Workflow Scheduling via Calendar Data Negotiation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current workflow management tools inadequately account for the availability and readiness of resources, particularly management-level individuals, leading to delays and inefficiencies in task scheduling due to their busy schedules and remote work conditions, resulting in increased cycle times and limited resource utilization.
Innovation Solution
A method and system for scheduling and optimizing workflow processes by creating a tiered hierarchy of tasks, retrieving calendar service data to determine task candidate availability, and generating schedules with due dates, while negotiating improved parameters to optimize resource allocation and reduce cycle times.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Productivity
If workflow management tools assign tasks to resources without verifying availability, then task assignment speed is improved, but task completion reliability deteriorates due to resources being unavailable or busy
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by retrieving calendar service data and verifying resource availability before task assignment. The workflow management tool checks resource schedules in advance to ensure they are available to complete tasks, preventing assignment to unavailable resources and thereby maintaining both assignment speed and completion reliability.
2Reliability
If manual scheduling methods are used to verify resource availability, then task completion reliability is improved, but workflow process cycle time deteriorates due to delays in scheduling
Solution Approach 1:
The system implements self-service by automatically retrieving calendar service data and verifying resource availability without human intervention. The workflow management tool autonomously checks resource schedules, determines availability, and assigns tasks accordingly, eliminating the need for manual scheduling while ensuring reliable task completion and maintaining efficient workflow cycle times.
3Device complexity
If workflow tools assume resources are always available, then system complexity is reduced, but actual task completion deteriorates due to unrealistic assumptions about resource availability
Solution Approach 1:
The system incorporates feedback mechanisms by continuously monitoring resource calendar data and using this information to adjust task assignments. The workflow management tool retrieves real-time availability information from calendar services and uses this feedback to make informed assignment decisions, ensuring that tasks are assigned to actually available resources without requiring complex manual tracking systems.
Data Source
AI summary
Computing systems, methods and management tools for scheduling, optimizing and completing a dynamically adjustable workflow process. The computing systems, methods and management tools being capable of evaluating the availability of resources available for completing the workflow process and ascertaining the reliability of the resources in order to pre-generate a workflow process schedule. The computing systems, methods and management tools are further able to communicate with the assigned resources to incrementally negotiate and receive approval for proposed improvements to the pre-generated workflow schedule prior to implementation of the workflow schedule in order to optimize the cycle time of the process and increase probability of successfully completing the workflow process. The computing systems, methods and management tools may dynamically track the due dates for completing particular tasks and generate amended workflow process schedules in the event a failure occurs.