U.S. patent application number 11/140427 was filed with the patent office on 2005-10-06 for system and method for providing access privileges for users in a performance evaluation system.
This patent application is currently assigned to eTalk Corporation. Invention is credited to Bennett, Robert S., Eiler, James A., Phillips, Clifford R., Powers, Michael C., Sudberry, Douglas A..
Application Number | 20050223009 11/140427 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 34594162 |
Filed Date | 2005-10-06 |
United States Patent
Application |
20050223009 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
Powers, Michael C. ; et
al. |
October 6, 2005 |
System and method for providing access privileges for users in a
performance evaluation system
Abstract
Access privileges for a user are provided in a performance
evaluation system by storing an organizational structure for an
enterprise, a view and a class of services for the user. The
organizational structure includes a plurality of levels and a
plurality of members assigned to the levels. The view specifies the
levels and the members of the organizational structure to which the
user is allowed access. The class of services specify services of
the performance evaluation system that the user is allowed to
perform. The user has access privileges to perform services within
the class of services for levels and members within the view.
Inventors: |
Powers, Michael C.; (Irving,
TX) ; Sudberry, Douglas A.; (Grapevine, TX) ;
Eiler, James A.; (Irving, TX) ; Bennett, Robert
S.; (Franklin, TN) ; Phillips, Clifford R.;
(Bedford, TX) |
Correspondence
Address: |
BAKER BOTTS L.L.P.
2001 ROSS AVENUE
SUITE 600
DALLAS
TX
75201-2980
US
|
Assignee: |
eTalk Corporation
|
Family ID: |
34594162 |
Appl. No.: |
11/140427 |
Filed: |
May 27, 2005 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
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11140427 |
May 27, 2005 |
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09110109 |
Jul 1, 1998 |
|
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6901426 |
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60084794 |
May 8, 1998 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 ;
707/999.009 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06Q 10/06398 20130101;
G06Q 10/10 20130101 |
Class at
Publication: |
707/009 |
International
Class: |
G06F 017/30 |
Claims
1. A method for providing access privileges for a user in a
performance evaluation system, comprising: storing an
organizational structure for an enterprise, the organizational
structure including a plurality of levels and a plurality of
members assigned to the levels; storing a view for the user, the
view specifying the levels and the members of the organizational
structure to which the user is allowed access; storing a class of
services for the user, the class of services specifying services of
the performance evaluation system that the user is allowed to
perform; and providing the user with access privileges to perform
services within the class of services for levels and members within
the view.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the view is stored in a database
table.
3. The method of claim 1, further comprising: associating the user
with a plurality of levels; and selecting associated levels for the
view.
4. The method of claim 1, further comprising: storing an assignment
of the user to a level in the organizational structure; and wherein
the view is based on the assignment.
5. The method of claim 4, wherein the assignment is stored in a
database table.
6. The method of claim 1, wherein the class of services are stored
in a database table.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein the user is assigned a template
that provides a predefined class of services.
8. The method of claim 1, wherein storing the organizational
structure comprises: storing a plurality of user-defined levels;
storing a user-defined hierarchy for the levels; and storing a
plurality of user-defined members each assigned to a level.
9. A system for providing access privileges for a user in a
performance evaluation system, comprising: an organizational
structure for an enterprise, the organizational structure including
a plurality of levels and a plurality of members assigned to the
levels; a first database table operable to store a view for the
user, the view specifying the levels and the members of the
organizational structure to which the user is allowed access; a
second database table operable to store a class of services
associated with the user, the class of services specifying services
of the performance evaluation system that the user is allowed to
perform; and the performance evaluation system operable to
determine user access privileges based on the view and the class of
services.
10. The system of claim 9, wherein the user has access privileges
to perform services within the class of service for levels and
members within the view.
11. The system of claim 9, wherein the first database table is
operable to associate the user with a plurality of levels and the
view comprises associated levels that are selected in the first
database table.
12. The system of claim 9, further comprising a third database
table operable to store an assignment of a template to the user,
the template providing a predefined class of services.
13. The system of claim 10, the organizational structure further
comprising: a third database table operable to store the
user-defined levels; a fourth database table operable to store the
user-defined hierarchy for the levels; and a fifth database table
operable to store the user-defined members.
14. A performance evaluation system, comprising: a server including
a database; an organizational structure for an enterprise stored in
the database, the organizational structure including a plurality of
levels and a plurality of members assigned to the levels; a first
table in the database operable to store a view for the user, the
view specifying the levels and the members of the organizational
structure to which the user is allowed access; a second table in
the database operable to store a class of services associated with
the user, the class of services specifying services of the
performance evaluation system that the user is allowed to perform;
and the performance evaluation system operable to determine user
access privileges based-on the view and the class of services.
15. The performance evaluation system of claim 14, wherein the user
has access privileges to perform services within the class of
service for levels and members within the view.
16. The system of claim 14, wherein the first database table is
operable to associate the user with a plurality of levels and the
view comprises associated levels that are selected in the first
database table.
17. The system of claim 14, further comprising a third table in the
database operable to store an assignment of a template to the user,
the template providing a predefined class of services.
18. The system of claim 14, the organizational structure further
comprising: a third table in the database operable to store the
user-defined levels; a fourth table in the database operable to
store the user-defined hierarchy for the levels; and a fifth table
in the database operable to store the user-defined members.
Description
RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional
Application Ser. No. 60/084,794, entitled "METHOD AND SYSTEM FOR
DETERMINING THE PERFORMANCE OF A CALL CENTER AGENT," (Attorney's
Docket 019143.0137), filed May 8, 1998, which is hereby
incorporated by reference.
[0002] This application is related to copending U.S. patent
application Ser. No. ______, entitled "SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR
DEFINING THE ORGANIZATIONAL STRUCTURE OF AN ENTERPRISE IN A
PERFORMANCE EVAULATION SYSTEM" (Attorney's Docket 019143.0269);
copending U.S. patent application Ser. No. ______, entitled "SYSTEM
AND METHOD FOR GENERATING AN EVALUATION IN A PERFORMANCE EVALUATION
SYSTEM" (Attorney's Docket 019143.0270); copending U.S. patent
application Ser. No. ______, entitled "SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR
IMPORTING PERFORMANCE DATA INTO A PERFORMANCE EVALUATION SYSTEM"
(Attorney's Docket 019143.0272); and copending U.S. patent
application Ser. No. ______, entitled "SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR
GENERATING RESULTS IN A PERFORMANCE EVALUATION SYSTEM" (Attorney's
Docket 019143.0273).
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
[0003] This invention relates generally to evaluation tools, and
more particularly to a system and method for providing access
privileges for users in a performance evaluation system.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
[0004] Evaluation tools are used to gather and record productivity
and quality statistics for a business or other organization.
Analysis of such information allows inefficiencies and other
problems of the business to be identified and corrected. In this
way, business performance is maximized.
[0005] Traditionally, evaluation tools are implemented on
stand-alone systems that are unable to effectively communicate with
other resources in a network environment. Other problems include
the use of predefined organizational structures that cannot be
modified to match the organizational structure of a business. In
addition, privileges, evaluations, and reports are generally
hard-coded for each evaluation tool. Such customization leads to
high implementation and administration cost.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
[0006] In accordance with the present invention, a performance
evaluation system is provided that substantially eliminates or
reduces disadvantages or problems associated with previously
developed systems. In particular, the present invention provides a
performance evaluation system that uses views in connection with
class of services to provide access privileges.
[0007] In one embodiment of the present invention, access
privileges for a user are provided in a performance evaluation
system by storing an organizational structure for an enterprise and
a view and a class of services for the user. The organizational
structure includes a plurality of levels and a plurality of members
assigned to the levels. The view specifies the levels and the
members of the organizational structure to which the user is
allowed access. The class of services specify services of the
performance evaluation system that the user is allowed to perform.
The user has access privileges to perform services within the class
of services for levels and members within the view.
[0008] Technical advantages of the present invention include an
improved method and system for providing access privileges for
users in a performance evaluation system. In particular, a user is
assigned a view and a class of services. The view specifies the
levels and members of an organizational structure to which the user
is allowed access. The class of services specifies services of the
performance evaluation system that the user is allowed to perform.
The user has access privileges to perform services within the
user's class of services for levels and members within the user's
view. In this way, access privileges may be easily updated and
maintained for the user in response to changes in allowed services
or organizational structure. As a result, system administration
cost is reduced.
[0009] Other technical advantages will be readily apparent to one
skilled in the art for the following figures, description, and
claims.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0010] For a more complete understanding of the present invention
and its advantages, reference is now made to the following
description taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings in
which:
[0011] FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a performance
evaluation system in accordance with one embodiment of the present
invention;
[0012] FIG. 2 is a block diagram illustrating an example call
center using the performance evaluation system of FIG. 1;
[0013] FIG. 3 illustrates details of the organization tables of
FIG. 1 in accordance with one embodiment of the present
invention;
[0014] FIG. 4 illustrates details of the privilege tables of FIG. 1
in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;
[0015] FIG. 5 illustrates details of the plan tables of FIG. 1 in
accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;
[0016] FIG. 6 illustrates details of the productivity tables of
FIG. 1 in accordance with one embodiment of the present
invention;
[0017] FIG. 7 illustrates details of the data import tables of FIG.
1 in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention;
[0018] FIG. 8 illustrates details of an evaluation file stored in
the evaluation tables of FIG. 1 in accordance with one embodiment
of the present invention; and
[0019] FIG. 9 illustrates details of the filter tables of FIG. 1 in
accordance with one embodiment of the present invention.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION
[0020] FIG. 1 illustrates a performance evaluation system 10 in
accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. As
described in more detail below, the performance evaluation system
10 uses productivity and quality data to evaluate the performance
of an individual, group, process or other suitable type of item or
operation.
[0021] Referring to FIG. 1, the performance evaluation system 10 is
deployed on a three-tiered architecture. The three-tiered
architecture includes client space 12, server application space 14
and database space 16. The client space 12 is implemented on a
client platform 18 such as a work station, personal computer or
other device capable of communicating between a user and a server.
The server application and database spaces 14 and 16 are
implemented on a server platform 20 such as a personal computer or
other device capable of being remotely accessed over a network.
[0022] The client and server platforms 18 and 20 are connected by a
network 22. The network 22 may the Internet or other wide area
network (WAN), an enterprise intranet or other a local area network
(LAN), or other suitable type of link capable of communicating data
between the client and server platforms 18 and 20.
[0023] The client space 12 includes a web-browser 30 having a
graphical user interface (GUI) 32. The graphical user interface 32
displays web pages 34 downloaded over the network 22 from the
server application space 14. The web pages 34 may use HTML or
Active X controls 36. The Active X controls 34 provide a rich
interface 32 with superior scripting control.
[0024] The server application space 14 includes a server engine 40,
business objects 42, reports 44, charts 46, and a data importer 48.
The server engine 42 includes active server pages (ASP) 50 that
include server-side components and scripting. The server-side
components are specialized Active X components executed prior to
delivery of web pages to the client space 12. The server-side
scripting accesses the interfaces of the server-side components.
Use of the active server pages 50 allows the web pages to be
updated in response to changing system and database settings.
[0025] The business objects 42 call stored procedures in the
database space 16 and perform preprocessing and expressions
processing functions. In a particular embodiment, the business
objects 42 include an organization object, a plan object, an
evaluation object, an import service object, and a results object.
In this embodiment, the organization object provides an interface
for basic organizational functionality. The organization object
also provides an interface to a class of services table giving the
client space 12 access to allowed functions. The plan object
provides an interface for the manipulation and use of evaluation
guidelines. The evaluation object provides interfaces for
performing evaluations. The import service object schedules and
retrieves external data and places it into a delimited file. The
import service object also provides a basic interface to the
configuration settings. The results object receives information
from the client space 12 for selecting reports based on the
requested filters. Each of the objects may comprise one or more
objects.
[0026] The reports 44 may include both detail and summary reports.
The detail reports provide information for members and elements of
each member. In a particular embodiment, the detail reports include
a productivity and quality report, a quality evaluation report, a
productivity analysis report, a quality question report, a
productivity element report, and a detail evaluation report. The
productivity and quality report presents actual scores, maximum
scores, and percentages of maximum for both quality and
productivity by an evaluation date for each member with group
averages for all hierarchical levels. The quality evaluation report
presents notes, actual scores, maximum score, and percentages of
maximum for each question of an evaluation with subtotals by
performance areas, evaluation, member, and any additional
hierarchical levels. The productivity analysis report presents
actual scores, maximum score, and percentage of maximum for each
equation of productivity analysis with subtotals by member and by
any additional hierarchical levels. The quality and question report
presents actual scores for each question along with the total
actual score, maximum score, and percentage of maximum for each
performance area with subtotals by evaluation, member, and any
additional hierarchical levels. The productivity element report
presents actual data along with the equation-produced actual score,
maximum score, and percentage of maximum for each element of
productivity data with subtotals by member and any additional
hierarchical levels. The detail evaluation report presents
evaluation date, time, and status of all evaluations for a member
subtotal by status, date, member, and evaluator.
[0027] The summary reports provide average scores for a particular
member or level. In a particular embodiment, the summary reports
include a productivity and quality report, a quality evaluation
report, a productivity analysis report, a quality question report
and a productivity and quality comparison report. The productivity
and quality report presents average scores for both quality and
productivity for each member with group averages for all
hierarchical levels. The quality evaluation report presents average
scores by performance areas, evaluation, member, and any additional
hierarchical levels. The productivity analysis report presents
average scores for each equation of productivity data with
subtotals by member and any additional hierarchical levels. The
quality question report presents the total score for each question
and the percentage of maximum scores for each performance area. The
productivity and quality comparison report presents average scores,
maximum scores and percentage of maximum for both quality and
productivity by member with comparison averages for a chosen
hierarchical level. Additional detail and summary reports can be
created by selecting various categories of information.
[0028] The charts 46 display graphic and textual information useful
in determining the overall performance of a member and identifying
ways to improve that performance. In a particular embodiment, the
charts 46 include sets of productivity and quality charts,
productivity charts and quality charts. The productivity and
quality charts plot productivity and quality scores for date,
member, users and hierarchical levels. The productivity charts
present productivity data plotted against time for members, users,
and other hierarchical levels. The quality charts present quality
data plotted against time for members, users, questions and
hierarchical levels.
[0029] The data importer 48 imports productivity data from external
sources such as a telephony switch. The data importer 48 includes
preprocessors 52 and a work area 54. The preprocessors 52 are tools
used to create an instruction file for interpreting the information
in a data file. The instruction files are operable to parse data
files. In one embodiment, the preprocessors 52 include Nortel
Datastream, Rockwell Spectrum IMS, and Monarch. The Nortel
Datastream preprocessor is used for converting Nortel Datastream
report information into a delimited format. The Rockwell Spectrum
IMS preprocessor is used for converting Rockwell report
information. The Monarch preprocessor can be used to create custom
preprocessors. Accordingly, the performance evaluation system 10
can be configured to import any type of suitable data file 56 from
an external device 58.
[0030] The preprocessors 52 create a delimited file 60 from a data
file 56. In the delimited file 60, columns of data are each
separated by a delimiter character such as a comma, hyphen, colon,
and the like. The delimiter acts as reference point telling the
data importer 48 where one column of data stops and a new column
starts. If the data file 56 is already in a delimited format, a
preprocessor 52 is not used.
[0031] The delimited file 60 is a temporary file stored in the work
area 54. As described in more detail below, the delimited file 60
is moved to the database space 16 and the productivity data mapped
into the database based on the configuration defined in the
database. Accordingly, the evaluation process is streamlined by
having data in a central location for analysis.
[0032] The database space 16 includes a database manager 70 and a
database 72. The database manager 70 calls stored procedures 80 to
access the database 72. The stored procedures 80 are a precompiled
collection of SQL statements and optional control-of-flow
statements stored under a name and processed as a unit. The stored
procedures 80 are stored within a database 72, can be executed with
one call from the database manager 70, and allow user-declared
variables, conditional executions, and other programming
features.
[0033] In addition to the stored procedures 80, the database 72
includes organization tables 82, privileges tables 84, plans tables
86, data import tables 88, productivity tables 90, evaluation
tables 92 and filter tables 94. As described in more detail below,
the organization tables 82 allow an enterprise to set up the
performance evaluation system 10 to correspond to its
organizational structure. The privileges tables 84 store user
access privileges based on views of the organizational structure
and on class of services. The plan tables 86 store questions,
performance areas, and guidelines for generating performance
evaluations in the performance evaluation system 10. The data
import tables 88 store configurations for importing productivity
data into the performance evaluation system 10. The productivity
tables 90 store productivity data for members of the performance
evaluation system 10. The evaluation tables 92 store responses and
scores for completed evaluations. The filter tables 94 store
filters for sorting data and displaying results in the reports 44
and charts 46.
[0034] In a particular embodiment, the client and server platforms
18 and 20 are each a personal computer connected via the Internet.
In this embodiment, the client and server 18 and 20 may each
operate using MICROSOFT WINDOWS NT version 4.0 that provides TCP/IP
connectivity over the Internet. The web-browser 30 may be Internet
Explorer 3.2x or higher. The server engine 40 may be Internet
Information Server 3.0 or higher. The database may be a relational
database and the database manager 70 an SQL Server 6.5.
[0035] The web-base architecture of the performance evaluation
system 10 allows performance evaluation methodology to be
standardized throughout an enterprise. In addition, users can take
advantage of the Internet or other network to remotely access the
performance evaluation system and complete member evaluations.
Members can also remotely track their progress.
[0036] FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary call center 100 using the
performance evaluation system 10. Although the performance
evaluation system 10 will be described in connection with the
exemplary call center 100, it will be understood that the
performance evaluation system 10 may be used for other types of
enterprises, including other types of companies, businesses,
groups, and organizations.
[0037] Referring to FIG. 2, the call center 100 includes a server
102 connected to a plurality of clients 104 through a local area
network (LAN) 106. The call center 100 includes a system
administrator (user 1), a service manager (user 10), a technical
manager (user 20), a sales manager (user 30), a product A manager
(user 31), and a product B manager (user 35). Service agents
(members 11 and 12) report to the service manager. Technical agents
(members 21 and 22) report to the technical manager. Product A
agents (members 32 and 33) report to the product A manager. Product
B agents (members 36 and 37) report to the product B manager. In
addition, the product A and B managers report to the sales
manager.
[0038] FIG. 3 illustrates details of the organization tables 82.
The organization tables 82 allow an enterprise to set up the
performance evaluation system 10 to fit the organizational
structure of the enterprise. Thus, the organization tables 82 may
store any number of user-defined levels in any user-defined
hierarchy. In this way, quality and productivity tools are
customized for the enterprise.
[0039] Referring to FIG. 3, the organization tables 80 include a
level table 120, an interlevel assignment table 122, member tables
124, a user table 126, a user-member table 128, a keyword table
130, and a keyword assignment table 132. The level table 120 lists
all the levels of the enterprise by a level ID. The levels are a
collection of members who can be grouped together. The level IDs
may be any suitable identifier operable to uniquely identify the
levels. For the call center 100 of FIG. 2, the levels are the
company, the service group, the technical group, the sales group,
the product A team, and the product B team.
[0040] The interlevel assignment table 122 assigns lower level in
the enterprise hierarchy to a higher level in the hierarchy. In the
interlevel assignment table 122, a first field identifies a higher
level to which a lower level is assigned and a second field
identifies the lower level. The labels "first" and "second" are
used to distinguish between fields and not to specify a particular
order for the fields. The lower levels may be assigned to a next
higher level in the hierarchy or to each higher level in the
hierarchy. The levels are identified in the interlevel assignment
table 122 by the level IDs. For the call center 100 of FIG. 2, the
service, technical, and sales group levels are assigned to the
company level and the product A and B team levels are assigned to
the sales group level.
[0041] The member tables 124 list in a first field all the members
of the enterprise by a member ID. The members are those individuals
of the enterprise on which functions of the system 10 are
performed. Each member ID may be unique codes assigned by the
performance evaluation system 10 when the member is first defined
in the system 10.
[0042] In the member attribute tables 124, a second field assigns
the member to a level. Additional fields provide member attributes,
such as first and last name, password, comments, and the like. In
another embodiment, some or all of the member attributes may be
stored in a separate table. For the call center 100 of FIG. 2,
service agents (members 11 and 12) are assigned to the service
group, technical agents (members 21 and 22) are assigned to the
technical group, product A agents (members 31 and 32) are assigned
to the product A team, and so on through product B agent (member
37) assigned to product A team.
[0043] The user table 126 lists all the users of the enterprise by
a user ID. The users are people in the performance evaluation
system 10 that perform the evaluations and that carry out the
various tasks associated with the evaluation process such as
defining all of the information needed to perform the evaluations.
The user IDs may be any suitable identifier operable to uniquely
identify the users. For the call center 100 of FIG. 2, the users
are the system administrator (user 1), the service manager (user
10), the technical manager (user 20), the sales manager (user 30),
the product A manager (user 31), and the product B manager (user
35).
[0044] The users-member table 128 cross-references user IDs with
member IDs for users who are also members in the system 10. A user
is also a member when the user reports to and is evaluated by a
user higher in the enterprise hierarchy. For the call center 100 of
FIG. 2, users 31 and 35 report to user 30. Accordingly, users 31
and 35 are cross-referenced as members in the users-member table
128.
[0045] The keyword table 130 lists all the keywords defined in the
performance evaluation system 10 by a keyword ID. The keywords
provide an easy way to classify members and other items of the
performance evaluation system 10. The keywords can also be used to
filter performance data for analysis or printing reports. The
keyword IDs may be any suitable identifier operable to uniquely
identify the keywords in the system 10. For the call center 100 of
FIG. 2, the keywords may relate to the experience of an agent or to
an agency from which the agent was hired. In this way, the
performance of the agents may be compared based on their
experience, the agency from which they were hired, and the
like.
[0046] The keyword assignment table 132 assigns keywords to a
member. In the keyword assignment table 132, a first field
identifies a member by a member ID and a second field identifies a
keyword assigned to the member by a keyword ID. One or more
keywords may be assigned to each of the members. For the call
center 100 of FIG. 2, if the service agent (member 11) is hired
from the AA Agency and has less than two years' experience,
keywords "Temp-AA Agency" and "2 years experience" are assigned to
the service agent (member 11).
[0047] FIG. 4 illustrates details of the privilege tables 84. The
privilege tables 84 assign each user a view and a class of
services. The view specifies the levels and members of an
organizational structure to which the user is allowed access. The
class of services specifies services of the performance evaluation
system 10 that the user is allowed to perform. The user has access
privileges to perform services within the user's class of services
for levels and members within the user's view. In this way, access
privileges may be easily updated and maintained for the user in
response to changes in allowed services or organizational
structure. As a result, system administration cost is reduced.
[0048] Referring to FIG. 4, the privilege tables 84 include a user
view table 140, a class of service assignment table 142, and a
class of service template table 144. The user view table 140
specifies levels and members of the organizational structure to
which the user is allowed access.
[0049] In the user view table 140, a first field identifies a user
by user ID, a second field identifies a level or member associated
with the user by the level or member ID, a third field identifies
whether the item in the second field is a level or a member, and a
fourth field enables the stored association between a user and a
level or member in the user's view. Thus, in this embodiment, each
user is associated with each level in the user's branch of the
organizational structure and with members that report to the user.
Each association between a user and a level or member may be
enabled or disabled in the user's view and deselected using column
196 to be excluded from the user's view. In another embodiment, the
user view table 140 may include only associations that are included
in the user's view. In this embodiment, the fourth field is
omitted.
[0050] For the call center 100 of FIG. 2, the system administrator
(user 1) is associated with each level and member in the
performance evaluation system 10. All of the associations for the
system administrator are enabled and thus included in the system
administrator's view to allow the system administrator to access
each level and member of the system. The service manager (user 10)
is associated with each level in the service manager's branch of
the organizational structure and with members that report to the
service manager. Thus, the service manager is associated with the
company and service group levels and with the service agents
(members 10 and 11) that report to the service manager. The
associations between the service manager, the service level and the
service agents are enabled to allow the service manager to access
the level and members to configure and perform performance
evaluations and other functions for the members and level. The
association with the company level is not enabled and thus excluded
from the service manager's view. Similarly, the product B manager
(user 35) is associated with the company, sales group, and product
A and B team levels and with the product B agents (members 36 and
37) that report to the product B manager. The associations with the
product B team level and product B agents are enabled and included
in the product B manager's view. Access to the company and the
sales group levels are not enabled and thus excluded from the
product B manager's view.
[0051] The user view table 140 may be manually populated by the
system administrator or other user having suitable access
privileges or may be generated based on the organizational
structure defined by the organization tables 82. In the latter
embodiment, a user assignment table is used to assign each user to
a level. Based on that assignment, the organization tables 82 are
interrogated to determine the levels within the user's branch of
the organizational structure and the members that report to the
user. This information is then used to populate the user view table
140. After the table is populated, associations are to be included
in the user's view.
[0052] The class of service assignment table 142 assigns a class of
service template to a user. In the class of service assignment
table 142, a first field identifies the user by the user ID and a
second field identifies the class of service template by a service
template ID. The service template ID may be any suitable identifier
operable to uniquely identify the service templates. Use of the
service templates allows a particular class of services to be
defined and reused for any number of users. For example, for the
call center 100 of FIG. 2, group and team templates may be defined
and associated with the group and team managers, respectively.
Accordingly, the performance evaluation system 10 is more
efficiently configured and administration cost is reduced.
[0053] The class of service template table 144 specifies the class
of services for each service template. The class of service
template table 144 includes a first field identifying a service
template by the service template ID. Additional fields are included
to specify the services to be included in the service template. The
class of service template table 154 also includes a field for
identifying a specific user by the user ID. This is used to
generate a custom class of services for the user rather than a
service template.
[0054] The services are predefined for the performance evaluation
system 10. In a particular embodiment, the services may include
administer productivity values, administer productivity data
elements, access charting and reporting and administer filters,
administer keywords, administer member information, administer
class of service, administer evaluation expressions, configure data
import settings, import data, administer organizational structure,
perform reviews, add or modify reviews, delete reviews, administer
performance areas and questions, browse my reviews, browse my
performed reviews, browse all reviews, and administer user
information.
[0055] FIG. 5 illustrates details of the plan tables 86. The plan
tables 86 store questions, performance areas constructed of a set
of questions, and guidelines constructed of a set of performance
areas. The questions, performance areas, and guidelines are used to
generate performance evaluations for members of the performance
evaluation system 10. The use and sharing of questions by multiple
performance areas and the use and sharing of performance areas by
multiple guidelines allows evaluations to be efficiently defined
and automatically generated. In addition, members in a group are
evaluated against the same set of criteria to provide fairness and
objectivity. As a result, managers can perform consistent,
objective evaluations efficiently.
[0056] Referring to FIG. 5, the plan tables include a question
table 150, an answer types table 152, a performance area table 154,
a question assignment table 156, an expression table 158, an
expression assignment table 160, a guideline table 162, and a
performance area assignment table 164. The question table 150
defines questions that will be used in the performance evaluations.
The question table 150 includes a first field identifying the
question by a question ID, a second field providing a title for the
question, a third field specifying text for the question, and a
fourth field assigning a weight to the question. The question ID
may be any suitable identifier operable to uniquely identify the
questions.
[0057] For the call center 100 of FIG. 2, a first question may be
directed toward schedule adherence and ask "How often does the
agent work on the originally assigned shift?" and a second question
to be directed toward promptness and ask "How often is the agent
late for work?". Relative weights are assigned to the question
depending on their importance to the enterprise. Thus, if
promptness is more important to the enterprise than schedule
adherence, the second question will be assigned a greater
weight.
[0058] The answer types table 152 associates each question with a
predefined answer type and attributes for that answer type. In the
answer types table 152, a first field identifies the question by
the question ID, a second field identifies the answer type by an
answer type ID, and a third field identifies the attributes for the
answer type. The answer type IDs may be any suitable identifier
operable to uniquely identify the answer types.
[0059] In a particular embodiment, defined answer types include
yes/no, drop-down lists, horizontal scroll bar, edit box, and radio
button answers. The yes/no answer type asks for either a yes or a
no response. The drop-down list asks for one answer from a list of
possible answers. The horizontal scroll bar answer type asks for an
answer on a continuum for an overall rating. The edit box answer
type asks for a numeric answer. The radio buttons ask for one
answer from a list of possible answers. Attributes for the answer
types include where appropriate, target values, labels, maximum and
minimum values, and the like.
[0060] The performance area table 154 lists all the performance
areas in the performance evaluation system 10 by a performance area
ID. Each performance area is a grouping of questions that relates
to a particular area of job performance. The performance area IDs
may be any suitable identifier operable to uniquely identify the
performance areas. For the call center 100 of FIG. 2, the
performance areas may include on-call greeting and call
closing.
[0061] The question assignment table 156 assigns questions to the
performance areas. In the question assignment table 156, a first
field identifies a performance area by a performance area ID and a
second field identifies a question assigned to the performance area
by a question ID. One or more questions may be assigned to each of
the performance areas. In addition, questions may be reused between
performance areas. For example, performance areas 2, 3 and 4 may
each include question 3.
[0062] The expression table 158 lists in a first field all the
expressions in the performance evaluation system 10 by an
expression ID. The expression IDs may be any suitable identifier
operable to uniquely identify the expressions. A second field
specifies a mathematical equation for the expression. The equation
may contain data elements, numeric values, mathematical operations
or mathematical functions. In a particular embodiment, the
mathematical operations include addition, subtraction,
multiplication and division. The mathematical functions include
sum, average, minimum, maximum, and peak.
[0063] The expression assignment table 160 assigns expressions to
the performance areas. When associated with a performance area, the
expressions are used to compute a productivity score for that
performance area. In the expression assignment table 160, a first
field identifies a performance area by a performance area ID and a
second field identifies an expression assigned to the performance
area by an expression ID. One or more expressions may be assigned
to each of the performance areas. In addition, an expression may be
reused between performance areas. For example, performance areas 1
and 6 may each include expression 1.
[0064] The guideline table 162 lists all the guidelines in the
performance evaluation system 10 by a guideline ID. Each guideline
combines one or more performance areas that are of interest for a
particular evaluation. The guideline IDs may be any suitable
identifier operable to uniquely identify the guidelines. For the
call center 100 of FIG. 2, the performance areas may include
technical group, product A team, product B team, and the like.
[0065] The performance area assignment table 164 assigns
performance areas to the guidelines. In the performance area
assignment table 164, a first field identifies a guideline by a
guidelines ID and a second field identifies a performance area
assigned to the guidelines by a performance area ID. One or more
performance areas may be assigned to each of the guidelines. In
addition, performance areas may be reused between guidelines. For
the call center 100 of FIG. 2, for example, the service, technical,
product A team, and product B team guidelines may each include
performance area 1.
[0066] FIG. 6 illustrates details of the productivity tables 90.
The productivity tables 90 store productivity data for members of
the performance evaluation system 10. The productivity data is used
by the expressions in the performance areas to calculate
productivity scores.
[0067] Referring to FIG. 6, the productivity tables 90 include a
data element table 166 and a productivity table 168. The data
element table 166 lists all the data elements in the performance
evaluation system 10 by a data element ID. The data elements are
items of information used to measure the productivity of members in
the performance evaluation system 10. The data element IDs may be
any suitable identifier operable to uniquely identify the data
elements.
[0068] The productivity table 168 includes a first field
identifying members with a member ID, a second field providing
dates for the records, a third field identifying the data element
for the record by a data element ID, and a fourth field storing the
value of the data element.
[0069] FIG. 7 illustrates details of the data import tables 88. The
data import tables 88 import productivity data into the performance
evaluation system 10 from external devices and automatically insert
it into the production table. As a result, the evaluation process
is streamlined by having data in a centralized location for data
analysis.
[0070] Referring to FIG. 7, the data import tables 88 include
configuration tables 170, an import template assignment table 172,
and an import template table 174. Each configuration table 170
provides information for identifying and mapping data from the
delimited file 60 to the productivity table 90.
[0071] The configuration table 170 includes a first field
identifying a column in the delimited file 60 containing a data
item corresponding to a data element, a second field identifying a
data name, a third field identifying a data type, a fourth field
identifying a data format, and a fifth field mapping the data item
to the data element in the productivity table 90. In a particular
embodiment, the data types include identity, date, duration and
numeric types. An identity column provides identifying information
such as a name or code. The date column provides the date of the
information. The duration column shows an amount of time for the
information. A numeric column contains a value.
[0072] The import template assignment table 172 assigns an import
template to a configuration. In the import template assignment
table 172, a first field identifies the configuration by a
configuration ID and a second field identifies the import template
by an import template ID. The configuration and import template IDs
may be any suitable identifiers operable to uniquely identify the
configurations and import templates, respectively. Use of the
import templates allows a process for imported data to be defined
and reused for any number of configurations. Accordingly, the
performance evaluation system 10 is more efficiently configured and
administration cost is reduced.
[0073] The import template table 174 specifies preprocessor and
other information for importing the data file 56. The import
template table 174 includes a first field identifying the import
templates by the import template IDs. A second field identifies a
preprocessor, if any, to be applied to the data file 56 to generate
the delimited file 60. A third field identifies the delimiter used
in the delimited file 60.
[0074] In operation, productivity data is imported by selecting a
configuration, selecting users to determine how the data will be
applied (members assigned to selected users receive the
productivity data), specifying how the date will be determined,
selecting the data file 56 to import by selecting a drive and the
file name, specifying how to match productivity data to members (by
name or code), and selecting whether or not to replace existing
productivity information. In response to the import request, the
data importer 48 retrieves the requested data file 56 and if the
import template associated with the configuration requests a
preprocessor 52, applies the preprocessor 52. Using the delimiter
information in the import template for the configuration and the
mapping information in the configuration table, the data importer
48 inserts the productivity data into the productivity tables 90
for members in the user's view.
[0075] FIG. 8 illustrates details of an evaluation stored in the
evaluation tables 92. As previously described, the evaluation is
automatically generated based on guidelines, performance areas, and
questions selected for the evaluation.
[0076] Referring to FIG. 8, the evaluation includes a member ID 180
for whom the evaluation was completed, a date 182 on which the
evaluation was completed, and a plurality of performance areas 184.
The performance areas 184 each include one or more questions 186
and their associated answer types 188. As the evaluation is
completed, responses 190 are stored for each question and used to
calculate a quality score 192 for the performance area 184. The
quality score 192 is a measure of "goodness" for the member's
performance.
[0077] The quality score 192 for a performance area 184 is
calculated based on the relative weight of the questions 186 in the
performance area 184. The score of responses 190 to all questions
186 in the performance area 184 are summed and divided by the sum
of the relative weights. This produces a quality score 192 for the
performance area 184. Mathematically, this is expressed in the
following way: 1 i = 1 n ( ( achieved i - worst i target i - worst
i ) * relWeight i ) i = 1 n relWeight i
[0078] where
[0079] n is the number of applicable questions in the performance
area
[0080] i ranges over the answered questions in the performance
area
[0081] achieved.sub.i is the number of points the member actually
earned for question i
[0082] worst.sub.i is the lowest possible score that can be
assigned to question i
[0083] relWeight.sub.1 is the relative weight for question i
[0084] After the quality scores 192 have been calculated for the
performance areas 184 in an evaluation 92, the quality scores 192
are summed and divided by the sum of the relative weight for all
questions to derive a total evaluation quality score 194.
Mathematically, this is expressed as: 2 i = 1 n qScore 1 i = 1 n
relWeight 1
[0085] where
[0086] n is the number of applicable questions in the
evaluation
[0087] i ranges over the applicable questions in the evaluation
[0088] qScore.sub.i is the q-score for question i
[0089] relWeight.sub.i is the relative weight for question i
[0090] The performance areas 184 may also each include one or more
expressions 200 to calculate a productivity score 202. As
previously described, the expression 200 is a user-defined formula
to calculate a measure of productivity against a target score.
[0091] The calculation of productivity score 202 for a performance
area 184 is a direct computation of the expression 200 using the
productivity data. After the productivity score has been calculated
for all performance areas 184 that have an associated expression
200, the performance area productivity scores 202 are tallied to
derive a total productivity score 204 for the evaluation.
Mathematically, this is expressed as a median score of all
performance area productivity scores: 3 i = 1 n achieved i target i
n
[0092] where
[0093] n is the number of performance areas in the evaluation
having an associated evaluation expression that can be successfully
calculated
[0094] i ranges over the performance areas in the evaluation
[0095] achieved.sub.i is the number of points the member actually
earned for performance area i
[0096] target.sub.i is the target value for performance area i
[0097] In another embodiment, the productivity scores for the
different performance areas 220 may be weighted based on
importance. In this embodiment, the overall productivity score for
the evaluation is calculated by the following equation: 4 i = 1 n w
i achieved i target i n
[0098] where
[0099] n is the number of performance areas in the evaluation
having an associated evaluation expression that can be successfully
calculated
[0100] i ranges over the performance areas in the evaluation
[0101] w.sub.i is the importance factor associated with performance
i's p-score
[0102] achieved.sub.i is the number of points the member actually
earned for performance area i
[0103] target.sub.i is the target value for performance area i
[0104] In operation, the user selects the member 180 and an
existing guideline or one or more performance areas 184 for the
evaluation. The evaluation is then automatically generated. Quality
scores are generated based on the user's responses. Productivity
scores are generated based on productivity data.
[0105] FIG. 9 illustrates details of the filter tables 94. The
filter allows the user to define certain criteria for reporting and
charting. This criteria is used to sort the data and display
results in the charts and reports.
[0106] Referring to FIG. 9, the filter tables 94 include a first
field identifying the filters with a filter ID. The filter ID may
be any suitable identifier operable to uniquely identify the
filters. A second field indicates whether the filter includes plan
criteria. Each category of plan criteria is specified by a separate
look-up table. In a particular embodiment, the categories include
evaluations, guidelines, performance areas, questions, expressions,
and evaluators. In this embodiment, an evaluation filter table
associates the filter with evaluations, a guideline filter table
associates the filter with an identified guideline, a performance
area filter table associates the filter with a specified
performance area, a question filter table specifies questions for
the filter, an expressions filter table specifies expressions for
the filter and an evaluators filter table specifies evaluators for
the filter. Each of these filter's tables include a first field
identifying the filter with a filter ID and a second field
identifying the relevant evaluation, guideline, performance area,
question, expression or evaluator for the filter.
[0107] Returning to the filter table 94, a set of date fields
specify date(s) for the filter. The date may be a current day,
current month, current quarter, current week, current year,
previous day, previous month, previous quarter, previous week,
previous year, or be otherwise defined by the user. A set of data
fields specify data for the filter. The data may be members, all
members, or member levels. A set of averages fields specify
averages for the filter. The averages may be daily, weekly,
bi-weekly, or monthly. A set of sample size fields specify sample
size for the filter. The sample size allows data to be filtered
based on any sample size entered by the user. A keyword field
indicates whether the filter includes any keywords. Keywords are
associated with the filter in a separate look-up table as
previously described for plan criteria.
[0108] Thus, evaluators, guidelines, performance areas, questions,
expressions, dates, data, averages, keywords, sample size, and
other criteria may be specified for the filter. As a result, a user
may narrowly define information and obtain meaningful results.
[0109] Although the present invention has been described with
several embodiments, various changes and modifications may be
suggested to one skill in the art. It is intended that the present
invention encompass such changes and modifications as fall within
the scope of the appended claims.
* * * * *