Dynamic Time Estimate System Using Step Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing systems provide general time estimates that are often misleading, leading to wasted time and resources, as they fail to account for real-time updates and dynamic changes in tasks such as package delivery, money transfers, and route planning due to delays, holidays, or other unforeseen circumstances.
Innovation Solution
A customizable system architecture with an estimates service module that breaks down tasks into steps, predicts timing using job scheduling, and captures delays to provide real-time updates through a secure database and monitoring tool, ensuring accurate and dynamic timing estimates.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Loss of information
If general time estimates are provided, then users receive timing information, but the estimates are misleading and result in wasted time and money
Solution Approach 1:
The task is divided into multiple discrete steps (e.g., order placement, processing, shipping, delivery) with individual time estimates for each step. This segmentation allows the system to track progress and update estimates dynamically as each step completes, rather than providing a single static estimate that becomes outdated.
Solution Approach 2:
The system continuously monitors task progress and updates time estimates in real-time based on actual performance data. When delays are detected in any step, the system recalculates and communicates updated estimates to users, ensuring information remains accurate and actionable throughout the task lifecycle.
2Reliability
If static time estimates are provided, then implementation is simple, but they cannot account for delays, holidays, or unforeseen circumstances
Solution Approach 1:
The time estimation system transitions from static to dynamic by continuously updating estimates based on real-time task progress, historical performance data, and external factors. The system adapts estimates as conditions change, such as detecting delays in processing or shipping steps, rather than providing fixed estimates that become obsolete.
Solution Approach 2:
The system pre-identifies potential delay factors such as holidays, weekends, and historical performance patterns before providing estimates. By incorporating these factors in advance into the estimation algorithm, the system can provide more accurate predictions without requiring complex real-time adjustments for every possible scenario.
3Measurement precision
If detailed step-by-step tracking is implemented, then accurate time estimates are achieved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The task lifecycle is broken down into standardized steps (order placement, processing, shipping, delivery) that can be tracked independently. Each step has defined entry and exit points, allowing precise measurement of time spent in each phase without requiring overly complex monitoring infrastructure.
Solution Approach 2:
The system uses a unified tracking framework that handles multiple task types (orders, shipments, projects) through the same step-based structure. This universal approach allows detailed tracking across diverse tasks without creating separate complex systems for each task type, reducing overall system complexity while maintaining precision.
Data Source
AI summary
Aspects of the present disclosure involve systems, methods, devices, and the like for obtaining real-time estimates. In one embodiment, a novel customizable, transferable system architecture is presented that enables the characterization of a task, designated for time estimate, into steps or processes. The characterization may occur using the novel architecture which introduces an estimates service module that can provide an initial timing estimate by obtaining a composite time estimate of all steps. Timing of each of the steps can be predicted using a job scheduling enterprise designed to model the job or step. In another embodiment, delays are captured by time estimate monitors which can provide the alerts and delta time differences. Such alerts and time differences can be updated and presented to the user.