Workflow decision management with workflow modification in dependence upon user reactions

• US 20070116013A1
• Filed: 11/01/2005
• Published: 05/24/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 11/01/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Brown, William, Reddington, Francis, Muirhead, Richard
• Granted Patent: US 8,010,700 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 370/395.530
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: H04L 67/535 Tracking the activity of the user network monitoring arrangements H04L43/00; recording of computer activity G06F11/34

Abstract

Methods, systems, and computer program products are provided for workflow decision management. Embodiments include maintaining a device state history; identifying a device usage pattern in dependence upon the device state history; identifying a workflow scenario in dependence upon the device usage pattern; identifying a workflow in dependence upon the workflow scenario; executing the workflow; identifying a user reaction to the execution of the workflow; identifying an unsuccessful device-controlling action in dependence upon the user reaction; and modifying the workflow in dependence upon the identified unsuccessful device-controlling action. Typical embodiment also include recording, as a representation of a negative user reaction, a determined change between the device attribute value set by executing the workflow and the current value of the device attribute in a user reaction log.

Claims

1. A method for workflow decision management, the method comprising:

maintaining a device state history;

identifying a device usage pattern in dependence upon the device state history;

identifying a workflow scenario in dependence upon the device usage pattern;

identifying a workflow in dependence upon the workflow scenario;

executing the workflow;

identifying a user reaction to the execution of the workflow; and

identifying an unsuccessful device-controlling action in dependence upon the user reaction; and

modifying the workflow in dependence upon the identified unsuccessful device-controlling action.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein identifying a user reaction to the execution of the workflow further comprises:

recording in a device state history a device attribute value set by executing the workflow;

reading a current value of the device attribute a predetermined period of time

after executing the workflow; and

determining whether there is a change between the device attribute value set by executing the workflow and the current value of the device attribute a predetermined period of time after executing the workflow.

3. The method of claim 2 further comprising recording, as a representation of a positive user reaction, an indication of no determined change between the device attribute value set by executing the workflow and the current value of the device attribute in a user reaction log.

4. The method of claim 2 further comprising recording, as a representation of a negative user reaction, a determined change between the device attribute value set by executing the workflow and the current value of the device attribute in a user reaction log.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein identifying an unsuccessful device-controlling action in dependence upon the user reaction further comprises:

identifying in dependence upon entries in the user reaction log a device ID for a device having a threshold number of recorded representations of negative user reactions; and

identifying a device-controlling action of a workflow administering the device identified by the device ID.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein modifying the workflow in dependence upon the identified unsuccessful device-controlling action further comprises removing the identified unsuccessful device-controlling action from the workflow.

7. The method of claim 1 wherein modifying the workflow further comprises changing a tolerance of a workflow scenario associated with the workflow.

8. A system for workflow decision management, the system comprising:

a computer processor;

a computer memory operatively coupled to the computer processor, the computer memory having disposed within it computer program instructions capable of;

maintaining a device state history;

identifying a device usage pattern in dependence upon the device state history;

identifying a workflow scenario in dependence upon the device usage pattern;

identifying a workflow in dependence upon the workflow scenario;

executing the workflow;

identifying a user reaction to the execution of the workflow; and

identifying an unsuccessful device-controlling action in dependence upon the user reaction; and

modifying the workflow in dependence upon the identified unsuccessful device-controlling action.

9. The system of claim 8 wherein the computer memory also has disposed within it computer program instructions capable of:

recording in a device state history a device attribute value set by executing the workflow;

reading a current value of the device attribute a predetermined period of time after executing the workflow; and

determining whether there is a change between the device attribute value set by executing the workflow and the current value of the device attribute a predetermined period of time after executing the workflow.

10. The system of claim 9 wherein the computer memory also has disposed within it computer program instructions capable of recording, as a representation of a positive user reaction, an indication of no determined change between the device attribute value set by executing the workflow and the current value of the device attribute in a user reaction log.

11. The system of claim 9 wherein the computer memory also has disposed within it computer program instructions capable of recording, as a representation of a negative user reaction, a determined change between the device attribute value set by executing the workflow and the current value of the device attribute in a user reaction log.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the computer memory also has disposed within it computer program instructions capable of:

identifying in dependence upon entries in the user reaction log a device ID for a device having a threshold number of recorded representations of negative user reactions; and

identifying a device-controlling action of a workflow administering the device identified by the device ID.

13. The system of claim 12 wherein the computer memory also has disposed within it computer program instructions capable of removing the identified unsuccessful device-controlling action from the workflow.

14. A computer program product for workflow decision management, the computer program product embodied on a computer-readable medium, the computer program product comprising:

computer program instructions for maintaining a device state history;

computer program instructions for identifying a device usage pattern in dependence upon the device state history;

computer program instructions for identifying a workflow scenario in dependence upon the device usage pattern;

computer program instructions for identifying a workflow in dependence upon the workflow scenario;

computer program instructions for executing the workflow;

computer program instructions for identifying a user reaction to the execution of the workflow; and

computer program instructions for identifying an unsuccessful device-controlling action in dependence upon the user reaction; and

computer program instructions for modifying the workflow in dependence upon the identified unsuccessful device-controlling action.

15. The computer program product of claim 14 wherein computer program instructions for identifying a user reaction to the execution of the workflow further comprise:

computer program instructions for recording in a device state history a device attribute value set by executing the workflow;

computer program instructions for reading a current value of the device attribute a predetermined period of time after executing the workflow; and

computer program instructions for determining whether there is a change between the device attribute value set by executing the workflow and the current value of the device attribute a predetermined period of time after executing the workflow.

16. The computer program product of claim 15 further comprising computer program instructions for recording, as a representation of a positive user reaction, an indication of no determined change between the device attribute value set by executing the workflow and the current value of the device attribute in a user reaction log.

17. The computer program product of claim 15 further comprising computer program instructions for recording, as a representation of a negative user reaction, a determined change between the device attribute value set by executing the workflow and the current value of the device attribute in a user reaction log.

18. The computer program product of claim 17 wherein computer program instructions for identifying an unsuccessful device-controlling action in dependence upon the user reaction further comprise:

computer program instructions for identifying in dependence upon entries in the user reaction log a device ID for a device having a threshold number of recorded representations of negative user reactions; and

computer program instructions for identifying a device-controlling action of a workflow administering the device identified by the device ID.

19. The computer program product of claim 18 wherein computer program instructions for modifying the workflow in dependence upon the identified unsuccessful device-controlling action further comprise computer program instructions for removing the identified unsuccessful device-controlling action from the workflow.

20. The computer program product of claim 14 wherein computer program instructions for modifying the workflow further comprise computer program instructions for changing a tolerance of a workflow scenario associated with the workflow.