Resource Deployment Map for Dynamic Project Scheduling
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional project management software struggles with efficiently updating project plans to account for changes in resources and time delays, leading to inaccurate and complex adjustments that result in delayed and over-budget projects due to the complexity of resource allocation and scheduling.
Innovation Solution
A system and method for generating and maintaining a resource deployment map over a communications network, which includes a database and web server for receiving project change information, identifying integration points, and efficiently reassigning resources to manage project timelines and budgets by concentrating resources at integration points.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If conventional project management software is used to maintain project plans with large numbers of milestones, tasks and dependencies, then the project plan can capture detailed activities, but the plan becomes complex and time-consuming to edit or modify when changes occur
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the project plan into hierarchical levels (summary tasks and detailed execution tasks). This allows the overall plan to maintain detail accuracy while reducing complexity by organizing tasks into manageable segments that can be independently managed and modified.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a temporal dimension by implementing rolling wave planning, where project plans are developed in successive waves or iterations. This allows the plan to accommodate changes over time without requiring complete re-planning, thus reducing complexity while maintaining detail accuracy.
2Adaptability or versatility
If project plans are manually adjusted to account for delays and resource limitations, then the plan can adapt to real-world constraints, but the adjustments become NP-complete and inefficient
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic resource allocation and rolling wave planning that automatically adapts to delays and resource constraints. Instead of static manual adjustments, the system dynamically recalculates schedules and resource assignments, making the plan adaptable while maintaining efficiency through automated processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables self-service project management where the software automatically adjusts project plans in response to delays and resource limitations. This eliminates the need for complex manual NP-complete optimization problems by allowing the system to self-adjust through automated scheduling algorithms.
3Measurement precision
If schedulers manually specify many constraints for detailed tasks to control sequencing, then task scheduling can be precise, but the constraints must be redone when plans change which is time-consuming and costly
Solution Approach 1:
The patent implements dynamic constraint management where scheduling constraints are not manually redone but automatically updated through rolling wave planning. The system dynamically adjusts constraints as the project progresses, maintaining scheduling precision while eliminating the time-consuming manual constraint maintenance.
Solution Approach 2:
The system performs preliminary action by pre-planning at summary task levels and then automatically expanding to detailed execution tasks only when needed. This preliminary high-level planning establishes constraints that are then automatically refined, reducing the need for manual constraint rework when plans change.
4Measurement precision
If multiple project plans are maintained (one for high level summary tasks and one per summary task for execution details), then detailed scheduling is possible, but continual interpretation and manual input is required which is impractical
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the concept of multiple separate plans into a single integrated rolling wave plan that combines high-level summary tasks and detailed execution tasks in one continuous framework. This eliminates the need for separate plans and the complex interpretation between them, while still providing execution-level detail when needed.
Solution Approach 2:
The system segments the single rolling wave plan into expandable phases, where summary tasks can be expanded into detailed execution tasks on-demand. This segmentation provides execution-level detail without requiring separate plans, reducing complexity by maintaining a unified plan structure that adapts to the needed level of detail.
Data Source
AI summary
A system, method and computer readable medium for generating and maintaining a resource deployment map for a project over a communications network includes a database for storing the resource deployment map including a set of tasks, dependencies between tasks, a predefined period of time required for completing each task, a set of resources, and assignments of the set of resources to the tasks, a web server for receiving project change information including a modified set of resources, and time delays in the tasks, identifying integration points in the resource deployment map, wherein an integration point comprises tasks, assigning the modified set of resources to the tasks as follows: assign all resources necessary for a first integration point, assign all remaining resources necessary for a next integration point, repeat the previous step until all resources are assigned, and generating a revised resource deployment map based on the modified set of resources, and time delays.