Progress Bar Time Estimates With Scheduled Resource Contention
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing progress bars provide inaccurate estimates of task completion times due to a lack of data on the hardware they are running on, leading to user frustration and potential system errors.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that calculate an initial estimated time to completion based on current available resources and adjust this estimate based on scheduled tasks' impact on host resources, using metadata from previous task executions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If progress bar estimates are based on average hardware specifications, then the implementation is simple, but the accuracy of completion time indication deteriorates when hardware does not match the average
Solution Approach 1:
The system dynamically changes the estimation parameters from fixed average hardware specifications to actual measured hardware performance characteristics. It monitors real resource availability and task execution metrics to adjust the completion time calculation parameters, thereby improving accuracy while maintaining implementation simplicity through adaptive parameter adjustment rather than complex hardware profiling
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements feedback by continuously monitoring actual task completion times and resource usage, then using this information to refine future estimates. The progress bar updates based on real performance data rather than static averages, creating a closed-loop system that improves accuracy over time while keeping the implementation straightforward through iterative refinement
2Ease of manufacture
If progress bar estimates are based on number of tasks, then the implementation is simple, but the accuracy deteriorates because tasks have different sizes and resource requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The system transforms the estimation approach from counting tasks (simple but inaccurate) to calculating resource-based metrics (accurate but complex). It measures actual resource consumption rates and applies these to remaining work quantities, dynamically adjusting the completion time estimate based on real performance rather than theoretical task counts
Solution Approach 2:
The system segments the total work into measurable resource consumption units rather than treating tasks as uniform entities. It divides the workload based on actual resource usage patterns observed during execution, allowing accurate estimation even when tasks vary significantly in size and complexity
3Device complexity
If scheduled tasks are not considered in the estimate, then the calculation is simple, but the accuracy deteriorates when resource contention occurs
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary identification of scheduled tasks and their resource requirements before they execute. By proactively accounting for upcoming resource contention from scheduled tasks, it adjusts the completion time estimate in advance, improving accuracy without requiring complex real-time recalculation when resources become contended
Data Source
AI summary
A computer-implemented method for providing a progress bar with an improved estimated time of a job at a host system is disclosed. The method includes calculating an initial estimated time to completion value for a current task based on current available resources at the host system. The method includes determining any scheduled tasks at the host system scheduled in the initial estimated time to completion value for the current task and adjusting the initial estimated time to completion value of the current task based on an estimated impact of the scheduled tasks on the host resources.