Finding similarity among sets of coordinated tasks

• US 20070027881A1
• Filed: 07/28/2005
• Published: 02/01/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 07/28/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Srivastava, Biplav
• Granted Patent: US 7,617,230 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99942 Manipulating data structure, e.g. compression, compaction, compilation

Abstract

The described workflow analysis techniques generalize activity instance information into activity context information so that activities can be analyzed in the presence of other possible activities, and by extension, other workflows. Generalization is made possible by deriving an action model for each activity, in which each model specifies contexts for preconditions and postconditions. These contexts are necessary and sufficient in defining each activity, and can be further populated with metadata. The derived activity contexts can be used for analyses that are not possible using existing approaches.

Claims

1. A method for finding similarity among a set of coordinated tasks, said method comprising generalizing task activity information into task context information.

2. A method for finding similarity among sets of coordinated sequenced tasks, said method comprising:

generalizing task activity information for each set into task context information; and

recursively combining said generalized task activity information in accordance with said task sequence.

3. A method for analyzing a workflow specified in a workflow language, said method comprising generating a semantic action model for each activity in said workflow that specifies precondition context and a postcondition context for said activities.

4. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein said precondition contexts and postcondition contexts are populated with metadata.

5. The method of claim 4, wherein said precondition context metadata relates to initial conditions that enable workflow to be applicable, and said postcondition context metadata relates to the latest actions that are considered goals of said workflow.

6. The method as claimed in claim 3, wherein said contexts are based on links to predecessor and successor activities.

7. The method of claim 6, further including identifying equivalent link causation based on said contexts and adding new dependencies where equivalent causation exists between activities.

8. A method for analyzing a workflow specified in a workflow language, said method comprising:

generating a semantic action model for each activity in said workflow that specifies precondition context and a postcondition context for said activities, said contexts being based on links to predecessor and successor activities;

identifying equivalent link causation based on said contexts; and

adding new dependencies where equivalent causation exists between activities.

9. A method for analyzing a workflow specified in a workflow language containing at least two flows, each flow including sequenced activities, said method comprising:

generating a semantic action model for each activity in each said flow that specifies precondition context and a postcondition context for said activities; and

combining the models within each flow recursively.

10. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein said precondition contexts and postcondition contexts are populated with metadata.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein said precondition context metadata relates to initial conditions that enable workflow to be applicable, and said postcondition context metadata relates to the latest actions that are considered goals of said workflow.

12. The method as claimed in claim 9, wherein said contexts are based on links to predecessor and successor activities.

13. The method of claim 12, further including identifying equivalent link causation based on said contexts and adding new dependencies where equivalent causation exists between activities.

14. A computer program product comprising:

a storage medium readable by a computer system and recording software instructions executable by a computer system for implementing a method comprising generating a semantic action model for each activity in a workflow that specifies precondition context and a postcondition context for the activities.

15. A computer system comprising:

a processor for executing software instructions;

a memory for storing software instructions;

a system bus coupling the memory and the processor; and

a storage medium recording software instructions that are loadable to the memory for generating a semantic action model for each activity in a workflow that specifies precondition context and a postcondition context for the activities.

16. A computer program product comprising:

a storage medium readable by a computer system and recording software instructions organized as separate software components executable in combination by a computer system, said software instructions performing a method comprising generating a semantic action model for each activity in a workflow that specifies precondition context and a postcondition context for the activities, the contexts being based on links to predecessor and successor activities; and

identifying equivalent link causation based on said contexts and adding new dependencies where equivalent causation exists between activities.

17. A computer system comprising:

a processor for executing software instructions;

a memory for storing software instructions;

a system bus coupling the memory and the processor; and

software instructions organized as separate software components executable in combination by said processor, said software instructions performing a method comprising generating a semantic action model for each activity in a workflow that specifies precondition context and a postcondition context for the activities, the contexts being based on links to predecessor and successor activities; and

identifying equivalent link causation based on said contexts and adding new dependencies where equivalent causation exists between activities.