Method and framework for model specification, consistency checking and coordination of business processes

• US 20020194039A1
• Filed: 06/15/2001
• Published: 12/19/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2001
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Bhaskaran, Kumar, Huang, Ying, Gallego, Guillermo, Nayak, Nitin R., Leung, Ying T., Ramaswamy, Sanjay E.
• Granted Patent: US 7,503,032 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7.31
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0639 Performance analysis of employees; Performance analysis of enterprise or organisation operations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/067 Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0202 Market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities

Abstract

A computer implemented system analysis and design method for use in a complex business environment characterized by a set of tightly linked business processes captures in a framework a world view of a business decision and/or a business application software system. A world view is defined by business objectives, constraints, assumptions, data, and underlying model used in business decision and/or the application software system. The framework is used to specify and document each business decision and/or business application software system in the complex environment. A BDML (Business Decision Markup Language) is used to implement the framework for specifying the world view of a business decision and/or a business application software system. A BDML processor comprises a syntax processor that checks the syntax correctness and syntax consistency within an individual and between different documents written in BDML, a logic processor that checks logical consistency between different documents written in BDML, in terms of the business objectives, constraints, assumptions, data, and underlying model among the different documents, and a knowledge-based processor including a knowledge base of business decisions, common choices for their decision support models and commercially available decision support systems, the knowledge-based processor providing suggestions for a set of BDML documents to improve consistency using the knowledge base.

Claims

1. A computer implemented system analysis and design method for use in a complex business environment characterized by a set of tightly linked business processes comprising the steps of:

capturing in a framework a world view of a business decision and/or a business application software system, wherein a world view is defined by business objectives, constraints, assumptions, data, and underlying model used in business decision and/or the application software system; and

using the framework to specify and document each business decision and/or business application software system in the complex environment.

2. The computer implemented system analysis and design method recited in claim 1, wherein a BDML (Business Decision Markup Language) is used to implement the framework for specifying the world view of a business decision and/or a business application software system.

3. The computer implemented system analysis and design method recited in claim 2, wherein the BDML is used for the creation and maintenance of a knowledge base of business decisions and processes within an organization.

4. The computer implemented system analysis and design method recited in claim 2, wherein the BDML is used for the publication of the functional specification of a business application software system, the world view of a technical research paper in the area of business decisions and its findings.

5. The computer implemented system analysis and design method recited in claim 2, wherein the BDML is machine-readable by a BDML processor as well as readable by human users so that it can be used for systematic documentation of business objectives, constraints, assumptions, data, and underlying model in business processes and/or application software systems.

6. The computer implemented system analysis and design method recited in claim 2, wherein the BDML supports XML (eXtensible Markup Language) based standards for business to business exchanges.

7. A BDML (Business Decision Markup Language) processor comprising:

a syntax processor that checks the syntax correctness and syntax consistency within an individual and between different documents written in BDML;

a logic processor that checks logical consistency between different documents written in BDML, in terms of the business objectives, constraints, assumptions, data, and underlying model among the different documents; and

a knowledge-based processor including a knowledge base of business decisions, common choices for their decision support models and commercially available decision support systems, the knowledge-based processor providing suggestions for a set of BDML documents to improve consistency using the knowledge base.