Personal procedure agent

• US 20040122853A1
• Filed: 07/28/2003
• Published: 06/24/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Moore, Dennis B.
• Granted Patent: US 7,711,694 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/103R
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06316 Sequencing of tasks or work
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure

Abstract

Systems and techniques to manage work related procedures. In general, in one implementation, the techniques include providing a user-interface with a user-selectable list of work-items, each work-item having metadata describing a predefined user-selectable list of guided procedures associated with the work-item, receiving a response that includes a selected work-item and selected guided procedures, and triggering the selected guided procedures associated with the selected work-item.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing a user-interface having a user-selectable list of work-items, each work-item having metadata describing a predefined user-selectable list of guided procedures associated with the work-item;

receiving a selected work-item and one or more selected guided procedures; and

triggering the one or more selected guided procedures associated with the selected work-item.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the list of guided procedures includes one or more optional guided procedures that the user can select.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the list of guided procedures includes one or more mandatory guided procedures that the user must select.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising supplementing the predefined list of guided procedures based on one or more user-customizable rules.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising overriding the predefined of list of guided procedures based on one or more user-customizable rules.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising replacing the predefined of list of guided procedures based on one or more user-customizable rules.

7. The method of claims 4, 5, or 6, wherein the rules include a rule to forward a particular work-item from one user to another user.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing on the user-interface metadata that includes information related to the work item.

9. The method of claim 1 wherein a guided procedure includes a series of one or more steps in a work-flow.

10. The method of claim 1 wherein a work item includes at least one of a step, block, and a phase associated with a guided procedure.

11. The method of claim 1 further comprising communicating with cross-functional applications of an enterprise management consolidation system.

12. A system comprising:

a data source of guided procedures and work-items; and

a computer having access to the data source, the computer operative to perform operations comprising;

providing a user-interface with a user-selectable list of work-items, each work-item having metadata describing a predefined user-selectable list of guided procedures associated with the work-item;

receiving a selected work-item and one or more selected guided procedures; and

triggering the one or more selected guided procedures associated with the selected work-item.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the list of guided procedures includes one or more optional guided procedures that the user can select.

14. The system of claim 12 wherein the list of guided procedures includes one or more mandatory guided procedures that the user must select.

15. The system of claim 12 further comprising supplementing the predefined list of guided procedures based on one or more user-customizable rules.

16. The system of claim 12 further comprising overriding the predefined of list of guided procedures based on one or more user-customizable rules.

17. The system of claim 12 further comprising replacing the predefined of list of guided procedures based on one or more user-customizable rules.

18. The system of claim 15, 16, or 17 wherein the rules include a rule to forward a particular work-item from one user to another user.

19. The system of claim 12 further comprising providing on the user-interface metadata that includes information related to the work item.

20. The system of claim 12 wherein a guided procedure includes a series of one or more steps in a work-flow.

21. The system of claim 12 wherein a work item includes at least one of a step, block, and a phase associated with a guided procedure.

22. The system of claim 12 further comprising communicating with cross-functional applications of an enterprise management consolidation system.

23. An article comprising a machine-readable medium storing instructions operable to cause one or more machines to perform operations comprising:

providing a user-interface with a user-selectable list of work-items, each work-item having metadata describing a predefined user-selectable list of guided procedures associated with the work-item;

receiving a selected work-item and one or more selected guided procedures; and

triggering the one or more selected guided procedures associated with the selected work-item.

24. The article of claim 23 wherein the list of guided procedures includes one or more optional guided procedures that the user can select.

25. The article of claim 23 wherein the list of guided procedures includes one or more mandatory guided procedures that the user must select.

26. The article of claim 23 further comprising supplementing the predefined list of guided procedures based on one or more user-customizable rules.

27. The article of claim 23 further comprising overriding the predefined of list of guided procedures based on one or more user-customizable rules.

28. The article of claim 23 further comprising replacing the predefined of list of guided procedures based on one or more user-customizable rules.

29. The article of claim 26, 27, or 28 wherein the rules include a rule to forward a particular work-item from one user to another user.

30. The article of claim 23 further comprising providing on the user-interface metadata that includes information related to the work item.

31. The article of claim 23 wherein a guided procedure includes a series of one or more steps in a work-flow.

32. The article of claim 23 wherein a work item includes at least one of a step, block, and a phase associated with a guided procedure.

33. The article of claim 23 further comprising communicating with cross-functional applications of an enterprise management consolidation system.

34. An enterprise management consolidation system comprising:

a cross functional application to provide communication between at least one of an object modeling tool, a process modeling tool, and a user interface tool, wherein the process modeling tool is configured to manage a relationship between guided procedures and work items, and the user interface tool is configured to;

provide a list a user-interface with a user-selectable list of work-items, each work-item having metadata describing a predefined user-selectable list of guided procedures associated with the work-item;

receive a selected work-item and one or more selected guided procedures; and

trigger the one or more selected guided procedures associated with the selected work-item.

35. The system of claim 34 wherein the list of guided procedures includes one or more optional guided procedures that the user can select.

36. The system of claim 34 wherein the list of guided procedures includes one or more mandatory guided procedures that the user must select.

37. The system of claim 34 further comprising supplementing the predefined list of guided procedures based on one or more user-customizable rules.

38. The system of claim 34 further comprising overriding the predefined of list of guided procedures based on one or more user-customizable rules.

39. The system of claim 34 further comprising replacing the predefined of list of guided procedures based on one or more user-customizable rules.

40. The system of claim 37, 38, or 39 wherein the rules include a rule to forward a particular work-item from one user to another user.

41. The system of claim 34 further comprising providing on the user-interface metadata that includes information related to the work item.

42. The system of claim 34 wherein a guided procedure includes a series of one or more steps in a work-flow.

43. The system of claim 34 wherein a work item includes at least one of a step, block, and a phase associated with a guided procedure.