Providing contextual collaboration within enterprise applications

• US 20070226032A1
• Filed: 04/29/2005
• Published: 09/27/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 04/29/2005
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle America, Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Siebel Systems Inc. (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Rowles, Brian, White, Robert
• Granted Patent: US 10,467,593 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/9
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/101 Collaborative creation, e.g. joint development of products or services

Abstract

An enhanced enterprise system integrates enterprise application functionality of a conventional enterprise system and collaboration functionality of a conventional collaboration system to provide a centralized project or team space for managing and capturing the collaborative activity that is inherent in the enterprise application processes. For example, the enhanced enterprise system allows a user to access an enterprise application object and to create a shared team space for the enterprise application object. This causes the enhanced enterprise system to provision a collaborative site or team space within the integrated collaboration system, and associate the team space to the enterprise application object through which the team space was provisioned.

Claims

1. A customer relationship management (CRM) system comprising:

a CRM server component operable to provide management of CRM objects, the CRM server component also operable to provide a user the ability to access a CRM object and to access collaboration services in the context of the accessed CRM object; and

a collaboration server component operable to provide collaboration services, the collaboration server component also operable to provide access to a plurality of collaborative sites, wherein at least one of the collaborative sites is associated with a CRM object in the CRM server component, and wherein at least one of the remaining plurality of collaborative sites is not associated with any CRM objects in the CRM server component.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the CRM object is an opportunity.

3. The system of claim 1, wherein the CRM object is a service request.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the at least one collaborative site associated with the CRM object in the CRM server component is created in response to a request from the CRM server component.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the CRM server component is operable to provide the user access to the at least one collaborative site associated with the CRM object in the collaboration server component, wherein the access is provided via a user interface of the CRM system.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein the collaboration server component is operable to provide access to the at least one collaborative site associated with the CRM object, wherein the access is provided directly by the collaboration server component and not through the CRM system.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the access is provided by a user interface of the collaboration server component, the user interface operable to display information regarding the CRM object obtained from the CRM server component.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the information regarding the CRM object comprises context of the CRM object.

9. The system of claim 7, wherein the information regarding the CRM object comprises state of the CRM object.

10. The system of claim 7, wherein the information regarding the CRM object is obtained from the CRM server component.

11. A computer-readable medium whose contents cause a computing system to provide CRM functionality and collaboration functionality by:

providing a first user interface through which a user can access a CRM object and request to create a team space for the accessed CRM object, wherein the CRM object is provided by a CRM server component of a CRM system, and wherein the first interface is provided by the CRM system; and

in response to the request to create a team space for the accessed CRM object, creating a team space in a collaboration server component of the CRM system and associating the team space to the CRM object.

12. The computer-readable medium of claim 11 further comprising contents that cause the computing system to initially seed the created team space with a list of users authorized to access the team space.

13. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the first user interface allows the user to access the team space associated with the CRM object.

14. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the first user interface also allows the user to invite another user into the team space.

15. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the first user interface also allows the user to communicate with another user in the team space.

16. The computer-readable medium of claim 11, wherein the collaboration server component provides a second user interface through which a second user can access the team space for the CRM object, wherein the second user interface is distinct from the first user interface, and also wherein the second user interface displays information regarding the CRM object obtained from the CRM server component.

17. A method in a computing system for providing team spaces for CRM objects in a CRM system, the method comprising:

receiving a request to access a CRM object in a CRM server component of a CRM system;

in response to receiving the request to access the CRM object, providing access to the CRM object;

receiving a request to create a team space for the accessed CRM object; and

in response to receiving the request to create the team space, creating a team space in a collaboration server component of the CRM system, and associating the team space with the CRM object within the collaboration server component.

18. The method of claim 17 further comprising initially seeding the team space with a list of users authorized to access the team space.

19. The method of claim 17, wherein the CRM system provides a user interface that allows access to the team space associated with the CRM object via the CRM server component of the CRM system.

20. The method of claim 17, wherein the collaboration server component of the CRM system provides a user interface that allows direct access to the collaboration server component, wherein the user interface provides access to the team space associated with the CRM server, and also wherein the user interface displays information regarding the CRM object obtained from the CRM server component when providing access to the team space associated with the CRM object.

21. An enhanced enterprise system comprising:

an enterprise application component operable to provide management of enterprise objects, the enterprise application component also operable to provide a user the ability to access an enterprise object and to access a collaboration service in the context of the accessed enterprise object; and

a collaboration server component operable to provide the collaboration service.

22. The system of claim 21, wherein the enterprise application component is a CRM application.

23. The system of claim 21, wherein the enterprise application component is an AP application.

24. The system of claim 21, wherein the enterprise application component is a GL application.

25. The system of claim 21, wherein the enterprise application component is an inventory application.

26. The system of claim 21, wherein the collaboration service is an email service.

27. The system of claim 21, wherein the collaboration service is a calendar service.

28. The system of claim 21, wherein the collaboration service is a “

ToDo”

list service.

29. The system of claim 21, wherein the collaboration service is a threaded discussion forum.

30. The system of claim 21, wherein the collaboration service is a document repository.