METHODS AND SYSTEMS INVOLVING BUSINESS PROCESS MANAGEMENT

• US 20090063170A1
• Filed: 08/29/2007
• Published: 03/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 08/29/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Leung, Humie, Lau, Kui Yan, Benayon, Jay W.
• Application Number:
  US11/846,976
• Publication Number:
  US 20090063170A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 705/300
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/00 Administration; Management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/101 Collaborative creation, e.g. joint development of products or services

Abstract

A method for conducting business process parametric optimization, the method comprising generating a first set of cases in a business model, wherein the first set of cases represents all of the paths in the business model, generating a first set of parameters associated with the first set of cases of the business model, displaying the generated first set of cases, selecting a case from the first set of cases for optimization and simulation, generating a second set of parameters associated with the selected case, displaying the second set of parameters, simulating the selected case with the first set of parameters and the second set of parameters with a business process model simulator, and displaying resultant data from the business process model simulation of the selected case with the first set of parameters and the second set of parameters.

Claims

1. A method for conducting business process parametric optimization, the method comprising:

generating a first set of cases in a business model, wherein the first set of cases represents all of the paths in the business model;

generating a first set of parameters associated with the first set of cases of the business model;

displaying the generated first set of cases;

selecting a case from the first set of cases for optimization and simulation;

generating a second set of parameters associated with the selected case;

displaying the second set of parameters;

simulating the selected case with the first set of parameters and the second set of parameters with a business process model simulator; and

displaying resultant data from the business process model simulation of the selected case with the first set of parameters and the second set of parameters.

2. The method for conducting business process parametric optimization of claim 1, the method further comprising:

responsive to displaying the second set of parameters, selecting a parameter from the displayed second set of parameters; and

responsive to selecting the parameter, changing the parameter.

3. The method for conducting business process parametric optimization of claim 1, the method further comprising:

selecting a plurality of cases from the generated first set of cases for optimization and simulation; and

generating a second set of parameters associated with the selected plurality of cases.

4. The method for conducting business process parametric optimization of claim 1, the method further comprising displaying the generated first set of cases in an order selected by a user.

5. A method for conducting business process parametric optimization, the method comprising:

generating a first set of cases in a business model, wherein the first set of cases represents all of the paths in the business model;

generating a first set of parameters associated with the first set of cases of the business model, wherein the first set of parameters is generated by an optimizer;

displaying the generated cases;

selecting a case from the first set of generated cases for filtering following optimization and simulation;

generating a second set of parameters associated with the selected case;

displaying the second set of parameters;

simulating the first set of cases with the first set of parameters and the second set of parameters with a business process model simulator;

matching the first set of cases with resultant data from the business process model simulation associated with each case in the first set of cases;

filtering the resultant data from the business process model simulation to include a set of data associated with the selected case; and

displaying the set of data associated with the selected case.

6. The method for conducting business process parametric optimization of claim 5, the method further comprising:

responsive to displaying the second set of parameters, selecting a parameter from the displayed second set of parameters; and

responsive to selecting the parameter, changing the parameter.

7. The method for conducting business process parametric optimization of claim 5, the method further comprising:

selecting a plurality of cases from the first set of generated cases for filtering following optimization and simulation;

generating a second set of parameters associated with the selected plurality of cases.

8. The method for conducting business process parametric optimization of claim 5, the method further comprising displaying the generated first set of cases in an order selected by a user.

9. A system for business process parametric optimization comprising:

a business process model;

a cases finder operative to generate all of the cases in the business process model;

a simulator operative to simulate cases in the business process model and output resultant data;

a cases selector operative to select a case generated from the business model and consolidate parameters related to the selected case and store the consolidated parameters in a cases information file;

a simulation selector operative to determine whether the simulator will perform one of a first type of simulation and a second type of simulation, wherein the first type of simulation simulates only the selected case with parameters generated from all of the cases in the business process model and the second type of simulation simulates all of the cases of the business process model with parameters generated from all the cases in the business process model;

a cases optimizer operative to responsive to the simulation selector determining that the simulator will perform the first type of simulation, optimize the parameters related to the selected case, update the parameters generated from all the cases in the business process model with the optimized parameters related to the selected case, and send the selected case and the updated parameters to the simulator for simulation, and responsive to the simulation selector determining that the simulator will perform the second type of simulation, optimize the parameters related to the selected case, update the parameters generated from all the cases in the business process model with the optimized parameters related to the selected case, and send all the cases in the business process model and the updated parameters to the simulator for simulation;

a cases filter responsive to the simulation selector determining that the simulator will perform the second type of simulation operative to receive the resultant data from the simulator and filter the resultant data corresponding to the selected case; and

a cases matcher operative to associate the selected case with the filtered resultant data.