Transforming project management representations into business process representations

• US 10,147,063 B2
• Filed: 07/16/2012
• Issued: 12/04/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/16/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Chandra, Anca A., Krishna, Vikas
• Primary Examiner(s): Santos-Diaz, Maria C
• Application Number:
  US13/550,273
• Publication Number:
  US 20140019370A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,332 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06313 Resource planning in a project environment

Abstract

Systems and methods for are described herein for transforming project management application representations into business process models. An aspect provides for receiving at least one portion of a project management application representation; and generating at least one business process by applying at least one transformation pattern to the at least one project management representation. Other embodiments and aspects are also provided herein.

Claims

1. A system for generating a business process model from a project management application representation comprising:

at least one processor;

a system memory operatively coupled to the at least one processor, the system memory to store program instructions accessible to the at least one processor; and

wherein, responsive to execution of the program instructions accessible to the at least one processor, the at least one processor is configured to;

receive at least one portion of a project management application representation, wherein the at least one portion of a project management application representation comprises a plurality of sub-processes, wherein each sub-process comprises a task containing a plurality of activities;

wherein the plurality of sub-processes comprises at least one Siblings with No Dependency sub-process comprising at least two activities having a common parent ans wherein the at least two activities have no dependent activities, at least one Siblings with Dependencies sub-process comprising at least two activities haying a common parent and wherein at least one of the two activities has a dependent activity, at least one Cross Generations sub-process comprising at least one activity comprising at least one successor activity and wherein the at least one successor activity has a dependent activity, and at least one Cross Families sub-process comprising at least one activity comprising at least two dependent activities, wherein one of the at least two dependent activities is a predecessor of another of the at least two dependent activities, and wherein the at least two dependent activities each have at least one dependent activity;

apply at least one Siblings with No Dependencies transformation pattern, at least one Siblings with Dependencies transformation pattern, at least one Cross Generations transformation pattern, and at least one Cross Families transformation pattern to the at least a portion of the project management application representation, wherein the applying comprises applying at least one transformation pattern to each of the plurality of sub-processes;

wherein a Siblings with No Dependencies transformation pattern comprises transforming the at least one Siblings with No Dependency sub-process into;

one fork node comprising the common parent, at least two parallel activity nodes each activity node comprising one of the at least two activities, and one merge node;

wherein a Siblings with Dependencies transformation pattern comprises transforming the at least one Siblings with Dependencies sub-process into;

one fork node comprising the common parent, at least two parallel activity nodes each activity node comprising one of the at least two activities, an activity node comprising the dependent activity wherein an input of the activity node comprising the dependent activity is connected to an output of the activity node comprising the activity having the dependent activity, and one merge node;

wherein a Cross Generations transformation pattern comprises transforming the at least one Cross Generations sub-process, into;

an activity node comprising the at least one activity and an activity node comprising the dependent activity, wherein an input of the activity node comprising the dependent activity is connected to an output of the activity node comprising the at least one activity; and

wherein a Cross Families transformation pattern comprises transforming the at least one Cross Families sub-process into;

an activity node comprising the dependent activity of the predecessor dependent activity and an activity node comprising the dependent activity of the successor dependent activity, wherein an input of the activity node comprising the dependent activity of the successor dependent activity is connected to an output of the activity node comprising the dependent activity of the predecessor dependent activity; and

generate at least one flat business process model, wherein the flat business process model comprises the sub-processes transformed via the applied transformation pattern, wherein the flat business process model is not a hierarchical model.

2. The system according to claim 1, wherein the at least one project management application representation comprises at least one project plan.

3. The system according to claim 2, wherein the at least one project plan is comprised of at least one task, the at least one task being configured to link with any other task through a dependency.

4. The system according to claim 3, wherein the at least one business process model is represented in Business Process Modeling Notation.

5. The system according to claim 4, wherein the at least one business process model is generated through at least one flat transformation.

6. The system according to claim 5, wherein the at least one project plan comprises at least one task, at least one resource, at least one cost, and at least one schedule and wherein each task, resource, cost, and schedule of the at least one project plan is transformed recursively into a corresponding activity, resource, cost, and timeline of the at least one business process model.

7. A method for generating a business process model from a project management application representation comprising:

receiving at least one portion of a project management application representation, wherein the at least one portion of a project management application representation comprises a plurality of sub-processes, wherein each sub-process comprises a task containing a plurality of activities;

wherein the plurality of sub-processes comprises at least one Siblings with No Dependency sub-process comprising at least two activities having a common parent ans wherein the at least two activities have no dependent activities, at least one Siblings with Dependencies sub-process comprising at least two activities having a common parent and wherein at least one of the two activities has a dependent activity, at least one Cross Generations sub-process comprising at least one activity comprising at least one successor activity and wherein the at least one successor activity has a dependent activity, and at least one Cross Families sub-process comprising at least one activity comprising at least two dependent activities, wherein one of the at least two dependent activities is a predecessor of another of the at least two dependent activities, and wherein the at least two dependent activities each have at least one dependent activity;

applying at least one Siblings with No Dependencies transformation pattern, at least one Siblings with Dependencies transformation pattern, at least one Cross Generations transformation pattern, and at least one Cross Families transformation pattern to the at least a portion of the project management application representation, wherein the applying comprises applying at least one transformation pattern to each of the plurality of sub-processes;

wherein a Siblings with No Dependencies transformation pattern comprises transforming the at least one Siblings with No Dependency sub-process into;

one fork node comprising the common parent, at least two parallel activity nodes each activity node comprising one of the at least two activities, and one merge node;

wherein a Siblings with Dependencies transformation pattern comprises transforming the at least one Siblings with Dependencies sub-process into;

one fork node comprising the common parent, at least two parallel activity nodes each activity node comprising one of the at least two activities, an activity node comprising the dependent activity wherein an input of the activity node comprising the dependent activity is connected to an output of the activity node comprising the activity having the dependent activity, and one merge node;

wherein a Cross Generations transformation pattern comprises transforming the at least one Cross Generations sub-process, into;

an activity node comprising the at least one activity and an activity node comprising the dependent activity, wherein an input of the activity node comprising the dependent activity is connected to an output of the activity node comprising the at least one activity; and

wherein a Cross Families transformation pattern comprises transforming the at least one Cross Families sub-process into;

an activity node comprising the dependent activity of the predecessor dependent activity and an activity node comprising the dependent activity of the successor dependent activity, wherein an input of the activity node comprising the dependent activity of the successor dependent activity is connected to an output of the activity node comprising the dependent activity of the predecessor dependent activity; and

generating at least one flat business process model, wherein the flat business process model comprises the sub-processes transformed via the applied transformation pattern, wherein the flat business process model is not a hierarchical model.

8. The method according to claim 7, wherein the at least one portion of a project management application representation comprises at least one project plan.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein the at least one project plan is comprised of at least one task, the at least one task being configured to link with any other task through a dependency.

10. The method according to claim 9, wherein the at least one business process model is represented in Business Process Modeling Notation.

11. The method according to claim 10, wherein the at least one business process model is generated through at least one flat transformation.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the at least one project plan comprises at least one task, at least one resource, at least one cost, and at least one schedule and wherein each task, resource, cost, and schedule of the at least one project plan is transformed recursively into a corresponding activity, resource, cost, and timeline of the at least one business process model.

13. A computer program product for generating a business process model from a project management application representation comprising:

a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code comprising;

computer readable program code configured to receive at least one portion of a project management application representation, wherein the at least one portion of a project management application representation comprises a plurality of sub-processes, wherein each sub-process comprises a task containing a plurality of activities;

wherein the plurality of sub-processes comprises at least one Siblings with No Dependency sub-process comprising at least two activities having a common parent ans wherein the at least two activities have no dependent activities, at least one Siblings with Dependencies sub-process comprising at least two activities having a common parent and wherein at least one of the two activities has a dependent activity, at least one Cross Generations sub-process comprising at least one activity comprising at least one successor activity and wherein the at least one successor activity has a dependent activity, and at least one Cross Families sub-process comprising at least one activity comprising at least two dependent activities, wherein one of the at least two dependent activities is a predecessor of another of the at least two dependent activities, and wherein the at least two dependent activities each have at least one dependent activity;

computer readable program code configured to apply at least one Siblings with No Dependencies transformation pattern, at least one Siblings with Dependencies transformation pattern, at least one Cross Generations transformation pattern, and at least one Cross Families transformation pattern to the at least a portion of the project management application representation, wherein the applying comprises applying at least one transformation pattern to each of the plurality of sub-processes;

wherein a Siblings with No Dependencies transformation pattern comprises transforming the at least one Siblings with No Dependency sub-process into;

one fork node comprising the common parent, at least two parallel activity nodes each activity node comprising one of the at least two activities, and one merge node;

wherein a Siblings with Dependencies transformation pattern comprises transforming the at least one Siblings with Dependencies sub-process into;

one fork node comprising the common parent, at least two parallel activity nodes each activity node comprising one of the at least two activities, an activity node comprising the dependent activity wherein an input of the activity node comprising the dependent activity is connected to an output of the activity node comprising the activity having the dependent activity, and one merge node;

wherein a Cross Generations transformation pattern comprises transforming the at least one Cross Generations sub-process, into;

an activity node comprising the at least one activity and an activity node comprising the dependent activity, wherein an input of the activity node comprising the dependent activity is connected to an output of the activity node comprising the at least one activity; and

wherein a Cross Families transformation pattern comprises transforming the at least one Cross Families sub-process into;

an activity node comprising the dependent activity of the predecessor dependent activity and an activity node comprising the dependent activity of the successor dependent activity, wherein an input of the activity node comprising the dependent activity of the successor dependent activity is connected to an output of the activity node comprising the dependent activity of the predecessor dependent activity; and

computer readable program code configured to generate at least one flat business process model, wherein the at least one flat business process model comprises the sub-processes transformed via the applied transformation pattern, wherein the flat business process model is not a hierarchical model.