Software for Improving Operational Processes

The Schedule and Cost Risk Analysis Modeling System (SCRAM) computer program identifies important sources of schedule and cost risks in an operational process. The related Process Analysis and Improvement Support System (PASS) program assists in the overall analysis and improvement of an operational process, with emphasis on identifying and eliminating causes of anomalies. SCRAM enables the construction and analysis of realistic mathematical models of schedule variables (e.g., durations of tasks) and of constraints imposed by limitations on resources. SCRAM utilizes input information in the form of historical delay data and schedule information for a process in question to derive measures of importance of classes of delays. PASS includes (1) a process-analysis module, which performs schedule and cost analyses of delays, using criticalities defined by the analyst instead of resource constraints, to identify the most important kinds of anomalies; (2) a root-cause module, which provides for quantitative and qualitative analyses of causes of anomalies; and (3) a process-improvement-evaluation module, in which the language of representation of cause-and-effect relationships from the root-cause module is used in accounting for process-improvement alternatives and criteria for making decisions.