WORKFLOW MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, WORKFLOW MANAGEMENT METHOD, WORKFLOW MANAGEMENT PROGRAM, AND RECORDING MEDIUM

• US 20080059967A1
• Filed: 08/21/2007
• Published: 03/06/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 08/31/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Ricoh Company Limited
• Inventors: Niemann, Michael, Rostanin, Oleg, Holz, Harald, MATSUI, Yoshiro
• Application Number:
  US11/842,572
• Publication Number:
  US 20080059967A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 718/102
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management

Abstract

A workflow management system for managing a workflow constituted of plural hierarchically segment tasks is disclosed. The workflow management system includes a storage unit that stores task information; a calculation unit that acquires the task information from the storage unit and calculates a critical path of the workflow from information on structures of the plural tasks, dependence between the plural tasks, statuses of the plural tasks, and schedules of the plural tasks contained in the task information; and a display control unit that causes the critical path calculated by the calculation unit to be displayed on a screen.

Claims

1. A workflow management system for managing a workflow constituted of plural hierarchically segment tasks, comprising:

a storage unit that stores task information;

a calculation unit that acquires the task information from the storage unit and calculates a critical path of the workflow from information on structures of the plural tasks, dependence between the plural tasks, statuses of the plural tasks, and schedules of the plural tasks contained in the task information; and

a display control unit that causes the critical path calculated by the calculation unit to be displayed on a screen.

2. The workflow management system according to claim 1, wherein

the calculation unit manages tasks included in the critical path as critical tasks and calculates progress of the workflow based on progress of the critical tasks.

3. The workflow management system according to claim 1, wherein,

when a delay is detected in progress of the workflow, the display control unit causes the detection of the delay to be displayed on the screen.

4. The workflow management system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a transmission unit that, when the calculation unit detects a delay in progress of the workflow, transmits the detection of the delay to a user terminal.

5. The workflow management system according to claim 1, wherein

the dependence between the plural tasks represents an order relationship between respective tasks.

6. The workflow management system according to claim 1, further comprising:

a registration unit that registers in the storage unit the information on the structures of the plural tasks, the dependence between the plural tasks, the statuses of the plural tasks, and the schedules of the plural tasks;

wherein

the calculation unit recalculates the critical path when the information on the structures of the plural tasks, the dependence between the plural tasks, the statuses of the plural tasks, and the schedules of the plural tasks stored in the storage unit are changed.

7. A workflow management method for managing a workflow constituted of plural hierarchically segment tasks, comprising:

an acquisition step of acquiring task information;

a calculation step of calculating a critical path of the workflow from information on structures of the plural tasks, dependence between the plural tasks, statuses of the plural tasks, and schedules of the plural tasks contained the task information; and

a display control step of causing the critical path calculated in the calculation step to be displayed on a screen.

8. The workflow management method according to claim 7, wherein

the calculation step manages tasks included in the critical path as critical tasks and calculates progress of the workflow based on progress of the critical tasks.

9. The workflow management method according to claim 7, wherein,

when a delay is detected in progress of the workflow, the display control step causes the detection of the delay to be displayed on the screen.

10. The workflow management method according to claim 7, further comprising:

a transmission step of transmitting, when a delay is detected in progress of the workflow in the calculation step, the detection of the delay to a user.

11. The workflow management method according to claim 7, wherein

the dependence between the plural tasks represents an order relationship between respective tasks.

12. The workflow management method according to claim 7, further comprising:

a registration step of registering the information on the structures of the plural tasks, the dependence between the plural tasks, the statuses of the plural tasks, and the schedules of the plural tasks;

wherein

the calculation step recalculates the critical path when the information on the structures of the plural tasks, the dependence between the plural tasks, the statuses of the plural tasks, and the schedules of the plural tasks are changed.

13. A workflow management program for managing a workflow constituted of plural hierarchically segment tasks to be executed on a computer including a storage device and a calculation processing unit, the program causing the computer to function as:

a storage unit that stores task information;

a calculation unit that acquires the task information from the storage unit and calculates a critical path of the workflow from information on structures of the plural tasks, dependence between the plural tasks, statuses of the plural tasks, and schedules of the plural tasks contained in the task information; and

a display control unit that causes the critical path calculated by the calculation unit to be displayed on a screen.

14. The workflow management program according to claim 13, wherein

the calculation unit manages tasks included in the critical path as critical tasks and calculates progress of the workflow based on progress of the critical tasks.

15. The workflow management program according to claim 13, wherein,

when a delay is detected in progress of the workflow, the display control unit causes the detection of the delay to be displayed on the screen.

16. The workflow management program according to claim 13, causing the computer to further function as:

a transmission unit that, when the calculation unit detects a delay in progress of the workflow, transmits the detection of the delay to a user terminal.

17. The workflow management program according to claim 13, wherein

the dependence between the plural tasks represents an order relationship between respective tasks.

18. The workflow management program according to claim 13, causing the computer to further function as:

a registration unit that registers in the storage unit the information on the structures of the plural tasks, the dependence between the plural tasks, the statuses of the plural tasks, and the schedules of the plural tasks;

wherein

the calculation unit recalculates the critical path when the information on the structures of the plural tasks, the dependence between the plural tasks, the statuses of the plural tasks, and the schedules of the plural tasks stored in the storage unit are changed.