Methods and apparatus for decision support activation and management in product life cycle management

• US 20050096951A1
• Filed: 10/31/2003
• Published: 05/05/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 10/31/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: X Corp. (f/k/a Twitter, Inc.) (X Holdings Corp.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Zhang, Liang-Jie, Ye, Yiming, Wang, Haiyan, Sayah, John Youssef, Chung, Jen-Yao, Kumaran, Santhosh B.
• Granted Patent: US 7,729,933 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7.11
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

Techniques are provided for product life cycle management over an information network. More particularly, techniques are provided for decision support activation and management in accordance with a product life cycle management process such as a collaborative design process. In one aspect of the invention, a technique for managing at least one collaborative process performed in accordance with a first entity and at least a second entity, comprises the following steps/operations. Information associated with the at least one collaborative process is obtained. Based on at least a portion of the obtained information, an information structure (e.g., a context pyramid) representative of the collaborative process is dynamically maintained so as to assist at least one of the first entity and the second entity in managing at least a portion of the collaborative process.

Claims

1. A method of managing at least one collaborative process performed in accordance with a first entity and at least a second entity, the method comprising the steps of:

obtaining information associated with the at least one collaborative process; and

based on at least a portion of the obtained information, dynamically maintaining an information structure representative of the collaborative process so as to assist at least one of the first entity and the second entity in managing at least a portion of the collaborative process.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of incorporating annotated business data into the information structure.

3. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of incorporating annotated design data into the information structure.

4. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of controlling data flow associated with the at least one collaborative process based on the information structure.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of fetching one or more design data features for at least one of monitoring and tracking the at least one collaborative process.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one collaborative process is a business process.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the at least one collaborative process is an engineering design process.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the information structure comprises a pyramid structure.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the information structure is multi-dimensional.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein the information structure is multi-resolution.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein the obtained information comprises annotated data.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein the obtained information comprises user input.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of maintaining the information structure further comprises updating one or more check points associated with the information structure.

14. The method of claim 1, wherein the step of maintaining the information structure further comprises calculating at least one energy level associated with the information structure.

15. The method of claim 1, further comprising the step of analyzing at least one of the obtained information and the information structure.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising the step of generating one or more action representations based on the analyzing step.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the analyzing step is rule-based.

18. Apparatus for managing at least one collaborative process performed in accordance with a first entity and at least a second entity, the apparatus comprising:

a memory; and

at least one processor coupled to the memory and operative to;

(i) obtain information associated with the at least one collaborative process; and

(ii) based on at least a portion of the obtained information, dynamically maintain an information structure representative of the collaborative process so as to assist at least one of the first entity and the second entity in managing at least a portion of the collaborative process.

19. An article of manufacture for managing at least one collaborative process performed in accordance with a first entity and at least a second entity, comprising a machine readable medium containing one or more programs which when executed implement the steps of:

obtaining information associated with the at least one collaborative process; and

based on at least a portion of the obtained information, dynamically maintaining an information structure representative of the collaborative process so as to assist at least one of the first entity and the second entity in managing at least a portion of the collaborative process.

20. A method for providing a service, in accordance with a service provider, to manage at least one collaborative process performed in accordance with a first entity and at least a second entity, the method comprising the step of:

deploying a collaborative process management controller operative to;

(i) obtain information associated with the at least one collaborative process; and

(ii) based on at least a portion of the obtained information, dynamically maintain an information structure representative of the collaborative process so as to assist at least one of the first entity and the second entity in managing at least a portion of the collaborative process.