Information processing device, information processing system, and program

Abstract

To provide an information processing apparatus, information processing system, and program capable of inferring the time required to perform each of pieces of processing at a step at which the plural pieces of processing are performed, and obtaining a guideline for enhancing productivity.SOLUTION: An information processing apparatus includes a processor. For a printing step of performing predetermined processing and a preparation step that is a preliminary step including plural pieces of processing in relation to the printing step, the processor acquires a requirement for printing, and infers times required for the respective pieces of processing included in the preparation step, on the basis of the acquired requirement.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an information processing device, an information processing system, and a program. [Background technology]

[0002] For example, printing using a printing press may involve not only the actual printing process, but also multiple processes to prepare for printing, such as matching ink colors, adjusting the paper transport path, and cleaning.

[0003] Patent Document 1 describes a method for visualizing manufacturing performance, which includes the steps of acquiring manufacturing performance information in which the start time and completion time of each of a plurality of individual products are recorded for each production process, calculating the processing time for each of the plurality of individual products for each production process based on the manufacturing performance information, and distributing and displaying the processing time for each of the plurality of individual products for each production process on a display unit. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0004] [Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Application Publication No. 2018-124799 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0005] In the process of preparing for printing, the multiple processes involved may not be standardized, making it difficult to grasp the time required for these processes. However, even in such cases, it is necessary to grasp the time required for each process and work to improve productivity. The present invention aims to provide an information processing device, an information processing system, and a program that can estimate the time required for each process in a process having multiple processes and obtain guidelines for improving productivity. [Means for solving the problem]

[0006] The invention described in claim 1 includes a processor, and the processor acquires conditions under which a first process is performed, for a first process that performs a predetermined process, and a second process that is related to the first process and includes a plurality of processes, and estimates the time required for each of the plurality of processes included in the second process based on the acquired conditions, and The plurality of processes each The relationship between the average time required for Illustrated Includes graphs Create display information death, The display information is Second The graphs may include a plurality of graphs in which at least one of the person who performs the process and the period of execution is different, and the processor may simultaneously display the plurality of graphs. R It is an information processing device. Claim 2 The invention described in claim 1 is characterized in that the second step is a step that a user takes to perform the first step. 1 The information processing device is described in the above. Claim 3 The invention described in claim 1 is characterized in that the step in which the user takes action is a preparation step for preparing to carry out the first step. 2 The information processing device is described in the above. Claim 4 The invention described in claim 1 is characterized in that the preparation step is a step of preparing for a printing step in which printing is performed as the first step. 3 The information processing device is described in the above. Claim 5 The invention described in claim 1 is characterized in that the estimation of the time is performed using a plurality of relationships between the time required for the entire second step and the time required for the processing included in the second step. 1 The information processing device is described in the above. Claim 6 The invention described in claim 1 further includes the step of estimating the time by taking into account the presence or absence of each of the plurality of processes. 1 The information processing device is described in the above. Claim 7The invention described in claim 1 uses the sum of the time required for the first step and the time required for the second step in place of the time required for the second step. 1 The information processing device is described in the above. Claim 8 The invention described in claim 1 is characterized in that the estimation of the time is performed by calculating the difference between the average time when all processes including one process are performed and the average time when processes other than the one process are performed. 1 The information processing device according to 。 Claim 9 The invention described in claim 1 is characterized in that the display information is information indicating a task or a task level for the plurality of processes based on the average and the variation. 1 The information processing device is described in the above. Claim 1 0 The invention described in claim 1 is characterized in that the display information is information indicating tasks to be standardized and tasks to be automated that are identified based on the average and the variation for the plurality of processes. 9 The information processing device is described in the above. Claim 1 1 The invention described in the item (1) comprises an information processing device for analyzing a first process that performs a predetermined process, a second process that is related to the first process and includes a plurality of processes, and a display means for displaying the results of the analysis by the information processing device, wherein the information processing device comprises a processor, and the processor Regarding the first step of performing the predetermined processing and the second step including a plurality of processing steps related to the first step, The conditions under which the first step was performed are acquired, and the time required for each of the plurality of processes included in the second step is estimated based on the acquired conditions. The plurality of processes each and generating display information including a graph illustrating the relationship between the average time required for the second step and the variation in the time, the display information including a plurality of graphs in which at least one of the performer and the execution period of the second step is different, and the processor simultaneously displays the plurality of graphs. It is an information processing system 。 Claim 1 2 The invention described in the item (1) is a computer-implemented method for acquiring a condition for processing a first step that performs a predetermined process and a second step that is related to the first step and includes a plurality of processes, and a function for acquiring a time required for each of the plurality of processes included in the second step based on the acquired condition. of guess DoFunction and the inferred Creating display information including a graph showing the relationship between the average time required for each of the plurality of processes and the variation in the time. The function to realize The display information includes a plurality of graphs in which at least one of the executor and the execution period of the second step is different, and the plurality of graphs are simultaneously displayed. It is a program 。 [Effects of the Invention]

[0007] According to the invention of claim 1, it is possible to obtain a guideline for improving the productivity of the second process. 。 Claim 2 According to the invention, it becomes easier to establish guidelines for improving productivity for each of a plurality of processes included in a process that the user handles, which tend to have varying times required. Claim 3 According to the invention, it becomes easier to establish guidelines for improving productivity in preparation processes, which tend to require varying amounts of time. Claim 4 According to the invention, it becomes easier to establish guidelines for improving productivity in the process of preparing for printing. Claim 5 According to this invention, the time required for each of the plurality of processes included in the second step can be predicted more accurately. Claim 6 According to this invention, the formula for calculating the time required for each of the plurality of processes included in the second step is simplified. Claim 7 According to the invention, even if the time required for the second step is unknown and only the total time required for the first step and the second step is known, it is possible to calculate the time required for each of the multiple processes included in the second step. Claim 8 According to the invention, it is possible to more easily estimate the time required for each of the multiple processes included in the second step. 。 Claim 9 According to the invention, it becomes easier to establish guidelines for improving productivity in the second process that focus on the issues or issue levels of the work. Claim 1 0 According to this invention, it becomes easier to establish guidelines for improving productivity in the second process, focusing on the tasks that should be standardized and the tasks that should be automated. Claim 11 According to the invention, it becomes easier to establish guidelines for improving productivity in the second process. Claim 1 2 According to the invention, the function of making it easier to set guidelines for improving productivity in the second process can be realized by a computer. 。 [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0008] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram illustrating a terminal device to which the present embodiment is applied. [Figure 2] 10 is a flowchart showing the workflow of a print job. [Figure 3] FIG. 2 is a diagram illustrating a hardware configuration of a terminal device. [Figure 4] 10 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the terminal device according to the present embodiment. [Figure 5] 10(a) to 10(c) are diagrams showing a method for estimating time using equation (1). [Figure 6] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a first example of a visualization of the relationship between the average value and the variation in the time required for each process. [Figure 7] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of advice created and presented to a user based on analysis results. [Figure 8] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a second example of visualization of the relationship between the average value and the variation in the time required for each process. [Figure 9] 1 is a flowchart showing a chemical manufacturing process. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0009] <Configuration of Terminal Device 10> Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a terminal device 10 to which this embodiment is applied. The terminal device 10 is an example of an information processing device. The terminal device 10 is a computer device such as a PC (Personal Computer), a mobile phone, a smartphone, a tablet terminal, a wearable terminal, etc. The terminal device 10 runs various application software under the control of an OS (Operating System), thereby performing information processing and the like according to the present embodiment. The terminal device 10 performs an analysis of a print job, which is a job to be printed by the printing device Mp, and then displays the analysis results on the display 102 of the terminal device 10 and presents them to the user. In this case, the user may be a worker who performs printing work using the printing device Mp, a manager who manages the printing device Mp, an employee of the printing company that uses the printing device Mp, or the like.

[0010] FIG. 2 is a flowchart showing the workflow of a print job. As shown in the figure, a print job consists of a pre-process (step 101), a printing process (step 102), and a post-process (step 103). The printing process in step 102 is an example of a first process for performing a predetermined process, and is a process for actually printing on a recording material such as paper using a printing device Mp.

[0011] The pre-processing in step 101 is an example of a second process, and is a process that the user handles in order to perform the printing process. Here, the pre-processing is a preparation process for preparing to perform the printing process. The preparation process includes multiple processes related to the first process. The multiple processes included in the preparation process are a series of tasks for making the preparations required when printing in the printing process. The multiple processes include, for example, matching the color of ink used in the printing device Mp, adjusting the paper transport path used in the printing device Mp, cleaning, etc.

[0012] Furthermore, the post-process in step 103 is a process that performs processing after the printing process. The post-process is, for example, a cutting process that performs processing to cut paper. The post-process may also include processing such as cleaning the printing device Mp. Note that there may also be no post-process.

[0013] In this embodiment, the preparatory process is analyzed by estimating the time required for each of a plurality of processes included in the preparatory process.

[0014] <Configuration of Terminal Device 10> FIG. 3 is a diagram showing the hardware configuration of the terminal device 10. As shown in FIG. The terminal device 10 shown in the figure has a CPU (Central Processing Unit) 101 that controls each part through the execution of a program, a display 102 that displays images and other information, a keyboard 103 for inputting characters, etc., a touchpad 104 that is a pointing device, a communication module 105 used for communicating with external devices, an internal memory 106 that stores system data and internal data, and an external memory 107 that serves as an auxiliary storage device.

[0015] The CPU 101 is an example of a processor, and executes programs such as an OS (operating system) and application software. In this embodiment, the internal memory 106 and the external memory 107 are semiconductor memories. The internal memory 106 has a ROM (Read Only Memory) in which a BIOS (Basic Input Output System) and the like are stored, and a RAM (Random Access Memory) used as a main storage device. The CPU 101 and the internal memory 106 constitute a computer. The CPU 101 uses the RAM as a work space for programs. The external memory 107 is a storage device such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or an SSD (Solid State Drive) in which firmware, application software, and the like are stored.

[0016] The display 102 is configured by, for example, a liquid crystal display or an organic EL (Electro Luminescent) display. In this embodiment, images and other information are displayed on the surface (that is, the display surface) of the display 102.

[0017] The keyboard 103 is an input device used by the user to input characters and the like. The touchpad 104 is also an input device, and is used to move a cursor displayed on the display 102, scroll the screen, etc. Note that the touchpad 104 may be replaced by a mouse, a trackball, or the like. The communication module 105 is a communication interface for communicating with the outside.

[0018] <Detailed Description of Terminal Device 10> Next, the terminal device 10 will be described in detail.

[0019] FIG. 4 is a flowchart illustrating the operation of the terminal device 10 of this embodiment. First, CPU 101 acquires the conditions for processing the printing process (step 201). These conditions are necessary for printing during the printing process. For example, the conditions include the number of copies to be printed, the number of colors, the size of the paper used as the recording material, whether single-sided or double-sided printing is used, and the presence or absence of spot colors. Hereinafter, these conditions may be referred to as job conditions. Herein, spot colors refer to colors other than K (black), C (cyan), M (magenta), and Y (yellow), which are normally used when printing. Furthermore, spot color inks are not limited to inks that actually have a color, but also include clear (transparent) inks. Next, the CPU 101 estimates the time required for each of the plurality of processes included in the preparation process based on the job conditions acquired in step 201 (step 202).

[0020] A user printing on a printing device Mp determines what preparation work is necessary based on the job conditions, such as the number of prints and the number of colors, as described above. This preparation work varies not only depending on the job conditions of the upcoming print job, but also on the differences between the job conditions of the previous print job. For example, if the paper size of the subsequent print job is different from that of the previous print job, processes such as cleaning up paper dust and reloading the paper will be necessary. Furthermore, if the previous print job did not use spot colors, but the subsequent print job does use spot colors, additional processes such as mixing spot color inks and filling spot color inks will occur.

[0021] In this embodiment, in step 202, the time required for each process in the preparation process is estimated using the following method. The following formula (1) is a formula for estimating the time required for each process in the preparation process in this embodiment.

[0022] T=T0+T1·W1+T2·W2+T3·W3+ … +Tk·Wk …(1) (Wn = W1, W2, W3, ..., Wk, Tn = T1, T2, T3, ..., Tk)

[0023] In equation (1), the time T on the left side is the time required for the entire preparatory process. The first term on the right side, time T0, is the standard work time, which is the time required for the standard work, which is a process included in all preparatory processes. The second and subsequent terms on the right side are additional work times. Additional work time is the time required for additional work, which is a process added to the standard work. In this case, times T1, T2, T3, ..., Tk are the time required for each of the k additional tasks. This indicates that the time T required for the entire preparatory process is the total time for each process included in it. It also indicates that the time T required for the entire preparatory process is the sum of the standard work time T0 and the additional work time.

[0024] Also, consider a function Wn that compares the job conditions of the next print job with the job conditions of the previous print job and indicates whether or not the print job has changed. This function Wn takes on a value of 0 or 1. For a certain process, if the next print job does not include the job conditions, the function Wn is 0; if the next print job does include the job conditions, the function Wn is 1. For a certain process, if the printing conditions have not changed compared to the previous print job, the function Wn is 0; if there has been a change, the function Wn is 1.

[0025] Specifically, these processes occur, for example, when changing paper size, paper brand, number of colors, whether or not spot colors are used, at the start of work, at the end of work, when a person in charge is changed, when the order source changes, when a specific order source is used, when a specific paper is used, etc. They also occur when matching colors, cleaning paper dust, creating spot color ink, setting the transport path, setting the position of the processing machine, starting up the machine at the start of work, checking at the end of work, and handing over when an operator changes, etc.

[0026] In this case, the time T required for the entire preparation process is the difference between the start time and end time of the preparation work, and can be found from records such as a daily work report. Whether the function Wn is 0 or 1 can be found from the job conditions. The time Tn required for each process is usually not recorded in a daily work report or the like and is an unknown quantity, so the CPU 101 estimates the time Tn using equation (1).

[0027] 5(a) to 5(c) are diagrams showing a method for estimating the time Tn using equation (1). Figure 5(a) shows a case where the additional work consists of three processes: spot color ink adjustment, paper adjustment, and paper dust cleaning. In this case, the additional work time is the total time for the three processes: spot color ink adjustment time T1, paper adjustment time T2, and paper dust cleaning time T3. In other words, in this case, k=3 in equation (1), and Wn is W1, W2, and W3. The spot color ink adjustment time T1 occurs when spot color ink was not used in the previous print job but will be used in the next print job. The paper adjustment time T2 occurs when the paper used in the next print job is changed from the previous print job. The paper dust cleaning time T3 occurs when the paper size is larger than in the previous print job.

[0028] FIG. 5(b) is a diagram showing job conditions. Here, three print jobs, Job 1, Job 2, and Job 3, are shown to be performed in this order, and the job conditions for Job 1, Job 2, and Job 3 are shown. The job conditions consist of the ink color to be used for each print job, the type of paper to be used, and the paper size. For example, Job 2 indicates that the ink colors to be used are K (black), C (cyan), M (magenta), and Y (yellow), as well as indigo ink as a special color. The paper to be used is coated paper with a basis weight of 125 (g / m²). 2 ) which indicates that the paper size is A1.

[0029] FIG. 5(b) also shows whether or not the spot color ink adjustment time T1, paper adjustment time T2, and paper dust cleaning time T3 occur in the preparation process for the three print jobs, Job 1, Job 2, and Job 3. The spot color ink adjustment time T1 does not occur in jobs 1 and 3 because spot colors are not used, but occurs in job 2 because spot colors are used. Furthermore, paper adjustment time T2 occurs in job 1 because it is the first print job, and also in job 2 because the paper has changed from job 1. In contrast, paper adjustment time T2 does not occur in job 3 because the paper has not changed from job 2. Furthermore, the paper dust cleaning time T3 does not occur in job 1 because it is the first print job. In job 2, the paper has changed from job 1, so the paper dust cleaning time T3 occurs. And in job 3, the paper has not changed from job 2, so the paper dust cleaning time T3 does not occur.

[0030] FIG. 5(c) shows the results when equation (1) is applied to jobs 1 and 3. In other words, for job 1, the time T required for the entire preparation process is 35 minutes, which is the sum of the standard work time T0 and the paper adjustment time T2. In this case, functions W1 and W3 are 0, and function W2 is 1. For Job 2, the time T required for the entire preparation process is 65 minutes, which is the sum of the standard work time T0, the spot color ink adjustment time T1, the paper adjustment time T2, and the paper dust cleaning time T3. In this case, the functions W1, W2, and W3 are all 1. Furthermore, in job 3, the time T required for the entire preparation process is 25 minutes, which is only the standard work time T0. In this case, the functions W1, W2, and W3 are all 0. In this embodiment, multiple regression analysis is performed using the three equations shown in FIG. 5(c), and times T0 to T3 are determined so that the error between the left and right sides is minimized.

[0031] This can also be said to be that the time Tn is estimated using multiple relationships between the time T required for the entire preparatory process and the time Tn required for the processes included in the preparatory process. It can also be said that the times T0 to T3 are determined so as to minimize the error between the actual measured value on the left side, which is the time T required for the entire preparatory process, and the predicted value on the right side, which is the sum of the times Tn required for the processes included in the preparatory process. The use of a function Wn that takes on a value of 0 or 1 can also be said to be that the time Tn is estimated by further taking into account the presence or absence of each of the multiple processes included in the preparatory process.

[0032] Furthermore, there are cases where a print job consists of a preparation process and a printing process, and the time T required for the entire preparation process cannot be determined from records such as a daily work report. In this case, the time is estimated by using the total time required for the printing process and the preparation process instead of the time required for the preparation process. The following formula (2) is a formula for estimating the time required for each process in the preparation process in this embodiment.

[0033] Tt = T0 + T1 · W1 + T2 · W2 + T3 · W3 + … + Tk · Wk + (number of sheets / speed) … (2) (Wn = W1, W2, W3, ..., Wk, Tn = T1, T2, T3, ..., Tk)

[0034] In equation (2), the left side is the total time Tt required for the printing process and the preparation process. The right side is the same as equation (1) above, except that the term (number of sheets / speed) is added. The "number of sheets" here is the number of sheets printed in the printing process. The "speed" is the time required to print on one sheet of paper. Therefore, the time required for the printing process is (number of sheets / speed). The sum of the terms other than the (number of sheets / speed) is the total time required for the preparation process. Therefore, in this case, the right side is the total time required for the printing process and the preparation process, which is equal to the time Tt on the left side. The time Tt and the number of sheets can be known from records such as a daily work report. Also, the "speed" is known as a specification of the printing device Mp. Therefore, the time Tn required for the processing included in the preparation step is subsequently calculated using the same method as that described with reference to FIG. Furthermore, equation (2) can be said to estimate the time Tn by replacing it with the time required for the preparation process, and to use the sum of the time required for the printing process and the time required for the preparation process.

[0035] Furthermore, if we assume that the additional work time Tn is randomly distributed, we can calculate the additional work time Tn using the following formula (3). In formula (3), Tave is the average value of the additional work under certain job conditions. Also, T'ave is the average value of the additional work time when a single process is added to these job conditions.

[0036] Tn=T'ave-Tave …(3) (where Tn = T1, T2, T3, ..., Tk)

[0037] In this case, the time Tn can be estimated by calculating the difference between the average time T'ave when all processes including the one process are performed and the average time Tave when processes other than the one process are performed.

[0038] 4, after estimating the time Tn in step 202, the CPU 101 performs a task analysis of the processing included in the preparation step based on this time Tn (step 203). The contents of the task analysis include the following (a) to (c): (a) From the work results and job conditions, the fluctuation of the work time is analyzed each time the job conditions are changed. (b) The waiting time between print jobs is analyzed based on the difference between the end time of the previous print job and the start time of the next print job. (c) The downtime of the printing device Mp is analyzed from the difference between the end time of the previous print job and the start time of the next print job.

[0039] Then, based on this task analysis, CPU 101 visualizes and presents the analysis results (step 204). Methods for visualizing the analysis results include the following (d) to (i). (d) The analysis results of the work level for each processing unit included in the preparation process are displayed side by side to allow comparison between processes. (e) Based on the relationship between the average time required for each process and the variance, tasks that should be standardized and tasks that should be automated are separated. In this case, tasks that should be standardized are those that have a large variance in the time required, and tasks that should be automated are those that have a large average time required. (f) Show how often each treatment occurred. (g) Visualize seasonal fluctuations such as peak and slack periods. (h) Visualize the results by comparing them with the analysis results of the same printing equipment Mp in the printing factory and other companies in the same industry. (i) Visualize changes over time for the indicators of interest.

[0040] 6 is a diagram showing a first example of a visualization of the relationship between the average value and the variation in the time required for each process. This diagram is displayed on the display 102 (see FIG. 2) and presented to the user. In Figure 6, the horizontal axis represents the average additional work time, and the vertical axis represents the variation in additional work time. The size of the circle in the figure represents the number of occurrences of processing. According to this diagram, the larger the average value of each additional task time and the greater the variance in each additional task time, the greater the task issue. When both of these are large, the task issue is particularly large. In this case, for example, processing at the start of work falls into this category. In this case, it can also be said that the CPU 101 creates display information that indicates information relating to the time required for each of the multiple processes included in the preparation process, based on the acquired job conditions. That is, FIG. 6 corresponds to the above cases (d), (e), and (f).

[0041] Furthermore, the CPU 101 may create and present advice to the user based on the analysis results. FIG. 7 shows an example of advice presented to the user based on the analysis results. This diagram is displayed on the display 102 (see FIG. 1) and presented to the user. The advice shown in the figure consists of a message Me1 and an auxiliary diagram G1. The contents of message Me1 are "The average work value and variance at the start of work are both large," and "The variance in work when the person in charge changes is large," and they specifically point out processes that are in great need of improvement. Auxiliary Figure G1 shows the average and variance of additional work time, indicating the magnitude of the problem and its cause relative to the position in the diagram in Figure 6. In this case, a large variance indicates a high problem level. This indicates that there is a lot of waste in the work, which is the cause. If the average is large but the variance is small, this indicates that the problem level is medium. This indicates that there is little waste, but the work is not optimized. If both the average and variance are small, this indicates that the problem level is low. This indicates that the work is standardized. The higher the problem level, the greater the need for improvement in the work.

[0042] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a second example of a visualization of the relationship between the average value and the variation of each additional work time.

[0043] The upper part of the figure shows the analysis results of competitors, while the lower part shows the analysis results of the company from two months ago and one month ago. This diagram shows a comparison between your company and other companies in the same industry, and how your company's performance has changed over time. This allows you to see your company's issues compared to other companies. It also shows how much improvement you've made in terms of additional work time. This corresponds to cases (d), (e), (f), (h), and (i) above. In addition, by arranging the analysis results as shown at the bottom of the figure, it is possible to deal with the case (g) above.

[0044] For example, printing companies need to improve productivity by working efficiently amid a decline in printing volume across the market. At each process in a printing company, workers must perform preparatory tasks such as ink color matching, adjusting transport paths, and cleaning before the machines print or process the paper, and the lack of standardization of these tasks is one of the factors that contributes to a decline in productivity. Printing companies record their daily work performance, but this only records the total time required for the entire complex task, making it impossible to identify specific tasks that should be targeted for improvement, and the current situation is that this does not lead to improved productivity.

[0045] Before printing on offset presses and other printing devices, preparatory processes that vary depending on the job conditions must be performed manually. Analyzing where time is spent in these preparatory processes is important for improving productivity. However, the daily work reports obtained by printing companies generally do not include information on how long each preparatory step took, and only record the time from when the print job started until printing was completed.

[0046] According to the above-described embodiment, the time required for the preparatory process and the time required for the printing process performed by the printing device can be analyzed separately. This allows for work analysis of each process included in the preparatory process without increasing the effort required to obtain work performance values. In other words, more detailed work analysis is possible than in the past. This makes it easier to identify time-consuming tasks and tasks that have not been standardized on a process-by-process basis, making it easier to establish action guidelines for improving productivity. Furthermore, by visualizing the work analysis as shown in FIGS. 6 to 8, it is possible to visualize and present to the user matters that the user may not be aware of. 6 to 8, CPU 101 further calculates at least one of the average time and the variance of the time required for each of the estimated processes, thereby obtaining a more accurate index that makes it easier to set guidelines for improving productivity.

[0047] In the above example, the analysis was performed on the preparatory process, but the analysis may be performed on the post-process shown in Fig. 2. In this case, the post-process is an example of the second process. In the above example, the display 102 is included in the terminal device 10, but the display 102 may be a separate device. Furthermore, a server device such as a cloud server located on a cloud may be used instead of the terminal device 10, and analysis results sent from the server device may be displayed on the display. In this case, the cloud server is an example of an information processing device, and the display functions as an example of a display means that displays the results of analysis by the cloud server. The cloud server and the display may also be considered to constitute an information processing system. Note that a terminal device that transmits and receives information to and from the cloud server may also be connected to the display. In this case, the cloud server and the terminal device may share roles such as analyzing the preparation process and visualizing the analysis results.

[0048] In the above example, a print job has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this. For example, the present invention can also be applied to the manufacturing of chemical products, which will be described below. In this case, the terminal device 10 analyzes the manufacturing process of the chemical products as a task.

[0049] FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the manufacturing process of a chemical product. As shown in the figure, the manufacturing process of a chemical product consists of a pre-process (step 301), a reaction process (step 302), and a post-process (step 303).

[0050] The reaction process of step 302 is an example of a first process for performing a predetermined process. Here, for example, a process using a chemical reaction is performed in a reaction tank. The process using a chemical reaction is not particularly limited. For example, the process using a chemical reaction can be the synthesis of a chemical product. Another example of the process using a chemical reaction is a desalination process in which a reaction tank is filled with ion exchange resin to remove salts from raw water. Another example of the process using a chemical reaction is a chlorine removal process in which a reaction tank is filled with activated carbon to remove chlorine from tap water. Chemical products produced in this way include, for example, dyes, pharmaceuticals, and pure water. The reaction process can be performed as a batch process or a continuous process.

[0051] The pre-process of step 301 is an example of a second process, and is a process that the user handles in order to carry out the reaction process. Here, the pre-process is a preparation process in which preparations are made for carrying out the reaction process. The preparation process includes multiple processes related to the first process. The multiple processes included in the preparation process include, for example, cleaning, preparation of raw materials, filling of raw materials, preparation of an agitation device for agitation in the reaction process, preparation of an apparatus for adjusting the temperature, pressure, and pH in the reaction process, setting of sequences for temperature, pressure, and pH, selection of an atmospheric gas to be used in the reaction process and setting of its flow rate, and setting of the flow rate of cooling water to be used in the reaction process.

[0052] Furthermore, the post-process of step 303 is a process for carrying out treatment after the reaction process. The post-process is, for example, an extraction process for extracting chemicals from the reaction tank. The post-process is, for example, a dehydration process or drying process for removing water from the extracted chemicals. The post-process is, for example, a regeneration process for regenerating ion exchange resin that has reached the break-through point (BTP). The post-process is, for example, a replacement process for replacing activated carbon. The post-process may also include a process such as cleaning the reaction tank. Note that there may be no post-process.

[0053] In this embodiment, the preparatory process is analyzed. Here, the analysis of the preparatory process involves estimating the time required for each of the multiple processes included in the preparatory process. In this analysis, reaction conditions, which are conditions for the reaction process, are used. Examples of reaction conditions include the type of chemical product to be produced, the type and amount of raw materials, the brand and type of ion exchange resin or activated carbon to be filled, the amount of ion exchange resin or activated carbon filled, reaction time, reaction temperature, pH value, whether or not atmospheric gas is used, and the type and flow rate. Note that analysis may also be performed on the post-process shown in FIG. 9. In this case, the post-process is an example of the second process.

[0054] <Program Description> The processing performed by the terminal device 10 in this embodiment as described above is performed by a program such as application software, for example.

[0055] Therefore, the program that realizes the processing performed by the terminal device 10 in this embodiment can be understood as a program that causes a computer to realize the following functions: a first step that performs a predetermined processing; a second step that is related to the first step and includes multiple processes; a function to acquire conditions for processing the first step; and a function to estimate the time required for each of the multiple processes included in the second step based on the acquired conditions.

[0056] The program for realizing this embodiment can be provided not only by communication means but also by being stored on a recording medium such as a CD-ROM.

[0057] Although the present embodiment has been described above, the technical scope of the present invention is not limited to the scope of the above embodiment. It is clear from the claims that various modifications and improvements to the above embodiment are also included in the technical scope of the present invention. [Explanation of symbols]

[0058] 10... terminal device, 101... CPU, 102... display

Claims

1. a processor; The processor: Acquire conditions under which a first process is performed, for a first process that performs a predetermined process, and a second process that is related to the first process and includes a plurality of processes; Based on the acquired conditions, an estimation of the time required for each of the plurality of processes included in the second step is performed; creating display information including a graph illustrating the relationship between the average time required for each of the estimated plurality of processes and the variation in the time; the display information includes a plurality of the graphs, each of which differs in at least one of the performer and the execution period of the second step; The processor is an information processing device that simultaneously displays the plurality of graphs.

2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the second step is a step that a user takes to perform the first step.

3. 3. The information processing apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the step in which the user takes action is a preparation step for making preparations for carrying out the first step.

4. The information processing apparatus according to claim 3 , wherein the preparation step is a step of preparing for a printing step in which printing is performed as the first step.

5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the time is estimated using a plurality of relationships between the time required for the entire second process and the time required for processing included in the second process.

6. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the time estimation is performed by further taking into account whether or not each of the plurality of processes is performed.

7. 2. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the time estimation uses the sum of the time required for the first process and the time required for the second process instead of the time required for the second process.

8. The information processing device according to claim 1 , wherein the time is estimated by calculating the difference between an average time taken when all processes including one process are performed and an average time taken when processes other than the one process are performed.

9. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the display information indicates a task or task level for the plurality of processes based on the average and the variation.

10. The information processing apparatus according to claim 1 , wherein the display information indicates tasks to be standardized and tasks to be automated, which are identified based on the average and the variation for the plurality of processes.

11. An information processing device for analyzing a first process that performs a predetermined process and a second process that is related to the first process and includes multiple processes; a display means for displaying the results of the analysis performed by the information processing device; Equipped with The information processing device includes a processor, The processor: acquiring a condition under which the first process is performed, for the first process that performs the predetermined process, and a second process that is related to the first process and includes a plurality of processes; Based on the acquired conditions, an estimation of the time required for each of the plurality of processes included in the second step is performed; creating display information including a graph illustrating the relationship between the average time required for each of the estimated plurality of processes and the variation in the time; the display information includes a plurality of the graphs, each of which differs in at least one of the performer and the execution period of the second step; The processor is an information processing system that simultaneously displays the plurality of graphs.

12. A computer comprising: a function of acquiring a condition under which a first process is performed, the condition being used for a second process including a plurality of processes related to the first process; a function of estimating the time required for each of a plurality of processes included in the second step based on the acquired conditions; a function of generating display information including a graph illustrating the relationship between the average time required for each of the estimated processes and the variation in the time; Realize this, the display information includes a plurality of the graphs, each of which differs in at least one of the performer and the execution period of the second step; A program for simultaneously displaying the multiple graphs.

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