Apparatus and method for process monitoring

• US 20060004852A1
• Filed: 06/14/2005
• Published: 01/05/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Micro Focus LLC (Open Text Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Carter, Michael, Turner, Paul William, Abraham, Maurice Haman
• Granted Patent: US 8,275,757 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A method is described for monitoring a plurality of process instances, such as business process instance. The method comprises: providing a model object reflecting a workflow common to the process instances, the model comprising a plurality of nodes with at least some of the nodes being capable of assuming at least active and blocked states; receiving events and changing the states of the nodes in corresponding model object instances in accordance with the events received so as to reflect the status of the process instances, repeatedly determining an “at risk” state indicator for the model instances, the “at risk” state indicator when set for a model instance indicating that the corresponding workflow instance is in a state in which it cannot progress to a normal completion without encountering a node in the blocked state.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring a plurality of process instances, the method comprising:

providing a model object reflecting a workflow common to the process instances, the model comprising a plurality of nodes with at least some of the nodes being capable of assuming at least active and blocked states;

receiving events and changing the states of the nodes in corresponding model object instances in accordance with the events received so as to reflect the status of the process instances,

repeatedly determining an “

at risk”

state indicator for the model instances, the “

at risk”

state indicator when set for a model instance indicating that the corresponding workflow instance is in a state in which it cannot progress to a normal completion without encountering a node in the blocked state.

2. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising repeatedly determining a healthy state indicator for the model instances when set for a model instance indicating that the corresponding workflow instance is in a state in which it can progress to a normal completion without encountering a node in the blocked state.

3. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the process instances are carried out at least in part by one or more computer systems

4. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the nodes represent predeterminable episodes of the process instances.

5. A method as claimed in claim 1 comprising defining the model object using a model creation environment.

6. A method as claimed in claim 1 wherein the model object comprises a directed graph comprising the nodes.

7. A method as claimed in claim 6 comprising

traversing the graph backwards from each blocked node marking nodes not already marked with a first indicator,

traversing the graph backwards from each end node marking nodes not already marked with the first indicator with a second indicator;

and for each model object instance;

scanning all the nodes marked with the first indicator and if there are any active nodes then marking the associated model object instance with the at risk state indicator;

scanning all the nodes marked with the second indicator and if there are any active or completed nodes marked with the second indicator, then marking the associated model object instance with the healthy state indicator.

8. Apparatus for monitoring a plurality of process instances which have a common workflow, the apparatus comprising a model object reflecting the workflow, the model comprising a plurality of nodes with at least some of the nodes being capable of assuming at least active and blocked states, the apparatus being arranged to receive events and change the states of the nodes in a corresponding model object instances in accordance with the events received so as to reflect the status of the process instances, the apparatus being arranged to repeatedly determine an “

at risk”

state indicator for the model instances, the “

at risk”

state indicator when set for a model instance indicating that the corresponding workflow instance is a state in which it cannot progress to a normal completion without encountering a node in the blocked state.

9. Apparatus as claimed in claim 8 wherein the at risk state indicator is determined by defining a zone in the model based on the model topology and the location therein of a blocked node which is not active in a process instance.

10. Apparatus as claimed in claim 8 wherein the model comprises a directed graph.

11. A method for monitoring a plurality of process instances carried out at least in part by one or more computer systems, the method comprising:

providing a model object reflecting a workflow common to the process instances, wherein the model object comprises a directed graph comprising a pluriality of nodes, with at least some of the nodes being capable of assuming at least active and blocked states;

receiving events and changing the states of the nodes in corresponding model object instances in accordance with the events received so as to reflect the status of the process instances;

repeatedly determining an “

at risk”

state indicator for the model instances, the “

at risk”

state indicator when set for a model instance indicating that the corresponding workflow instance is in a state in which it cannot progress to a normal completion without encountering a node in the blocked state; and

repeatedly determining a healthy state indicator for the model instances when set for a model instance indicating that the corresponding workflow instance is in a state in which it can progress to a normal completion without encountering a node in the blocked state.

12. A method as claimed in claim 11 wherein the nodes represent predeterminable episodes of the process instances.

13. A method as claimed in claim 11 comprising defining the model object using a model creation environment.

14. A method as claimed in claim 11 comprising

traversing the graph backwards from each blocked node marking nodes not already marked with a first indicator,

traversing the graph backwards from each end node marking nodes not already marked with the first indicator with a second indicator;

and for each model object instance;

scanning all the nodes marked with the first indicator and if there are any active nodes then marking the associated model object instance with the at risk state indicator;

scanning all the nodes marked with the second indicator and if there are any active or completed nodes marked with the second indicator, then marking the associated model object instance with the healthy state indicator.

15. Apparatus for monitoring a plurality of process instances which have a common workflow, the apparatus comprising a model object reflecting the workflow, the model object comprises a directed graph comprising a plurality of nodes with at least some of the nodes being capable of assuming at least active and blocked states, the apparatus being arranged to receive events and change the states of the nodes in a corresponding model object instances in accordance with the events received so as to reflect the status of the process instances, the apparatus being arranged to repeatedly determine an “

at risk”

state indicator for the model instances, the “

at risk”

state indicator when set for a model instance indicating that the corresponding workflow instance is a state in which it cannot progress to a normal completion without encountering a node in the blocked state, wherein the at risk state indicator is determined by defining a zone in the model based on the model topology and the location therein of a blocked node which is not active in a process instance.