Configurable application integrating service request and fulfillment process

• US 20030131040A1
• Filed: 01/08/2002
• Published: 07/10/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 01/08/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Braun, Timothy L., Yablonsky, Peter J., Fassett, Beverly M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,299,465 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 718/102
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063116 Schedule adjustment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99943 Generating database or data structure, e.g. via user interface

Abstract

A method and system for generating a plurality of concurrent solutions for a corresponding plurality of service requests each having one or more service types. The method comprises the steps of defining a set of said service types and a sequence of activities for each said service type; and for each said service request, configuring a workflow of said activities from said service types in each said service request. The method comprises the further steps of defining owners of said activities in each said workflow and a schedule for performing said activities whereby said owner and schedule are defined using load balancing; and performing said activities and monitoring completion of said activities and said load balancing.

Claims

1. A method of generating a plurality of concurrent solutions for a corresponding plurality of service requests each having one or more service types, said method comprising the steps of:

defining a set of said service types and a sequence of activities for each said service type;

for each said service request, configuring a workflow of said activities from said service types in each said service request;

defining owners of said activities in each said workflow and a schedule for performing said activities whereby said owner and schedule are defined using load balancing; and

performing said activities and monitoring completion of said activities and said load balancing.

2. A method according to claim 1, further comprising the steps of:

making one of the requests; and

creating one activity document for each activity in the workflow configured for the request made.

3. A method according to claim 2, further comprising the steps of, for each activity in the workflow configured for the request made,

assigning one of a group of defined statuses to the activity;

and

indicating the status assigned to the activity in the document created for the activity.

4. A method according to claim 3, wherein the group of statuses includes a completed status and an in progress status, and as each activity in one of the workflows is completed, the status of the succeeding activity in said one of the workflows is changed to in progress.

5. A method according to claim 1, wherein each owner is associated with a view showing activities to be done by the owner;

and when an owner is defined for one of the activities, said one activity is shown in said view associated with the defined owner.

6. A system for generating a plurality of concurrent solutions for a corresponding plurality of service requests each having one or more service types, said system comprising:

means defining a set of said service types and a sequence of activities for each said service type;

means for configuring, for each said service request, a workflow of said activities from said service types in each said service request;

means for defining owners of said activities in each said workflow and a schedule for performing said activities whereby said owner and schedule are defined using load balancing; and

means for performing said activities and monitoring completion of said activities and said load balancing.

7. A system according to claim 6, further comprising:

means for making one of the requests; and

means for creating one activity document for each activity in the workflow configured for the request made.

8. A system according to claim 7, further comprising:

means for assigning one of a group of defined statuses to each activity in the workflow configured for the request made; and

means for indicating, for each activity in the workflow configured for the request, the status assigned to the activity in the document created for the activity.

9. A system according to claim 8, wherein the group of statuses includes a completed status and an in progress status, and as each activity in one of the workflows is completed, the status of the succeeding activity in said one of the workflows is changed to in progress.

10. A system according to claim 6, further comprising means for displaying to each owner a view showing all of the activities to be done by the owner.

11. A program storage device readable by machine, tangibly embodying a program of instruction executable by the machine to perform method steps for generating a plurality of concurrent solutions for a corresponding plurality of service requests each having one or more service types, said method steps comprising:

defining a set of said service types and a sequence of activities for each said service type;

for each said service request, configuring a workflow of said activities from said service types in each said service request;

defining owners of said activities in each said workflow and a schedule for performing said activities whereby said owner and schedule are defined using load balancing; and

performing said activities and monitoring completion of said activities and said load balancing.

12. A program storage device according to claim 11, wherein said method steps further comprise:

making one of the requests; and

creating one activity document for each activity in the workflow configured for the request made.

13. A program storage device according to claim 12, wherein said method steps further comprise, for each activity in the workflow configured for the request made,

assigning one of a group of defined statuses to the activity;

and

indicating the status assigned to the activity in the document created for the activity.

14. A program storage device according to claim 13, wherein the group of statuses includes a completed status and an in progress status, and as each activity in one of the workflows is completed, the status of the succeeding activity in said one of the workflows is changed to in progress.

15. A program storage device according to claim 11, wherein each owner is associated with a view showing activities to be done by the owner;

and when an owner is defined for one of the activities, said one activity is shown in said view associated with the defined owner.