Task management

Claim 7

The method of claim 3 wherein said generating step includes, automatically changing the configuration of said higher level object in response to changes made to an object in said set at said first level.

Claim 8

The method of claim 3 wherein said indicating step includes indicating the times at which said first level tasks are to begin and end by the position of said higher level object on said display.

Claim 11

The method of claim 6 wherein said sets of tasks are repetitive tasks to be performed at different locations, and said arranging step includes representing said sets of tasks by objects arranged along parallel rows on said display.

Claim 12

The method of claim 7 wherein said arranging step includes organizing said repetitive tasks in groups to be performed by respective work crews, where a given work crew works on all tasks within a group regardless of location, and arranging said objects on said display to indicate the sequence of tasks to be performed by each said work crew.

Claim 13

The method of claim 8 wherein said arranging step includes positioning the tasks in each said row to reflect the dependencies of said tasks.

Claim 16

The method of claim 1, 2, 3, 6 or 10 wherein said representing step includes indicating the period of time required for said task by the extent of said object along one said dimension.

Claim 17

The method of claim 1, 2, 3, 6 or 10 wherein said representing step includes indicating an amount of resources per unit time required for said task by the extent of said object along one said dimension.

Claim 18

The method of claim 1, 2, 3, 6 or 10 in which said quantity associated with each said task comprises the aggregate amount of resources required for said task.

Claim 19

The method of claim 13 in which said resources comprise money, or manpower, or quantity of work.

Claim 20

The method of claim 1, 2, 3, 6 or 10 wherein said indicating step includes indicating information about dependencies in the performance of said tasks by the position of each said object in the display.

Claim 21

The method of claim 1, 2, 3, 6 or 10 wherein said dependencies in the performance of said tasks include temporal dependencies.

Claim 22

The method of claim 1, 2, 3, 6 or 10 wherein said indicating step includes indicating dependencies in the performance of said tasks by lines connecting the objects.

Claim 23

The method of claim 1, 2, 3, 6 or 10 in which said object occupies a position on said display that is indicative of the times when said task is to begin and end.

Claim 24

The method of claim 18 in which the display defines a time axis and said objects are arranged along said time axis to indicate the relative times when said tasks are to begin and end.

Claim 25

The method of claim 1, 2, 3, 6 or 10 in which said object is a quantified bar.

Claim 26

The method of claim 1, 2, 3, 6 or 10 in which said object is associated with a task in a construction project.

Claim 27

The method of claim 1, 2, 3, 6 or 10 wherein said indicating step includes graphically indicating on the display device information about the required sequence in which tasks are to be performed.

Claim 28

The method of claim 22 wherein said indicating step includes graphically indicating the required sequence by joining the boundaries of successive objects in the sequence.

Claim 29

The method of claim 22 wherein said indicating step includes graphically indicating the required sequence by lines connecting said objects.

Claim 30

The method of claim 1, 2, 3, 6 or 10 further comprising the step of displaying alphanumeric data corresponding to said objects in a table associated with said display of said objects.

Claim 31

The method of claim 25 in which said alphanumeric data includes information about the times when each said task is to begin and end and the resources per unit time required for said task.

Claim 32

The method of claim 26 further comprising the step of computationally linking said table and said objects so that changes made to either said objects or said table are automatically translated to changes in the other.

Claim 33

The method of claim 25 wherein said displaying step includes simultaneously displaying said table and said objects.

Claim 34

The method of claim 25 in which said table is in the form of a spread sheet in which cells are related by computational rules.

Claim 39

Apparatus to aid graphically the management of a set of tasks, comprising object generator means for generating for each task a geometric object of at least two dimensions whose geometric area or volume is indicative of a quantity associated with said task, a display device for displaying each said geometric object, and dependency generator means for indicating graphically on said display information about dependencies in the performance of said tasks.

Claim 40

Apparatus to aid graphically the management of a set of tasks, comprising object generator means for generating for each task a geometric object of at least two dimensions whose geometric area or volume is indicative of a quantity associated with said task, a display device for displaying each said geometric object, and dependency generator means for indicating graphically on said display information about dependencies in the performance of said tasks.

Claim 41

Apparatus to aid graphically the management of a set of tasks, comprising object generator means for generating for each task a geometric object of at least two dimensions whose geometric area or volume is indicative of a quantity associated with said task, a display device for displaying each said geometric object, and dependency generator means for indicating graphically on said display information about dependencies in the performance of said tasks including indicating spatial independence between said tasks performed at spatially distinct locations.

Claim 42

Apparatus to aid graphically the management of a set of tasks, comprising object generator means for generating for each task a geometric object of at least two dimensions whose geometric area or volume is indicative of a quantity associated with said task, a display device for displaying each said geometric object, and dependency generator means for indicating graphically on said display information about dependencies in the performance of said tasks including indicating spatial independence between said tasks performed at spatially distinct locations.

Claim 43

Apparatus to aid graphically the management of a set of tasks, comprising object generator means for generating for each task a geometric object of at least two dimensions whose geometric area or volume is indicative of a quantity associated with said task, a display device for displaying each said geometric object, dependency generator means for indicating graphically on said display information about dependencies in the performance of said tasks, association means for associating a set of said objects representing related tasks at a first level of said project together on said display device, and hierarchy means for generating an object at a higher level to represent a combination of said set of objects at said first level such that the configuration of said higher level object as displayed is indicative of the total resources required to perform the tasks represented by the objects at the first level.

Claim 44

Apparatus to aid graphically the management of a set of tasks, comprising object generator means for generating for each task a geometric object of at least two dimensions whose geometric area or volume is indicative of a quantity associated with said task, a display device for displaying each said geometric object, dependency generator means for indicating graphically on said display information about dependencies in the performance of said tasks, association means for associating a set of said objects representing related tasks at a first level of said project together on said display device, and hierarchy means for generating an object at a higher level to represent a combination of said set of objects at said first level such that the configuration of said higher level object as displayed is indicative of the total resources required to perform the tasks represented by the objects at the first level.

Claim 45

Apparatus to aid graphically the management of a set of tasks, comprising object generator means for generating for each task a geometric object of at least two dimensions whose geometric area or volume is indicative of a quantity associated with said task, a display device for displaying each said geometric object, and dependency generator means for indicating graphically on said display information about dependencies in the performance of said tasks, and for arranging objects on said display to graphically indicate the spatial independence of sets of tasks.

Claim 46

Apparatus to aid graphically the management of a set of tasks, comprising object generator means for generating for each task a geometric object of at least two dimensions whose geometric area or volume is indicative of a quantity associated with said task, a display device for displaying each said geometric object, and dependency generator means for indicating graphically on said display information about dependencies in the performance of said tasks, and for arranging objects on said display to graphically indicate the spatial independence of sets of tasks.

Claim 47

Apparatus to aid graphically the management of a set of tasks, comprising object generator means for generating for each task a geometric object of at least two dimensions whose geometric area or volume is indicative of a quantity associated with said task, a display device for displaying each said geometric object, dependency generator means for indicating graphically on said display information about dependencies in the performance of said tasks, and a user interface to permit the user to alter the size, shape, and location of each said object on said display.

Claim 48

Apparatus to aid graphically the management of a set of tasks, comprising object generator means for generating for each task a geometric object of at least two dimensions whose geometric area or volume is indicative of a quantity associated with said task, a display device for displaying each said geometric object, dependency generator means for indicating graphically on said display information about dependencies in the performance of said tasks, and a user interface to permit the user to alter the size, shape, and location of each said object on said display.