Simulation Queuing for Application Maintenance Resource Allocation

Solution Overview

Problem

Current estimation techniques for application maintenance projects often fail to accurately predict resource requirements, leading to inefficient resource allocation and negatively impacting maintenance performance due to factors like personnel shifts, skill proficiency, ticket types, and service level agreements.

Innovation Solution

An analytics platform that analyzes group and ticket information to generate project reports and modified reports, simulating performance metrics to optimize resource allocation and improve maintenance efficiency.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Measurement precision

If current estimation techniques are used for application maintenance projects, then resource allocation can be determined, but the accuracy of resource requirement prediction is insufficient

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveresource requirement prediction accuracyVSAvoidmaintenance performance

Core Design Contradiction:

Measurement precisionVSProductivity

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary simulation of application maintenance performance before actual resource allocation. By using simulation models to predict outcomes of different resource allocation scenarios in advance, the system identifies optimal resource requirements before committing resources, thereby improving prediction accuracy and preventing performance degradation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements feedback mechanisms by comparing simulated performance metrics with actual maintenance outcomes. This feedback loop continuously refines the simulation models and estimation techniques, enabling the system to learn from past performance and improve future resource requirement predictions, thus resolving the accuracy-performance contradiction.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

2Productivity

If resource allocation is based on inaccurate estimation, then resource commitment can be made, but resource allocation efficiency deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveresource allocation efficiencyVSAvoidresource requirement prediction reliability

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The system performs preliminary simulation of application maintenance performance before actual resource allocation. By using simulation models to predict outcomes of different resource allocation scenarios in advance, the system identifies optimal resource requirements before committing resources, thereby improving prediction accuracy and preventing performance degradation.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Solution Approach 2:

The system implements feedback mechanisms by comparing simulated performance metrics with actual maintenance outcomes. This feedback loop continuously refines the simulation models and estimation techniques, enabling the system to learn from past performance and improve future resource requirement predictions, thus resolving the accuracy-performance contradiction.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #23Feedback

3Productivity

If traditional estimation methods are used, then project planning can proceed, but maintenance performance is negatively impacted

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvemaintenance performanceVSAvoidestimation system complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The system introduces simulation models as an intermediary between traditional estimation methods and actual resource allocation. These simulation models act as a mediator that translates simple input parameters into comprehensive performance predictions, enabling accurate resource planning without requiring complex manual analysis, thus improving maintenance performance while managing system complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

Solution Approach 2:

The system enables self-service estimation by allowing project planners to input basic parameters and automatically receive optimized resource allocation recommendations through simulation. This automated self-service approach eliminates the need for complex manual estimation processes while improving accuracy, thereby enhancing maintenance performance without proportionally increasing system complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Data Source

PatentUS11295250B2Simulation queuing based system for analyzing client or application related changes to an application maintenance project

Publication Date: 2022.04.05 ACCENTURE GLOBAL SOLUTIONS LTD

AI summary

A device may receive group information, associated with performing application maintenance, that includes information corresponding to one or more resources, associated with performing the application maintenance, and information associated with one or more shifts of the one or more resources. The device may receive ticket information, associated with performing the application maintenance, that includes priority information associated with one or more ticket types associated with performing the application maintenance. The device may simulate, based on the group information and the ticket information, performing the application maintenance to determine a simulation result. The simulation result may include information associated with one or more predicted performance metrics associated with performing the application maintenance. The device may provide the information associated with the one or more predicted performance metrics.