Method and apparatus for authoring and optimizing flowcharts

• US 8,341,610 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2007
• Issued: 12/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 03/15/2007
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Beygelzimer, Alina, Brodie, Mark, Ma, Sheng, Lenchner, Jonathan, Rish, Irina
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhen, Wei
• Assistant Examiner(s): BANES, ADAM RICHARD
• Application Number:
  US11/686,959
• Publication Number:
  US 20080227066A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,112 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 717/148
• CPC Class Codes: G09B 7/00 Electrically-operated teaching apparatus or devices working with questions and answers mechanically operated G09B3/00; computing arrangements G06F

Abstract

A method and system for generating problem resolution flowcharts, whereby users do not author flowcharts directly but instead author a dependency matrix of questions and answers related by state or underlying problem cause. After creation of a matrix of questions and answers, a corresponding flowchart is then calculated based on the information in the dependency matrix, and also based on the likelihood of the various problems and their causes. The probabilities of problems and their causes may be estimated or may be calculated from historical data accumulated by use of the flow chart, or some combination of the two. These probabilities are incorporated into the answer cells of the dependency matrix. The resulting flowchart is tested and evaluated, and the results of testing and evaluation are used to make modifications in the matrix of questions and answers. The flowchart is then made available for execution by a problem determination engine, usable by staff at a help center or directly as self-help to a customer over a network. Experience from use of the problem determination engine is accumulated for use in further refinements of the dependency matrix and its probabilities.

Claims

1. A computer implemented method for developing and maintaining problem resolution flow charts, comprising:

authoring by a user a dependency matrix of questions and states describing a problem to be resolved, the matrix being formed by crossing said questions with said states, there being a cell in the matrix corresponding to the intersection of each question and each state, each cell containing one or more answers corresponding to the respective state and a respective answer probability for each said answer, each state having a probability of occurrence;

generating by a computer a problem resolution flowchart from the dependency matrix, said probabilities of occurrence and said answer probabilities being used to optimize the order of said questions in said flowchart; and

testing the problem resolution flowchart.

2. A method as in claim 1, wherein the authoring step further comprises:

editing the questions and states; and

modifying cell values relating each of said questions with each of said states,

and wherein said probabilities of occurrence and said answer probabilities are updated by said testing.

3. A method as in claim 2, wherein the questions have associated costs expressed in some unit of measure, and wherein the flowchart presents the questions in an optimally informative order.

4. A method as in claim 3, further comprising interactively repeating the authoring, generating and testing steps, wherein answer probabilities are initially estimated by a user and these user estimates are gradually replaced by data from test experience obtained by asking the questions and determining the state of the problem.

5. A method as in claim 4, further comprising using the flowchart in a problem determination engine.

6. A method as in claim 5, further comprising:

gathering information from operation of the problem determination engine; and

providing the gathered information for use in interactively repeating the authoring, generating and testing steps.

7. A method as in claim 5, wherein the flowchart generated from the dependency matrix is comprised of branching question and answer sequences, wherein an answer to one question leads to a further question until a problem diagnosis is reached or a terminal node is encountered.

8. A method as in claim 7, wherein the flowchart is generated so as to minimize the expected total cost of the questions required to reach a diagnosis.

9. A method as in claim 3, wherein the associated costs for questions are learned by experience.

10. A method as in claim 3, wherein the optimally informative order of questions is determined automatically from probabilities contained in cell values in the dependency matrix.

11. A system for developing and maintaining problem resolution flow charts, comprising:

means for authoring a dependency matrix of questions and states describing a problem to be resolved, the matrix being formed by crossing said questions with said states, there being a cell in the matrix corresponding to the intersection of each question and each state, each cell containing one or more answers corresponding to the respective state and a respective answer probability for each said answer, each state having a probability of occurrence;

means for automatically generating a problem resolution flowchart from the dependency matrix, said probabilities of occurrence and said answer probabilities being used to optimize the order of said questions in said flowchart; and

means for testing the problem resolution flowchart.

12. A system as in claim 11, wherein the authoring step further comprises:

means for editing the questions and states; and

means for modifying cell values relating each of said questions with each of said states,

and wherein said probabilities of occurrence and said answer probabilities are updated by said testing.

13. A system as in claim 12, wherein the questions have associated costs expressed in some unit of measure, and wherein the flowchart presents the questions in an optimally informative order.

14. A system as in claim 13, further comprising interactively repeating the authoring, generating and testing steps, wherein answer probabilities are initially estimated by a user and these user estimates are gradually replaced by data from test experience obtained by asking the questions and determining the state of the problem.

15. A system as in claim 14, further comprising using the flowchart in a problem determination engine.

16. A system as in claim 15, further comprising:

gathering information from operation of the problem determination engine; and

providing the gathered information for use in interactively repeating the authoring, generating and testing steps.

17. A system as in claim 15, wherein the flowchart generated from the dependency matrix is comprised of branching question and answer sequences, wherein an answer to one question leads to a further question until a problem diagnosis is reached or a terminal node is encountered.

18. A system as in claim 17, wherein the flowchart is generated so as to minimize the expected total cost of the questions required to reach a diagnosis.

19. A computer implemented system for developing and maintaining problem resolution flow charts, the computer having software modules stored thereon and having a processor operable to execute the software modules, comprising:

first computer executable code for authoring a dependency matrix of questions and states describing a problem to be resolved, the matrix being formed by crossing said questions with said states, there being a cell in the matrix corresponding to the intersection of each question and each state, each cell containing one or more answers corresponding to the respective state and a respective answer probability for each said answer, each state having a probability of occurrence;

second computer executable code for automatically generating a problem resolution flowchart from the dependency matrix, said probabilities of occurrence and said answer probabilities being used to optimize the order of said questions in said flowchart; and

third computer executable code for testing the problem resolution flowchart.

20. A system as in claim 19, wherein said first computer executable code for authoring a dependency matrix further comprises:

fourth computer executable code for editing the questions and states; and

fifth computer executable code for modifying cell values relating each of said questions with each of said states,

and wherein said probabilities of occurrence and said answer probabilities are updated by said testing.