WO2015173747A1

WO2015173747A1 - Method and system for procuring and evaluating inputs from a plurality of client devices

Info

Publication number: WO2015173747A1
Application number: PCT/IB2015/053525
Authority: WO
Inventors: Sushil Prataprao BORDE; Shrikant Anil DEO; Arvind Narayan PRABHU; Ashish Manohar JADHAV; Bhushan Hanumant SHINDE; Dinesh Kishinchand LALWANEY; Hardik Harish GOSAR; Hemal Jaysinh SHAH; Kamlakar Purshottam PRABHU; Manish Balkrishna SHRIVASTAVA; Mitesh Madhukant ZAVERI; Ritesh Dattatrey MHATRE; Ronak Ajit SHAH; Shailesh Sharad NAIK
Original assignee: Reliance Industries Limited
Priority date: 2014-05-13
Filing date: 2015-05-13
Publication date: 2015-11-19

Abstract

A collaborative framework for dynamic appraisal among proposals received for achieving explicit quests is disclosed herein, which embodies a method and system for procuring and evaluating inputs from a plurality of client devices.

Description

METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR PROCURING AND EVALUATING INPUTS FROM A PLURALITY OF CLIENT DEVICES

TECHNICAL FIELD

The present disclosure relates generally to the field of requesting, collecting and assessing inputs.

DEFINITIONS OF TERMS USED IN THE SPECIFICATION

The expression 'intent' used hereinafter in this specification refers to a problem area, dilemma, complication or an improvement requirement that is notified to the users/client devices for accepting resolutions for the same.

The expression 'input' used hereinafter in this specification refers to a proposal for resolution of the intent.

These definitions are in addition to those expressed in the art. BACKGROUND

Success of any organization typically depends on the finesse of work-allocation among available resources and how well such assignees gel for benefiting course of progress desired. These principles however tend to form rigid matrices capable of scalable reproducibility limited by loci of vision, control, access, perception, procedure, incentive, territory, hierarchy, personal-biases and their inherent inadequacies. The world today depends on advances as a habit, and therefore an environment conducive to proposals for improvement, regardless of the impediments mentioned above, or of their outcomes, would be most desirable.

When any work is delegated it is often found to compartmentalize resources and minds. Any production house usually includes at least one production unit, research and development unit, sales/ marketing unit, management unit and human resource (HR) unit. As their recruitments and reporting flows are pre-decided there are limited opportunities for change or relief which results in monotonous mechanization of activities. Working capacities of resources are therefore ably consumed within their realms of corresponding duties, which may have been instrumental in resolving faults, improving existing avenues and/ or proposing entirely new opportunities. In case of the organizations that have dedicated research and innovation teams; the assumed valency for each situation and accountability for resolution, defies the purpose of such arrangement. In event of any difficulties attributable to efficiency of resources, corporate trainers or motivational speakers are often employed to boost site/ situation-specific morale. However, because of the local effects and audience- specific agendas, such trainers and/or speakers ingrain the isolation among compartments.

In order to overcome the afore-mentioned lacunae, systems are envisaged that invite responses from employees through a series of templates and notify mangers as per information provided by the employees. However, some such systems are dependent on a sequential selection of templates depending on the responses provided in the prior template by a user. Moreover, the ideas are essentially evaluated by a manager, who may not be a domain expert. This presents a risk of personal bias and/or improper judgment.

Some available systems also envisage a structural environment for innovation and idea management within an organization in which communities of users within or beyond the organization interact with the system via browser-based user interfaces. In such a system, each submitted idea or request for ideas is assigned a facilitator who is responsible for performing tasks designed to advance the idea within the organization. The system tracks performance of these tasks and provides information, such as a list of experts available to consult in relation to an idea or task. However, these systems mandate submission of ideas via a rigid sequence of templates, which are forwarded to facilitators for assessment. The user have limited or no choice of domain expert to be nominated/ withdrawn/ re-referred in case of unreasonable delay or rebuttal during assessment. Such systems are also therefore subjected to personal biases and only provide a way to report ideas.

Therefore, there is felt a need for a system to limit the aforementioned drawbacks.

OBJECTS

Some of the objects of the present disclosure, aimed to ameliorate one or more problems of the prior references or to at least provide a useful alternative, are listed herein below: An object of the present disclosure is to provide a system for implementation of a collaborative integrative framework for dynamic appraisal among proposals received for achieving explicit quests with an aim to identify implementable ideas.

Yet another object of the present disclosure is to enable the implementation of the system for dynamic appraisal among proposals received against the quests followed among manual, automated and hybrid pathways applicable intelligently as per circumstantial need of operational flows involved.

Still another object of the present disclosure is to make provisions for user-specific controlled access to the system of the present disclosure, preferably in an ordered hierarchy of designated entities/users.

An additional object of the present disclosure is to provide for the quests/inputs to be differentially originated and thus have independent ambits and process flows for appraisal.

Yet another object of the present disclosure is to allow the quests/intents to be discretionally advertised openly or optionally to a select group of invitees/users to help target a best responding population.

Further, an object of the present disclosure is to allow a user to acknowledge, in real time, stages of processing of an input submitted by the user and, at the other end, allow the management to have a bird's eye view of statistics on reception, processing, evaluation and implementation of ideas.

Still further object of the present disclosure, is to allow interactions between users and assessors for revisions as necessary in the inputs submitted.

Yet another object of the present disclosure is to allow inputs submitted to be routed automatically, or additionally, redirected manually to most appropriate entity for assessment.

One more object of the present disclosure, is to allow that the dynamic appraisal among proposals received for achieving explicit quests/intents with aim to identify implementable ideas follows comprehensive modular assessment comprising technical feasibility, financial viability and legal compliance benchmarking / clearances.

An additional object of the present disclosure is to allow a user to provide an input irrespective of having, or not, a pre-defined quest/intent and enable the system to collate these inputs in clusters depending on the subject and object of the inputs.

Yet another object of the present disclosure is to provide structured incentives to participating users for their progressive involvement in the system of the present disclosure and link the accreditation of users as an additional index of performance.

Other objects and advantages of the present disclosure will be more apparent from the following description when read in conjunction with the accompanying figures, which are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure.

SUMMARY

This summary is provided to introduce concepts related to procuring and evaluating inputs from plurality of users. This summary is neither intended to identify essential features of the claimed subject matter nor is it intended for use in determining or limiting the scope of the present disclosure.

In an embodiment, method(s) and system(s) for procuring and evaluating inputs from a plurality of client devices is disclosed. The method includes storing a plurality of pre-determined set of attributes and storing an active directory for validating credentials of the users of the client devices. Further, the method includes collecting the inputs from users of the client devices. Subsequently, the method includes evaluating the collected inputs based on the stored pre-determined first set of attributes and filtering out a set of inputs which satisfy said first set. The method, further, includes selecting appropriate inputs, from the filtered set of inputs, which satisfy the stored pre-determined second set of attributes. The method includes selecting a best suited input, from said appropriate inputs, which satisfies the stored pre-determined third set of attributes. In this respect, the method includes providing incentives to the user of the identified client device for contributing the selected best suited input for a particular intent.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE ACCOMPANYING DRAWINGS The system and method for procuring and evaluating inputs from a plurality of client devices of the present disclosure will now be described with the help of the accompanying drawing, in which:

Fig. 1 illustrates a network implementing a system for procuring and evaluating inputs from a plurality of client devices, according to an implementation of the present disclosure.

Fig. 2 illustrates a method for procuring and evaluating inputs from a plurality of client devices, according to an implementation of the present disclosure.

It should be appreciated by those skilled in the art that any block diagrams herein represent conceptual views of illustrative systems embodying the principles of the present subject matter. Similarly, it will be appreciated that any flow charts, flow diagrams, and the like represent various processes which may be substantially represented in computer readable medium and so executed by a computer or processor, whether or not such computer or processor is explicitly shown.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure is directed towards procuring and evaluating inputs from a plurality of client devices.

A better understanding of the objects, advantages, features, properties and relationships of the present disclosure will be obtained from the following description which sets forth a single preferred embodiment which is nonetheless indicative of the various ways in which the principles of the disclosure may be embodied.

The present disclosure provides a method and system for procuring and evaluating inputs from a plurality of client devices. The participants/users may accordingly provide their ideas directed at improving general functioning of the organization, solving specific problems related to different functional units of the organization as well as fresh ideas that are totally unprecedented and/ or directed at improvising any feature of the organization (new ideas). The present disclosure envisages optionally extrapolating this system beyond a particular organization, whereupon it could assume nature of a subscription-based service and/ or an open free hub for idea management and implementation. The systems and methods are not limited to the specific embodiments described herein. In addition, modules of each system and each method can be practiced independently and separately from other modules and methods described herein. Each module and method can be used in combination with other modules and other methods.

According to an implementation, the present subject matter discloses a network- based system for procuring and evaluating inputs from a plurality of user of the client devices. The network-based system includes a server that is coupled to a network and accessible to the users of the client devices and a repository. The repository is coupled to the server and is configured to store an active directory for validating credentials of the users of the client devices.

Fig. 1 illustrates a network implementing a network-based system 102 for procuring and evaluating inputs from a plurality of user of the client devices. The network-based system 102 can be implemented as a variety of communication devices, such as a laptop computer, a notebook, a workstation, a mainframe computer, a server and the like. The network-based system 102 described herein, can also be implemented in any network environment comprising a variety of network devices, including routers, bridges, servers, computing devices, storage devices, etc.

In one implementation, the network-based system 102 is connected to one or more client devices 104-1 , 104-2...104-N, individually and commonly hereinafter referred to as client device(s) 104, and a database 108, through a network 106. The client devices 104 may be implemented as, but are not limited to, hand-held devices, laptops or other portable computers, tablet computers, mobile phones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), Smartphone, and the like. The client devices 104 may be located within the vicinity of the network-based system 102 or may be located at different geographic location as compared to that of the network-based system 102. Further, the client devices 1 04 may themselves be located either within the vicinity of each other, or may be located at different geographic locations.

The network 106 may be a wireless or a wired network, or a combination thereof. The network 106 can be a collection of individual networks, interconnected with each other and functioning as a single large network (e.g., the internet or an intranet). The network 106 can be implemented as one of the different types of networks, such as intranet, local area network (LAN), wide area network (WAN), the internet, and such. The network 106 may either be a dedicated network or a shared network, which represents an association of the different types of networks that use a variety of protocols, for example, Hypertext Transfer Protocol (HTTP), Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP), etc., to communicate with each other.

The database 108 may be implemented as, but not limited to, enterprise database, remote database, local database, and the like. The database 108 may be located within the vicinity of the network-based system 102 and the client devices 104 or may be located at different geographic location as compared to that of the network-based system 102 and the client devices 104. Further, the database 108 may themselves be located either within the vicinity of each other, or may be located at different geographic locations. Furthermore, the database 1 08 may be implemented inside the client device 104 or inside the network-based system 102 and the database 1 08 may be implemented as a single database.

In one implementation, the network-based system 1 02 includes processor(s) 1 12. The processor 1 12 may be implemented as one or more microprocessors, microcomputers, microcontrollers, digital signal processors, central processing units, state machines, logic circuitries, and/or any devices that manipulate signals based on operational instructions. Among other capabilities, the processor(s) is configured to fetch and execute computer-readable instructions stored in a memory.

The functions of the various elements shown in the figure, including any functional blocks labeled as "processor(s)", may be provided through the use of dedicated hardware as well as hardware capable of executing software in association with appropriate software. When provided by a processor, the functions may be provided by a single dedicated processor, by a single shared processor, or by a plurality of individual processors, some of which may be shared. Moreover, explicit use of the term "processor" should not be construed to refer exclusively to hardware capable of executing software, and may implicitly include, without limitation, digital signal processor (DSP) hardware, network processor, application specific integrated circuit (ASIC), field programmable gate array (FPGA), read only memory (ROM) for storing software, random access memory (RAM), non-volatile storage. Other hardware, conventional and/or custom, may also be included.

Also, the network-based system 102 includes interface(s) 1 10. The interfaces 1 10 may include a variety of software and hardware interfaces that allow the network- based system 102 to interact with the entities of the network 106, or with each other. The interfaces 1 10 may facilitate multiple communications within a wide variety of networks and protocol types, including wire networks, for example, LAN, cable, etc., and wireless networks, for example, WLAN, cellular, satellite-based network, etc. The network-based system 102 may also include a memory 1 14. The memory 1 14 may be coupled to the processor 1 12. The memory 1 14 can include any computer- readable medium known in the art including, for example, volatile memory, such as static random access memory (SRAM) and dynamic random access memory (DRAM), and/or non-volatile memory, such as read only memory (ROM), erasable programmable ROM, flash memories, hard disks, optical disks, and magnetic tapes.

Further, the network-based system 102 may include module(s) 1 16 and data 1 18. The modules 1 1 6 may be coupled to the processors 1 12 and amongst other things, include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, etc., which perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. The modules 1 16 may also be implemented as, signal processor(s), state machine(s), logic circuitries, and/or any other device or component that manipulate signals based on operational instructions. Further, the modules 1 16 can be implemented in hardware, instructions executed by a processing unit / processor, or by a combination thereof. In another aspect of the present subject matter, the modules 1 16 may be machine-readable instructions (software) which, when executed by a processor/processing unit, perform any of the described functionalities.

In an implementation, the modules 1 16 may include a collector module 120, an evaluator module 122, a selector module 124, a finalizer module 126, a recommender module 128 and other module(s) 130. The other module(s) 130 may include programs or coded instructions that supplement applications or functions performed by the network-based system 102. Further, the data 1 18 may include input data 132, and other data 134. The other data 134, amongst other things, may serve as a repository for storing data that is processed, received, or generated as a result of the execution of one or more modules in the modules 1 16. Although the data 1 18 is shown internal to the network-based system 102, it may be understood that the data 1 18 can reside in an external repository, which may be coupled to the network-based system 102.

In one implementation, the network-based system 1 02 may provide for procuring and evaluating plurality of inputs from a plurality of users of the client devices. The network-based system 1 02 coupled to the server and the server may include the collector module 120 to collect the plurality inputs from the users of the client devices. The users of the client devices may belong to a plurality of hierarchy of users having valid user credentials to distinguish each of the users from the plurality of hierarchy of users. The collector module 120 is configured to cooperate with the processor to receive the set of commands from the processor and further configured to collect the inputs from the client devices.

According to the present implementation, the evaluator module 122 configured to cooperate with the processor to receive the set of commands and extract from the memory the pre-determined first set of attributes. The evaluator module 122 is further configured to use the commands to evaluate the collected inputs based on the predetermined first set of attributes. Subsequently, the evaluator module 122 filters out a set of inputs which satisfy the first set of attributes.

According to the present implementation, the selector module 124 configured to cooperate with the processor to receive the set of commands and extract from the memory the pre-determined second set of attributes. The selector module 124 is further configured to use the commands to select appropriate inputs which satisfy the second set of attributes, from the set of inputs forwarded by the evaluator module 122.

According to the present implementation, the finalizer module 126 configured to cooperate with the processor to receive the set of commands and extract from the memory the pre-determined third set of attributes. The finalizer module 126 is further configured to use the commands to select a best suited input which satisfies the third set of attributes, from the appropriate inputs.

According to the present implementation, the recommender module 128 configured to incentivize a user of the client device for providing the selected best suited input for a particular intent.

The selected best suited input is then implemented to satisfy/solve the respective intent. In an embodiment, the other module 130 is a feedback module having a feedback mechanism which assesses a level of success of the implemented best suited input.

In another implementation, the network-based system 102 may further include a plurality of intents which may be communicated to the plurality of client devices to collect one or more inputs from the hierarchy of the users of the client devices to suit the intents.

In another implementation, the network-based system 102 may further include the plurality of intents which may be classified in pre-determined format. The pre- determined format may be mapped with different hierarchy of users of the client devices.

In another implementation, the network-based system 102 may include different hierarchy of users which may be authorized to provide the plurality of intents. The plurality of intents may include grand challenge intents, campaign intents, steady- state contribution intents and the like. The grand challenge intents may be defined by a user having a top level hierarchy. Further, the campaign intents may be defined by a user below the top level hierarchy or based on the recommendation by the user having top level hierarchy and similarly, the steady-state contribution intents may be define by a user having a low level hierarchy acting on own volition.

In another implementation, the network-based system 102 may provide the user, that defined the campaign intents, provides a sub-set of user authorized to provide inputs based on enumeration and attributes of the sub-set of users.

In another implementation, the network-based system 102 may include plurality of inputs which may be selected from the collected inputs based on the classification of said plurality of intents.

In another implementation, the network-based system 102 communicates with the plurality of client devices to suggest and request additional information related to the collected inputs.

In another implementation, the network-based system 1 02 may provide the user of the client devices which may be incentivized based on frequency of inputs and total number of inputs provided.

Fig.2 illustrates a method for procuring and evaluating inputs from a plurality of client devices, according to an implementation of the present disclosure. The method 200 may be described in the general context of computer executable instructions. Generally, computer executable instructions can include routines, programs, objects, components, data structures, procedures, and modules, functions, which perform particular functions or implement particular abstract data types. The method 200 may also be practiced in a distributed computing environment where functions are performed by remote processing devices that are linked through a communication network. In a distributed computing environment, computer executable instructions may be located in both local and remote computer storage media, including memory storage devices. The order in which the method 200 is described is not intended to be construed as a limitation, and any number of the described method blocks can be combined in any order to implement the method 200, or alternative method. Additionally, individual blocks may be deleted from the method 200 without departing from the spirit and scope of the subject matter described herein. Furthermore, the method 200 can be implemented in any suitable hardware, software, firmware, or combination thereof. In an example, the method 200 may be implemented in a computing system, such as a system 102 for procuring and evaluating inputs from a plurality of client devices.

Referring to method 200, at block 202, storing a pre-determined first set of attributes, a pre-determined second set of attributes and a pre-determined third set of attributes. In an implementation, the memory 1 14 stores the pre-determined first set of attributes, the pre-determined second set of attributes and the pre-determined third set of attributes.

At block 204, storing an active directory for validating credentials of the client devices. In an implementation, the database 108 stores the active directory for validating credentials of the client devices.

At block 206, collecting the inputs from client devices accessed by a plurality of hierarchy of users. In an implementation, the collector module 120 collects the inputs from client devices accessed by a plurality of hierarchy of users.

At block 208, evaluating the collected inputs based on the stored pre-determined first set of attributes and filtering out a set of inputs which satisfy the first set. In an implementation, the evaluator module 122 evaluates the collected inputs based on the stored pre-determined first set of attributes and filtering out a set of inputs which satisfy the first set.

At block 210, selecting, from the filtered set of inputs, appropriate inputs which satisfy the stored pre-determined second set of attributes. In another implementation, the selector module 124 selects appropriate inputs which satisfy the stored predetermined second set of attributes from the filtered set of inputs.

At block 212, selecting, from the appropriate inputs, a best suited input which satisfies the stored pre-determined third set of attributes. In another implementation, the finalizer module 126 selects a best suited input which satisfies the stored predetermined third set of attributes from the appropriate inputs.

At block 212, providing incentives to a user of the client device for providing the selected best suited input for a particular intent. In another implementation, the recommender module 128 provides incentives to a user of the client device for providing the selected best suited input for a particular intent.

Although implementations for procuring and evaluating inputs from a plurality of client devices have been described in language specific to structural features and/or method, it is to be understood that the appended claims are not necessarily limited to the specific features or method described. Rather, the specific features and method are disclosed as exemplary implementations for determining human activity using the smart meter data.

Claims

CLAIMS:

1 . A network-based system for procuring and evaluating inputs from a plurality of client devices, the system comprising:

a memory configured to store a set of rules, a pre-determined first set of attributes, a predetermined second set of attributes and a pre-determined third set of attributes;

a processor configured to cooperate with the memory to receive the set of rules and generate a set of commands based on said rules;

a server operatively coupled to a network and accessible to the client devices;

a repository operatively coupled to the server and configured to store an active directory for validating credentials of the client devices;

wherein the server further comprises:

a collector module configured to cooperate with the processor to receive the set of commands and further configured to collect said inputs from client devices accessed by a plurality of hierarchy of users;

an evaluator module configured to cooperate with the processor to receive the set of commands and extract from said memory the pre-determined first set of attributes, and further configured to use said commands to evaluate the collected inputs based on the predetermined first set of attributes and filter out a set of inputs which satisfy said first set; a selector module configured to cooperate with the processor to receive the set of commands and extract from said memory the pre-determined second set of attributes, and further configured to use said commands to select appropriate inputs which satisfy said second set, from the set of inputs forwarded by the evaluator module;

a finalizer module configured to cooperate with the processor to receive the set of commands and extract from said memory the pre-determined third set of attributes, and further configured to use said commands to select a best suited input which satisfies said third set, from said appropriate inputs; and

a recommender module configured to incentivize a user of the client device for providing the selected best suited input for a particular intent.

2. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said system implements the selected best suited input and further comprises a feedback module having a feedback mechanism configured to assess a level of success of said implementation.

3. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein a plurality of intents are communicated to the users of the client devices to collect one or more inputs from said users to suit the intents.

4. The system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the plurality of intents are classified in predetermined formats, said pre-determined formats are mapped with different hierarchy of users.

5. The system as claimed in claim 3, wherein the users having different hierarchy are authorized to provide the plurality of intents, said plurality of intents include:

grand challenge intents, wherein the grand challenge intents are defined by users having a top level hierarchy;

campaign intents, wherein the campaign intents are defined by users below the top level hierarchy or based on the recommendation by the users having the top level hierarchy; and

steady-state contribution intents, wherein the steady-state contribution intents are defined by users having a low level hierarchy acting on own volition.

6. The system as claimed in claim 5, wherein inputs are selected form the collected inputs based on the classification of said plurality of intents.

7. The system as claimed in claim 5, wherein the users that defined the campaign intents further provide a sub-set of users authorized to provide inputs based on enumeration and attributes of the sub-set of users.

8. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said system communicates with the client devices to suggest and request additional information related to the collected inputs.

9. The system as claimed in claim 1 , wherein said users of the client devices are incentivized based on frequency of inputs and total number of inputs provided.

10. A network-based method for procuring and evaluating inputs from a plurality of client devices, the method comprising:

storing a pre-determined first set of attributes, a pre-determined second set of attributes and a pre-determined third set of attributes;

storing an active directory for validating credentials of the client devices;

collecting said inputs from client devices accessed by a plurality of hierarchy of users; evaluating the collected inputs based on the stored pre-determined first set of attributes and filtering out a set of inputs which satisfy said first set;

selecting, from the filtered set of inputs, appropriate inputs which satisfy the stored predetermined second set of attributes;

selecting, from said appropriate inputs, a best suited input which satisfies the stored predetermined third set of attributes; and

providing incentives to a user of the client device for providing the selected best suited input for a particular intent.

1 1 . The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein said method includes a step of implementing the selected best suited input and assessing a level of success of said implementation using a feedback mechanism.

12. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein said method includes a step of communicating a plurality of intents to the users of the client devices to collect one or more inputs from said users to suit the intents.

13. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein said method includes a step of classifying the plurality of intents in pre-determined formats and mapping said pre-determined formats with different hierarchy of users.

14. The method as claimed in claim 12, wherein said method includes a step of providing the plurality of intents further includes the following:

authorizing different hierarchy of users;:

defining grand challenge intents by users having a top level hierarchy;

defining campaign intents by the users below the top level hierarchy or based on the recommendation by the users having the top level hierarchy; and

defining steady-state contribution intents by users having a low level hierarchy acting on own volition.

15. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein said method includes a step of selecting inputs form the collected inputs based on the classification of said plurality of intents.

16. The method as claimed in claim 14, wherein said method includes a step of providing, by the users that define the campaign intents, a sub-set of users authorized to provide inputs based on enumeration and attributes of the sub-set of users.

17. The method as claimed in claim 1 0, wherein said method includes steps of suggesting and requesting, the client devices, additional information related to the collected inputs.

18. The method as claimed in claim 10, wherein said step of providing incentives includes a step of providing incentives to the users of the client devices based on frequency of inputs and total number of inputs provided.