Workforce strategy insights

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-2017364850-A1
Application number	US-201615185997-A
Country	US
Kind code	A1
Filing date	Jun 17, 2016
Priority date	Jun 17, 2016
Publication date	Dec 21, 2017
Grant date	—

Abstract

Methods, systems, and apparatus, including computer programs encoded on a computer storage medium, for workforce planning. The methods, systems, and apparatus include actions of obtaining historical project data describing previous projects, generating a knowledge graph based at least on the historical project data, obtaining future project data describing a future project, identifying a particular previous project that matches the future project based at least on the knowledge graph and the data describing the future project, generating similarity scores between the previous projects and the future project, determining that the similarity score between the particular previous project and the future project satisfies a similarity threshold, identifying the particular previous project as matching the future project, identifying personnel for the future project based at least on the skills needed for the particular previous project, and generating a resource plan for the future project based at least on the identified personnel.

First claim

1 . A computer-implemented method performed by one or more computers comprising:
obtaining, from a database, historical project data describing previous projects; generating a knowledge graph based at least on the historical project data, where the knowledge graph represents relationships between the previous projects and skills needed for the previous projects; obtaining future project data describing a future project; generating similarity scores between the previous projects and the future project based on the knowledge graph and the data describing the future project; determining that the similarity score between the particular previous project and the future project satisfies a similarity threshold; in response to determining that the similarity score between the particular previous project and the future project satisfies the similarity threshold, identifying the particular previous project as matching the future project; identifying personnel for the future project based at least on the skills needed for the particular previous project; and generating a resource plan for the future project based at least on the identified personnel.

2 . The method of claim 1 , wherein determining that the similarity score between the particular previous project and the future project satisfies a similarity threshold comprises:
determining that (i) the similarity score between the particular previous project and the future project is greater than or equal to the similarity score between other previous projects indicated by the knowledge graph and the future project and (ii) the similarity score between the particular previous project and the future project satisfies the similarity threshold, wherein identifying personnel for the future project based at least on the skills needed for the particular previous project comprises in response to determining that (i) the similarity score between the particular previous project and the future project is greater than or equal to the similarity score between other previous projects indicated by the knowledge graph and the future project and (ii) the similarity score between the particular previous project and the future project satisfies the similarity threshold, identifying the particular previous project as matching the future project.

3 . The method of claim 1 , wherein generating similarity scores between the previous projects and the future project based on the knowledge graph and the data describing the future project comprises, for each pair of a previous project and the future project, determining a semantic distance between the previous project and the future project.

4 . The method of claim 1 , wherein generating a knowledge graph based at least on the historical project data, where the knowledge graph represents relationships between the previous projects and skills needed for the previous projects comprises:
identifying a set of the historical project data corresponds to the particular previous project; identifying skills referenced by the set of the historical project data; and including, in the knowledge graph, a node that represents the particular previous project, nodes that represent the identified skills, and edges between the node that represents the particular previous project and the nodes the represent the identified skills that represent relationships between the particular previous project and the identified skills.

5 . The method of claim 1 , wherein identifying personnel for the future project based at least on the skills needed for the particular previous project comprises:
obtaining personnel data that describes skills possessed by personnel and future availability of the personnel; and identifying, based on the personnel data, a set of personnel that at least a portion of the skills needed for the particular previous project that are available while work is to be performed for the future project.

6 . The method of claim 5 , wherein identifying, based on the personnel data, a set of personnel that at least a portion of the skills needed for the particular previous project that are available while work is to be performed for the future project comprises reducing cost for the personnel while increasing coverage of skills needed for the particular previous project.

7 . The method of claim 1 , comprising identifying skills that are needed for the future project that are not needed for the particular previous project, wherein identifying personnel for the future project based at least on the skills needed for the particular previous project comprises identifying personnel for the future project based at least on the skills needed for the particular previous project and the skills that are identified as (i) needed for the future project and (ii) not needed for the particular previous project.

8 . The method of claim 1 , wherein generating a resource plan for the future project based at least on the identified personnel comprises:
generating data that describes that the identified personnel are recommended for working on the future project, describe skills that are not satisfied by the identified personnel but available within a company, and skills that are not available within the company.

9 . The method of claim 1 , comprising:
providing the resource plan for display to a user.

10 . The method of claim 1 , comprising:
providing an exemplar electronic document based on the resource plan for display to a user in a graphical user interface.

11 . The method of claim 1 , wherein generating a knowledge graph based at least on the historical project data, where the knowledge graph represents relationships between the previous projects and skills needed for the previous projects comprises:
generating the knowledge graph based at least on the historical project data, and external data from relationships between skills and projects, where the knowledge graph represents relationships between the previous projects and skills needed for the previous internal and external projects.

12 . A system comprising:
one or more computers and one or more storage devices storing instructions that are operable, when executed by the one or more computers, to cause the one or more computers to perform operations comprising: obtaining, from a database, historical project data describing previous projects; generating a knowledge graph based at least on the historical project data, where the knowledge graph represents relationships between the previous projects and skills needed for the previous projects; obtaining future project data describing a future project; generating similarity scores between the previous projects and the future project based on the knowledge graph and the data describing the future project; determining that the similarity score between the particular previous project and the future project satisfies a similarity threshold; in response to determining that the similarity score between the particular previous project and the future project satisfies the similarity threshold, identifying the particular previous project as matching the future project; identifying personnel for the future project based at least on the skills needed for the particular previous project; and generating a resource plan for the future project based at least on the identified personnel.

13 . The system of claim 12 , wherein determining that the similarity score between the particular previous project and the future project satisfies a similarity threshold comprises:
determining that (i) the similarity score between the particular previous project and the future project is greater than or equal to

Assignees

• Accenture Global Solutions Ltd

Inventors

• Johnston Simon Peter
• Mulvihill Brianne
• Kearney Rebecca
• Lecue Freddy

Classifications

• G06Q10/063118

  Staff planning in a project environment · CPC title

• G06Q10/103

  Workflow collaboration or project management · CPC title

• G06Q10/06313 Primary

  Resource planning in a project environment · CPC title