DYNAMIC BUSINESS PROCESS PRIORITIZATION BASED ON CONTEXT

• US 20090100431A1
• Filed: 10/12/2007
• Published: 04/16/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 10/12/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Stern, Edith H., Willner, Barry E., O'Sullivan, Patrick J., Doyle, Ronald P., Weir, Robert C.
• Application Number:
  US11/871,354
• Publication Number:
  US 20090100431A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 718/103
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/4881 Scheduling strategies for dispatcher, e.g. round robin, multi-level priority queues

Abstract

Instantiated business processes are dynamically prioritized to an execution priority level based upon a priority relevant context associated with the business process. The business process instance is further executed based upon the execution priority level. The execution priority level for the business process instance may be determined using at least one of a table lookup, a rule or an algorithm to determine the execution priority level. Moreover, the execution priority level may be set based upon available priority levels in a priority band. Still further, detected changes in the priority relevant context may trigger changing the execution priority level based upon the change in the priority relevant context. Resources allocated to implement the business process instance may also be dynamically adjusted based upon changes to the execution priority level of an associated business process instance.

Claims

1. A method of dynamically prioritizing business processes comprising:

instantiating a specific business process instance corresponding to a business process to be executed;

identifying a priority relevant context associated with said business process;

determining an execution priority level for said business process instance based at least upon said priority relevant context from at least two priority levels;

assigning said execution priority level to said business process instance; and

executing said business process instance based upon said execution priority level.

2. The method according to claim 1, further comprising defining a priority band encompassing said at least two priority levels associated with said business process, wherein:

said determining an execution priority level for said business process instance comprises;

setting said execution priority level to a select priority level within said priority band.

3. The method according to claim 2, wherein said defining a priority band encompassing said at least two priority levels associated with said business process comprises designating at least one of a minimum priority level and a maximum priority level for said priority band.

4. The method according to claim 1, wherein said priority relevant context comprises at least one variable;

and

said determining an execution priority level for said business process instance comprises determining said execution priority level for said business process instance based upon a value of each variable.

5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising:

aggregating dependent data from processes downstream in flow of said business process instance;

wherein;

said determining an execution priority level for said business process instance further comprises considering the aggregated dependent data.

6. The method according to claim 1, wherein said determining an execution priority level for said business process instance from at least two priority levels comprises:

utilizing at least one of a table lookup, a rule or an algorithm to determine said execution priority level.

7. The method according to claim 1, further comprising:

detecting a change in said priority relevant context; and

changing said execution priority level assigned to said business process instance based upon said change in said priority relevant context.

8. The method according to claim 7, further comprising:

dynamically adjusting resources allocated to implement said business process instance based upon changing said execution priority level.

9. The method according to claim 7, wherein said detecting a change in said priority relevant context comprises at least one of:

polling or interrogating variables associated with said priority relevant context to determine whether a value of any of said variables have changed;

using triggers that execute when a variable associated with said priority relevant context changes;

or subscribing to a service that publishes changes to variables associated with said priority relevant context.

10. The method according to claim 7, wherein said detecting a change in said priority relevant context comprises at least one of:

using triggers that execute a script when a variable associated with said priority relevant context changes and communicating said detected change, by said script, to a priority calculation component that determines said execution priority level for said business process instance; and

subscribing to a service that publishes changes to variables associated with said priority relevant context and providing a priority calculation component that subscribes to said service to determine said execution priority level for said business process instance.

11. The method according to claim 1, wherein said business process instance comprises a self modifying business process, further comprising:

dynamically adjusting said execution priority based at least in part upon a state of said self modifying business process.

12. The method according to claim 1, wherein said business process instance comprises a self modifying business process, further comprising:

dynamically adjusting said business process instance to be commensurate with said execution priority.

13. The method according to claim 1, wherein said determining an execution priority level for said business process instance based at least upon said priority relevant context further comprises:

dynamically adjusting said execution priority based upon a situational application of said business process instance.

14. The method according to claim 1, wherein said business process instance invokes at least one service process instance, further comprising:

setting a priority of said service process instance based upon said execution priority of said business process instance.

15. A method to implement dynamically prioritized business processes comprising:

providing a process server component that, when executed, instantiates specific business process instances corresponding to a business process to be executed; and

providing a priority calculation component that, when executed, determines an execution priority level from at least two priority levels for each instantiated business process instance based at least upon a priority relevant context associated with said business process;

wherein said process server component, when executed, further implements;

assigning said determined execution priority level to each corresponding business process instance and

executing each business process instance based upon the corresponding execution priority level.

16. The method according to claim 15, wherein said providing a priority calculation component further comprises:

configuring said priority calculation component to, when executed, determine said execution priority level based upon a predefined priority band that encompasses said at least two priority levels associated with said business process.

17. The method according to claim 15, wherein said providing a priority calculation component further comprises:

configuring said priority calculation component to, when executed, define said priority relevant context in terms of at least one variable and define said execution priority level for each business process instance based upon a current value of each variable.

18. The method according to claim 15, further comprising:

providing a context monitoring component that, when executed, detects a change in said priority relevant context, said context monitoring component capable of communicating with said priority calculation component such that said priority calculation component updates said execution priority level based upon said change in said priority relevant context.

19. The method according to claim 15, wherein said providing a process server component that instantiates specific business process instances corresponding to a business process to be executed further comprises:

configuring said process server component to, when executed, effect dynamic adjustment of resources allocated to implement said business process instances based upon changing said execution priority level.

20. The method according to claim 15, wherein said providing a priority calculation component further comprises:

providing a priority calculation component that, when executed, dynamically adjusts said execution priority based upon a situational application of at least one instantiated business process instance.