METHOD AND APPARATUS FOR AUTHORING AND OPTIMIZING FLOWCHARTS

• US 20080227066A1
• Filed: 03/15/2007
• Published: 09/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Rish, Irina, Beygelzimer, Alina, Lenchner, Jonathan, Ma, Sheng, Brodie, Mark
• Granted Patent: US 8,341,610 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 434/238
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/00 Electrically-operated teaching apparatus or devices working with questions and answers mechanically operated G09B3/00; computing arrangements G06F

Abstract

A method and system for generating problem resolution flowcharts, whereby users do not author flowcharts directly but instead author a dependency matrix of questions and answers related by state or underlying problem cause. After creation of a matrix of questions and answers, a corresponding flowchart is then calculated based on the information in the dependency matrix, and also based on the likelihood of the various problems and their causes. The probabilities of problems and their causes may be estimated or may be calculated from historical data accumulated by use of the flow chart, or some combination of the two. These probabilities are incorporated into the answer cells of the dependency matrix. The resulting flowchart is tested and evaluated, and the results of testing and evaluation are used to make modifications in the matrix of questions and answers. The flowchart is then made available for execution by a problem determination engine, usable by staff at a help center or directly as self-help to a customer over a network. Experience from use of the problem determination engine is accumulated for use in further refinements of the dependency matrix and its probabilities.

Claims

1. A method for developing and maintaining problem resolution flow charts, comprising:

authoring a dependency matrix of questions and states describing a problem to be resolved;

generating a flowchart from the dependency matrix; and

testing the flowchart.

2. A method as in claim 1, wherein the authoring step further comprises:

editing the questions and states; and

modifying cell values relating each of said questions with each of said states,

wherein values in each cell comprise one or more answers to the related question in the related state and a probability for each said answer, there being a probability of occurrence for each state.

3. A method as in claim 2, wherein the questions have associated costs expressed in some unit of measure, and wherein the flowchart presents the questions in an optimally informative order.

4. A method as in claim 3, further comprising interactively repeating the authoring, generating and testing steps, wherein answer probabilities are initially estimated by a user and these user estimates are gradually replaced by data from test experience obtained by asking the questions and determining the state of the problem.

5. A method as in claim 4, further comprising using the flowchart in a problem determination engine.

6. A method as in claim 5, further comprising:

gathering information from operation of the problem determination engine; and

providing the gathered information for use in interactively repeating the authoring, generating and testing steps.

7. A method as in claim 5, wherein the flowchart generated from the dependency matrix is comprised of branching question and answer sequences, wherein an answer to one question leads to a further question until a problem diagnosis is reached or a terminal node is encountered.

8. A method as in claim 7, wherein the flowchart is generated so as to minimize the expected total cost of the questions required to reach a diagnosis.

9. A method as in claim 3, wherein the associated costs for questions are learned by experience.

10. A method as in claim 3, wherein the optimally informative order of questions is determined automatically from probabilities contained in cell values in the dependency matrix.

11. A system for developing and maintaining problem resolution flow charts, comprising:

means for authoring a dependency matrix of questions and states describing a problem to be resolved;

means for automatically generating a flowchart from the dependency matrix; and

means for testing the flowchart.

12. A system as in claim 11, wherein the authoring step further comprises:

means for editing the questions and states; and

means for modifying cell values relating each of said questions with each of said states,

wherein values in each cell comprise one or more answers to the related question in the related state and a probability for each said answer, there being a probability of occurrence for each state.

13. A system as in claim 12, wherein the questions have associated costs expressed in some unit of measure, and wherein the flowchart presents the questions in an optimally informative order.

14. A system as in claim 13, further comprising interactively repeating the authoring, generating and testing steps, wherein answer probabilities are initially estimated by a user and these user estimates are gradually replaced by data from test experience obtained by asking the questions and determining the state of the problem.

15. A system as in claim 14, further comprising using the flowchart in a problem determination engine.

16. A system as in claim 15, further comprising:

gathering information from operation of the problem determination engine; and

providing the gathered information for use in interactively repeating the authoring, generating and testing steps.

17. A system as in claim 15, wherein the flowchart generated from the dependency matrix is comprised of branching question and answer sequences, wherein an answer to one question leads to a further question until a problem diagnosis is reached or a terminal node is encountered.

18. A system as in claim 17, wherein the flowchart is generated so as to minimize the expected total cost of the questions required to reach a diagnosis.

19. A computer implemented system for developing and maintaining problem resolution flow charts, comprising:

first computer code for authoring a dependency matrix of questions and states describing a problem to be resolved;

second computer code for automatically generating a flowchart from the dependency matrix; and

third computer code for testing the flowchart.

20. A system as in claim 19, wherein said first computer code for authoring a dependency matrix further comprises:

fourth computer code for editing the questions and states; and

fifth computer code for modifying cell values relating each of said questions with each of said states,

wherein values in each cell comprise one or more answers to the related question in the related state and a probability for each said answer, there being a probability of occurrence for each state.