Computer system for displaying representations of processes

• US 5,819,270 A
• Filed: 08/27/1997
• Issued: 10/06/1998
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/1993
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Original Assignee: Massachusetts Institute of Technology
• Inventors: Malone, Thomas W., Dellarocas, Chrysanthos, Lee, Jintae, Pentland, Brian, Crowston, Kevin
• Primary Examiner(s): Black, Thomas G.
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEWIS, CHERYL RENEA
• Application Number:
  US08/920,629
• Time in Patent Office: 405 Days
• Field of Search: 707/3, 707/4, 707/100, 707/103, 707/7
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99933 Query processing, i.e. searching
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99934 Query formulation, input preparation, or translation
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99937 Sorting

Abstract

A computer system for displaying representations of processes, including models of complex business transactions in an information management system. The system includes a memory for storing the representations of the processes. The representation of a process includes an indication of processes into which the process is decomposed. Additionally, specializations of the process are represented. Alternatively, the dependencies among processes in a decomposition are indicated along with associated coordination processes. An indication of where a process is used within another process may also be provided. Specializations may also be bundled together to allow for evaluation of alternatives within a bundle.

Claims

1. A computer system for displaying representations of processes, comprising:

a memory in which representations of a plurality of processes are stored, a representation for a process including indications of processes into which the process is decomposed, indications of dependencies among the processes into which the process is decomposed, and wherein the processes stored in the memory are organized into a hierarchy of specialized processes with a plurality of levels such that the representation of a specialized process initially inherits characteristics of the process of which it is a specialization; and

a display system including a display and means for accessing and navigating the representations in the memory to display, alternatively, a decomposition of a process and specializations of the process and for displaying the accessed decomposition or specialization on the display, and means, responsive to user selection among the processes in the decomposition, for operating said means for accessing for the selected process.

2. The computer system of claim 1, further comprising:

in the memory, wherein a representation of a process further includes an indication of processes in which the process is a subactivity.

3. The computer system of claim 1, further comprising:

in the memory, means for defining a bundle of alternative specializations of a process as related alternative specializations.

4. The computer system of claim 3, including means for comparing alternatives in a bundle using a tradeoff matrix.

5. The computer system of claim 3 further comprising:

means for controlling inheritance of specializations of processes, including means for causing processes in a first bundle to inherit automatically, as specializations, processes from a second bundle, but not from the first bundle.

6. The computer system of claim 3, further comprising:

means for controlling inheritance by specializations of a process, including means for causing processes in different bundles to specialize each other further.

7. The computer system of claim 3, wherein a bundle is defined in terms of a context which indicates that all specializations in the bundle are different variations of a parent activity as defined in different context.

8. The computer system of claim 1, further comprising:

means, responsive to user input, for modifying a specialized process by modifying the characteristics inherited from the other process.

9. The computer system of claim 1, wherein the representation of a process includes an indication of a coordination process associated with each dependency.

10. The computer system of claim 9, wherein a coordination process has a decomposition and a plurality of alternative specializations, and wherein the system further comprises means, operative in response to user selection of the coordination process, for navigating and displaying the decomposition and the alternative specializations of the selected coordination process.

11. The computer system of claim 9, wherein a bundle is defined in terms of a context which indicates that all specializations in the bundle are different variations of a parent activity as defined in different context.

12. The computer system of claim 9, wherein the means for modifying the specialized process includes means for deleting an existing process from the decomposition of the specialized process.

13. The computer system of claim 9, wherein said means for operating said means for accessing the selected process is responsive to user selection among the processes in the decomposition and the coordination processes.

14. The computer system of claim 1, wherein changes made to a process are automatically inherited by processes which are specializations of the process.

15. A computer system according to claim 1, wherein the number of levels is variable.

16. A computer system for representing processes, comprising:

means, responsive to user input, for defining a process as a decomposition of processes connected by dependencies

means, responsive to user input, for defining any process as a specialization of another process at a plurality of levels of specialization, where the specialized process initially inherits characteristics from the other process;

means, responsive to user input, for modifying a specialized process by modifying the characteristics inherited from the other process;

means for storing information representative of defined processes, decompositions, dependencies, and specializations; and

means for viewing and navigating the stored information to identify and view the defined processes, the decompositions, the dependencies, and specializations of the processes.

17. The computer system of claim 16, wherein the means for modifying the specialized process comprises:

means for adding a new process to the decomposition of the specialized process.

18. The computer system of claim 16, wherein the means for modifying the specialized process comprises:

means for deleting an existing process from the decomposition of the specialized process.

19. The computer system of claim 16, wherein the means for modifying the specialized process comprises:

means for replacing an existing process from the decomposition of the specialized process with a specialization of the existing process.

20. The computer system of claim 16, wherein the means for modifying the specialized process comprises:

means for adding a new dependency between processes of the decomposition of the specialized process.

21. The computer system of claim 16, wherein the means for modifying the specialized process comprises:

means for deleting an existing dependency between processes of the decomposition of the specialized process.

22. The computer system of claim 16, wherein the means for modifying the specialized process comprises:

means for replacing an existing dependency between processes of the decomposition of the specialized process with a specialization of the existing dependency.

23. The computer system of claim 16, further comprising:

means for defining a bundle of alternative specializations of a process as related alternative specializations.

24. The computer system of claim 23, including means for comparing alternative specializations in a bundle using a tradeoff matrix.

25. The computer system of claim 23, further comprising:

means for controlling inheritance of specializations of processes, including means for causing processes in a first bundle to inherit automatically as specializations processes from a second bundle, but not from the first bundle.

26. The computer system of claim 23, further comprising:

means for controlling inheritance by specializations of a process, including means for causing processes in different bundles to specialize each other further.

27. The computer system of claim 23, wherein a bundle is defined in terms of a context which indicates that all specializations in the bundle are different variations of a parent activity as defined in different context.

28. The computer system of claim 16, wherein a representation of a process further includes an indication of processes in which the process is a subactivity;

wherein the means for reviewing and navigating the stored information includes means for utilizing the indication of processes in which the process is a subactivity in order to indicate to a user where the process is used.

29. A computer system according to claim 16, wherein the processes representable include coordinations processes, wherein a coordination process is a process associated with a dependency, and wherein a dependency has an associated coordination process.

30. The computer system of claim 29, wherein the means for modifying the specialized process comprises:

means for defining a coordination process and for associating the coordinating process with an unmanaged dependency in the decomposition of the specialized process.

31. The computer system of claim 29, wherein the means for modifying the specialized process comprises:

means for replacing a coordination process of a managed dependency in the decomposition of the specialized process with a different coordination process.

32. A digital information product for use with a computer for representing a plurality of processes, comprising:

a computer-readable medium having computer-readable logic stored thereon wherein the computer readable logic defines representations of processes, wherein the representation for a process includes indications of processes into which the process is decomposed, indications of dependencies among the processes into which the process is decomposed, and wherein the processes stored in the memory are organized into a hierarchy of specialized processes of a plurality of levels such that the representation of a specialized process initially inherits characteristics of the process of which it is a specialization.

33. A computer-implemented process for generating electrical signals representative of display data for a representation of a process, wherein the representation for a process includes indications of processes into which the process is decomposed, indications of dependencies among the processes into which the process is decomposed, and wherein the processes stored in the memory are organized into a hierarchy of specialized processes of a plurality of levels such that the representation of a specialized process initially inherits characteristics of the process of which it is a specialization, and comprising the steps of:

receiving an indication of the process for which the display data is to be generated;

accessing the representation of the indicated process to identify the subactivities associated with the indicated process;

accessing the representation of each subactivity to obtain a name associated with each subactivity;

accessing the representation of the indicated process to identify any dependencies between the subactivities;

accessing the representation of the dependencies to obtain indicators of the associated subactivities; and

generating the electrical signals representative of the display data including graphical information defining the name of each subactivity of the process, the dependencies between the subactivities and the names of the dependencies.