Summarizing Tabular Data Across Projects Using User-Defined Attributes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Legacy techniques for managing project portfolios require manual data manipulation and post-processing, making it arduous for project managers to summarize and relate characteristics across multiple projects, leading to incomplete analysis of project conditions.
Innovation Solution
A method and system that allow project managers to summarize tabular data across multiple projects using user-defined attributes, enabling easy and flexible creation and viewing of summaries with a single user interface action, by accessing database tables and defining inter-project attributes to generate display information and alerts based on thresholds.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If manual data manipulation and post-processing techniques are used to summarize project portfolios, then project managers can analyze project characteristics, but the process becomes too arduous and time-consuming, leading to incomplete analysis
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical data manipulation with an automated computer-based system that retrieves project data from databases, performs summarizations, and generates reports automatically. This substitution eliminates the time-consuming manual processes while maintaining or improving the completeness of project analysis through systematic data processing.
Solution Approach 2:
The system enables project managers to self-serve by allowing them to easily configure and generate their own project portfolio summaries without requiring extensive manual data preparation. The automated retrieval and processing of data from multiple sources allows users to obtain comprehensive analyses independently and efficiently.
2Adaptability or versatility
If manual post-processing is used to relate characteristics across multiple projects, then some project relationships can be identified, but the complexity and effort required make it impractical for portfolio-level analysis
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal system that can handle multiple types of project characteristics and relationships through a single automated platform. The system retrieves and summarizes various project data from different sources and formats, enabling versatile analysis across diverse project portfolios without requiring separate manual processes for each type of analysis.
Solution Approach 2:
The automated summarization system acts as an intermediary between raw project data and project managers, automatically retrieving, processing, and presenting project characteristics in a comprehensible format. This intermediary process handles the complexity of relating multiple project attributes while presenting simplified, actionable insights to users.
3Productivity
If automated summarization with user-defined attributes is implemented, then project portfolio analysis becomes efficient and flexible, but requires a computer-based system with database access capabilities
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by pre-configuring database connections and data retrieval processes, so that when project managers need summaries, the data is already prepared and accessible. This preliminary setup enables rapid generation of project portfolio analyses without requiring complex real-time data processing infrastructure during actual use.
Data Source
AI summary
A method, system, and computer program product for enterprise applications. Embodiments commence by accessing a first database table having columns pertaining to one or more cost items of a first project and accessing a second database table having columns pertaining to cost items of a second project. A user interface aids definition of user-defined inter-project attributes, wherein the user-defined inter-project attributes relate a database table column of the first project to a database table column of the second project. The user-defined inter-project attributes are used in preparing display information pertaining to at least two projects such that in response to a single action being performed under control of a client system, the prepared display information is sent to a display unit. In some cases, the prepared display information comprises a summary of values, and in some cases, an alert icon is displayed based on a summary value exceeding a threshold.