Providing multiple views of a business process definition to different users

• US 20070226023A1
• Filed: 05/05/2005
• Published: 09/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 05/05/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Siebel Systems Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Yaseen, Rahim, Lim, Peter, Smith, Doug, Das, Manoi, Liang, John, Noik, Emanuel
• Granted Patent: US 7,895,070 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/7
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/10 Requirements analysis; Specification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 20/108 Remote banking, e.g. home banking

Abstract

In one embodiment, a method for providing multiple views of a business process definition includes storing a model of a business process, and providing different view points of the model to different classes of users.

Claims

1. A computerized method comprising:

storing a model of a business process; and

providing different view points of the model to different classes of users.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the different classes of users are involved in different phases of a business process definition, the different phases comprising a business process specification, a business process implementation and a business process execution.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein each of the different view points is a view of the business process that is relevant to a corresponding class of users.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the model of the business process includes a set of model elements and associations defining relationships between the model elements from the set.

5. The method of claim 4 wherein providing different view points of the model to different classes of users comprises:

tracing model elements and associations pertaining to the different classes of users; and

presenting to each of the different classes of users a portion of the model that includes elements and associations pertaining to said each of the different classes of users.

6. The method of claim 5 wherein tracing model elements and associations pertaining to the different classes of users comprises:

classifying each model element and each association as part of one of a plurality of business process definition modes.

7. The method of claim 6 wherein each model element or association is classified as part of one of the plurality of business process definition modes if said each model element or association is created during said one of the plurality of business process definition modes.

8. The method of claim 6 wherein the plurality of process definition modes comprises a specification mode and an implementation mode.

9. The method of claim 6 wherein presenting to each of the different classes of users a portion of the model that includes elements and associations pertaining to said each of the different classes of users comprises:

selecting, in the model, elements and associations classified as part of a business process mode corresponding to a specific class of users, and

determining whether one or more accessibility rules allow the specific class of users to view the selected elements and associations.

10. The method of claim 9 wherein the one or more accessibility rules comprises at least one of a type accessibility rule and an overlay rule, the type accessibility rule defining an access permission to a model element type and an overlay rule defining an access permission to a model element or an association.

11. The method of claim 9 wherein the one or more accessibility rules control a plurality of permission types, the plurality of permission types comprising a display permission, a create permission, a modify permission and a delete permission.

12. The method of claim 6 further comprising:

combining a sub-set of model elements and corresponding associations into a group; and

classifying the group as part of one of the plurality of business process modes.

13. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

providing different view points of the model to different users from the same class based on different execution targets.

14. The method of claim 13 wherein providing different view points of the model to different users comprises:

tracing model elements and associations pertaining to the different execution targets; and

presenting to each of the different users a portion of the model that includes elements and associations pertaining to a corresponding execution target.

15. A machine-readable medium having executable instructions to cause a machine to perform a method comprising:

storing a model of a business process; and

providing different view points of the model to different classes of users.

16. The machine-readable medium of claim 15 wherein the different classes of users are involved in different phases of a business process definition, the different phases comprising a business process specification, a business process implementation and a business process execution.

17. The machine-readable medium of claim 15 wherein each of the different view points is a view of the business process that is relevant to a corresponding class of users.

18. A system comprising:

a memory; and

at least on processor coupled to the memory, the processor executing a set of instructions which cause the processor to

store a model of a business process, and

provide different view points of the model to different classes of users.

19. The system of claim 18 wherein the different classes of users are involved in different phases of a business process definition, the different phases comprising a business process specification, a business process implementation and a business process execution.

20. The system of claim 18 wherein each of the different view points is a view of the business process that is relevant to a corresponding class of users.

21. The system of claim 18 wherein the processor is to provide different view points of the model to different classes of users by tracing model elements and associations pertaining to the different classes of users, and presenting to each of the different classes of users a portion of the model that includes elements and associations pertaining to said each of the different classes of users.

22. A computer-implemented apparatus comprising:

means for storing a model of a business process; and

means for providing different view points of the model to different classes of users.