Schedule management system and schedule management method

Abstract

To provide a schedule management system and a schedule management method that appropriately manage schedules for a plurality of projects involving a plurality of facilities.SOLUTION: A computer that operates as a schedule management system comprises: a storage unit for storing resource data and cooperation rules for the chain of a plurality of tasks related to supply; and a control unit for managing task schedules by referring to the resource data and the cooperation rules. The resource data is data that manages the availability of resources used by a facility that performs the tasks when performing the tasks. The cooperation rules are rules that define the workflow of the tasks to indicate the task intervals between the facilities. The control unit identifies the tasks that form the chain based on the workflow of the tasks, identifies the facility that can execute the identified tasks, and refers to the availability of resources of the identified facility to provide information related to reservation possibility of supply.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 3

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The present invention relates to a schedule management system and a schedule management method. [Background technology]

[0002] In recent years, autologous cell transplantation has become common, in which cells taken from a patient's body are cultured and then transplanted back into the patient, and this requires schedule management of a series of processes. JP 2021-22409 (Patent Document 1) discloses technology related to a schedule calculation device, stating that "the control unit of the order management server (schedule calculation device) is equipped with a receiving unit that receives from the client terminal (user terminal) administration date data for a drug specified by a user for user-specific calendar screen data displayed on the client terminal (user terminal) installed in the medical facility, a schedule calculation unit that calculates each implementation date for performing multiple delivery-related processes from the collection date to the administration date based on the administration date data received by the receiving unit, and a calendar screen generation unit that generates calendar screen data including each implementation date from the collection date to the administration date." [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0003] [Patent Document 1] Patent Publication No. 2021-22409 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0004] When managing the schedule of a series of processes involving multiple facilities, in order to create a feasible schedule, when securing the schedule of a facility handling a certain process, it was necessary to check each time whether the schedule of that process and facilities handling related processes could be secured, while also taking into account the work intervals between processes, making schedule management difficult. In addition, when the multiple facilities involved have a high degree of independence from each other, there are limitations to the information that each facility can provide to the other facilities, and such limitations make it difficult to coordinate schedules. When managing the schedule for a series of processes that may involve multiple facilities like this, it is necessary to check the schedules of all the facilities handling related processes. In addition, there can be cases where restrictions such as limitations on the exchange of information arise, making it difficult to automatically adjust schedules and allocate resources while taking into account the resources of all candidate facilities. [Means for solving the problem]

[0005] A representative schedule management system and schedule management method of the present invention comprises a memory unit that stores resource data and coordination rules for a chain of multiple supply-related tasks, and a control unit that manages the schedule of the tasks by referring to the resource data and the coordination rules, wherein the resource data is data that manages the availability of resources used by a facility that performs the tasks when carrying out the tasks, and the coordination rules are rules that define the context of the tasks and indicate the intervals between tasks between the facilities, and the control unit identifies the tasks that form the chain based on the context of the tasks, identifies facilities that can perform the identified tasks, and provides information regarding whether or not the supply can be reserved by referring to the availability of resources at the identified facilities. Effect of the Invention

[0006] It is possible to properly manage schedules for multiple projects involving multiple facilities. [Brief description of the drawings]

[0007] [Figure 1] 1 is a schematic diagram of a resource management function according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Diagram 2] Overview of schedule management function according to the embodiment [Diagram 3] System configuration diagram according to the embodiment [Figure 4] Object definition for resource collaboration [Diagram 5] Collaboration rule data definition example [Figure 6] Target reservation type mapping data definition example [Figure 7] Flow diagram of available / unavailable slot display [Figure 8] Examples of available / unavailable slots [Figure 9] Reservation creation process flow [Figure 10] Example of reservation creation [Figure 11] Reservation cancellation process flow [Figure 12] Examples of reservation cancellations DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

[0008] Hereinafter, the embodiments will be described with reference to the drawings. EXAMPLES

[0009] 1 is a schematic diagram of a resource management function according to an embodiment. In this embodiment, a schedule adjustment function in a system that manages a supply chain, which is a chain of operations related to supply, in particular, a supply chain for regenerative medicine products, will be described as an example.

[0010] The largest framework in Figure 1 represents the stakeholders that operate the system, such as "Manufacturing Plant A" and "Medical Institution X." Stakeholders function as facilities or tenants that carry out one of the operations in the chain of supply-related operations. Furthermore, "Room 1" and "Room 2" within "Manufacturing Plant A" are smaller resource management units within each stakeholder. Furthermore, "unit resource" represents the resource per unit that each stakeholder possesses, and "reservation instance" indicates the resource that has been secured by reservation. Furthermore, a "reservation instance" possesses one or more "unit resources." Furthermore, the horizontal direction is along the time axis, with the further to the right it indicates the further into the future.

[0011] The resource management function of the disclosure system makes it possible to manage which task and which operation has secured the unit resources for each stakeholder. For example, when looking at medical institution X, there are two reservation instances, and one of them has resources secured for the apheresis task of case ID 001. Similarly, it is also shown that resources have been secured for the administration task of case ID 002. Note that the reservation instance for the apheresis task of case ID 001 is to the left of the reservation instance for the administration task of case ID 002, but this indicates that the apheresis task of case ID 001 is the task that will be performed first. This chronological relationship is the same across stakeholders, and indicates that the sample transportation task of case ID 001 of wholesaler P will be performed after the apheresis task of case ID 001 of medical institution X.

[0012] Fig. 2 is a schematic diagram of a schedule management function according to an embodiment. The largest framework in Fig. 2 represents a case, such as "Case ID: 001" and "Case ID: 002". As in Fig. 1, "unit resource" represents the resource per unit of each stakeholder, and "reservation instance" indicates the resource secured by reservation. The horizontal direction is along the time axis.

[0013] Unlike Figure 1, Figure 2 is a function that manages the schedule for each case. For case ID 001, resources are secured for apheresis, sample transport, and manufacturing, indicating that the case will proceed in the order of apheresis, sample transport, and manufacturing.

[0014] Figure 3 is a diagram showing the system configuration required to realize this function. The largest framework in Figure 3 represents a computer 10, and indicates that the computer 10 includes an "IF (interface) unit 21," a "control unit 22," and a "storage unit 23."

[0015] The IF unit 21 is a part that connects the computer 10 with user operations. The control unit 22 is a unit that controls data inputted to the IF unit 21 or data outputted to the IF unit 21. The control unit 22 is configured to include a "model definition unit 31," "resource definition unit 32," "reservation type definition unit 33," "target reservation type mapping definition unit 34," "model reservation type mapping definition unit 35," "cooperation rule definition unit 37," "available reservation slot control unit 41," "reservation creation unit 42," "reservation cancellation unit 43," and "business progress management unit 44." Note that only the parts related to this use case will be explained here.

[0016] The model definition unit 31 defines a business process model of this system, and stores the defined data as model data 51 in the storage unit 23 for management. The resource definition unit 32 defines the resources of each stakeholder and stores and manages the defined data in the memory unit 23 as partition / sub-partition data 52 (data representing a collection of resources for each tenant) and target data 53 (data on the resources to be reserved).

[0017] The reservation type definition unit 33 creates a reservation type for each item and each stakeholder, and stores and manages the reservation type data 54 in the storage unit 23 . The target reservation type mapping definition unit 34 defines a reservation type associated with a target, and stores and manages the data as target reservation type mapping data 55 in the storage unit 23. The model reservation type mapping definition unit 35 defines reservation types linked to a model that represents a chain of tasks, and stores and manages the data as model reservation type mapping data 56 in the storage unit 23.

[0018] The collaboration rule definition unit 37 defines collaboration rules for reservations, and stores and manages the data as collaboration rule data 57 in the storage unit 23 .

[0019] The available reservation slot control unit 41 controls the available reservation slots, the reservation making unit 42 makes reservations, and the reservation canceling unit 43 cancels reservations. The task progress management unit 44 manages the task progress status, and stores the managed data as task progress data 61 in the storage unit 23 for management.

[0020] In addition to the various data mentioned above, the memory unit 23 also stores unit resource data 58 (data that stores resource units), reservation data 59 (data that stores reservation status), and case data 60 (data that stores the contents of the case).

[0021] The collaboration rule data will be described with reference to Fig. 4 to Fig. 6. Fig. 4 is an explanatory diagram of an object definition for collaboration between resources, and Fig. 5 is a definition example of collaboration rule data 57. Fig. 6 is a definition example of target reservation type mapping data 55.

[0022] In FIG. 4, the task "Specimen Collection" of "Hospital Tenant Y Doctor Ichiro" is linked to the task "Manufacturing" of "Manufacturing Tenant X Room 1." For these two tasks, "Manufacturing" is the source of coordination, and "Specimen Collection" is the destination of coordination. In other words, when making a reservation, a reservation instance of "Manufacturing," which is the source of coordination, is created first, and then a reservation instance of "Specimen Collection," which is the destination of coordination, is created. The coordination direction indicates the chronological relationship between the source of coordination and the destination of coordination, and the coordination interval indicates how far apart the two tasks are in time. The coordination destination origin and the coordination source origin indicate whether the time that specifies the coordination interval is the start or end of the task. The data that defines these relationships is the coordination rule data 57.

[0023] As shown in Fig. 6, the target reservation type mapping data 55 maps targets and reservation types. In Fig. 6, the target ID is associated with the target name and the reservation type.

[0024] The coordination rule data 57 specifies the chronological relationship of multiple operations related to the supply of regenerative medicine products. As shown in Fig. 5, the coordination source and coordination destination of the coordination rule are defined using the "reservation type". Specifically, the coordination rule is data including the rule ID, rule name, coordination source reservation type, coordination destination reservation type, coordination interval, coordination direction, coordination source starting point, and coordination destination starting point. By referring to the cooperation rule data 57 shown in FIG. 5, it is possible to specify "which target (which tenant) resource is to be processed."

[0025] The target reservation type mapping data 55 is used to select between a slot-specified reservation mode and a free reservation mode, which will be described later. For example, if the required manufacturing time for a drug is fixed, the availability of resources can be used to determine whether the drug can be reserved. In such a case, the device can operate in a slot-specified reservation mode that displays available slots. On the other hand, if the time required to manufacture a drug varies greatly depending on the patient's attributes and symptoms, it is not possible to determine whether or not a reservation can be made based on the availability of resources. In such cases, it is sufficient to operate in a free reservation mode that displays slots that cannot be reserved and allows the user to freely specify other slots.

[0026] Fig. 7 is an information processing flowchart for use case (1) "Display of available / unavailable schedules by resource cooperation." Also, Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram of the slot-specific reservation mode and the free reservation mode of use case (1). The information processing of use case (1) will be described with reference to Fig. 7. First, the available reservation slot control unit 41 selects a reservation type for which available reservation slots / unavailable reservation slots are to be displayed (step S101). After that, the available reservation slot control unit 41 acquires the cooperation rule data 57 (step S102). The available reservation slot control unit 41 identifies a target linked to a reservation from the target reservation type mapping data 55 (data that stores various reservations and targets linked to them) for the reservation type of the source of cooperation (step S103).

[0027] When reserving a target linked to the reservation type of the collaboration source (reservation instance [reservable] in FIG. 8) in the slot-specified reservation mode (step S104; slot-specified reservation mode), the reservation is made in the following flow. First, the available reservation slot control unit 41 acquires the shortest available reservation slot for each target (step S105), and calculates the reservation type candidate schedule of the coordination destination by referring to the coordination rule data 57 starting from the reservation type of the coordination source (step S106). The available reservation slot control unit 41 identifies the target linked to the referenced reservation type from the target reservation type mapping data 55 (step S107), and checks the availability of the candidate schedule (presence or absence of reservation instances) for the unit resource (step S108). The available reservation slot control unit 41 repeatedly checks the availability of the candidate schedule until it has checked the availability of all targets (step S109; Yes).

[0028] If no availability is confirmed for the candidate dates (step S110; No), the process is repeated from obtaining the shortest available reservation slot for each target (step S105). If the schedules for all the cooperating reservation types have not been calculated (step S111; No), the cooperating reservation type is changed and the process is continued until the availability for the candidate dates is confirmed.

[0029] After calculating the schedules for all the cooperative destination reservation types (step S111; Yes), the available reservation slot control unit 41 displays the available reservation slots for the reservation type designated by the user.

[0030] The available reservation slot display in Figure 8 shows that the available reservation slots are displayed by the above information processing. The reservation instance of Room 1 of Manufacturing Tenant X is the reservation type of the source of coordination, and the reservation instance that can be reserved at the earliest among the reservation type candidate dates is the reservation instance of Hospital Tenant Y, which is linked with an arrow. Similarly, the reservation instance of Room 2 of Manufacturing Tenant X is also the reservation instance of Hospital Tenant Y, which is linked with an arrow, and the reservation instance that can be reserved at the earliest.

[0031] In this way, the available reservation slots for the target linked to the reservation type of the collaboration source are displayed if there is availability for the target linked to the reservation type of the collaboration destination in the candidate schedule for the reservation type of the collaboration destination calculated by referring to the collaboration rule data 57. Therefore, when determining whether or not a target linked to the reservation type of the collaboration source specified by the user can be reserved, the user himself / herself does not need to check the availability of the target linked to the reservation type of the collaboration destination, thereby reducing the burden of schedule management. In addition, since the user himself / herself does not need to check the availability of the target linked to the reservation type of the collaboration destination, even if the user of the collaboration source is restricted from displaying information such as the presence or absence of reservation instances of the collaboration destination or available reservation slots, it becomes possible to perform schedule management taking into account the resources of the collaboration destination.When reserving a target linked to the reservation type of the collaboration source in free reservation mode (step S104; free reservation mode), the reservation is made according to the following flow.

[0032] First, the available reservation slot control unit 41 acquires the confirmed reservation slots for each target (step S113), and calculates the candidate schedule for the reservation type specified by the user by referring to the cooperation rule data 57 starting from the reservation type of the cooperation source (step S114). Next, for the reservation type specified by the user, the target linked to the target reservation type mapping data 55 is identified (step S115), and the availability of the candidate schedule for the unit resource of the identified target is confirmed (step S116).

[0033] If the availability of all targets has not been checked (step S117; No), the availability of candidate dates is checked for the number of target targets. After checking the availability of all targets (step S117; Yes), if there is no availability in any of the targets (step S118; No), the process ends. If there is availability in any of the targets (step S118; Yes), a non-reservable slot of the reservation type specified by the user (reservation instance [non-reservable] in FIG. 8) is displayed (step S119).

[0034] The unavailable slot display in Fig. 8 shows that unavailable slots are displayed as a result of the above information processing. The reservation instances of Room 1 and Room 2 of the manufacturing tenant X are the reservation type of the collaboration source, and the reservation instance of the hospital tenant Y, which has no vacancies in the target and is displayed as an unavailable slot, is connected by an arrow.

[0035] Fig. 9 is an information processing flowchart for use case (2) “creating a new reservation by resource cooperation.” Fig. 10 is a schematic diagram of use case (2).

[0036] The information processing of the use case (2) will be described with reference to Fig. 9. The reservation creation unit 42 first selects the case ID and reservation type to create a new reservation for the resource of its own tenant (step S201), and acquires the cooperation rule data 57 (step S202). Next, the reservation creation unit 42 calculates candidate dates for the reservation type of the cooperation destination, starting from the reservation type for which the new reservation was created (reservation instance [reserved] of hospital tenant Y in Fig. 10) with reference to the cooperation rule data 57 (step S203). For this reservation type of the cooperation destination, the reservation creation unit 42 identifies a target associated with the target reservation type mapping data 55 (step S204), and checks availability of the candidate dates for the unit resources of the identified target (step S205).

[0037] If the availability of all targets has not been confirmed (step S206; No), the reservation creation unit 42 checks the availability of the candidate schedules for the number of target targets. If the availability of all targets is confirmed (step S206; Yes), and there is no availability in any of the targets (step S207; No), the reservation creation unit 42 displays a dialog to the effect that there is no availability in other tenants and interrupts the reservation creation process (step S210). If there is availability in the target (step S207; Yes), the reservation creation unit 42 creates a new reservation by assigning the case ID and schedule type (step S208) (reservation instance [reserved] of manufacturing tenant X and wholesale tenant Z in FIG. 10). At this time, if the reservation type has a period spanning multiple unit resources, a reservation for that period is created. The reservation creation unit 42 repeats the flow from the calculation of the candidate schedule for the reservation type (step S203) until reservations for all reservation types are created (step S209; Yes).

[0038] Figure 10 shows how a reservation is created through the above information processing. The reservation instance in partition C of hospital tenant Y needs to reserve resources for tasks that are performed before and after the relevant date, and these tasks are specified by the reservation type-target mapping data. The availability of the candidate dates is confirmed from the specified target, and the new reservation that is created is a reservation instance in partition B of manufacturing tenant X and a reservation instance in partition D of wholesale tenant Z, which are connected by arrows.

[0039] Fig. 11 is an information processing flowchart for use case (3) "reservation cancellation by resource cooperation." Fig. 12 is a schematic diagram of use case (3). The information processing of the use case (3) will be described with reference to FIG. 8. The reservation cancellation unit 43 first registers the cancellation of a resource reservation for its own tenant (step S301) (reservation instance [reserved] of the manufacturing tenant X in FIG. 12). The reservation cancellation unit 43 acquires the case ID of the canceled reservation instance, and acquires the business progress of the case from the business progress data (data in which the business progress state of the case is recorded) (step S302). After that, the reservation cancellation unit 43 acquires the model reservation type mapping data, and calculates the reservation type to be canceled (reservation type linked to the unperformed business) (step S303). In addition, the reservation instance linked to the case ID and reservation type to be canceled is identified (step S304), and reservation cancellation processing is performed on the identified reservation instance (step S305) (reservation instance [reserved] of the wholesale tenant Z and the hospital tenant Y in FIG. 12). At this time, if the reservation instances of all reservation types to be canceled have not been canceled (step S306; No), the process from identifying the reservation instances linked to the case ID and reservation type to be canceled (step S304) to the cancellation process (step S305) is repeated. When the reservation instances of all reservation types to be canceled have been canceled (step S306; Yes), the process ends.

[0040] Fig. 12 shows that a reservation instance is cancelled by the above information processing. For the reservation instance of Partition B of Manufacturing Tenant X, resources for work to be performed before or after the relevant schedule are also reserved in coordination, and these are the reservation instance of Partition C of Hospital Tenant Y and the reservation instance of Partition D of Wholesale Tenant Z, which are linked by arrows. In this state, when the reservation instance of Partition B of Manufacturing Tenant X is cancelled, the reservation instance of Partition C of Hospital Tenant Y and the reservation instance of Partition D of Wholesale Tenant Z linked to it are also cancelled.

[0041] As described above, the computer 10 operating as a schedule management system according to the embodiment includes a memory unit 23 that stores resource data (unit resource data 58) and collaboration rules (collaboration rule data 57) for a chain of multiple supply-related tasks, and a control unit 22 that performs schedule management for the tasks by referring to the resource data and the collaboration rules. The resource data is data that manages the availability of resources used by the facility where the business is performed when executing the business, and the coordination rule is a rule that specifies the sequence of the business and indicates the intervals between business operations between the facilities. The control unit 22 then identifies the tasks that form the chain based on the context of the tasks, identifies facilities where the identified tasks can be performed, and provides information regarding whether or not the supply can be reserved by referring to the availability of resources at the identified facilities. With this configuration and operation, schedule management of multiple cases involving multiple facilities can be appropriately performed. In regenerative medicine, the multiple facilities involved each have a high degree of independence and need to control the scope of disclosure, such as patient information and processing capacity. With a disclosure system, users themselves do not need to check the availability of targets at facilities to which they do not belong. This allows the facility to decide whether to accept or reject a reservation, for example, when a reservation is requested, including information that has not been disclosed, while suppressing the disclosure of information between facilities. In other words, schedule management is possible in a cooperative manner while respecting the autonomy of each facility.

[0042] The control unit 22 further includes a reservation slot control unit 41 . The available reservation slot control unit 41 can specify a reservation slot in which the supply can be reserved and provide the information to an operator who makes a reservation for the supply. Furthermore, the available reservation slot control section 41 can specify reservation slots that have already been filled with other reservations and provide the information to the operator who makes the reservation for the supply. Specifically, for the supply of a first type of drug, the reservation slot control unit 41 identifies reservation slots available for the supply and provides information about them, and for the supply of a second type of drug, identifies reservation slots that are already filled with other reservations and provides information about them. Therefore, it is possible to provide appropriate information according to the type of drug.

[0043] The storage unit 23 further stores therein case data 60 for managing the supply for each case, and the control unit 22 further includes a reservation creation unit 42 . The reservation creation unit 42 identifies the tasks that form the chain for the case based on the context of the tasks, identifies facilities where the identified tasks can be performed, reserves resources at the identified facilities, and associates identification information for the case. The control unit 22 further includes a reservation canceling unit 43 . The reservation cancellation unit 43 identifies tasks that form the chain based on the context of the tasks for a case that is specified for cancellation, identifies facilities where the identified tasks can be performed, and sequentially cancels reservations of resources at the identified facilities. In this manner, the disclosed system can appropriately confirm and cancel reservations based on collaboration rules.

[0044] The configurations and operations shown in the embodiments are merely examples, and the present invention can be implemented by appropriately modifying the configurations and operations. For example, the computer 10 does not need to be a device having a single physical housing, and the same operations as the computer 10 may be realized by combining virtual resources. In the embodiment, the schedule adjustment function in a system that manages the supply chain of autologous cells is described as an example, but the present invention can also be applied to a system that manages the supply chain when allogeneic cells are used. In addition, the present invention can also be applied to a system that manages the supply chain including a series of processes involving multiple facilities, even for products other than regenerative medicine products. [Explanation of symbols]

[0045] 10: computer, 21: interface unit, 22: control unit, 23: memory unit, 41: available reservation slot control unit, 42: reservation creation unit, 43: reservation cancellation unit, 44: business progress management unit, 55: target reservation type mapping data, 57: collaboration rule data, 58: unit resource data, 60: case data

Claims

1. A storage unit that stores resource data and collaboration rules for a chain of a plurality of operations related to supply; a control unit that refers to the resource data and the collaboration rule and performs schedule management of the business, The resource data is data for managing availability of resources used by a facility where the business is performed when the business is performed, the coordination rule is a rule that specifies a sequence of the tasks and indicates a task interval between the facilities; the control unit identifies tasks forming the chain based on a context of the tasks, identifies a facility capable of executing the identified tasks, and provides information on whether or not the supply can be reserved by referring to an availability status of resources in the identified facility, The control unit further includes a reservation slot control unit that identifies reservation slots that have already been filled with other reservations and provides the information to an operator who makes a reservation for the supply, The available reservation slot control unit sets unavailable reservation slots for tasks that are linked to an already reserved task and are executed in another facility based on the context and the task interval, and provides information. A schedule management system comprising:

2. The schedule management system according to claim 1, The schedule management system is characterized in that the available reservation slot control unit can specify reservation slots in which the supply can be reserved and provide information to an operator who makes a reservation for the supply.

3. The schedule management system according to claim 1, The schedule management system is characterized in that the reservation slot control unit identifies reservation slots available for reservation of the supply of a first type of drug and provides information therefor, and identifies reservation slots that are already filled with other reservations and provides information therefor, for the supply of a second type of drug.

4. The schedule management system according to claim 1, The storage unit further stores project data for managing the supply on a project basis; The control unit further includes a reservation creation unit, The schedule management system is characterized in that the reservation creation unit identifies, for the case, the tasks that form the chain based on the context of the tasks, identifies facilities where the identified tasks can be performed, reserves resources at the identified facilities, and associates identification information of the case.

5. A schedule management system according to claim 4, The control unit further includes a reservation cancel unit, The schedule management system is characterized in that the reservation cancellation unit identifies tasks that form the chain based on the context of the tasks for the case designated for cancellation, identifies facilities where the identified tasks can be performed, and sequentially cancels reservations for resources at the identified facilities.

6. A schedule management system that manages schedules for multiple supply-related business chains, referencing a coordination rule that defines the context of the task and indicates the task interval between facilities that perform the task; A step of identifying tasks that form the chain based on a context of the tasks, and identifying a facility that can execute the identified tasks; A step of referring to resource data that manages availability of resources used by a facility performing the business when the business is performed; providing information on whether the supply can be reserved based on a result of the reference to the resource data; The step of providing information is to identify reservation slots that have already been filled with other reservations and provide the information to the operator who makes the reservation for the supply, and to set non-reservable slots for tasks that form a chain with the already reserved task and are executed in other facilities based on the context and the task interval, and provide the information. A schedule management method comprising:

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