Method for managing and controlling stability in business activity monitoring and management systems

• US 20050256752A1
• Filed: 05/12/2004
• Published: 11/17/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 05/12/2004
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Ramachandran, Bala, Chen, Li
• Application Number:
  US10/843,451
• Publication Number:
  US 20050256752A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063 Operations research, analysis or management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0635 Risk analysis of enterprise or organisation activities
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06375 Prediction of business process outcome or impact based on a proposed change
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06393 Score-carding, benchmarking or key performance indicator [KPI] analysis

Abstract

A stabilization methodology and system component in Business Activity Monitoring and Management systems. This enables firms to use Business Activity Management (BAM) systems to manage business activity by only responding to monitored data when the overall business performance can be improved. This enables firms to identify appropriate tradeoffs between potentially conflicting objectives while meeting business objectives. Information from BAM systems are analyzed based on models of the business process and different information filter criteria are assessed for their impact on business performance indicators. Based on this, a filter criterion is chosen which is executed by an information filter. The outputs from the information filter are used as the basis for deciding the inputs for business process execution.

Claims

1. A method for analyzing monitored data from Business Activity Management systems comprising a business process execution receiving inputs and outputting events and a feedback loop including a business process monitoring and management system that depicts business process metrics, said feedback loop receiving events from the business process execution and identifying and modifying inputs for business process execution, said feedback loop further including a stabilizer component executing the method comprising the steps of:

creating and updating a predictive model of the business process;

creating and updating filter policies to manage monitored information of the business process; and

implementing filtering policies on the monitored information.

2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the predictive model is used to determine an impact of changing business process execution inputs on overall business performance indicators.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein the business impact determination is used to determine whether or not to create an exception for the normal timing of activities in a business process cycle.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein the step of implementing filter policies is manifested in an information filter that allows some monitored data to pass through to elicit some business response and other data to be rejected, so as not to elicit any business response.

5. The method according to claim 4, wherein the filter is incorporated in a computer system or any other suitable electronic device.

6. The method according to claim 3, wherein monitored data that is not responded to is used to evaluate potential benefits to value chain partners.

7. The method according to claim 6, wherein estimates of potential benefits to value chain partners are used in business negotiations and contract formulations, to share the resulting benefits among value chain partners.

8. The method according to claim 1, wherein business impact determination is used to perform trade-off analysis between conflicting business objectives.

9. The method according to claim 8, wherein business impact estimates are used to manage supply chains.

10. The method according to claim 1, wherein the models used for business impact determination are used to determine the optimal response frequency for business responses to monitored information.

11. An apparatus for analyzing monitored data from Business Activity Management systems comprising:

a business process execution receiving inputs and outputting events; and

a feedback loop including a business process monitoring and management system that depicts business process metrics, said feedback loop receiving events from the business process execution and identifying and modifying inputs for business process execution, said feedback loop further including a stabilizer component which creates and updates a predictive model of the business process, creates and updates filter policies to manage monitored information of the business process, and implements filtering policies on the monitored information.

12. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the predictive model is used to determine an impact of changing business process execution inputs on overall business performance indicators.

13. The apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the business impact determination is used to determine whether or not to create an exception for the normal timing of activities in a business process cycle.

14. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the step of implementing filter policies is manifested in an information filter that allows some monitored data to pass through to elicit some business response and other data to be rejected, so as not to elicit any business response.

15. The apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the filter is incorporated in a computer system or any other suitable electronic device.

16. The apparatus according to claim 13, wherein monitored data that is not responded to is used to evaluate potential benefits to value chain partners.

17. The apparatus according to claim 16, wherein estimates of potential benefits to value chain partners are used in business negotiations and contract formulations, to share the resulting benefits among value chain partners.

18. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein business impact determination is used to perform trade-off analysis between conflicting business objectives.

19. The apparatus according to claim 18, wherein business impact estimates are used to manage supply chains.

20. The apparatus according to claim 11, wherein the models used for business impact determination are used to determine the optimal response frequency for business responses to monitored information.