Workflow modeling language

• US 6,233,537 B1
• Filed: 02/09/2000
• Issued: 05/15/2001
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/1999
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Octane Software, Inc. (Infor Incorporated)
• Original Assignee: EPiphany Incorporated (Infor Incorporated)
• Inventors: Clements, Michael R., Makagon, Kira R., Gryphon, Robert L.
• Primary Examiner(s): Teska, Kevin J.
• Assistant Examiner(s): Broda, Samuel
• Application Number:
  US09/501,325
• Time in Patent Office: 461 Days
• Field of Search: 703/1, 703/2, 703/6, 705/7, 705/8, 705/9, 705/10, 707/102, 707/103, 707/104
• US Class Current: 703/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 8/10 Requirements analysis; Specification techniques
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0633 Workflow analysis

Abstract

A modeling system for the visual presentation of business applications (process, information, control, and channel), composed of multiple plan elements, is disclosed. The modeling system consists of a modeling language organized around a small set of defined pictograms each capable of representing elements of the application in progressively finer levels of detail. Each element primitive, be it a plan, step, data object, translation map, or control element (such as a business rule), is independently adjustable. Each element can be modified or enhanced without damage to the overall process because they are functionally decoupled and each represents a delegation of a task primitive (including data storage). All of the other, connected primitives are aware simply of what is passed into or taken out of a neighbor primitive, not how that primitive accomplishes its task.

Claims

1. A method for generating a business model of a business process to be used in a computer system by defining a plan having a plurality of steps, said method comprising:

for each of said steps, naming said step;

placing each of said named steps in a logical sequence;

defining zero or more triggering events;

associating each said triggering event with at least one of said named steps;

defining one or more actions to be performed in each of said named steps, wherein each of said actions are controlled by one or more rules;

associating zero or more business information objects with any of said named steps, said actions, or said rules;

representing a plurality of interfaces with external entities using one or more translation map objects;

associating said translation map objects with one or more of said named steps; and

expressing said plan as a combination of said named steps, said logical sequence, said triggering events, said actions, said business information objects, and said translation map objects using a predefined graphic symbol library;

wherein the business model provides an adjustable, graphic representation of the business process.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said plan is reusable in whole or in part.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said generating a business model uses a medium selected from the group consisting of a computer system, a writing surface, a paper, a blackboard, and a whiteboard and wherein said computer system comprises a storage device.

4. The method of claim 3, further comprising saving said business model in said storage device in a predefined format.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein each of said actions further comprise essential and compound actions,

said essential actions further comprise assign, retrieve, gather, save, throw event, render, populate, and script actions; and

said compound actions are defined by a user.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein each of said business information objects further comprise a table.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein each of said business information objects further comprises a matrix.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein each of said translation map objects further comprises a property describing channel interface information.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said predefined graphic symbol library comprises one or more computer-aided drawing templates.

10. A computer system for generating a business model of a business process to be used in a computer system by defining a plan having a plurality of steps, said computer system comprising a computer and a computer program, said computer program comprising computer instructions for:

for each of said steps, naming said step;

placing each of said named steps in a logical sequence;

defining zero or more triggering events;

associating each said triggering event with at least one of said named steps;

defining one or more actions to be performed in each of said named steps, wherein each of said actions are controlled by one or more rules;

associating zero or more business information objects with any of said named steps, said actions, or said rules;

representing a plurality of interfaces with external entities using one or more translation map objects;

associating said translation map objects with one or more of said named steps; and

expressing said plan as a combination of said named steps, said logical sequence, said triggering events, said actions, said business information objects, and said translation map objects using a Redefined graphic symbol library;

wherein the business model provides an adjustable, graphic representation of the business process.

11. The computer system of claim 10, wherein said plan is reusable in whole or in part.

12. The computer system of claim 10, wherein said generating a business model uses an additional medium selected from the group consisting of a writing surface, a paper, a blackboard, and a whiteboard and wherein said computer system comprises a storage device.

13. The computer system of claim 12, further comprising saving said business model in said storage device in a predefined format.

14. The computer system of claim 10, wherein each of said actions further comprise essential and compound actions,

said essential actions further comprise assign, retrieve, gather, save, throw event, render, populate, and script actions; and

said compound actions are defined by a user.

15. The computer system of claim 10, wherein each of said business information objects further comprise a table.

16. The computer system of claim 10, wherein each of said business information objects further comprises a matrix.

17. The computer system of claim 10, wherein each of said translation map objects further comprises a property describing channel interface information.

18. The computer system of claim 10, wherein said predefined graphic symbol library comprises one or more computer-aided drawing templates.

19. A computer-readable storage medium comprising program code to be used with a computer for generating a business model of a business process to be used in a computer system by defining a plan having a plurality of steps, said program code comprising instructions for:

for each of said steps, naming said step;

placing each of said named steps in a logical sequence;

defining zero or more triggering events;

associating each said triggering event with at least one of said named steps;

defining one or more actions to be performed in each of said named steps, wherein each of said actions are controlled by one or more rules;

associating zero or more business information objects with any of said named steps, said actions, or said rules;

representing a plurality of interfaces with external entities using one or more translation map objects;

associating said translation map objects with one or more of said named steps; and

expressing said plan as a combination of said named steps, said logical sequence, said triggering events, said actions, said business information objects, and said translation map objects using a predefined graphic symbol library;

wherein the business model provides an adjustable, graphic representation of the business process.

20. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein said plan is reusable in whole or in part.

21. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein said generating a business model uses a medium selected from the group consisting of a computer system, a writing surface, a paper, a blackboard, and a whiteboard and wherein said computer system comprises a storage device.

22. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 21, further comprising saving said business model in said storage device in a predefined format.

23. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein each of said actions further comprise essential and compound actions,

said essential actions further comprise assign, retrieve, gather, save, throw event, render, populate, and script actions; and

said compound actions are defined by a user.

24. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein each of said business information objects further comprise a table.

25. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein each of said business information objects further comprises a matrix.

26. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein each of said translation map objects further comprises a property describing channel interface information.

27. The computer-readable storage medium of claim 19, wherein said predefined graphic symbol library comprises one or more computer-aided drawing templates.