Software system for managing information in context

• US 7,584,161 B2
• Filed: 09/13/2005
• Issued: 09/01/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2004
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Contextware Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Contextware Incorporated
• Inventors: Flank, Sharon, Forbes, David Ian, Austin, David
• Primary Examiner(s): Vincent; David R
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bharadwaj; Kalpana
• Application Number:
  US11/225,138
• Publication Number:
  US 20060074726A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,449 Days
• Field of Search: 706/12, 706/45, 706/46, 715/713, 340/539
• US Class Current: 706/46
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0637 Strategic management or analysis, e.g. setting a goal or target of an organisation; Planning actions based on goals; Analysis or evaluation of effectiveness of goals
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/067 Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A software system that uses the rigor and rules of business process automation to capture and structure organizational expertise, processes, and procedures—the non-automatable activities and actions of an organization—into a single, common, enterprise-wide, information framework. The capture function is engineered for usability and structured to reflect the patterns and semantics of business users rather than imposing software or process terminology. The produced framework generates a process-driven, centralized taxonomy of information and resources as business requirements are captured. The framework delivers users an organization-specific context to activities and information to be used for learning, training, reference, improvisation, collaboration, and operations. Said system has application in disseminating policies, procedures and compliance; business continuity; improved productivity and culture; training and learning; increasing the return on existing and requirements gathering for future IT investments; employee attrition, retention, and onboarding; capturing and managing knowledge and intellectual capital; and continuous improvement and process reengineering.

Claims

1. A computer-based method associated with business process logic configured to capture, structure and standardize subject matter expertise, tasks and activities into a process taxonomy, the method comprising:

defining a first taxonomy of a plurality of nodes that define relationships among a plurality of activities and sub-activities;

defining a second taxonomy of a plurality of nodes that define relationships among a plurality of business objects;

defining a relationship between at least one of the plurality of business objects from the second taxonomy and at least one of the plurality of activities and sub-activities from the first taxonomy, the relationship being defined such that at least a portion of the at least one of the plurality of business objects can be accessed via the at least one of the plurality of activities and sub-activities based on the relationship;

defining a business process by manipulating at least one of the activities and sub-activities from the first taxonomy and at least one business object from the second taxonomy; and

displaying on a graphical user interface the defined business process based on the manipulating the at least one of the activities and sub-activities from the first taxonomy and the at least one business object from the second taxonomy.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the second taxonomy is used to categorize specific instances of business objects, the method further comprising:

describing a plurality of attributes associated with a business object, the attributes including at least one of location, name, definition, format, and author; and

updating other instances of the same business object whenever the business object is updated.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the first taxonomy relates to a first activity or sub-activity and a second activity or sub-activity, the method further comprising:

associating a business object from the second taxonomy with the first activity or sub-activity;

associating the same business object with the second activity or sub-activity;

displaying the business object separately as being associated with the first activity or sub-activity and the second activity or sub-activity, but still being managed as a single business object; and

modifying attributes associated with the business object simultaneously across the first activity or sub-activity and the second activity or sub-activity.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein recommendations are provided to a user textually and graphically, the method further comprising:

providing hard rules;

providing soft rules, including at least one of alt-tags or title tags to provide help suggestions, tutorials, or prompts; and

limiting input field names configured to receive data associated with the plurality of business objects to at least one of nouns, process names, verbs, color, shape, quantity, and length.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

selecting a business object from the second taxonomy;

associating the business object with a node of an activity or sub-activity from the first taxonomy; and

automatically associating the business object with sub-activities or sub-sub-activities of the activity or sub-activity.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

automatically determining whether metadata associated with different business objects is in common; and

removing or merging duplicate business objects and linking similar business objects based on the determining.

7. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

selecting a first node from the first taxonomy to be moved;

selecting a second node as a new root for the first node;

eliminating inherited attributes from the first node that were derived from its previous root(s);

inheriting attributes from the second node; and

preserving attributes that were associated with the first node that the first node passed on to its sub-nodes.

11. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

imposing limitations on the second taxonomy when defining the business process; and

displaying the defined business process on the graphical user interface, manipulation of the second taxonomy being restricted by the limitations imposed.

21. The method of claim 1, wherein the graphical user interface is provided via a web browser.

8. A computer-based method associated with business process logic configured to capture, structure and standardize subject matter expertise, tasks and activities into a process taxonomy, the method comprising:

providing a graphical user interface to display a process taxonomy, the process taxonomy defined by process logic;

selecting at least one business object from a business object taxonomy, the business object constrained by the process taxonomy based on how information associated with the business object is precisely relevant to an associated business process;

retrieving metadata referenced by the selected business object;

defining a business process associated with the process taxonomy by performing at least one of the following actions;

providing feedback on the process taxonomy;

adding to the business object taxonomy; and

performing an action on the metadata; and

automatically displaying a visual representation of the defined business process without substantial user interaction, the business process defined by at least one of the providing, the adding and the performing.

9. The method of claim 8 wherein natural language is used as a mechanism for searching and navigating the process taxonomy and business objects by incorporating synonyms and related terms to perform a fuzzy match on the process terms.

10. The method of claim 8 wherein software is used for monitoring individual, group and organization effectiveness, by capturing information on who performs what processes, and on what business objects are utilized.

12. A computer-based method using business process logic to capture, structure and standardize subject matter expertise, processes, tasks and activities into a business process model, the method comprising:

providing a graphical user interface via a web browser, including a plurality of objects, the objects being associated with activities and sub-activities;

defining a business process via the web browser based on the objects by;

updating the graphical user interface in response to a manipulation of at least one object from the plurality of objects, the updating being performed via the web browser; and

limiting the manipulation of the at least one object based on a set of predetermined criteria; and

displaying the defined business process via the web browser, the defined business process based on the updating and the limiting.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the set of predetermined criteria includes limits based on a process standard.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the set of predetermined criteria includes limits based on an IDEF standard.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein at least one of the providing, the updating or the limiting is implemented using Java technology.

16. The method of claim 12, further comprising tracking the manipulation of the at least one object.

17. The method of claim 12, wherein the web browser is accessed via at least one of a local area network (LAN), a wide area network (WAN), a cellular telephone, a personal digital assistant (PDA), or another remote device.

18. The method of claim 12, wherein during the manipulation of the at least one object, a user is prompted with suggested names for the at least one object after entry of one character of an object name.

19. The method of claim 12, wherein the manipulation of the at least one object is based on unique information associated with the at least one object.

20. The method of claim 12, further comprising providing an object manager application configured to allow editing, creation, and deletion of available objects for manipulation purposes.

22. A computer-based method using business process logic to capture, structure and standardize subject matter expertise, processes, tasks and activities into a business process model, the method comprising:

defining a business process including a relationship between an activity or sub-activity from a plurality of related activities and sub-activities and a business object from a plurality of related business objects, the relationship being defined such that at least a portion of the business object can be accessed based on the relationship between the activity or sub-activity and the business object; and

modifying the relationship between the activity or sub-activity and the business object such that the business process represents a business practice or method of performing a business process.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the business process is associated with a first contextual business information before the modifying, the business process being associated with a second contextual business information after the modifying.

24. The method of claim 22, wherein the business object is a first business object,

the method further comprising:

defining, based on the business practice, a relationship between the activity or sub-activity from the plurality of related activities and sub-activities and a second business object from the plurality of related business objects, at least a portion of the second business object being accessed based on the relationship between the activity or sub-activity and the second business object.