Universal worklist service and user interface

• US 7,979,296 B2
• Filed: 05/07/2004
• Issued: 07/12/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Wodtke, Dirk, Kruse, Matthias, Jordt, Nicolai
• Primary Examiner(s): Jeanty; Romain
• Assistant Examiner(s): Fleischer; Mark A
• Application Number:
  US10/841,241
• Publication Number:
  US 20050033626A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,622 Days
• Field of Search: 705/7.26
• US Class Current: 705/7.26
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06316 Sequencing of tasks or work
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

Work items are collected from one or more work item providers for presentation to a workflow participant. A work item provider is typically a workflow management system (“WFMS”), but other providers of work items might exist that generate work items and may or may not have their own local worklist. Multiple independent WFMS'"'"'s of multiple types might provide work items to a universal worklist (“UWL”) service that integrates the work items from all of the providers. Additional integration might be provided between the UWL and work item providers, such as for controlling work item execution with a sub-workflow through an ad-hoc workflow engine. Additional integration provides for custom attributes. Each work item has a type that is used to determine handling for that work item. A universal work list service includes storage for work items, wherein a work item represents a task generated as part of a process flow. An engine supporting the UWL service might track item types for work items and might obtain attribute values for attributes of the work item according to the work item'"'"'s type.

Claims

1. A computer readable medium upon which are tangibly embodied computer program instructions that when executed by a computer cause the computer to perform a method comprising:

storing work items in a work item storage, wherein a work item is a task generated as part of a workflow process for handling by a user;

presenting work items via a graphical interface to the user from the work item storage and accepting input from the user relating to the work items;

accepting work items via an interface from a plurality of independent work item providers to be stored in the work item storage, wherein a work item provider comprises a workflow engine and one or more applications;

tracking, in an item type registry, handling for work items based on work item type; and

retrieving, via a custom attribute retriever for a given work item of a given work item type and according to a staggered synchronization process, custom attributes for the given work item type that are in addition to attributes obtained with the given work item from its work item provider, wherein the custom attributes for the given work item are determined from the item type registry entry or entries for the given work item type, and wherein the custom attributes for the given work item are provided by a first legacy system and a second legacy system,

wherein the staggered synchronization process operates during a start of a worklist client to reduce a delay of retrieving the custom attributes, and wherein the staggered synchronization process includes a first pull connector to the first legacy system having a first synchronization timing, and a second pull connector to the second legacy system having a second synchronization timing.

2. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the interface for accepting work items further comprises a push interface configured to allow work items to be pushed from a workflow engine of at least one of the plurality of independent work item providers to the worklist service program.

3. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the interface for accepting work items further comprises a pull interface configured to actively request work items from a workflow engine of at least one of the plurality of independent work item providers to be received by the worklist service program.

4. The computer readable medium of claim 3, wherein the pull interface is configured to request work items when the user activates the worklist service program.

5. The computer readable medium of claim 3, wherein the pull interface is configured to request work items according to a schedule.

6. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the first legacy system differs from the work item provider for the given work item.

7. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the first legacy system differs from the work item provider for the given work item, and wherein the custom attributes are retrieved for the given work item without support from the work item provider.

8. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the custom attribute retriever is configured to retrieve the custom attributes in real time as work items are accepted over the interface for accepting work items.

9. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the custom attribute retriever is configured to retrieve the custom attributes according to a schedule for work items that are accepted over the interface for accepting work items.

20. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the work item type triggers an action related to the work item type.

10. A computer implemented method comprising:

storing work items in a work item storage, wherein a work item is a task generated as part of a workflow process for handling by a user;

presenting work items via a graphical interface to the user from the work item storage and accepting input from the user relating to the work items;

accepting work items via an interface from one or more independent work item provider to be stored in the work item storage, wherein a work item provider comprises a workflow engine and one or more applications;

tracking, in an item type registry, handling for work items based on work item type; and

retrieving, via a custom attribute retriever for a given work item of a given work item type and according to a staggered synchronization process, custom attributes for the given work item type that are in addition to attributes obtained with the given work item from its work item provider, wherein the custom attributes for the given work item are determined from the item type registry entry or entries for the given work item type, and wherein the custom attributes for the given work item are provided by a first legacy system and a second legacy system,

wherein the staggered synchronization process operates during a start of a worklist client to reduce a delay of retrieving the custom attributes, and wherein the staggered synchronization process includes a first pull connector to the first legacy system having a first synchronization timing, and a second pull connector to the second legacy system having a second synchronization timing.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the interface for accepting work items further comprises a push interface configured to allow work items to be pushed from a workflow engine of one or more of the independent work item providers to the worklist service program.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the interface for accepting work items further comprises a pull interface configured to actively request work items from a workflow engine of one or more of the plurality of independent work item providers to be received by the worklist service program.

13. The method of claim 12, wherein the pull interface is configured to request work items when the user activates the worklist service program.

14. The method of claim 12, wherein the pull interface is configured to request work items according to a schedule.

15. The method of claim 10, further comprising:

logic to determine, for a first set of work item types, a work item type for an accepted work item based on type information provided by its work item provider; and

logic to determine, for a second set of work item types, a work item type for an accepted work item based on conditions specified within the worklist service program for the second set of work item types.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising logic to respond to user actions, wherein the user actions are based on item type.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the one or more independent work item provider is a single work item provider associated with an application and the worklist service program provides worklist handler functionality for the application.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the attribute fields indicate display aspects for work items.

19. The method of claim 10, wherein the attribute fields indicate processing aspects for work items, wherein processing aspects for work items is information associated with the processing of the work items.