WORKFLOW INTEGRATION AND PORTAL SYSTEMS AND METHODS

• US 20120137309A1
• Filed: 11/30/2010
• Published: 05/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 11/30/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Makam, Chethan, Desai, Swapneel H., Gunturu, Vittal, Sebati, Zouhair, Quiroga, Miguel
• Granted Patent: US 8,539,514 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 719/320
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

An exemplary system includes a workflow integration subsystem communicatively coupled to a backend workflow subsystem maintaining a set of backend workflow tasks native to the backend workflow subsystem, the workflow integration subsystem configured to maintain a set of integrated workflow tasks representative of the set of backend workflow tasks. The system also includes a portal subsystem configured to communicate with the workflow integration subsystem and the backend workflow subsystem. The portal subsystem is further configured to provide a frontend portal for access by a user, receive a request provided by the user through the frontend portal, and provide access to workflow functionality through the frontend portal in response to the request, wherein the portal subsystem is configured to select whether the workflow functionality is subject to control by the backend workflow subsystem or the portal subsystem. Corresponding systems and methods are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A system comprising:

a workflow integration subsystem communicatively coupled to a backend workflow subsystem maintaining a set of backend workflow tasks native to the backend workflow subsystem, the workflow integration subsystem configured to maintain a set of integrated workflow tasks representative of the set of backend workflow tasks; and

a portal subsystem configured to communicate with the workflow integration subsystem and the backend workflow subsystem, the portal subsystem further configured to

provide a frontend portal for access by a user,

receive a request provided by the user through the frontend portal, and

provide access to workflow functionality through the frontend portal in response to the request;

wherein the portal subsystem is further configured to select whether the workflow functionality to which access is provided through the frontend portal in response to the request is subject to control by the backend workflow subsystem or by the portal subsystem.

2. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the request is associated with the backend workflow subsystem and requests the workflow functionality; and

the portal subsystem is configured to select whether the workflow functionality is subject to control by the backend workflow subsystem or by the portal subsystem based on at least one of the backend workflow subsystem associated with the request and the workflow functionality requested by the request.

3. The system of claim 2, wherein the requested workflow functionality comprises at least one of a request to access, approve, reject, and access additional details about a task.

4. The system of claim 1, wherein when the portal subsystem selects to provide the workflow functionality subject to control by the portal subsystem, the portal subsystem applies the workflow functionality directly to the set of integrated workflow tasks maintained by the workflow integration subsystem.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein:

the application of the workflow functionality updates the set of integrated workflow tasks maintained by the workflow integration subsystem;

the workflow integration subsystem is configured to notify the backend workflow subsystem of the update to the set of integrated workflow tasks; and

the backend workflow subsystem is configured to respond to the notifying by the workflow integration subsystem by applying backend workflow functionality to update the set of backend workflow tasks to reflect the update to the set of integrated workflow tasks.

6. The system of claim 1, wherein when the portal subsystem selects to provide the workflow functionality subject to control by the backend workflow subsystem, the backend workflow subsystem applies the workflow functionality directly to the set of backend workflow tasks maintained by the backend workflow subsystem.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein:

the application of the workflow functionality updates the set of backend workflow tasks maintained by the backend workflow subsystem;

the backend workflow subsystem is configured to notify the workflow integration subsystem of the update to the set of backend workflow tasks; and

the workflow integration subsystem is configured to respond to the notifying by the backend workflow subsystem by applying integration workflow functionality to update the set of integrated workflow tasks to reflect the update to the set of backend workflow tasks.

8. The system of claim 1, wherein when the portal subsystem selects to provide the workflow functionality subject to control by the portal subsystem, the portal subsystem provides a user interface for access by the user through the frontend portal, the user interface providing the user access to the workflow functionality subject to control by the portal subsystem.

9. The system of claim 1, wherein when the portal subsystem selects to provide the workflow functionality subject to control by the backend workflow subsystem, the portal subsystem provides a user interface for access by the user through the frontend portal, the user interface providing the user access to the workflow functionality subject to control by the backend workflow subsystem.

10. The system of claim 9, wherein the portal subsystem provides the user interface for access by the user through the frontend portal by leveraging a backend user interface produced by the backend workflow subsystem.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein the portal subsystem leverages the backend user interface by utilizing a remote portlet technology to consume the backend user interface produced by the backend workflow subsystem.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the remote portlet technology comprises a Web Services for Remote Portlet (“

WSRP”

) technology.

13. The system of claim 12, wherein:

the backend workflow subsystem includes a WSRP producer configured to produce a backend user interface portlet; and

the portal subsystem includes a WSRP consumer configured to consume the backend user interface portlet for inclusion in the user interface provided by the portal subsystem for access by the user through the frontend portal.

14. The system of claim 1, wherein the set of backend workflow tasks native to the backend workflow subsystem is integrated into the workflow integration subsystem as the set of integrated workflow tasks representative of the set of backend workflow tasks in accordance with one of a full-level integration, a summary-level integration, and a hybrid-level integration.

15. The system of claim 1, wherein one or more backend workflow functions of the backend workflow subsystem are integrated into the workflow integration subsystem as one or more integrated workflow functions configured to mirror the one or more backend workflow functions in accordance with one of a full-level integration, a summary-level integration, and a hybrid-level integration.

16. The system of claim 1, wherein:

the workflow integration subsystem is communicatively coupled to an additional backend workflow subsystem maintaining an additional set of backend workflow tasks native to the additional backend workflow subsystem, the workflow integration subsystem configured to maintain an additional set of integrated workflow tasks representative of the additional set of backend workflow tasks; and

the portal subsystem is configured to communicate with the additional backend workflow subsystem and to

receive an additional request provided by the user through the frontend portal, and

provide access to additional workflow functionality through the frontend portal in response to the additional request;

wherein the portal subsystem is further configured to select whether the additional workflow functionality to which access is provided through the frontend portal in response to the additional request is subject to control by the additional backend workflow subsystem or the portal subsystem.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the backend workflow subsystem and the additional backend workflow subsystem are separate and heterogeneous.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein the set of backend workflow tasks native to the backend workflow subsystem and the additional set of backend workflow tasks native to the additional backend workflow subsystem are integrated into the workflow integration subsystem using different levels of integration.

19. The system of claim 16, wherein:

the set of backend workflow tasks native to the backend workflow subsystem is integrated into the workflow integration subsystem as the set of integrated workflow tasks representative of the set of backend workflow tasks in accordance with one of a full-level integration, a summary-level integration, and a hybrid-level integration; and

the additional set of backend workflow tasks native to the backend workflow subsystem is integrated into the workflow integration subsystem as the additional set of integrated workflow tasks representative of the additional set of backend workflow tasks in accordance with a different one of the full-level integration, the summary-level integration, and the hybrid-level integration.

20. A system comprising:

a user interface facility configured to

provide a frontend portal for access by a user,

receive a request provided by the user through the frontend portal, and

provide access to workflow functionality through the frontend portal in response to the request; and

a work list facility configured to communicate with the user interface facility, a backend workflow subsystem maintaining a set of backend workflow tasks native to the backend workflow subsystem, and a workflow integration subsystem communicatively coupled to the backend workflow subsystem and maintaining a set of integrated workflow tasks representative of the set of backend workflow tasks;

wherein the work list facility is further configured to select whether the workflow functionality to which access is provided through the frontend portal in response to the request is subject to control by the backend workflow subsystem or the work list facility.

21. The system of claim 20, wherein:

the request is associated with the backend workflow subsystem;

the request requests the workflow functionality; and

the work list facility is configured to select whether the workflow functionality is subject to control by the backend workflow subsystem or the work list facility based on at least one of the backend workflow subsystem associated with the request and the workflow functionality requested by the request.

22. The system of claim 20, wherein when the work list facility selects to provide the workflow functionality subject to control by the backend workflow subsystem, the work list facility

utilizes a Web Services for Remote Portlet (“

WSRP”

) consumer to consume a backend user interface portlet produced by a WSRP producer at the backend workflow subsystem, and

directs the user interface facility to provide the consumed backend user interface portlet in a user interface for access by the user through the frontend portal.

23. The system of claim 20, wherein the set of backend workflow tasks native to the backend workflow subsystem is integrated into the workflow integration subsystem as the set of integrated workflow tasks representative of the set of backend workflow tasks in accordance with one of a full-level integration, a summary-level integration, and a hybrid-level integration.

24. A method comprising:

maintaining, by a workflow integration and portal system, an integrated workflow representative of a backend workflow associated with a backend computing application;

providing, by the workflow integration and portal system, a frontend portal for access by a user;

receiving, by the workflow integration and portal system, a request provided by the user through the frontend portal;

determining, by the workflow integration and portal system, that the backend workflow is associated with the request;

determining, by the workflow integration and portal system, a workflow function requested by the request;

selecting, by the workflow integration and portal system, whether the workflow function will be applied directly to the integrated workflow or the backend workflow; and

providing, by the workflow integration and portal system, access to the workflow function through the frontend portal in response to the request, wherein the workflow function to which access is provided through the frontend portal in response to the request is applied directly to the integrated workflow or the backend workflow.

25. The method of claim 24, embodied as computer-executable instructions on at least one non-transitory computer-readable medium.