Project pipeline management systems and methods having capital expenditure/expense flip targeting

1. A pipeline budgeting tool embodied on a computer readable medium and executable by a processor, wherein the pipeline budgeting tool comprises:

an interface component to accept, for each of multiple projects in a software pipeline, a set of inputs that includes 1) resource demand, 2) budget constraint, 3) start date, and 4) a capital expenditure/expense flip date, wherein the capital expenditure/expense flip date comprises a date at which an expense involved in a corresponding project is converted into a capital expenditure; and

an affordability determination component that aggregates the inputs, calculates an overall capital expenditure/expense ratio, and compares the ratio to a threshold as of a predetermined date, wherein the affordability determination component determines a violation date on which the ratio falls below the threshold, and wherein the affordability determination component advances a first subsequent capital expenditure/expense flip date of a project to the violation date, thereby preventing the ratio from falling below the threshold.

2. The pipeline budgeting tool of claim 1 , wherein the affordability determination component notifies a user if the ratio falls below the threshold as of the predetermined date.

3. The pipeline budgeting tool of claim 2 , wherein the affordability determination component accepts a new threshold value from the user.

4. The pipeline budgeting tool of claim 1 , wherein the affordability determination component determines a violation date on which the ratio falls below the threshold, and wherein the affordability determination component advances a preceding start date of a project past the violation date, thereby preventing the ratio from falling below the threshold.

5. The pipeline budgeting tool of claim 1 , wherein if the ratio falls below the threshold, the affordability determination component generates one or more corrective alternatives, presents the corrective alternatives to a user, and implements those of the corrective alternatives that are selected by the user.

6. The pipeline budgeting tool of claim 1 , wherein if the ratio falls below the threshold, the affordability determination component generates one or more corrective alternatives, autonomously without direction from a user implements the corrective alternatives, and notifies the user of implemented corrective alternatives.

7. The pipeline budgeting tool of claim 1 , wherein the affordability determination component applies a spreading algorithm that generates project timing for the projects in the software pipeline such that the overall capital expenditure/expense ratio equals a target as of the predetermined date.

8. The pipeline budgeting tool of claim 1 , wherein the predetermined date is the last date of a fiscal planning period.

9. The pipeline budgeting tool of claim 1 , further comprising a computational unit that applies an algorithm to normalize the inputs to a common format.

10. The pipeline budgeting tool of claim 1 , further comprising a reporting component that generates a coded report having a first code and a second code:

wherein the first code indicates that the ratio exceeds the threshold; and

wherein the second code indicates that the threshold is equal to or exceeds the ratio.

11. A pipeline budgeting tool embodied on a computer readable medium and executable by a processor, wherein the pipeline budgeting tool comprises:

an interface component to accept, for each of multiple projects in a software pipeline, a set of inputs that includes 1) resource demand, 2) budget constraint, 3) start date, and 4) a capital expenditure/expense flip date, wherein the capital expenditure/expense flip date comprises a date at which an expense involved in a corresponding project is converted into a capital expenditure; and

an affordability determination component that aggregates the inputs, calculates an overall capital expenditure/expense ratio, and compares the ratio to a threshold as of a predetermined date, wherein the affordability determination component determines a violation date on which the ratio falls below the threshold, and wherein the affordability determination component reduces expenses by advancing one or more projects classified as low priority past the predetermined date, thereby preventing the ratio from falling below the threshold.

12. A method for capital expenditure/expense flip targeting and balancing in software pipeline management, the method comprising the computer implemented steps of:

receiving, at a processor, for each of multiple projects in a software project pipeline, a set of inputs that includes 1) resource demand, 2) budget constraint, 3) start date, and 4) a capital expenditure/expense flip date, wherein the capital expenditure/expense flip date comprises a date at which an expense involved in a corresponding project is converted into a capital expenditure;

aggregating, with a processor, the inputs;

calculating, with a processor, an overall capital expenditure/expense ratio;

comparing, with a processor, the ratio to a threshold as of a predetermined date; and

determining a violation date on which the ratio falls below the threshold, and advancing a preceding start date of a project past the violation date, thereby preventing the ratio from falling below the threshold.

13. The method of claim 12 , further comprising notifying a user if the ratio falls below the threshold as of the predetermined date.

14. The method of claim 12 , further comprising determining a violation date on which the ratio falls below the threshold, and advancing a first subsequent capital expenditure/flip date of a project to the violation date, thereby preventing the ratio from falling below the threshold.

15. The method of claim 12 , further comprising determining a violation date on which the ratio falls below the threshold, and reducing expenses for a present planning period by advancing one or more projects classified as low priority past the predetermined date to the next planning period, thereby preventing the ratio from falling below the threshold.

16. The method of claim 12 , further comprising generating one or more corrective alternatives if the ratio falls below the threshold, presenting the corrective alternatives to a user, and implementing those of the corrective alternatives that are selected by the user.

17. The method of claim 12 , further comprising generating one or more corrective alternatives if the ratio falls below the threshold, autonomously without direction from a user implementing the corrective alternatives, and notifying the user of implemented corrective alternatives.

18. The method of claim 12 , wherein the predetermined date is the last date of a fiscal planning period.

19. The method of claim 12 , further comprising generating a coded report having a first code and a second code; wherein the first code indicates that the ratio exceeds the threshold, and wherein the second code indicates that the threshold is equal to or exceeds the ratio.

20. A method for capital expenditure/expense flip targeting and balancing in software pipeline management, the method comprising the computer implemented steps of:

receiving, at a processor, for each of multiple projects in a software project pipeline, a set of inputs that includes 1) resource demand, 2) budget constraint, 3) start date, and 4) a capital expenditure/expense flip date, wherein the capital expenditure/expense flip date comprises a date at which an expense involved in a corresponding project is converted into a capital expenditure;

aggregating, with a processor, the inputs;

calculating, with a processor, an overall capital expenditure/expense ratio;

comparing, with a processor, the ratio to a threshold as of a predetermined date; and

applying a spreading algorithm that generates project timing for the projects in the software pipeline such that the overall capital expenditure/expense ratio equals a target as of the predetermined date.