JP2612732B2 - Schedule planning support method and device - Google Patents

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION [Industrial Application Field] The present invention relates to the creation of a schedule in a planning unit comprising one or more tasks, and more particularly to a method and an apparatus for supporting a schedule using a computer.

[Conventional technology]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a schedule of a planning unit including one or more works is a Gantt chart (horizontal process chart) in which a work schedule of each work in the planning unit is represented in a bar graph in association with time, and an order relation between works. Is a network diagram represented by a diagram, or an interactive schedule planning apparatus described in JP-A-58-64563, a work planning sheet described in JP-A-61-235191, and a work planning sheet described in Japanese Patent Application No. 62-197347. There is a work process display method and the like. Also, as an effective method of scheduling,
PERT (Program Evaluation and Review Technique) and C
There is a PM (Critical Path Method), which is widely used especially for project-type work. With the progress of computer utilization technology in recent years, PERT and CPM have been implemented on computers,
Schedules for large projects are also being prepared. (V. Kakura et al., Translated by Seimon Gomoi, et al., Application of Graph Theory by Computer, Kyodo Shuppan Co., Ltd.) [Problems to be Solved by the Invention] An expert engineer interactively trials using the above charts and tables When performing scheduling by mistake, if the planning unit becomes large-scale, the order relations and constraint relations between works become extremely complicated, and there are many conditions to be considered in the scheduling, so the efficiency of schedule creation However, there is a problem that a lot of time and effort are required to obtain the best schedule. In addition, even in the method of performing scheduling using a computer using PERT or CPM, there are vague constraints that are difficult to consider in the computer, and the evaluation criteria for the schedule (such as an objective function for optimizing the schedule) are not always clear. In some cases, the final schedule evaluation and adjustment must be performed interactively by a professional engineer, and as described above, there were two problems in terms of schedule creation efficiency and the quality of the created schedule. .

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to solve the above problems and to provide a schedule planning support method and apparatus suitable for creating a schedule of a large-scale plan unit and adjusting the schedule.

[Means for solving the problem]

In order to achieve the above object, in the schedule planning support method of the present invention, each work in a planning unit including at least one work is parallel to a time axis having the start time and the completion time of each work as end points. By expressing these line segments and connecting these line segments with line segments that can be distinguished from the line segments, it is possible to reduce the amount of resources required to execute each of the tasks, In the schedule planning support method for creating and adjusting the schedule plan of the planning unit from the piled-up pile table, the pile-up table includes a work period and a per-unit-period based on an arrangement order predetermined for each work. The required resource amount is represented by a graphic corresponding thereto, and the graphic is formed by stacking the graphic at a position from the work start time to the work completion time with respect to the time axis. Simultaneously on screen Displaying, selecting a figure corresponding to the work to be scheduled, and correcting the pile table on the screen, and correcting the schedule table in accordance with the corrected pile table. Is created and adjusted.

Further, as the schedule planning support device, an input device for inputting work plan information, a first storage device for storing information of a plan unit composed of at least one work, and a correspondence between the pile table and the schedule plan table A second storage device for storing an operation processing procedure for displaying on the display screen, an operation control device for executing an operation according to the operation processing procedure, and an image display control device for obtaining image information from a result of the operation And a display device for displaying the image information, wherein, as the image information, a work period and a required resource amount per unit period are based on an arrangement order predetermined for each work. A stacking table formed by stacking the figures at positions corresponding to the work completion time from the work start time with respect to the time axis, and a start time and a completion time for each of the works. The screen is displayed in a line that is represented by line segments parallel to the time axis as points, and these line segments are connected by line segments that can be distinguished from the line segments, so as to correspond to a schedule table that expresses the order relation between each work. Displayed simultaneously on the screen, select a figure corresponding to the work to be adjusted, modify the pile table on the screen, and modify the schedule table according to the modified pile table. It is preferable to use a device for preparing and adjusting a schedule.

[Action]

According to the above-mentioned schedule planning support method, a schedule of a planning unit composed of at least one work input from the input device is required for the attribute representing the work content of the work, the work period of the work, and the execution of the work. The resource amount is represented by a predetermined figure, and the figure is combined in a predetermined procedure to create a resource amount stacking table. The stacking table, the work schedule of the planning unit, and the start time and completion of each work A schedule table that shows the time and expresses the order relation between each work is displayed simultaneously on the display screen so that the schedule adjustment for the schedule improvement can be performed interactively.
The work to be scheduled is selected and the stacking table is corrected, whereby the scheduling can be corrected more effectively.

Further, according to the above-mentioned schedule planning support apparatus, a schedule table showing the order relation between each work by a line segment parallel to the time axis is displayed for each work on the display device of the image information, and predetermined for each work. By displaying a stacking table composed of work periods and required resource amounts on the screen at the same time as the schedule table based on the arrangement order, the schedule adjustment can be examined interactively and the prediction of the results can be made. Since it is easy, by inputting the amount of adjustment work, it is possible to easily create and adjust a schedule.

〔Example〕

Hereinafter, an embodiment according to the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

FIG. 1 shows an example of a display screen obtained by one embodiment of the schedule planning support system of the present invention. FIG. 2 shows an embodiment of the configuration of the schedule planning support device for displaying FIG. Hereinafter, these examples will be described. In the present embodiment,
The schedule table described in 62-197347 and the pile table of resources are displayed in association with each other. In this schedule plan, each work in the planning unit is represented by a line segment parallel to the time axis having the start time and the completion time of the work as end points, and these line segments can be distinguished from the line segment. The order relation between works is expressed by connecting them with. The present embodiment targets a planning unit consisting of 13 operations. The work start time, the work completion time, the resource amount required for the work per unit period, and the destination work name stored in the storage device 5 in FIG. 2 corresponding to the schedule of the plan unit in FIG. Table 1 shows work data such as work that must be completed to start the operation. The basic idea in the present embodiment is that the work is represented by a rectangle in which the length of the horizontal side is associated with the work period, and the length of the vertical side is associated with the required resource amount per unit period, and the left side with respect to the time axis. Is a stacking table of the resources by stacking the rectangles at positions where the work start time and the right side are the work completion time.

In the present embodiment, the order in which the work is stacked is assumed to be given in advance in the form of a work arrangement order list. Here, the work arrangement order list table shown in Table 2 is given.

As described above, the operation processing procedure for displaying FIG. 1 on the display device 8 using the work data of Table 1 and the work arrangement order list table of Table 2 stored in the storage device 5 of FIG. The steps will be described in the order of the processing flow charts of FIG. 3 (1) and FIG. 3 (2).

Step 101 A coordinate system is set on the display screen with the time axis as the x axis and the axis perpendicular to the time axis as the y axis.

Step 102 Work data is read from the storage device 5 of FIG. 2, and a schedule plan table is created using the read data as information and displayed on the display device 8.

Step 103 The start time of the planning unit is assigned to a variable STA and the completion time is assigned to a variable END. In this embodiment, STA = 0 and END = 22.

Step 104 An appropriate y coordinate for drawing a pile of resources is substituted into a variable Y, and the coordinates (STA, Y) and (END, Y) are connected by a line segment.

Step 105 Determine the total resource amount required for the unit period from time t by RES
Initial value is set to 0 to represent by (t). In addition,
t is an integer, RES (t) for t satisfying STA ≦ t <END
= Y.

Step 106 The contents of the work arrangement order list in Table 2 are retrieved from the storage device 5 and stored as a list for use by the arithmetic and control unit 4.

Step 107 Extract the work name at the head of the placement order list and change the variable to act
And remove act from the placement order list.

Step 108 The work start time of the work act is substituted for the variable sta, the work completion time is substituted for the variable end, and the required resource amount per unit period is substituted for the variable res. Also, 0 is substituted for the variable res1.

Step 109 For t satisfying sta ≦ t <end, RES (t) and the variable res1
Are compared, and the larger value is substituted into a variable res1, and the coordinates (t, res1), (t, RES (t) + res), (t + 1, RES
(T) + res) are sequentially connected by line segments. Thereafter, the value of RES (t) + res is substituted for RES (t) and the variable res1.

Step 110: The coordinates (end, RES (end-1)) and (end, RES (end)) are connected by a line segment.

Step 111 If the work placement order list is empty, the process ends. If not empty, return to step 107.

The arithmetic and control unit 4 in FIG. 2 executes this processing according to the arithmetic processing procedure of the storage device 3. The display control device 7 forms an image using the result of the arithmetic processing as information, and the display device 8
A schedule table and a resource stacking table are displayed in an associated manner on the top.

Table 3 is a table showing values of RES (t) created as a result of the arithmetic processing in this embodiment. In step 108 of the above-described arithmetic processing procedure, a procedure for storing the coordinates of a line segment or a graphic representing each work as one of the storage of work attributes in the form of, for example, a segment is added, so that an arbitrary work can be performed. Can be specified in the resource stacking table.

The professional technician looks at the display scene of FIG. 1 and interactively adjusts the schedule to improve the schedule. FIG. 4 shows a schematic processing flow in the interactive scheduling system using the scheduling support method and apparatus according to the present invention.

In FIG. 4, steps 201 and 202 are procedures for creating and displaying a schedule table and a pile table based on the work data described with reference to FIGS. 3 (1) and 3 (2).
If it is determined in step 203 that the contents of the display screen need to be adjusted and the schedule adjustment is necessary, the target work adjustment amount considered to be most effective for the schedule adjustment is input in step 204, and the content is adjusted in step 205. The work data is analyzed and updated, and the corrected schedule plan table and the pile table are displayed in association with each other in step 202. If there is no problem in the result of the schedule evaluation in step 203, the process is completed.

Hereinafter, a specific example when it is determined that the schedule adjustment is necessary in step 203 will be described.

For example, in the resource stacking table shown in FIG. 1, it is assumed that there is a request to lower the peak value of the resource amount existing 11 days after the start of the planning unit by adjusting the start time of one or more operations. . From FIG. 1, the work related to the peak position is h, f, k, i, g, e, j. Among these, the tasks that can be expected to lower the peak value with a small adjustment amount are f, i, e, and j from the resource pile table.
Since the required resources are small for works e and j, the effect of lowering the peak value is considered to be small. Also, according to the schedule,
Since the work start time cannot be further delayed if the work period is fixed and the work accumulation time table shows that the work start time of work i is advanced by one day, the new resource amount peaks. Since it is visually recognized that the task i cannot be performed, it can be concluded that the work start time of the work i should be advanced by one day in order to meet the above demand. In this way, by displaying the schedule table and the resource stacking table in association with each other, it is possible to assist the professional technician to visually and comprehensively determine what kind of schedule adjustment is appropriate. .

When the professional technician inputs that he / she wants to adjust the schedule of the work i from the input device 1 in FIG. 2, the system highlights the graphic corresponding to the work i in the resource stacking table, for example, changes the display color. For example, it is displayed on the display device 8 shown in FIG. This assists the technician in predicting the results of the scheduling. Next, the professional technician inputs the details of the schedule adjustment. In the present embodiment, an advance of the work start time of the work i by one day is input from the input device 1 in FIG. The system examines the effect of this schedule adjustment and updates the work data stored in the storage device 5 in FIG. In the present embodiment, the work start time of the work c is changed with the schedule adjustment of the work i. Table 4 shows the work data updated as a result of the adjustment. 4th
In the table, the updated portion is indicated by oblique lines. Based on the work data in Table 4 stored in the storage device 5, the arithmetic processing device 4 in Table 2 stores the data in FIG.
The arithmetic processing shown in FIG. 2B is executed again, and the schedule planning table and the resource stacking table are reconstructed and displayed on the display device 8.

Table 5 shows RES (t) obtained again for scheduling.
FIG. 5 shows a schedule table and a resource stacking table displayed on the display device 8 as a result of the arithmetic processing. In the present embodiment, as a result of the schedule adjustment of the work i, the peak value of the resource amount has dropped from 24 to 20. The expert engineer confirms and evaluates the schedule adjustment result, and further adjusts the schedule if necessary. I do.

Hereafter, when the work to be scheduled is specified, the figure corresponding to the work is displayed in the resource stacking table. As a distinguishing method, an embodiment will be described in which the resource stacking table is reconstructed and displayed so that the graphic is located at the highest position of the resource stacking table. When a graphic corresponding to an arbitrary task is located in a place where it is difficult to identify the resource stack table, or when the graphic is divided into many pieces, it may be difficult to predict the result of the schedule adjustment of the task. As a measure against this,
It is conceivable that the graphic corresponding to the specified work is arranged at the uppermost position of the resource stacking table. To do this,
In the arithmetic processing, the list is re-created so that the work to be brought to the top is the last element of the arrangement order list of the work, and the arithmetic processing is executed again based on the list, and Work on a pile table. FIG. 6 (1) shows the pile of resources shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 6 (2)
FIG. 6 (1) shows an example in which the resource stacking table shown in FIG. 6 (1) is reconstructed and displayed so that work i is at the top. This makes it easier to predict the result of the schedule adjustment when an arbitrary operation is specified.

In this way, all the works in the planning unit are represented by a figure that can geometrically recognize the work period of the work and the amount of resources necessary to execute the work, and the figures are combined to show a pile of resources. Is configured and displayed, it is possible to easily select a work candidate to be a target of schedule adjustment in the schedule plan.
In addition, by displaying the resource stacking table and the schedule plan table in association with each other, it is possible to visually predict the effect of the schedule adjustment for a certain task on other tasks, so that the schedule is selected from among the candidates. The tasks to be adjusted and
It is possible to determine a general change amount of the value of the attribute that is effective for improving the schedule. Further, the graphic corresponding to the specified work is displayed in a format that can be distinguished in the pile table of the resources, and when a value after the change of the work attribute value is given, the specified work corresponding to the change is given. The new geometric shape of the figure corresponding to each of one or more operations including calculation is obtained by calculation, and the stacking table of the resources and the schedule table are reconstructed and displayed, thereby visually displaying the result of the schedule adjustment. Can be confirmed.

[One-step prior invention]

The present invention mainly supports visual scheduling by visual means, and a specialist engineer selects and determines the work to be scheduled. Such selection / judgment largely depends on the situation at the time, and is difficult to describe as an algorithm. However, it is not considered to be completely amorphous, and it is expected that some selection / judgment pattern exists. If such a pattern can be extracted and used as knowledge, it is possible to construct a more effective schedule planning support method, for example, by giving guidance on schedule adjustment.

〔The invention's effect〕

The present invention has the method and apparatus as described above, and thus has the following effects.

A scheduling table representing the sequence relationship between the operations of the planning unit;
The amount of resources required to perform the work is displayed on the display screen in association with the graphical pile table, so that the work to be adjusted can be easily selected, and the schedule can be planned by adjusting the selected figure on the screen. The contents of the schedule can be easily grasped, and the schedule plan can be corrected effectively.

An input device for inputting work plan information, a first storage device for storing information of a plan unit, a second storage device for storing an arithmetic processing procedure for displaying a stacking table and a schedule plan table, By providing an arithmetic and control unit for performing an arithmetic operation in accordance with the arithmetic processing procedure, an image display control unit for obtaining image information from the arithmetic result, and a display unit for displaying the image information, the process and results of the adjustment of the schedule plan are provided. Can be visually confirmed, so that an accurate schedule can be adjusted.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a display screen of a schedule table and a pile of resources table obtained in one embodiment of a schedule planning support system according to the present invention;
FIG. 2 is an embodiment of a configuration of a schedule planning support device according to the present invention, and FIGS. 3 (1) and 3 (2) are processing flows of an embodiment of an arithmetic processing procedure for displaying FIG. FIG. 4 is a processing flowchart of an embodiment of an interactive schedule planning system using the schedule planning support system and apparatus according to the present invention. FIG. 5 is a display screen reconstructed based on the work data in Table 4.
Fig. 6 (1) is a pile table of resources in Fig. 1, and Fig. 6 (2).
Is a resource stack table reconfigured such that the graphic corresponding to the work i is at the highest position in the resource stack table. 1 ... input device, 3 ... storage device, 4 ... arithmetic control device, 5 ... storage device, 7 ... display control device, 8 ... display device.

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continuation of the front page (72) Inventor Yasuhiro Kobayashi 1168 Moriyama-cho, Hitachi City, Ibaraki Pref. Energy Laboratory, Hitachi, Ltd. (56) References JP-A-62-43768 (JP, A) JP-A-62- 224561 (JP, A) Hitachi Review, Vol. 65, no. 11, 1983, p. 807-810 Hitachi Review, Vol. 60, no. 9, 1978, p. 649-654

Claims (2)

(57) [Claims] 1. Each work in a planning unit consisting of at least one work is represented by a line segment parallel to a time axis having the start time and the completion time of each work as end points, and these line segments are represented by the line segments. By connecting with a line segment that can be distinguished from the line segment, a schedule planning table expressing the order relation between each work and a stacking table in which the amount of resources necessary for performing each of the tasks are stacked, the schedule planning of the planning unit is performed. In the schedule planning support method of performing the creation and adjustment of the, the pile table, based on a predetermined arrangement order for each of the work, represents a work period and the required resource amount per unit period in a graphic, The figures should be stacked at the position from the work start time to the work completion time with respect to the time axis, the stacking table and the schedule table should be displayed simultaneously on the screen in association with each other, and should be subject to schedule adjustment Shape corresponding to work Select and modify the pile table on the screen, by modifying the scheduling table corresponding pile table that the modified schedule planning support method characterized in that to create and adjust schedule. 2. An input device for inputting work plan information, a first storage device for storing information of a plan unit including at least one work, a schedule table of the plan unit, and a program necessary for executing the work. A second storage device for storing an operation processing procedure for displaying on the display screen in association with the pile table in which the resource amounts are stacked, an operation control device for executing the operation according to the operation processing procedure, An image display control device that obtains image information from a result and a display device that displays the image information are provided in a schedule planning support device, wherein, as the image information, a work period is set based on an arrangement order predetermined for each work. And a required resource amount per unit period are represented by a graphic, and the graphic is formed by stacking the graphic at a position from the work start time to the work completion time with respect to the time axis. , By expressing the start time and the completion time with line segments parallel to the time axis having endpoints, and connecting these line segments with line segments that can be distinguished from the line segments, thereby expressing an order relationship between the respective operations. Simultaneously display on the screen in association with the plan table, select a figure corresponding to the work to be scheduled and correct the pile table on the screen, and correspond to the corrected pile table. A schedule planning support device for creating and adjusting a schedule by modifying a schedule table.