PROCESSING AND EXCHANGING DATA OF COLLABORATIVE TASKS

• US 20080313281A1
• Filed: 06/11/2008
• Published: 12/18/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP SE
• Inventors: Scheidl, Stefan, Stoitsev, Todor, Riss, Uwe
• Granted Patent: US 9,165,283 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 709/205
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

Embodiments include a system for providing an identification of a collaborative task. The system may include a communication unit and a processing unit. The communication unit may be configured to receive a request of a user to create the collaborative task and send task metadata to a further system. The processing unit may be configured to generate the task metadata. The task metadata may be a part of the collaborative task and identifying the collaborative task as a part of a process.

Claims

1. A system for providing an identification of a collaborative task, the system comprising:

a communication unit configured to receive a request of a user to create the collaborative task and send task metadata to a further system; and

a processing unit configured to generate the task metadata, the task metadata being a part of the collaborative task and identifying the collaborative task as a part of a process.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein the collaborative task further comprises a description of the collaborative task and an assignment of a party to the collaborative task and wherein the communication unit is configured to send a message with the collaborative task to the party.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the communication unit is configured to receive metadata of a response message that has been sent by the party to the user and to send further task metadata and a status of the collaborative task to the further system and wherein the processing unit is configured to generate the further task metadata and to compute the status of the collaborative task from the metadata of the response message.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication unit is configured to receive task metadata of a further collaborative task to which the user is assigned, to receive a response of the user to the further collaborative task, and to send a status of the further collaborative task to the further system and wherein the processing unit is configured to compute the status of the further collaborative task from the task metadata of the further collaborative task and the response of the user.

5. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication unit is configured to send an identification of a selected process to a task management web client and to receive task delegation data from the task management web client, the task delegation data identifying one or more collaborative tasks of the selected process and parties assigned to the one or more collaborative tasks.

6. The system of claim 1, further comprising a repository manager being configured to access a task pattern stored by a local repository and to transform the task pattern into a standard format and wherein the communication unit is configured to provide the task pattern in the standard format to the user and the processing unit is configured to add data from the task pattern in the standard format to the metadata of the collaborative task in response to a selection of the user, the task pattern identifying a further process, a collaborative task of the further process and a party assigned to the collaborative task of the further process.

7. The system of claim 1, wherein the communication unit comprises a first web service client that is configured to access a first web service of the further system, to send a request of a task pattern to the first web service, and to receive the task pattern in a standard format, wherein the communication unit is configured to provide a representation of the task pattern in the standard format to the user and the processing unit is configured to add data from the task pattern in the standard format to the metadata of the collaborative task in response to a selection of the user, the task pattern identifying a further process, a collaborative task of the further process and a party assigned to the collaborative task of the further process.

8. The system of claim 1, further comprising an integration layer that is configured to transfer the request of the user from an application system to the communication unit and to transfer the task metadata from the communication unit to the application system.

9. The system of claim 8, wherein the application system is configured to send messages in a standard message format to a party that is assigned to the collaborative task and wherein the integration layer is configured to add the task metadata of the collaborative task to a message sent by the application system.

10. The system of claim 1, the communication unit comprising a second web service client that is configured to access a second web service of the further system and to transfer the task metadata of the collaborative task from the communication unit to the further system.

11. The system of claim 1, the communication unit comprising a third web service client that is configured to access an external web service and to receive external service data from the external web service, the external service data being a part of the collaborative task and being any one of a group of computed results for a specified collaborative task:

a cost calculation for the specified collaborative task, a calculation of a number of hours committed to the specified collaborative task, and a number of hours completed for the specified collaborative task.

12. A system for assigning a collaborative task to a process, the system comprising:

a communication unit configured to receive task metadata of the collaborative task; and

a processing unit configured to parse the task metadata, to assign the collaborative task to a part of the process, and to update data that describe the process in a data storage system with data from the task metadata and with an assignment of the collaborative task to the part of the process.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein the communication unit is configured to send the task metadata to a party that is assigned to the collaborative task.

14. The system of claim 13, wherein the communication unit is configured to receive an identification of the party.

15. The system of claim 13, wherein the processing unit is configured to identify the party by accessing data of the collaborative task stored in the data storage system and to modify the task metadata by adding an assignment of the party to the collaborative task.

16. The system of claim 13, wherein the communication unit is configured to send a message in a standard message format to the party, the message having an identification of a location to access a representation of the task metadata.

17. The system of claim 12, wherein the communication unit is configured to receive the task metadata by accessing a message communication system.

18. The system of claim 12, wherein the communication unit is configured to receive an identification of a selected process from a task management web client and to send task delegation data to the task management web client and wherein the processing unit is configured to retrieve the task delegation data from the data storage system using the identification of the selected process, the task delegation data identifying one or more collaborative tasks of the selected process and parties assigned to the one or more collaborative tasks.

19. The system of claim 12, further comprising a repository manager being configured to access a task pattern stored by a repository and to transform the task pattern into a standard format and wherein the communication unit is configured to receive a request for the task pattern from a request system and to provide the task pattern in the standard format to the request system, the task pattern identifying a further process, a collaborative task of the further process and a party assigned to the collaborative task of the further process.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein the communication unit comprises a first web service that is configured to receive the request for the task pattern from the request system that has a first web service client and to provide the task pattern in the standard format to the first web service client.

21. The system of claim 12, the communication unit comprising a second web service that is configured to receive the task metadata of the collaborative task from a second web service client.

22. A computer-implemented method for providing an identification of a collaborative task, the method comprising:

receiving a request of a user to create the collaborative task;

generating task metadata, the task metadata being a part of the collaborative task and identifying the collaborative task as a part of a process; and

sending the task metadata to a system.

23. The method of claim 22, further comprising sending a message with the collaborative task to a party, an assignment of the party to the collaborative task and a description of the collaborative task being further parts of the collaborative task.

24. The method of claim 23, further comprising:

receiving metadata of a response message that has been sent by the party, computing a status of the collaborative task from the metadata of the response message, generating further task metadata, and sending the further task metadata and the status of the collaborative task to the system.

25. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

receiving task metadata of a further collaborative task to which the user is assigned, receiving a response of the user to the further collaborative task, computing a status of the further collaborative task from the task metadata of the further collaborative task and the response of the user, and sending a status of the further collaborative task to the system.

26. The method of claim 22, further sending an identification of a selected process to a task management web client and receiving task delegation data from the task management web client, the task delegation data identifying one or more collaborative tasks of the selected process and parties assigned to the one or more collaborative tasks.

27. The method of claim 22, further comprising:

accessing a task pattern stored by a local repository, transforming the task pattern into a standard format, providing the task pattern in the standard format to the user, and adding data from the task pattern in the standard format to the metadata of the collaborative task in response to a selection of the user, the task pattern identifying a further process, a collaborative task of the further process and a party assigned to the collaborative task of the further process.

28. The method of claim 22, further comprising accessing a first web service of the system, sending a request of a task pattern to the first web service, receiving the task pattern in a standard format, providing a representation of the task pattern in the standard format to the user, and adding data from the task pattern in the standard format to the metadata of the collaborative task in response to a selection of the user, the task pattern identifying a further process, a collaborative task of the further process and a party assigned to the collaborative task of the further process.

29. The method of claim 22, wherein receiving the request of the user comprises transferring the request from an application system using an integration layer coupled to the application system and wherein sending the task metadata to the system comprises transferring the task metadata to the application system using the integration layer and adding the task metadata to a message that is sent by the application system, the message being in a standard message format of the application system.

30. The method of claim 22, wherein sending the task metadata of the collaborative task to the system comprises accessing a second web service of the system and transferring the task metadata of the collaborative task to the second web service.

31. The method of claim 22, further comprising accessing an external web service and receiving external service data from the external web service, the external service data being a part of the collaborative task and being any one of a group of computed results for a specified collaborative task:

a cost calculation for the specified collaborative task, a calculation of a number of hours committed to the specified collaborative task, and a number of hours completed for the specified collaborative task.

41. A computer program product for providing an identification of a collaborative task, the computer program product comprising instructions that are configured to cause a computer system to execute operations of the method of claim 22.

32. A computer-implemented method for assigning a collaborative task to a process, the method comprising:

receiving task metadata of the collaborative task;

parsing the task metadata;

assigning the collaborative task to a part of the process; and

updating data that describe the process in a data storage system with data from the task metadata and with an assignment of the collaborative task to the part of the process.

33. The method of claim 32, further comprising sending the task metadata to a party that is assigned to the collaborative task.

34. The method of claim 33, further comprising receiving an identification of the party.

35. The method of claim 33, further comprising:

identifying the party by accessing data of the collaborative task stored in the data storage system and modifying the task metadata by adding an assignment of the party to the collaborative task.

36. The method of claim 32, wherein sending the task metadata to the party comprises sending a message in a standard message format to the party, the message having an identification of a location to access a representation of the task metadata.

37. The method of claim 32, wherein receiving the task metadata comprises accessing a message communication system.

38. The method of claim 32, further comprising:

receiving an identification of a selected process from a task management web client, retrieving task delegation data from the data storage system using the identification of the selected process, and sending the task delegation data to the task management web client, the task delegation data identifying one or more collaborative tasks of the selected process and parties assigned to the one or more collaborative tasks.

39. The method of claim 32, further comprising providing a first web service, receiving a request for a task pattern from a first web service client connected to the first web service, accessing the task pattern stored by a repository, transforming the task pattern into a standard format, and providing the task pattern in the standard format to the first web service client, the task pattern identifying a further process, a collaborative task of the further process and a party assigned to the collaborative task of the further process.

40. The method of claim 32, wherein receiving the task metadata of the collaborative task comprises providing a second web service and receiving the task data from a second web service client connected to the second web service.

42. A computer program product for assigning a collaborative task to a process, the computer program product comprising instructions that are configured to cause a computer system to execute operations of the method of claim 32.