Automated process guidance system and method

• US 20020023064A1
• Filed: 03/13/2001
• Published: 02/21/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/15/1999
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Callidus Software, Inc. (SAP SE)
• Original Assignee: Workstream Incorporated
• Inventors: King, Thomas A., Ohr, Michael, Neargarder, Pat, Grimse, Mark
• Granted Patent: US 6,850,924 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 706/19
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/453 Help systems
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

A system and method for guiding a user through a complex process having a plurality of steps is provided. The system may permit a user with little or no knowledge of the process to complete the process. The guidance system may include a logical structure which models the process steps within the process and guidance pages which provide the user with additional information about how to proceed through the process. The guidance pages may have one or more page fragments and each page fragment may be dynamically generated based on certain preconditions so that the guidance pages are easily customizable.

Claims

1. A system for guiding a user through a complex process having a plurality of steps at each of which the user is required to make a decision, the system comprising:

a logical structure for representing the steps of the process, each node of the structure representing a step in the process and one or more of the steps presenting alternatives to the user requiring the user to make a decision;

one or more guidance pages attached to each node of the structure, the guidance pages providing the user of the system with guidance about how to make decision at the current step of the process;

means for gathering the user responses to each step in the process to generate process information; and

means for recommending an action to the user based on the process information.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein each guidance page further comprises one or more page fragments which include fragment data and a fragment precondition, a page fragment being shown to the user of the system only if the fragment precondition is met.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the structure comprises a decision tree having one or more nodes which represent each step of the process.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the structure comprises a decision matrix.

5. The system of claim 2, wherein the process comprises a human resources process.

6. The system of claim 5, wherein the process comprises an attendance management process.

7. The system of claim 5, wherein the process comprises a compensation planning process.

8. A method for guiding a user through a complex process having a plurality of steps at each of which the user is required to make a decision, the method comprising:

guiding the user through the process using a logical structure for representing the steps of the process, each node of the structure representing a step in the process and one or more of the steps presenting alternatives to the user requiring the user to make a decision;

providing guidance about a decision in the process using a guidance page attached to a node of the structure;

gathering the user responses to each step in the process to generate process information; and

recommending an action to the user based on the process information.

9. The method of claim 8 further comprising generating the guidance page from one or more page fragments which include fragment data and a fragment precondition, a page fragment being shown to the user of the system only if the fragment precondition is met.

10. An apparatus for guiding a user through a process having a plurality of steps, the apparatus comprising:

a logical structure for representing the steps of the process, each node of the structure representing a step in the process and one or more of the steps presenting alternatives to the user requiring the user to make a decision;

a database containing one or more page fragments having an associated fragment precondition, the page fragment being placed within a guidance page when the precondition is met; and

means for generating a guidance page for a process step based on the page fragments.