040] • Project concern (risk) database A project concern database is a database that records potential concerns (risks) and countermeasures for those that may arise during the implementation of a project. Concerns and countermeasures may be presented in a predetermined format, or they may be presented in a free-form style.

[0041] The above are typical databases provided in the memory device 13, but the databases created are not limited to these. They may also include databases containing information related to the project, such as photographs and drawings, or databases containing information on the similarities between existing projects.

[0042] (2) Various display and output processing This system 10 has a processing means 11 that performs various processes such as calculations, and displays the processing results on various screens via a display means 14, and also outputs them to a printer or the like.

[0043] Project display Figure 3 shows an example of a project portal screen 20 displaying an existing project on various terminals 2 and 3. In response to a project display instruction from a terminal 2 or 3 user, the processing means 11 appropriately extracts data stored in the storage means 13 and displays the contents of the corresponding project as the project portal screen 20. This project portal screen 20 includes a project name display field 21, a task display field 22, a project overview display field 23, various item display fields 24, etc.

[0044] The project name display field 21 displays the project name and its identification number, as mentioned above. The task display area 22 shows task banners that allow users to switch to various task screens related to the project. Examples of task banners include task management for managing tasks, budget management for managing the relationship between budget and actual costs, estimate creation for creating estimates, and AI recommendation for exploring similar projects.

[0045] The project overview section 23 displays detailed information about the project. The various item display fields 24 show management items that have been selected from among many management items as important for concisely displaying the project details. In the example in Figure 3, each management item and its content is shown, such as business category, performance management category, project leader name, project period, and construction budget. Project stakeholders can access the project details registered in system 10 through this project portal screen 20.

[0046] Other displays In addition to displaying the project portal screen 20 which shows the details of the project, the processing means 11 can also display various other screens through the display means 13, such as a guidance screen for registering a new project, a screen for budget-actual management to manage the relationship between the budget and actual costs, a screen for creating estimates, and other screens.

[0047] (3) Registration of a new project This system 10 registers anticipated projects, such as new projects. Here, we will use a new project as an example of an anticipated project and explain the registration process for this new project. Display device 14 displays a guidance screen for registering a new project on various terminals 2 and 3. When a person who intends to input and register a new project, such as a project participant (hereinafter referred to as "inputter"), selects the task management banner to open this guidance screen, display device 14 opens the project overview editing dialog. The inputter can freely enter the project details within this dialog.

[0048] On the other hand, outside the project overview editing dialog box, a format banner is displayed that allows the user to select a predetermined format. When the user selects a format banner, management items such as project name, work content, target facilities, estimated project cost, schedule, detailed work content, and concerns are displayed, and a format is shown for the user to fill in the specific details of these items. The user can then enter the project overview and register it in system 10 by filling in the details of the management items shown.

[0049] When entering the project overview, selecting a format banner allows you to enter all the necessary information for the project without omitting any basic items. Furthermore, if you have already created a document such as a project proposal when initiating a new project, you can copy and paste the information from that document into the project overview editing dialog.

[0050] Thus, when inputting data according to a predetermined input format for specific items, the inputter can fill in each management item using their own unique format, as described above. However, for items where the input content consists of simple words or numbers, System 10 can prepare input options, and the inputter can select these options from a pull-down menu to create the guidance screen.

[0051] Furthermore, the guidance screen for registering a new project can be a screen with a format similar to the project portal screen 20 shown in Figure 3. That is, it can be a screen that has the framework (items) of the project portal screen 20, with the section for showing the content of individual projects left blank, and in addition, it can be a screen that has banners and pop-up functions necessary for terminal users 2 and 3 to input project details.

[0052] In another embodiment, a guidance screen is presented requesting the user to enter the project name, project overview, and project concerns (risk comments). The user can register a new project by entering the information shown on this guidance screen. In yet another embodiment, a guidance screen may also be displayed requesting the user to enter one or more additional management items.

[0053] When an inputter enters project details through a guidance screen, the processing unit 11 basically saves and registers this information in the project overview database. However, except when only project details are requested, if, for example, risk comments are entered from a guidance screen that requests risk comments separately from the project overview, those entries are recorded in the project concern database 13d. Similarly, if, for example, the project budget is entered from a guidance screen that requests it separately, those entries are recorded in the project budget database of the sub-item database 13b. If project concerns and project budgets are entered individually from such input fields, the entered information can be directly recorded in the project concern database and project budget database, eliminating the need for the processing unit 11 to extract project concerns and project budgets from the text recorded in the project overview database and record them in the project concern database and project budget database.

[0054] In this way, new projects entered by project promoters, etc., using the system 10 are recorded and registered in the project overview database, etc., by the processing means 11 as described above. Subsequently, they become targets for recommendations to other new projects, just like existing projects. However, it is also possible to have the registered new projects learn through nightly batch processing by the artificial intelligence of the processing means 11 before they become targets for recommendations to other new projects.

[0055] Furthermore, even if a project is not a new project, if it is an existing project that has not yet been registered in this system 10, it can be registered in this system 10 in the same way as the registration method for new projects described above. Moreover, even if it is only a part of a project and is not yet established as a new project, it can be registered in the system 10 as a hypothetical project, to the extent that its contents can be described.

[0056] (4) Generating a project name for display This system 10 generates a project name for display. Preferably, the arbitrary project name displays information such as the location of the project (e.g., the name of the region or city where the project will take place), the name of the building or facility that the project will target, the names of stakeholders such as the project client and contractor, the details of the project's work (e.g., design, new construction, or development), and information indicating that it is a part of a series of projects. For example, it could be "Construction Management Services for the Design Phase of the XX City XX Gymnasium Development Project" or "Support Services for the Ordering Phase of the XX Prefecture XX Corporation XX Building Developer." Project stakeholders enter the project details, including the arbitrary project name, through a guidance screen for entering a new project, and the storage device 13 records it in the project overview database or project name database.

[0057] Furthermore, the generation of the project name for display can be performed by the processing means 11 extracting words related to the location, subject, and matter from the records of any project recorded in the project overview database or project name database by performing text analysis such as text mining. If the location, subject, matter, etc., contain words such as proper nouns that should be kept confidential and cannot be used in the project name for display, the project name for display can be generated with these parts deleted or left blank.

[0058] For example, if the project data recorded in the project overview database contains "[Project Name] XX City △△ Gymnasium Improvement Project Design Phase Construction Management Services," the system can recognize the sentence following the word "Project Name" as a candidate for the project name to be displayed. Then, if there are proper nouns such as "XX City" or "△△ Gymnasium," the system can remove the "XX" part of "XX City" and the "△△" part of "△△ Gymnasium" to determine the final project name to be displayed.

[0059] Alternatively, project stakeholders can register a separate project name prepared for display in the project name database without performing these processes. Furthermore, for anyone searching for similar projects, if there is no need to keep the project's contents secret, regardless of who they are, a display project can be omitted. Instead, the arbitrary project name can be used as the project name, or if the name is too long, a limited version of the project name from the beginning can be displayed.

[0060] (5) Generation of various item display fields 24 on the project portal screen This system 10 generates the contents of the management items listed in the various item display fields 24 on the project portal screen 20 from the entire project content recorded in the project overview database.

[0061] Just as a project name for display is generated from the information recorded in the project overview database, the processing means 11 generates the content of management items to be displayed in the various item display fields 24 on the project portal screen 20 from the text describing the project details. In other words, the processing means 11 can extract and display the management items to be displayed in the various item display fields 24 by performing text mining or identifying predetermined words from the records in the project overview database.

[0062] For example, if there is a management item called "Project Costs" in the various item display field 24, and the project data recorded in the project overview database shows "Project Costs: Approximately 5 billion yen (tax included)", then the system can extract the phrase "Approximately 5 billion yen (tax included)" that follows the word "Project Costs" and output and display "Approximately 5 billion yen (tax included)" in the "Project Costs" field on the project portal screen 20.

[0063] Alternatively, instead of performing these processes, a field for entering, for example, "project costs" could be added to the guidance screen for entering a new project. The words entered by project stakeholders in this field could then be recorded in the project costs database, and this record could be output and displayed in the "project costs" field on the project portal screen 20.

[0064] (6) Search for similar projects This system 10 searches for similar projects that are similar to the new project from among the registered projects. When searching for similar projects, if a new project is not registered in System 10, register the new project according to the project registration method described above.

[0065] The search for similar projects is performed by the artificial intelligence provided in processing unit 11. More specifically, text data containing project overviews, project names, and project concerns is vectorized using a text mining tool based on a machine learning model employing a neural network such as Word2Vec. A similarity score, indicating how similar a new project is to an existing project, is then calculated from the comparison of these vectors and displayed as a number between 1 and 0. Projects with a score closer to 1 are considered highly similar, while projects with a score closer to 0 are considered dissimilar.

[0066] In other words, the process primarily focuses on text from project data recorded in the project overview database, and similarities are determined mainly from words related to the project overview, project name, and project concerns. To put it another way, words are extracted from the project overview, i.e., all the information displayed for the project, and words related to the project name and project concerns are given importance even if they are not frequently occurring words. This is because the project name is inherently a summary of the project, and project concerns are one of the most frequently referenced items for existing projects.

[0067] When prioritizing project names and project concerns, methods such as weighting related words or increasing their frequency can be employed. Furthermore, text related to project names and concerns can be separated from the project overview (i.e., the overall project), and the similarity within each of these sections can be calculated and then summed to determine an overall similarity score.

[0068] As described above, the processing means 11 extracts the project overview, project name, and project concerns from the text related to the project from the text records in the project overview database. However, when registering the project details in this system 10, project stakeholders can input and register the project name and project concerns separately from the project overview, in other words, in a separate database. This allows the processing means 11 to perform text mining on the project overview, project name, and project concerns registered in this separate database.

[0069] Furthermore, in addition to judging similarity based on the project overview, project name, and project concerns, the project goals, or in other words, the project deliverables, and special achievements such as the percentage reduction in total construction costs from the budget achieved by the project can also be added to the similarity assessment.

[0070] As part of the process of searching for similar projects, it is possible to focus on the business category of the projects and exclude existing projects that have a different business category from the new project from the list of similar candidate projects.

[0071] One method of exclusion is to exclude existing projects with different business categories from the search beforehand. Alternatively, after searching for similar projects, if existing projects with different business categories are identified as similar candidate projects, they can be excluded. The reason for not including projects with different business categories as similar candidate projects is that, when considering projects with different business categories, the overall degree of similarity is low, and even if they are judged to be similar, the actual similarity is often low.

[0072] Furthermore, as part of the process of searching for similar projects, when indicating the similarity score on a scale of 1 to 0, a process can be added to the similarity score if the performance management categories match between a new project and an existing project. The amount of the added points can be determined as appropriate, such as 0.1, 0.2, etc. Therefore, the maximum value of the similarity score when the performance management categories match may exceed 1. The reason for adding points when the performance management categories match is that projects with matching performance management categories often have high value as similar projects to refer to. Therefore, one implementation is to add 0.1 to the obtained similarity score when the performance management categories match.

[0073] (7) Display of similar projects found This system 10 searches for similar projects to the new project and then displays the found similar projects. Figure 4 shows an example of a screen displaying the found similar projects on terminals 2 and 3. In Figure 4, the new project (this project) 31 is displayed on the far left, and to its right, the 10 existing projects with the highest similarity are displayed as similar projects 32, totaling 10 existing projects.

[0074] The new project 31 and the 10 similar projects 32 that were found each display a word cloud 41, along with a security classification 42, a header section 43, and a ranking 44 based on similarity. Figure 5 shows an enlarged view of an example of a similar project 32. Referring to Figure 5, security category 42 indicates the permissions to access that project, and can display identification symbols based on differences in permissions.

[0075] The header section 43 displays the project name for display (or a part of the project name if it is long) and identification numbers such as the project code assigned to the project. The ranking of 44 projects is based on their similarity, ordered from highest to lowest. In the example shown in Figure 4, 10 projects were listed as 32 similar projects, so they are numbered from 1 to 10 in descending order of similarity.

[0076] Word Cloud 41 is a display format that shows the content of a project by extracting words that express the content of the target project and highlighting frequently occurring words in a larger size. This allows users to easily recognize the keywords that represent the project and their importance through visual means. Therefore, instant understanding of the project content is possible. Thus, project managers and others searching for similar projects can find existing projects that are more suitable for their needs from among the candidate similar projects 32, based on the visual information from Word Cloud 41 and an intuitive impression without relying on Ranking 44. Furthermore, Word Cloud 41 uses different colors depending on the type and size of the displayed words, which also makes it easier to recognize visually.

[0077] Furthermore, users of various terminals 2 and 3 can hover their mouse over a displayed similar project 32 to show a callout indicating an overview of that similar project 32. The project overview displayed in the callout shows information that concisely represents the project. Examples of such information include the project code, project name, business category, sales management category, person in charge, customer name, similarity score, etc.

[0078] Alternatively, users of various terminals 2 and 3 can click on a similar project to display a screen showing the contents of that similar project. This content display screen can be a project portal screen 20 that shows the project contents. Alternatively, it can be a screen similar to the guidance screen when registering a new project, and the processing means 11 can decide what screen to display based on the settings of the administrator or other relevant parties.

[0079] Similar projects that have been searched for are displayed as a word cloud 41 to everyone, but the details of the project content beyond that are not shown to those who do not have access to that similar project 32, and an indication of inaccessibility is displayed. If a person without access rights wants to know the details of that project, they can access the displayed project leader and obtain individual access permission.

[0080] The above embodiments are illustrative examples of the present invention, and modifications to the embodiments or additions or combinations of known technologies may be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention, and such technologies are also included within the scope of the present invention. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0081] 1. Management Server 2,2a,2b,2c Administrator terminal 3,3a,3b,3c Promoter terminal 5 Network 10 Similar Project Recommendation System (This System) 11 Processing means 12 ID recognition means 13 Memory means 13a Project Number Database 13b Sub-item Database 13c Project Name Database 13d Project Overview Database 13e Project Concerns (Risks) Database 14 Display means 15 Other means 20. Project Portal Screen 21. Project Name Display Field 22 Task display area 23. Project Overview Display Field 24 Various item display fields 31 New Projects 32 Similar Projects 41 Word Cloud 42 Security Classification 43 Header section 44 Ranking

Claims

1. In a similar project recommendation system that searches for similar projects from existing projects that are similar to the project being considered, A means of recording existing projects, A processing method for searching for similar projects that are similar to the project being considered, It has a display means for displaying similar projects that have been searched, The processing means calculates the similarity by performing text mining on the text data displaying the existing project and the text data displaying the assumed project, based on the project overview, project name, and project concerns of both projects. The display means is a similar project recommendation system characterized by displaying existing projects with high rankings based on similarity as similar projects.

2. The similarity calculation is performed by vectorizing the text data, as described in claim 1, for the similar project recommendation system.

3. The similarity recommendation system according to claim 1, wherein the similarity is calculated by weighting the project name and the text data displaying concerns about the project among the text data displaying the existing project.

4. The similarity score is expressed numerically, and the similarity score is increased by adding points to the numerical value when the performance management categories in the text data displaying the existing project and the assumed project match.

5. The similar project recommendation system according to claim 1, wherein the display of similar projects is in a word cloud format.

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