System for minimizing notifications in workflow management system

• US 6,725,445 B1
• Filed: 07/07/2000
• Issued: 04/20/2004
• Est. Priority Date: 07/08/1999
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Leymann, Frank, Roller, Dieter
• Primary Examiner(s): DAS, CHAMELI
• Application Number:
  US09/611,732
• Time in Patent Office: 1,383 Days
• Field of Search: 717/100-104, 707/1, 707/3, 709/101, 709/207, 700/101, 700/14, 705/8
• US Class Current: 717/101
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/542 Event management; Broadcasting; Multicasting; Notifications
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063114 Status monitoring or status determination for a person or group

Abstract

The present invention relates to a technique for improving the handling of notification items related to the execution of process model instances and/or activity instances within a Workflow Management System (WFMS) or a computer system with comparable functionality. A notification group definition associates a notification group with at least one process model and/or at least one activity. The process model and/or the activity are associated with a notification specification referring to an addressee, for whom the WFMS creates and to whom the WFMS sends a notification item if an instance of the associated process model and/or an instance of the associated activity is not completed according to certain conditions. The WFMS is responsive to the notification group definition by sending a notification group item to the addressee as representative of one or many created notification items of associated process models and/or associated activities. This prevents individually created notification items from being sent to the addressee.

Claims

1. In a workflow management system in a computing environment, a system for reducing a number of notification items sent to an addressee, comprising:

definition means related to notifications for at least one process model with at least one activity of a workflow management system (WFMS); and

means for associating a notification group with at least one process model and/or at least one activity, said process model and/or said activity being associated with a notification specification referring to an addressee, for whom the WFMS creates and to whom the WFMS sends a notification item if an instance of said associated process model and/or an instance of said associated activity is not completed according to certain conditions,

wherein said WFMS sends to said addressee a notification group item as representative for one or more created notification items of associated process models and/or associated activities, thereby preventing said created notification items from being sent to said addressee.

2. The system for reducing a number of notification items according to claim 1, wherein said notification group item comprises query means, which when executed retrieves all created notification items for said addressee.

3. The system for reducing a number of notification items according to claim 2, wherein said WFMS responds to said notification group by sending said notification group item when a first notification item is created for said addressee.

4. The system for reducing a number of notification items according to claim 3,

wherein said definition means further comprises a TIME parameter, and said WFMS is responsive to said TIME parameter by sending a further notification group item to said addressee if an amount of time between creation of said notification group item and a last created notification item exceeds a value of said TIME parameter.

5. The system for reducing a number of notification items according to claim 4,

wherein said TIME parameter has a default value of unlimited, said WFMS being responsive to said default value by preventing any further notification group item of said notification group from being sent to said addressee.

6. The system for reducing a number of notifications items according to claim 3,

wherein said definition means further comprises a TYPE parameter for distinguishing different types of notification items and said notification group item being a representative of notification items according to said TYPE parameter only.

7. The system for reducing a number of notification items according to claim 3,

wherein said definition means further comprises a SOURCE parameter, and said SOURCE parameter defines that a certain activity of a certain process model is associated with said notification group.

8. The system for reducing a number of notification items according to claim 3,

wherein said definition means further comprises a USER parameter, and said WFMS responds to said USER parameter by creating, if specified by said USER parameter, a separate notification group item for each user causing said notification item to be created.

9. A method for reducing notifications for at least one process model with at least one activity in a workflow management system (WFMS) in a computer environment, said method comprising the steps of:

determining if a notification group definition is associating a notification group with a process model or an activity,

determining if said process model or said activity being associated with a notification specification is referring to an addressee, for whom the WFMS is to create and send thereto a notification item if an instance of said associated process model and/or an instance of said associated activity is not completed according to certain conditions; and

sending, if a notification group definition is determined, to said addressee a single notification group item as representative for one or more created notification items of said associated process model or said associated activity and preventing said created notification items from being sent to said addressee.

10. A method according to claim 9, wherein the created notification items are stored and wherein said notification group item sent to addressee includes a query request function, which when executed retrieves the stored notification items and sends them to the addressee.

11. A method according to claim 10, wherein said sending step sends said notification group item when a first notification item associated with the notification group is created for said addressee.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein said determining step further determines if said notification group definition includes a defined hold period, and

wherein said sending step sends a further notification group item to said addressee upon creation of a subsequent notification item, if the time since creation of said notification group item and the subsequent notification item exceeds a value of the defined hold period.

13. A method according to claim 12, wherein a default value of the defined hold period is set to unlimited, and wherein no further notification group item of said notification group is sent to said addressee when the default value is set to unlimited.

14. A method according to claim 11, wherein said WFMS includes a type parameter which distinguishes different types of notification items,

wherein said determinating step determines if said notification group definition includes a type parameter, and

wherein said sending step sends a notification group item to said addressee for notification items in accordance with said type parameter.

15. A method according to claim 11,

wherein said WFMS includes a user parameter, and said determining step determines if said notification group definition comprises a user parameter, and

wherein said sending step creates, if specified by said user parameter, a separate notification group item for each user causing said notification item to be created.

16. A method according to claim 11, wherein said WFMS includes a user parameter, and

said determining step determines if said notification group definition comprises a user parameter, and

wherein said sending step creates, if specified by said user parameter, a separate notification group item only for each user explicitly specified with said user parameter and causing said notification item to be created.

17. A method according to claim 11, wherein said WFMS includes a user parameter, and

said determining step determines if said notification group definition comprises a user parameter, and

wherein said sending step creates, if specified by said user parameter, a common notification group item only for each user implicitly specified with said user parameter and causing said notification item to be created.