JP7608294B2 - PROGRAM, INFORMATION PROCESSING APPARATUS AND METHOD - Google Patents

Description

This disclosure relates to a program, an information processing device, and a method.

In so-called project-based businesses, such as consulting for specific companies and projects to build application programs and systems, personnel expenses are matched with sales to grasp income and expenditures, and budget-actual management is carried out to grasp the progress of the project.

As a technology for managing such projects, Patent Document 1 discloses a system for calculating a predicted value for the final cost of a project.

JP 2012-238049 A

In order to properly manage a project, it is necessary not only to grasp the progress of the project, but also to properly manage the expected outcome based on the progress of the project. The system described in the above-mentioned Patent Document 1 is capable of calculating the predicted final cost of the project, but there is a demand for a function that allows real-time management in response to information updates such as the progress status.

Therefore, this disclosure describes a technology that allows you to acquire performance information such as progress status, update information in real time based on the acquired information, and present budget/actual management reports and final forecast reports for project management.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, a program is provided for supporting the execution of a project related to a user's business by being executed by a computer having a processor and a memory. Scheduled information of the project is registered in the memory. The program causes the processor to execute the following steps: acquiring performance information of the personnel engaged in the project; generating a budget/actual management report showing the performance against the schedule of the project based on the scheduled information of the project and the acquired actual information of the project, and presenting the report to the user; generating a project forecast report showing the future progress of the project based on the scheduled information of the project and the acquired actual information of the project, and presenting the report to the user; and updating the budget/actual management report and the project forecast report after generating the budget/actual management report and the project forecast report based on the acquired actual information of the project and information on changes to the scheduled information of the project.

According to an embodiment of the present disclosure, an information processing device is provided that includes a control unit and a storage unit and supports the execution of a project related to a user's business. The storage unit registers project schedule information. The control unit executes the following steps: acquiring performance information of the personnel engaged in the project; generating a budget/actual management report showing the performance against the project schedule based on the project schedule information and the acquired project performance information, and presenting the report to the user; generating a project forecast report showing the future progress of the project based on the project schedule information and the acquired project performance information, and presenting the report to the user; and updating the budget/actual management report and the project forecast report after generating the budget/actual management report and the project forecast report based on the acquired project performance information and change information for the project schedule information.

According to one embodiment of the present disclosure, a method is provided that is executed by a computer having a processor and a memory and that supports the execution of a project related to a user's business. Scheduled information of the project is registered in the memory. The method includes the steps of: the processor acquiring performance information of the personnel engaged in the project; generating a budget/actual management report showing the performance against the project schedule based on the scheduled information of the project and the acquired performance information of the project, and presenting the report to the user; generating a project forecast report showing the future progress of the project based on the scheduled information of the project and the acquired performance information of the project, and presenting the report to the user; and updating the budget/actual management report and the project forecast report after generating the budget/actual management report and the project forecast report based on the acquired performance information of the project and information on changes to the scheduled information of the project.

According to the present disclosure, budget/actual management reports and projected results reports are generated based on project schedule information and project performance information, and are updated based on change information. This makes it possible to present real-time budget/actual management reports and projected results reports to users, enabling a more accurate understanding of the project status.

1 is a diagram showing an overall configuration of a project management system 1 according to a first embodiment. 1 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of a terminal device 10 constituting a project management system 1 of an embodiment 1. FIG. 2 is a diagram showing a functional configuration of a server 20 constituting the project management system 1 of the first embodiment. 2A to 2C are diagrams illustrating examples of data structures of a project schedule database 2021 and a user database 2022 stored in the server 20. 2 is a diagram showing an example of a data structure of a project performance database 2023 stored in the server 20. FIG. 1 is a flowchart showing an example of a flow of a project schedule registration process performed by the project management system 1 of the first embodiment. 4 is a flowchart showing an example of a flow of a report creation process performed by the project management system 1 of the first embodiment. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a screen of a budget/actual management report displayed on the terminal device 10. FIG. FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of a screen of a progress forecast report displayed on the terminal device 10.

Below, an embodiment of the present disclosure will be described with reference to the drawings. In the following description, identical parts are given the same reference numerals. Their names and functions are also the same. Therefore, detailed descriptions thereof will not be repeated.

＜Overview＞
The project management system according to the present disclosure will be described below. This project management system is a system used in so-called project-based businesses by one or more business operators, such as consulting for specific companies, or projects for building application programs, systems, etc. This labor-hour management system is a system for managing budgets and actuals in order to grasp the progress of a project based on the budget calculated and approved at the time of project formulation and the actual results (man-hours consumed).

The project management system according to the present disclosure is not limited to a system that provides a single function for managing projects in a company, etc., as described above, but may be a system that provides a service for general accounting processing for one or more businesses. For example, it may be provided as a system that provides accounting services with a function for generating accounting processing by journalizing information on personnel expenses, various purchasing expenses, and deposits and withdrawals in a project. In addition, the project management system according to the present disclosure is a system provided by a so-called SaaS (Software as a Service) as a Web service, for example, by a cloud server, etc., and is configured to be accessible by personnel working on the managed project through a specified authentication.

In project-based businesses such as those described above, the budget for the entire project is determined in advance, and since the budget is consumed within a specified period, it is necessary to grasp the consumption rate. In addition, it is also necessary to grasp the actual progress of the project. The project management system disclosed herein is a system for, for example, calculating the total man-hours consumed for the project from the man-hours of members participating in the project (not limited to members within a specific company, but may include members from other companies who participate through contract work or dispatch, etc.), which are the basis of labor costs, and grasping the budget consumption status. Note that man-hours are, for example, used to estimate the amount of work that one person can do in one month in one man-month, and are used when estimating the amount of work required when formulating the project budget, but are not limited to man-months of man-hours and may be in work hours.

Therefore, the project management system disclosed herein generates a budget/actual management report that shows the project's actual performance against the schedule, based on schedule information, including the project's budget and planned man-hours, and performance information, including the project's budget consumption and actual man-hours. This budget/actual management report displays the schedule and performance of the project at a certain point in time in order to allow comparison, and is configured to be able to display the entire project, specific personnel, etc., and allows the budget consumption status to be grasped at a glance.

The project management system disclosed herein also generates a progress forecast report that shows the expected future progress of a project based on planned information, including the project's budget and planned man-hours, and actual information, including the project's budget consumption and actual man-hours. This progress forecast report displays the actual information of the project and the future forecast information of the project as a chronological progression, and is configured to allow the progress of the project to be grasped at a glance.

Furthermore, the project management system disclosed herein updates the budget/actual management report and the final forecast report as new performance information, including the project's budget consumption and actual man-hours, is input.

The above configuration makes it possible to present users with real-time budget/actual management reports and forecast reports.

First Embodiment
The following describes the project management system 1. In the following description, for example, when the terminal device 10 accesses the server 20, the server 20 responds with information for generating a screen on the terminal device 10. The terminal device 10 generates and displays a screen based on the information received from the server 20.

<1 Overall configuration of project management system 1>
Fig. 1 is a diagram showing the overall configuration of a project management system 1 according to a first embodiment. As shown in Fig. 1, the project management system 1 includes a plurality of terminal devices (terminal device 10A and terminal device 10B are shown in Fig. 1. Hereinafter, they may be collectively referred to as "terminal devices 10") and a server 20. The terminal devices 10 and the server 20 are connected to each other via a network 80 so as to be able to communicate with each other. The network 80 is configured as a wired or wireless network.

The terminal device 10 is a device operated by each user. Here, a user refers to a project member (including a manager) who uses the terminal device 10 to input project plan information and performance information, which are functions of the project management system 1, and is an employee of a company that carries out the project. The terminal device 10 is realized by a stationary PC (Personal Computer), a laptop PC, or the like. Alternatively, the terminal device 10 may be, for example, a tablet compatible with a mobile communication system, or a mobile terminal such as a smartphone.

The terminal device 10 is connected to the server 20 via a network 80 so as to be able to communicate with the server 20. The terminal device 10 is connected to the network 80 by communicating with communication devices such as a wireless base station 81 that supports communication standards such as 4G, 5G, and LTE (Long Term Evolution), and a wireless LAN router 82 that supports wireless LAN (Local Area Network) standards such as IEEE (Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers) 802.11. As shown as the terminal device 10B in FIG. 1, the terminal device 10 includes a communication IF (Interface) 12, an input device 13, an output device 14, a memory 15, a storage unit 16, and a processor 19.

The communication IF 12 is an interface for inputting and outputting signals so that the terminal device 10 can communicate with external devices. The input device 13 is an input device (e.g., a keyboard, a touch panel, a touch pad, a pointing device such as a mouse, etc.) for receiving input operations from a user. The output device 14 is an output device (a display, a speaker, etc.) for presenting information to a user. The memory 15 is for temporarily storing programs and data processed by the programs, etc., and is a volatile memory such as a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory). The storage unit 16 is a storage device for saving data, such as a flash memory or a HDD (Hard Disc Drive). The processor 19 is hardware for executing an instruction set described in a program, and is composed of an arithmetic unit, a register, peripheral circuits, etc.

The server 20 is a device that manages the planned information and actual information of the project. The server 20 generates a budget/actual management report showing the actual results against the planned project based on the planned information including the project budget and planned man-hours, and the actual information including the project budget consumption and actual man-hours, and transmits it to the terminal device 10. The server 20 generates a final forecast report showing the future progress of the project based on the planned information including the project budget and planned man-hours, and the actual information including the project budget consumption and actual man-hours, and transmits it to the terminal device 10. The server 20 also updates the budget/actual management report and final forecast report when new actual information including the project budget consumption and actual man-hours is input.

The server 20 is a computer connected to the network 80. The server 20 includes a communication IF 22, an input/output IF 23, a memory 25, a storage 26, and a processor 29.

The communication IF 22 is an interface for inputting and outputting signals so that the server 20 can communicate with external devices. The input/output IF 23 functions as an interface with an input device for accepting input operations from the user and an output device for presenting information to the user. The memory 25 is for temporarily storing programs and data processed by the programs, etc., and is a volatile memory such as a DRAM (Dynamic Random Access Memory). The storage 26 is a storage device for saving data, such as a flash memory or a HDD (Hard Disc Drive). The processor 29 is hardware for executing a set of instructions written in a program, and is composed of an arithmetic unit, registers, peripheral circuits, etc.

<1.1 Configuration of terminal device 10>
FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the terminal device 10 constituting the project management system 1 of the first embodiment. As shown in FIG. 2, the terminal device 10 includes a plurality of antennas (antenna 111, antenna 112), wireless communication units (first wireless communication unit 121, second wireless communication unit 122) corresponding to each antenna, an operation reception unit 130 (including a keyboard 131 and a mouse 132), a voice processing unit 140, a microphone 141, a speaker 142, a display 150, a storage unit 160, and a control unit 170. The terminal device 10 also has functions and configurations (e.g., a battery for storing power, a power supply circuit for controlling the supply of power from the battery to each circuit, etc.) that are not particularly shown in FIG. 2. As shown in FIG. 2, each block included in the terminal device 10 is electrically connected by a bus or the like.

The antenna 111 emits the signal emitted by the terminal device 10 as a radio wave. The antenna 111 also receives the radio wave from space and provides the received signal to the first wireless communication unit 121.

The antenna 112 emits the signal emitted by the terminal device 10 as a radio wave. The antenna 112 also receives the radio wave from space and provides the received signal to the second wireless communication unit 122.

The first wireless communication unit 121 performs modulation and demodulation processing and the like for transmitting and receiving signals via the antenna 111 so that the terminal device 10 can communicate with other wireless devices. The second wireless communication unit 122 performs modulation and demodulation processing and the like for transmitting and receiving signals via the antenna 112 so that the terminal device 10 can communicate with other wireless devices. The first wireless communication unit 121 and the second wireless communication unit 122 are communication modules including a tuner, an RSSI (Received Signal Strength Indicator) calculation circuit, a CRC (Cyclic Redundancy Check) calculation circuit, a high-frequency circuit, and the like. The first wireless communication unit 121 and the second wireless communication unit 122 perform modulation and demodulation and frequency conversion of wireless signals transmitted and received by the terminal device 10, and provide the received signals to the control unit 170.

The operation reception unit 130 has a mechanism for receiving input operations from the user. Specifically, the operation reception unit 130 includes a keyboard 131 and a mouse 132. Note that the operation reception unit 130 may be configured as a touch screen that detects the user's contact position on the touch panel, for example, by using a capacitive touch panel.

The keyboard 131 accepts input operations by the user of the terminal device 10. The keyboard 131 is a device for inputting characters, and outputs the input character information to the control unit 170 as an input signal.

The mouse 132 accepts input operations by the user of the terminal device 10. The mouse 132 is a pointing device for selecting an object displayed on the display 150, and outputs position information of the object selected on the screen and information indicating that a button has been pressed as input signals to the control unit 170.

The audio processing unit 140 modulates and demodulates audio signals. The audio processing unit 140 modulates a signal provided by the microphone 141 and provides the modulated signal to the control unit 170. The audio processing unit 140 also provides the audio signal to the speaker 142. The audio processing unit 140 is realized, for example, by a processor for audio processing. The microphone 141 accepts audio input and provides an audio signal corresponding to the audio input to the audio processing unit 140. The speaker 142 converts the audio signal provided by the audio processing unit 140 into audio and outputs the audio to the outside of the terminal device 10.

The display 150 displays data such as images, videos, and text in response to the control of the control unit 170. The display 150 is realized, for example, by an LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) or an organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) display.

The storage unit 160 is configured, for example, with a flash memory, and stores data and programs used by the terminal device 10. In one aspect, the storage unit 160 stores user information 161.

User information 161 is information about users who are project personnel (including managers) who use the terminal device 10 to input project plan information and performance information, which are functions of the project management system 1. User information includes information that identifies the user (user ID), the user's name, organizational information about the company to which the user belongs, etc.

The control unit 170 controls the operation of the terminal device 10 by reading a program stored in the storage unit 160 and executing instructions contained in the program. The control unit 170 is, for example, an application that is pre-installed in the terminal device 10. The control unit 170 operates according to the program to fulfill the functions of an input operation reception unit 171, a transmission/reception unit 172, a data processing unit 173, and a notification control unit 174.

The input operation reception unit 171 performs processing to receive user input operations on an input device such as the keyboard 131.

The transmission/reception unit 172 performs processing for the terminal device 10 to transmit and receive data to and from external devices such as the server 20 in accordance with a communication protocol.

The data processing unit 173 performs calculations on the data received by the terminal device 10 according to a program, and outputs the results of the calculations to a memory or the like.

The notification control unit 174 performs processing to present information to the user. The notification control unit 174 performs processing to display a display image on the display 150, output audio to the speaker 142, etc.

<1.2 Functional configuration of server 20>
3 is a diagram showing a functional configuration of the server 20 constituting the project management system 1 of the embodiment 1. As shown in FIG. 3, the server 20 fulfills the functions of a communication unit 201, a storage unit 202, and a control unit 203.

The communication unit 201 performs processing for the server 20 to communicate with external devices.

The storage unit 202 stores data and programs used by the server 20. The storage unit 202 stores a project schedule database 2021, a user database 2022, a project performance database 2023, etc.

The project schedule database 2021 is a database for storing schedule information for projects managed by the project management system 1, specifically, information such as the required processes, estimated man-hours, and budget. Details will be described later.

The user database 2022 is a database for storing information on personnel working on projects that are managed by the project management system 1. Details will be described later.

The project performance database 2023 is a database for storing performance information of projects that are managed by the project management system 1, specifically, information such as the actual man-hours for each process and the budget that has been consumed. Details will be described later.

The control unit 203 performs the functions shown in various modules, such as a reception control module 2031, a transmission control module 2032, a project schedule acquisition module 2033, a project performance acquisition module 2034, a budget/actual management report generation/update module 2035, a budget/actual management report presentation module 2036, a final forecast report generation/update module 2037, and a final forecast report presentation module 2038, by the processor 29 of the server 20 performing processing according to a program.

The reception control module 2031 controls the process in which the server 20 receives signals from external devices according to a communication protocol.

The transmission control module 2032 controls the process in which the server 20 transmits signals to external devices according to a communication protocol.

The project schedule acquisition module 2033 controls the process of acquiring schedule information, including the project budget and planned man-hours, based on input or acquisition instructions from project personnel (managers) who are users of the project management system 1. In a project-based business, for example, a work estimate is made when formulating a project, and the man-hours required to carry out the project are calculated. The man-hours are multiplied by the labor cost per unit time, and other necessary expenses are calculated to determine the budget required for the project. The project schedule acquisition module 2033 acquires the planned man-hours and budget information calculated in this way as schedule information.

The project schedule acquisition module 2033 may acquire the project schedule information by accepting it input by the user from the terminal device 10, or may acquire the project schedule information registered by the user in an external server device or the like by accessing the external server device or the like. The project schedule information input by the user from the terminal device 10 may be information input directly into an input form on a web page or the like, or may be a file created in advance in a specified format such as a spreadsheet software. The external server device may be a service provided by so-called SaaS that manages resources such as program source code required for the project.

The project schedule acquisition module 2033, for example, registers and stores the acquired schedule information in the project schedule database 2021.

The project performance acquisition module 2034 controls the process of acquiring performance information including the project budget consumption and actual man-hours, based on input or acquisition instructions from project personnel (managers) who are users of the project management system 1. In a project-based business, for example, the actual man-hours consumed to carry out the project (the actual work carried out by project personnel) are calculated. The actual budget consumed to carry out the project is calculated by multiplying the actual man-hours by the labor cost per unit time and calculating other necessary expenses. The project performance acquisition module 2034 acquires the actual man-hours and information on the budget calculated in this way as performance information.

The project performance acquisition module 2034 may acquire project performance information by accepting it input by the user from the terminal device 10, or may acquire project performance information registered by the user in an external server device or the like by accessing the external server device or the like. The project performance information input by the user from the terminal device 10 may be information input directly into an input form on a web page or the like, or may be a file created in advance in a specific format such as a spreadsheet software. The external server device may be a service provided by so-called SaaS that manages resources such as program source code required for a project.

The project performance acquisition module 2034 may also acquire actual man-hours from attendance information registered by the user. For example, the project performance acquisition module 2034 may acquire information on the project for which work was actually performed (which may include process information) and working hours from the information registered by the user as his/her own attendance information, apply it to one or more projects, and acquire it as the actual man-hours information of the applicable projects. Furthermore, the project performance acquisition module 2034 may acquire actual man-hours from schedule information registered by the user. For example, the project performance acquisition module 2034 may determine which information was actually performed among the information registered by the user as his/her own schedule information, and acquire information on the project for which work was actually performed (which may include process information) and working hours. Specifically, when a meeting within a project is registered as schedule information and it is determined that the meeting was actually held, the schedule information is acquired as performance information.

The project performance acquisition module 2034, for example, registers and stores the acquired schedule information in the project performance database 2023.

The budget/actual management report generation update module 2035 controls the process of generating a budget/actual management report that indicates the actual results against the project schedule, based on the project schedule information acquired by the project schedule acquisition module 2033 and the project actual results information acquired by the project actual results acquisition module 2034. The budget/actual management report generated by the budget/actual management report generation update module 2035 indicates the budget consumption status, which is the actual results at a certain point in time against the project schedule, such as the budget and planned man-hours, the actual work man-hours (man-hour consumption status), and the actual consumption rate. The budget/actual management report may also indicate a comparison with the budget and planned man-hours that were scheduled to be consumed in the project at the time the budget/actual management report was generated.

The budget/actual management report generation/update module 2035 also controls the process of updating the budget/actual management report that has been created once, based on the performance information of the project acquired by the project performance acquisition module 2034. Since the project performance acquisition module 2034 acquires performance information of the project at any time, the budget/actual management report generation/update module 2035 updates the budget/actual management report to reflect the newly acquired performance information of the project.

The budget/actual management report generated by the budget/actual management report generation update module 2035 may be generated as a web page that can be accessed via a web browser, or may be generated as a specified document file, etc.

The budget/actual management report presentation module 2036 controls the process of sending the budget/actual management report generated by the budget/actual management report generation/update module 2035 to, for example, the terminal device 10 and presenting it to the user. If the budget/actual management report generated by the budget/actual management report generation/update module 2035 is based on a web page, the budget/actual management report presentation module 2036 may send information instructing the user to transition to a reference destination of the web page. Also, if the budget/actual management report generated by the budget/actual management report generation/update module 2035 is based on a specified document file, etc., the budget/actual management report presentation module 2036 may send information instructing the user to open the document file.

The projected completion report generation update module 2037 controls the process of generating a projected completion report showing the expected progress of the project in the future based on the project schedule information acquired by the project schedule acquisition module 2033 and the project performance information acquired by the project performance acquisition module 2034. The projected completion report generated by the projected completion report generation update module 2037 shows the project completion forecast, the budget consumption status at a certain time point (for example, the time of scheduled completion) and the predicted value of the actual work man-hours, which are predicted from the project schedule, for example, the budget consumption status, which is the actual performance at a certain time point against the budget and the planned man-hours, the actual work man-hours (the consumption status of the man-hours), and the actual consumption rate. The projected completion report may also show a comparison with the budget and the planned man-hours that were scheduled to be consumed in the project at a certain time point in the future. Furthermore, the projected completion report may show a forecast of the balance of sales and expenditures in the project at a certain time point in the future, and a forecast of profits. Furthermore, the completion forecast report may show the deviation between the planned information and the actual information of the project at a certain point in the future in different ways (e.g., by displaying in a different color, highlighting, etc.), and may show the deviation in different ways depending on the state of the deviation (e.g., by displaying in a different color depending on the deviation, highlighting with a varying degree of emphasis, etc.).

The final forecast report generation and update module 2037 also controls the process of updating the final forecast report once it has been created, based on the performance information of the project acquired by the project performance acquisition module 2034. Since the project performance acquisition module 2034 acquires performance information of the project at any time, the final forecast report generation and update module 2037 updates the final forecast report to reflect the newly acquired performance information of the project.

The landing forecast report generated by the landing forecast report generation update module 2037 may be generated as a web page that can be accessed by a web browser, or may be generated as a specified document file, etc. Also, it may be presented simultaneously (on the same screen) with the budget/actual management report generated by the budget/actual management report generation update module 2035, or may be displayed on a different screen.

The landing prediction report presentation module 2038 controls the process of transmitting the landing prediction report generated by the landing prediction report generation update module 2037 to, for example, the terminal device 10 and presenting it to the user. If the landing prediction report generated by the landing prediction report generation update module 2037 is based on a Web page, the landing prediction report presentation module 2038 may transmit information instructing the user to transition to a reference destination of the Web page. Also, if the landing prediction report generated by the landing prediction report generation update module 2037 is based on a specified document file or the like, the landing prediction report presentation module 2038 may transmit information instructing the user to open the document file.

<2 Data Structure>
Fig. 4 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the project schedule database 2021 and the user database 2022 stored in the server 20. Fig. 5 is a diagram showing an example of the data structure of the project result database 2023 stored in the server 20.

As shown in FIG. 4, each record in the project schedule database 2021 includes an item "project ID," an item "project name," an item "project details," etc.

The item "Project ID" is information that identifies each project that is managed by the project management system 1.

The item "Project Name" is information that indicates the name of the project that is managed by the project management system 1.

The "project details" item is information about a project that is managed by the project management system 1, and specifically includes the items "process ID," "process name," "estimated man-hours," and "work duration," etc.

The item "Process ID" is information that identifies each process required in a project that is managed by the project management system 1.

The item "Process Name" is information that indicates the name of a process required in a project that is managed by the project management system 1. In project schedule information, estimates are made and budgets are sometimes formulated for each process of the project, so this item is used to manage each process.

The item "Estimated Man-hours" is information indicating the man-hours estimated for each process in a project managed by the project management system 1. For example, a value indicating the amount of work that one person can do in one month is stored.

The item "Work duration" is information that indicates the work duration for each process in a project that is managed by the project management system 1, and stores, for example, the planned start date and planned end date of the work.

The project schedule acquisition module 2033 of the server 20 adds/deletes records to the "project details" item in the project schedule database 2021 as it acquires schedule information including the project budget and planned man-hours.

Each record in the user database 2022 includes the items "User ID", "Affiliation", "Name", and "Man-hours information", etc.

The item "User ID" is information that identifies each user who is a member of the project (a user who has registered an account) and who uses the project management system 1.

The "Affiliation" item is information that indicates the business entity, such as a company, to which the user who uses the project management system 1 belongs, or the department of that company, etc.

The "Name" item is information that indicates the name of the user who uses the project management system 1.

The "Man-hour information" item is information about the man-hours actually performed by users of the project management system 1. As shown in FIG. 4, one or more pieces of man-hour information are stored for one user. Note that the "Man-hour information" item for each user does not need to be stored if it is obtained from an external server device, etc., and may be managed separately as attendance information.

As shown in FIG. 5, each record in the project performance database 2023 includes an item "project ID," an item "project name," an item "project details," etc.

The item "Project ID" is information that identifies each project that is managed by the project management system 1, and corresponds to the item "Project ID" in the project schedule database 2021.

The item "Project name" is information indicating the name of the project that is managed by the project management system 1, and corresponds to the item "Project name" in the project schedule database 2021.

The item "Project detailed information" is information about a project that is managed by the project management system 1, and specifically includes the items "Process ID", "Period", "Planned man-hours", and "Actual man-hours", etc.

The item "Process ID" is information that identifies each process required in a project managed by the project management system 1, and corresponds to the item "Process ID" in the project schedule database 2021.

The "Period" item is information indicating a predetermined period for managing the progress of man-hours, which is determined for each process in a project managed by the project management system 1, and stores, for example, the planned start date and the planned end date of the work. This "Period" item may be the same as the "Process ID" item in the project schedule database 2021, or multiple periods may be set so that the process can be further subdivided for progress management.

The item "Planned Man-hours" is information indicating the planned man-hours for each item "Period" that is determined for each process in a project that is managed by the project management system 1. This item "Planned Man-hours" may be the same as the item "Estimated Man-hours" in the project schedule database 2021, or multiple estimated man-hours may be set so that the estimated man-hours for the process can be further subdivided for progress management.

The item "Actual man-hours" is information indicating the actual man-hours that correspond to the item "Planned man-hours" that is determined for each process in a project that is managed by the project management system 1. If the planned end date of the work in the item "Period" has not yet arrived, no information is stored in that item.

Although not shown in the figure, the project performance database 2023 may store the project budget and the actual consumption budget against that budget, and may also store actual sales and expenditures.

The project performance acquisition module 2034 of the server 20 adds a record to the "project details" field of the project performance database 2023 as it acquires performance information including the project's budget consumption and actual man-hours.

<3 Operation>
Hereinafter, the project schedule registration process and report creation process by the project management system 1 in the first embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.

Figure 6 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of project schedule registration processing by the project management system 1 of embodiment 1.

As a pre-processing for step S111, the input operation reception unit 171 of the terminal device 10 receives an operation to input a user ID and password for authentication required to use the services of the project management system 1 from a user who is a member of the project (including an administrator). The transmission/reception unit 172 transmits the received user ID, password, and user information to the server 20. The server 20 receives the user ID and password via the communication unit 201, confirms that the user ID and password of the user are valid, and performs the specified authentication. If they are valid, the server 20 transmits information indicating that the authentication has been completed to the terminal device 10 via the communication unit 201. The transmission/reception unit 172 of the terminal device 10 receives the information indicating that the authentication has been completed transmitted from the server 20. The notification control unit 174 displays the received information indicating that the authentication has been completed on the display 150, and step S111 is started.

In step S111, the input operation reception unit 171 of the terminal device 10 receives, through operation by the user, a display instruction for an input screen for inputting planned information including the project budget and planned man-hours. The transmission/reception unit 172 transmits the received display instruction to the server 20. The transmission/reception unit 172 of the terminal device 10 receives display data for the input screen for inputting the planned information for the project transmitted from the server 20. The notification control unit 174 causes the display data for the input screen for inputting the received planned information for the project to be displayed on the display 150.

In step S121, the server 20 receives a display instruction for an input screen for inputting the project schedule information transmitted from the terminal device 10 via the communication unit 201. The server 20 transmits display data for the input screen for inputting the project schedule information to the terminal device 10 via the communication unit 201.

In step S112, the input operation reception unit 171 of the terminal device 10 receives input of schedule information including the project budget and planned man-hours through operation by the user. The transmission/reception unit 172 transmits the received schedule information of the project to the server 20.

In step S122, the project schedule acquisition module 2033 of the server 20 receives the project schedule information transmitted from the terminal device 10 via the communication unit 201. The project schedule acquisition module 2033 registers the received project schedule information in the project schedule database 2021.

Note that when the project schedule acquisition module 2033 accesses an external server device or the like and acquires project schedule information registered in the external server device or the like, the processing of steps S112 and S122 is not performed.

As described above, the project management system 1 obtains planned information, including the project budget and planned man-hours, from input by the user or from an external server device, etc. This information is used to manage the project's budget and actual results and to predict the final outcome.

Figure 7 is a flowchart showing an example of the flow of tax return processing by the project management system 1 of embodiment 1. Note that the pre-processing of step S211 is similar to the pre-processing of step S111.

In step S211, the input operation reception unit 171 of the terminal device 10 receives a display instruction from the user to display an input screen for inputting performance information including the project budget consumption and actual labor hours. The transmission/reception unit 172 transmits the received display instruction to the server 20. The transmission/reception unit 172 of the terminal device 10 receives display data of the input screen for inputting the performance information of the project transmitted from the server 20. The notification control unit 174 causes the display data of the input screen for inputting the received performance information of the project to be displayed on the display 150.

In step S221, the server 20 receives a display instruction for an input screen for inputting the performance information of the project transmitted from the terminal device 10 via the communication unit 201. The server 20 transmits display data for the input screen for inputting the performance information of the project to the terminal device 10 via the communication unit 201.

In step S212, the input operation reception unit 171 of the terminal device 10 receives input of performance information including the budget consumption and actual man-hours of the project through operation by the user. The transmission/reception unit 172 transmits the received performance information of the project to the server 20.

In step S222, the project performance acquisition module 2034 of the server 20 receives the project performance information transmitted from the terminal device 10 via the communication unit 201. The project performance acquisition module 2034 registers the received project performance information in the project performance database 2023.

In step S223, the budget/actual management report generation update module 2035 of the server 20 generates a budget/actual management report showing the actual results against the project plan, based on the project plan information received in step S122 (or obtained from an external server device, etc.) and the project actual results information received in step S222.

In step S224, the server 20's outcome forecast report generation and update module 2037 generates an outcome forecast report showing the forecast of the project's future progress based on the project plan information received in step S122 (or obtained from an external server device, etc.) and the project performance information received in step S222.

In step S225, the budget/actual management report presentation module 2036 of the server 20 transmits the budget/actual management report generated in step S223 to the terminal device 10 via the communication unit 201. In addition, the landing forecast report presentation module 2038 of the server 20 transmits the landing forecast report generated in step S224 to the terminal device 10 via the communication unit 201.

In step S215, the transmission/reception unit 172 of the terminal device 10 receives the budget/actual management report and the forecasted performance report transmitted from the server 20. The notification control unit 174 causes the display 150 to display the received budget/actual management report and the forecasted performance report.

As described above, the project management system 1 generates a budget-actual management report showing the project's actual results against the schedule, and a project progress forecast report showing the future progress of the project, based on schedule information including the project's budget and planned man-hours, and performance information including the project's budget consumption and actual man-hours. This makes it possible to grasp at a glance the budget consumption status and project progress status.

<4 Screen example>
Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, a description will be given of an example of a screen for inputting a comment and displaying comment details in the declaration preparation process by the project management system 1. FIG.

Figure 8 is a diagram showing an example of a screen of a budget/actual management report displayed on the terminal device 10. The screen example of Figure 8 shows an example of a screen in which a budget/actual management report generated by the budget/actual management report generation/update module 2035 is sent to the terminal device 10 and displayed. This corresponds to step S215 in Figure 7.

As shown in FIG. 8, the display 150 of the terminal device 10 displays a screen for displaying a budget/actual management report, which includes a progress rate display field 1031a showing the progress of the project, a sales display field 1031b showing sales in the project, and an expenditure display field 1031c showing expenditure in the project. The information displayed in the progress rate display field 1031a, sales display field 1031b, and expenditure display field 1031c is the project plan information stored in the project plan database 2021 and the project performance information stored in the project performance database 2023 that is read and displayed.

In the screen shown in FIG. 8, the budget/actual management report can be displayed, for example, for the entire project, for specific personnel or teams, etc., and can also be configured to display a certain point during the project's execution period.

Figure 9 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displaying a progress forecast report displayed on the terminal device 10. The example screen in Figure 9 shows an example of a screen displaying a progress forecast report generated by the progress forecast report generation update module 2037 and transmitted to the terminal device 10. This corresponds to step S215 in Figure 7.

As shown in FIG. 9, the display 150 of the terminal device 10 displays a project completion forecast report display field 1032a that shows the predicted progress of the project in the future. The project completion forecast report display field 1032a displays a performance display field 1032b that shows the planned information and performance information of the project at a certain point in time, such as the budget consumption status, the actual labor hours (the labor hours consumption status), and the actual consumption rate, as well as a forecast display field 1032c that shows the predicted completion status of the project, the budget consumption status at a certain point in the future (for example, the planned completion time), and the predicted value of the actual labor hours, which are predicted from this information.

In the screen shown in FIG. 9, a period selection field 1032d is provided so that the final forecast report can be displayed, for example, for a certain point in time during the project's execution period.

<Summary>
As described above, according to this embodiment, schedule information including the project budget and planned man-hours is acquired by input from a user or from an external server device, etc. Then, performance information including the project budget consumption and actual man-hours is acquired, and a budget-actual management report showing the project's performance against the schedule and a project progress forecast report showing the future progress forecast of the project are generated based on the project schedule information and project performance information. This makes it possible to grasp at a glance the budget consumption status and project progress status.

In addition, when new performance information, including the project's budget consumption and actual man-hours, is acquired, the budget/actual management report and final forecast report are updated. This makes it possible to present users with real-time budget/actual management reports and final forecast reports, enabling them to grasp the project status more accurately.

Although the disclosed embodiments have been described above, they can be embodied in various other forms and can be implemented with various omissions, substitutions, and modifications. These embodiments and variations, as well as omissions, substitutions, and modifications, are included in the technical scope of the claims and their equivalents.

<Additional Notes>
The matters described in the above embodiments will be supplemented below.

(Note 1) A program for supporting the execution of a project related to a user's business when executed by a computer having a processor 29 and a memory 25, in which project schedule information (2021) is registered in the memory 25, and the program causes the processor 29 to execute the following steps: acquiring performance information of the personnel engaged in the project who engaged in the project (S222); generating a budget/actual management report showing the performance against the project schedule based on the project schedule information and the acquired project performance information, and presenting the report to the user (S223, S225); generating a project forecast report showing the future progress of the project based on the project schedule information and the acquired project performance information, and presenting the report to the user (S224, S225); and updating the budget/actual management report and the project forecast report after generating the budget/actual management report and the project forecast report based on the acquired project performance information and change information for the project schedule information (S223, S224).

(Appendix 2) A program as described in (Appendix 1), in which information on the budget required for a project and information on the man-hours required to carry out the project are registered as planned information for the project, and in a step of generating a budget/actual management report, a budget/actual management report on the status of budget and man-hour consumption is generated and presented to a user, and in a step of generating a final forecast report, a final forecast report showing forecasts of future trends in the budget and man-hours is generated and presented to a user.

(Appendix 3) A program described in (Appendix 1) or (Appendix 2) that acquires personnel attendance information in the step of acquiring performance information.

(Appendix 4) A program described in (Appendix 3) that acquires personnel attendance information, applies project-related information contained in the acquired attendance information to one or more projects, and acquires the information as project performance information.

(Appendix 5) A program described in (Appendix 1) or (Appendix 2) that acquires personnel schedule information in the step of acquiring performance information.

(Appendix 6) A program described in (Appendix 5) that acquires personnel schedule information, applies project-related information contained in the acquired schedule information to one or more projects, and acquires the information as project performance information.

(Appendix 7) A program described in any one of (Appendix 1) to (Appendix 6), in which in the step of generating a final forecast report, a final forecast report showing a forecast of the progress of the project's sales and expenditure balance is generated and presented to the user.

(Appendix 8) A program described in any one of (Appendix 1) to (Appendix 7), in which in the step of generating a forecast report, a forecast report showing a forecast of the progress of profits from a project is generated and presented to a user.

(Appendix 9) A program described in any one of (Appendix 1) to (Appendix 8), in which in the step of generating a budget/actual management report, the deviation between the project's planned information and the project's actual performance information is presented in different ways depending on the degree of deviation.

(Appendix 10) An information processing device that includes a control unit 203 and a storage unit 202 and supports the execution of a project related to a user's business, in which the storage unit 202 registers project schedule information (2021), and the control unit 203 performs the following steps: acquiring performance information of the project by personnel engaged in the project (S222); generating a budget/actual management report showing the performance against the project schedule based on the project schedule information and the acquired project performance information, and presenting the report to the user (S223, S225); generating a project forecast report showing the future progress of the project based on the project schedule information and the acquired project performance information, and presenting the report to the user (S224, S225); and updating the budget/actual management report and the project forecast report after generating the budget/actual management report and the project forecast report based on the acquired project performance information and change information for the project schedule information (S223, S224).

(Appendix 11) A method for supporting the execution of a project related to a user's business, executed by a computer having a processor 29 and a memory 25, in which project schedule information (2021) is registered in the memory 25, and the method includes the steps of: acquiring performance information of the personnel engaged in the project (S222); generating a budget/actual management report showing the performance against the project schedule based on the project schedule information and the acquired project performance information, and presenting the report to the user (S223, S225); generating a project forecast report showing the future progress of the project based on the project schedule information and the acquired project performance information, and presenting the report to the user (S224, S225); and updating the budget/actual management report and the project forecast report after generating the budget/actual management report and the project forecast report based on the acquired project performance information and change information for the project schedule information (S223, S224).

REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 10 Terminal device, 20 Server, 80 Network, 130 Operation reception unit, 161 User information, 22 Communication IF, 23 Input/output IF, 25 Memory, 26 Storage, 29 Processor, 201 Communication unit, 202 Storage unit, 2021 Project schedule database, 2022 User database, 2023 Project performance database, 203 Control unit

Claims (10)

A program for supporting the execution of a project related to a user's business by being executed on a computer having a processor and a memory,
The memory stores schedule information for the project, the schedule information including budget information for the project and man-hours information for carrying out the project,
The program causes the processor to:
acquiring performance information indicating the budget consumption of the project and the man-hours worked on by personnel engaged in the project;
generating a budget/actual management report showing the results of the project against the plan based on the budget and man-hours plan information of the project and the acquired results information showing the consumption status of the budget and man-hours of the project, and presenting the report to the user;
generating a completion forecast report showing a progress forecast of the project including a completion forecast of the project at any future time , a budget consumption status of the project, and a forecast value of the actual work hours of the project, based on the planned information of the budget and man-hours of the project and the acquired actual information showing the consumption status of the budget and man-hours of the project, and presenting the report to the user;
after generating the budget/actual management report and the final forecast report, updating the budget/actual management report and the final forecast report based on the acquired performance information of the project and change information regarding the schedule information of the project. The program according to claim 1, wherein the step of acquiring performance information acquires attendance information of the personnel. The program according to claim 2, which acquires attendance information of the personnel, applies information about the project contained in the acquired attendance information to one or more of the projects, and acquires the information as performance information of the project. The program according to claim 1, wherein in the step of acquiring the performance information, schedule information of the personnel is acquired. The program according to claim 4, which acquires schedule information of the personnel, applies information about the project contained in the acquired schedule information to one or more of the projects, and acquires the information as performance information of the project. The program according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein in the step of generating the final forecast report, a final forecast report showing a forecast of the progress of the balance between sales and expenditures of the project is generated and presented to the user. The program according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein in the step of generating the final forecast report, a final forecast report showing a forecast of the progress of profits from the project is generated and presented to the user. The program according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein in the step of generating the budget/actual management report, the deviation between the planned information of the project and the actual information of the project is presented in a different manner depending on the state of the deviation. An information processing device that supports the execution of a project related to a user's business, comprising: a control unit; and a storage unit,
The storage unit registers schedule information for the project, the schedule information including budget information for the project and man-hours information for carrying out the project,
The control unit is
acquiring performance information indicating the budget consumption of the project and the man-hours worked on by personnel engaged in the project;
generating a budget/actual management report showing the results of the project against the plan based on the budget and man-hours plan information of the project and the acquired results information showing the consumption status of the budget and man-hours of the project, and presenting the report to the user;
generating a completion forecast report showing a progress forecast of the project including a completion forecast of the project at any future time , a budget consumption status of the project, and a forecast value of the actual work hours of the project, based on the planned information of the budget and man-hours of the project and the acquired actual information showing the consumption status of the budget and man-hours of the project, and presenting the report to the user;
after generating the budget/actual management report and the final forecast report, updating the budget/actual management report and the final forecast report based on the acquired performance information of the project and change information regarding the schedule information of the project. A method for supporting the execution of a project related to a user's business, the method being executed by a computer having a processor and a memory, the method comprising:
The memory stores schedule information for the project, the schedule information including budget information for the project and man-hours information for carrying out the project,
The method further comprises the processor:
acquiring performance information indicating the budget consumption of the project and the man-hours worked on by personnel engaged in the project;
generating a budget/actual management report showing the results of the project against the plan based on the budget and man-hours plan information of the project and the acquired results information showing the consumption status of the budget and man-hours of the project, and presenting the report to the user;
generating a completion forecast report showing a progress forecast of the project including a completion forecast of the project at any future time , a budget consumption status of the project, and a forecast value of the actual work hours of the project, based on the planned information of the budget and man-hours of the project and the acquired actual information showing the consumption status of the budget and man-hours of the project, and presenting the report to the user;
after generating the budget/actual management report and the final forecast report, updating the budget/actual management report and the final forecast report based on acquired performance information of the project and change information regarding the schedule information of the project.