Method and system for specifying and implementing automation of business processes

• US 6,662,355 B1
• Filed: 08/11/1999
• Issued: 12/09/2003
• Est. Priority Date: 08/11/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Google LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Nigam, Anil, Caswell, Nathan S., Ciccolo, Arthur C.
• Primary Examiner(s): INGBERG, TODD D
• Application Number:
  US09/372,030
• Time in Patent Office: 1,581 Days
• Field of Search: 717/100, 717/103, 717/108, 717/127, 717/128, 707/202, 707/10, 705/1, 705/8, 705/9, 709/201
• US Class Current: 717/103
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/451 Execution arrangements for user interfaces

Abstract

A method s for specifying and implementing automation of business processes where the specification is independently manipulable by both the business process owner and technical implementers, and resulting technical elements can be tested for compliance with every detail in the specification. The method creates a single shared model suitable for understanding and execution in both the business and technical domains by focusing on the specification problem in the area of business automation. The solution to the specification problem lies in Information, Function, Flow (IFF or IF²) factorization of business processes. Models of the business are constructed by way of the IF² modeling methodology. This is a complete model which includes, by construction, external specifications of each task included in the business model. The modularization problem is solved by preserving the partitioning of the system created in the business model. The automation system implements concrete modules that uniquely and directly correspond to particular elements whose external specification is determined by the business model.

Claims

1. A method for constructing a system to implement a particular business process, comprising the steps:

identifying one or more pieces of paper used in a business process and containing information, and representing each said piece of paper as an instance of an information container, said information container having a blank type compatible with any information in said business process, all information in said business process being contained in, and being a content of, one or more of said instances;

identifying one or more tasks in said business process and providing representations for each, each said task being connected to an instance of an information container by an input from a person in a business domain based on examination by said person of a content of the piece of paper being represented by said instance of said information container, said content determining a business category of said instance of said information container, said task optionally modifying said content and optionally sending said instance of said information container to another task; and

defining a path from task to task for each said instance of said typeless information container, said path being a topology determined by said business category,

wherein said system is implemented by a technical domain, and wherein said content, said business category and said paths are determinable by a business domain without reference to consequent modification of said system by said technical domain.

2. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein each task identification step is implemented in said system as an instance of an agent, said implementation further comprising the steps:

identifying work locations for each task corresponding to each of said agent instances;

identifying physical resources of said system where said agent instances may run; and

mapping said physical resources of an agent instance to a work location of a corresponding task.

3. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said content of said instance of said typeless information container comprises operational information for said business process, each said instance of said typeless information container being independent of other said instances, and said operational information comprising one or more units of typeless information, said typeless information having a set of category recognition predicates determinable by said business domain.

4. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein a task provides externally specified transformations defined by pre-conditions, post-conditions and functions expressed as content of an instance of an information container, said instance being an artifact, said task receiving exactly one artifact via an artifact receive port and sending at least one artifact via at least one artifact send port.

5. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said system implementation is performed by using information about end to end processing of an instance of an information container such that said instance passes among tasks via a plurality of send and a plurality of receive ports, said plurality of tasks being defined by a topology connecting a plurality of task send ports to a plurality of task receive ports.

6. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said paths are defined such that connections determine sequence as in a directed graph.

7. A method as recited in claim 1, wherein said system implementation is performed using information, function, flow (IF2) model elements according to a specification comprising said typeless information containers, said tasks, and said paths by encapsulating communication paths among said at least one task enabling task-to-task transfer.

8. A machine readable medium containing code to implement a particular business process, the code implementing the steps of:

identifying one or more pieces of paper used in a business process and containing information, and representing each said piece of paper as an instance of an information container, said information container having a blank type compatible with any information in said business process, all information in said business process being contained in, and being a content of, one or more of said instances;

identifying one or more tasks in said business process and providing representations for each, each said task being connected to an instance of an information container by an input from a person in a business domain based on examination by said person of a content of the piece of paper being represented by said instance of said information container, said content determining a business category of said instance of said information container, said task optionally modifying said content, and optionally sending said instance of said information container to another task; and

defining a path from task to task for each said instance of said typeless information container, said path being a topology determined by said business category,

wherein said system is implemented by a technical domain, and wherein said content, said business category and said paths are determinable by a business domain without reference to consequent modification of said system by said technical domain.

9. An apparatus for constructing a representation of a single shared model suitable for understanding and execution in both the business and technical domains, comprising:

means for identifying one or more pieces of paper used in a business process and containing information, and means for representing each said piece of paper as an instance of an information container, said information container having a blank type compatible with any information in said business process, all information in said business process being contained in and being a content of, one or more of said instances;

means for identifying one or more tasks in said business process and providing representations for each, each said task being connected to an instance of an information container by an input from a person in a business domain based on examination by said person of a content of the piece of paper being represented by said instance of said information container, said content determining a business category of said instance of said information container, said task optionally modifying said content and optionally sending said instance of said information container to another task; and

means for defining a path from task to task for each said instance of said typeless information container, said path being a topology determined by said business category,

wherein said system is implemented by a technical domain, and wherein said content, said business category and said paths are determinable by a business domain without reference to consequent modification of said system by said technical domain.