Apparatus and method for process monitoring

• US 8,275,757 B2
• Filed: 06/14/2005
• Issued: 09/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 06/15/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Micro Focus LLC (Open Text Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Hewlett-Packard Development Company, L.P. (HP Inc.)
• Inventors: Abraham, Maurice Haman, Turner, Paul William, Carter, Michael
• Primary Examiner(s): Choi, Yuk Ting
• Application Number:
  US11/153,861
• Publication Number:
  US 20060004852A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,660 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 707/694
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

A method is described for monitoring a plurality of process instances, such as business process instance. The method comprises: providing a model object reflecting a workflow common to the process instances, the model comprising a plurality of nodes with at least some of the nodes being capable of assuming at least active and blocked states; receiving events and changing the states of the nodes in corresponding model object instances in accordance with the events received so as to reflect the status of the process instances, repeatedly determining an “at risk” state indicator for the model instances, the “at risk” state indicator when set for a model instance indicating that the corresponding workflow instance is in a state in which it cannot progress to a normal completion without encountering a node in the blocked state.

Claims

1. A method for monitoring a plurality of process instances, the method comprising:

providing, by a computer, a model object reflecting a workflow common to the process instances, the model object comprising a plurality of nodes with at least some of the nodes being capable of assuming at least active and blocked states;

receiving, by the computer, events and changing the states of the nodes in corresponding model object instances in accordance with the events received to reflect the status of the process instances; and

repeatedly determining, by the computer, an “

at risk”

state indicator for the model instances, the “

at risk”

state indicator when set for a said model instance indicating that the corresponding workflow instance is in a state in which it cannot progress to a normal completion without encountering a node in the blocked state.

2. The method of claim 1 comprising repeatedly determining a healthy state indicator for the model instances when set for a model instance indicating that the corresponding workflow instance is in a state in which it can progress to a normal completion without encountering a node in the blocked state.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the process instances are carried out at least in part by one or more computer systems.

4. The method of claim 1 wherein the nodes represent predeterminable episodes of the process instances.

5. The method of claim 1 comprising defining the model object using a model creation environment.

6. The method of claim 1 wherein the model object comprises a directed graph comprising the nodes.

7. The method of claim 6 comprising:

traversing the graph backwards from each blocked node marking nodes not already marked with a first indicator;

traversing the graph backwards from each end node marking nodes not already marked with the first indicator with a second indicator; and

for each model object instance;

scanning all the nodes marked with the first indicator and if there are any active nodes then marking the associated model object instance with the at risk state indicator; and

scanning all the nodes marked with the second indicator and if there are any active or completed nodes marked with the second indicator, then marking the associated model object instance with a healthy state indicator.

8. An apparatus for monitoring a plurality of process instances which have a common workflow, the apparatus comprising:

a memory storing a model object reflecting the workflow, wherein the model object comprising a plurality of nodes with at least some of the nodes being capable of assuming at least active and blocked states;

a processor arranged to receive events and change the states of the nodes in a corresponding model object instances in accordance with the events received to reflect the status of the process instances;

the processor being arranged to repeatedly determine an “

at risk”

state indicator for the model instances, the “

at risk”

state indicator when set for a said model instance indicating that the corresponding workflow instance is in a state in which it cannot progress to a normal completion without encountering a node in the blocked state.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the at risk state indicator is determined by defining a zone in the model based on a model topology and a location therein of a blocked node which is not active in a process instance.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 wherein the model comprises a directed graph.

11. A method for monitoring a plurality of process instances carried out at least in part by one or more computer systems, the method comprising:

providing, by a computer, a model object reflecting a workflow common to the process instances, wherein the model object comprises a directed graph comprising a plurality of nodes, with at least some of the nodes being capable of assuming at least active and blocked states;

receiving, by the computer, events and changing the states of the nodes in corresponding model object instances in accordance with the events received to reflect the status of the process instances;

repeatedly determining, by the computer, an “

at risk”

state indicator for the model instances, the “

at risk”

state indicator when set for a model instance indicating that the corresponding workflow instance is in a state in which it cannot progress to a normal completion without encountering a node in the blocked state; and

repeatedly determining, by the computer, a healthy state indicator for the model instances when set for a said model instance indicating that the corresponding workflow instance is in a state in which it can progress to a normal completion without encountering a node in the blocked state.

12. The method of claim 11 wherein the nodes represent predeterminable episodes of the process instances.

13. The method of claim 11 comprising defining the model object using a model creation environment.

14. The method of claim 11 comprising:

traversing the graph backwards from each blocked node marking nodes not already marked with a first indicator;

traversing the graph backwards from each end node marking nodes not already marked with the first indicator with a second indicator; and

for each model object instance;

scanning all the nodes marked with the first indicator and if there are any active nodes then marking the associated model object instance with the at risk state indicator; and

scanning all the nodes marked with the second indicator and if there are any active or completed nodes marked with the second indicator, then marking the associated model object instance with the healthy state indicator.

15. An apparatus for monitoring a plurality of process instances which have a common workflow, the apparatus comprising:

a memory storing a model object reflecting the workflow, the model object comprising a directed graph comprising a plurality of nodes with at least some of the nodes being capable of assuming at least active and blocked states;

a processor arranged to receive events and change the states of the nodes in a corresponding model object instances in accordance with the events received to reflect the status of the process instances;

the processor being arranged to repeatedly determine an “

at risk”

state indicator for the model instances, the “

at risk”

state indicator when set for a model instance indicating that the corresponding workflow instance is a state in which it cannot progress to a normal completion without encountering a node in the blocked state, wherein the at risk state indicator is determined by defining a zone in the model based on a model topology and a location therein of a blocked node which is not active in a process instance.