Method and system for dynamic business process management using a partial order planner

• US 20050033600A1
• Filed: 08/19/2004
• Published: 02/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2000
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Applied Systems Intelligence Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Applied Systems Intelligence Incorporated
• Inventors: Hosmer, Douglas M., Geddes, Norman D.
• Application Number:
  US10/921,311
• Publication Number:
  US 20050033600A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 706/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/103 Workflow collaboration or project management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0281 Customer communication at a business location, e.g. providing product or service information, consulting

Abstract

A dynamic business process management system and method is disclosed for providing using a least commitment planner to better handle the changes and uncertainties that inevitably occur in the real-world. An embodiment of the invention provides a dynamic business process management system using partial-order planning. An additional embodiment of the present invention includes an intent interpreter module that supports the implementation of intelligent decision support functionality in a corporate information management interface.

Claims

1-27. -27. (Canceled)

28. A business process management system comprising:

at least one knowledge base operative to store and retrieve knowledge related to at least one business process domain,

wherein the knowledge comprises at least one possible plan in the business process domain;

a user interface operative to receive at least one goal within the business process domain

at least one inference engine, each inference engine;

in communication with the knowledge base and the user interface, and comprising;

a partial order planner, the partial order planner operative to at least one plan instance from among the possible plans to achieve a goal.

29. The business process management system of claim 28 wherein the partial order planner is a least commitment partial order planner.

30. The business process management system of claim 29 wherein the least commitment partial order planner manages the level of commitment to the plan instance by using a state transition method to set a life cycle state of at least one element of the plan instance.

31. The business process management system of claim 28 wherein:

the inference engine further comprises at least one situation assessor operative to;

activate at least one monitor in response to a request from the partial order planner, and

generate an event signal for each monitor upon satisfaction of a condition; and

the partial order planner is further operative to;

request activation of a monitor associated with at least one element of a plan instance upon the establishment and updating of the life cycle state of at least one element of the plan instance; and

perform a state transition of the corresponding plan instance upon receipt of an event signal.

32. The business process management system of claim 31 wherein:

the knowledge further comprises scripts and plan-goal graphs; and

the inference engine further comprises at least one intent interpreter operative to determine an intent of the user, wherein determining the intent of a user comprises attempting one of;

explaining event signals using scripts, and explaining event signals using plan-goal graphs.

33. The business process management system of claim 32 wherein:

the inference engine uses determined intent to choose and update information displayed to a user.

34. The business process management system of claim 32 wherein:

The inference engine uses the determined intent to create at least one plan instance corresponding to the determined intent.

35. A computer program product for business process management comprising:

a computer readable medium;

at least one knowledge base module, stored on the medium and operative to store and retrieve knowledge related to at least one business process domain,

wherein the knowledge comprises at least one possible plan in the business process domain;

a user interface module, stored on the medium and operative to receive at least one goal within the business process domain

at least one inference engine, stored on the medium, each inference engine;

in communication with the knowledge base and the user interface, and comprising;

a partial order planner, the partial order planner operative to at least one plan instance from among the possible plans to achieve a goal.

36. The computer program product of claim 35 wherein the partial order planner is a least commitment partial order planner.

37. The computer program product of claim 36 wherein the least commitment partial order planner manages the level of commitment to at least one instantiated plan by using a state transition method to set a life cycle state of at least one plan element.

38. The computer program product of claim 35 wherein:

the inference engine further comprises at least one situation assessor operative to;

activate at least one monitor in response to a request from the partial order planner, and

generate an event signal for each monitor upon satisfaction of a condition; and

the partial order planner is further operative to;

request activation of a monitor associated with at least one element of a plan instance upon the establishment and updating of the life cycle state of at least one element of the plan instance; and

perform a state transition of the corresponding plan instance upon receipt of an event signal.

39. The computer program product of claim 38 wherein:

the knowledge further comprises scripts and plan-goal graphs; and

the inference engine further comprises at least one intent interpreter operative to determine an intent of the user, wherein determining the intent of a user comprises attempting one of;

explaining event signals using scripts, and explaining event signals using plan-goal graphs.

40. The business process management system of claim 39 wherein:

the inference engine uses determined intent to choose and update information displayed to a user.

41. The business process management system of claim 39 wherein:

The inference engine uses the determined intent to create at least one plan instance corresponding to the determined intent.

42. A system of business process management systems comprising a plurality of business process management systems, each business process management system:

each business process management system in communication with each other business process management system;

each business process management system comprising;

at least one knowledge base operative to store and retrieve knowledge related to at least one business process domain,

wherein the knowledge comprises at least one possible plan in the business process domain;

a user interface operative to receive at least one goal within the business process domain

at least one inference engine, each inference engine;

in communication with the knowledge base and the user interface, and comprising;

a partial order planner, the partial order planner operative to at least one plan instance from among the possible plans to achieve a goal; and

each business process management system operative to communicate knowledge comprising at least one of plan instances with the other business process management systems of the plurality, and

notify users of conflicting plan instances.

43. The system of claim 42 wherein each partial order planner is a least commitment partial order planner.

44. The system of claim 43 wherein each least commitment partial order planner manages the level of commitment to the plan instance by using a state transition method to set a life cycle state of at least one element of the plan instance.

45. The system of claim 42 wherein:

each inference engine further comprises at least one situation assessor operative to;

activate at least one monitor in response to a request from the partial order planner, and

generate an event signal for each monitor upon satisfaction of a condition; and

each partial order planner is further operative to;

request activation of a monitor associated with at least one element of a plan instance upon the establishment and updating of the life cycle state of at least one element of the plan instance; and

perform a state transition of the corresponding plan instance upon receipt of an event signal.

46. The system of claim 45 wherein:

the knowledge further comprises scripts and plan-goal graphs; and

each inference engine further comprises at least one intent interpreter operative to determine an intent of the user, wherein determining the intent of a user comprises attempting one of;

explaining event signals using scripts, and explaining event signals using plan-goal graphs.

47. The system of claim 46 wherein:

each inference engine uses determined intent to choose and update information displayed to a user.

48. The system of claim 46 wherein:

each inference engine uses the determined intent to create at least one plan instance corresponding to the determined intent.