Provisioning workflow management methods and systems

• US 8,645,854 B2
• Filed: 01/19/2010
• Issued: 02/04/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Verizon Patent and Licensing Incorporated (Verizon Communications Inc.)
• Inventors: Kopycinski, Michael C., Helmlinger, Charlie H., Kercher, Todd, Friedman, Michael B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Theriault, Steven B
• Application Number:
  US12/689,379
• Publication Number:
  US 20110179371A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,477 Days
• Field of Search: 715/751, 715/759, 715/764, 715771-772, 709223-226
• US Class Current: 715/772
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

An exemplary method includes associating one or more workflow tasks with each of a plurality of universal workflow steps, the one or more workflow tasks being specific to a provisioning workflow that corresponds to a first type of network circuit, receiving a request to provision a network circuit of the first type, displaying, in response to the request, graphical depictions of the universal workflow steps in a graphical user interface, determining a completion status of each of the universal workflow steps based on a completion status of each of the one or more workflow tasks associated with each of the universal workflow steps, and graphically indicating in the graphical user interface the completion status of each of the universal workflow steps. Corresponding methods and systems are also disclosed.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

associating, by a provisioning workflow management system, one or more workflow tasks with each of a plurality of universal workflow steps, the one or more workflow tasks being specific to a provisioning workflow that corresponds to a first type of network circuit;

receiving, by the provisioning workflow management system, a request to provision a network circuit of the first type;

displaying, by the provisioning workflow management system in response to the request, graphical depictions representative of the universal workflow steps for provisioning the network circuit of the first type in a graphical user interface;

detecting, by the provisioning workflow management subsystem, a selection by a user of a graphical depiction included in the graphical depictions and representative of a universal workflow step included in the plurality of universal workflow steps;

displaying, by the provisioning workflow management subsystem in response to the selection by the user of the graphical depiction representative of the universal workflow step, the one or more workflow tasks associated with the universal workflow step;

updating, by the provisioning workflow management subsystem while the one or more workflow tasks associated with the universal workflow step are displayed, a completion status of at least one workflow task included in the one or more workflow tasks associated with the universal workflow step;

determining, by the provisioning workflow management system, a completion status of one or more universal workflow steps included in the plurality of universal workflow steps based on the updated completion status of the at least one workflow task;

graphically indicating, by the provisioning workflow management system in the graphical user interface, the completion status of the one or more universal workflow steps;

dynamically updating, by the provisioning workflow management system, the graphical indication of the completion status of the one or more universal workflow steps in real time as the one or more workflow tasks associated with the one or more universal workflow steps are determined to be completed.

2. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

associating, by the provisioning workflow management system, one or more other workflow tasks with each of the plurality of universal workflow steps, the one or more other workflow tasks being specific to another provisioning workflow that corresponds to a second type of network circuit;

receiving, by the provisioning workflow management system, another request to provision a network circuit of the second type;

displaying, by the provisioning workflow management system in response to the another request, other graphical depictions of each of the universal workflow steps in the graphical user interface;

determining, by the provisioning workflow management system, a completion status of each of the universal workflow steps associated with the other graphical depictions based on a completion status of each of the one or more other workflow tasks associated with each of the universal workflow steps; and

graphically indicating, by the provisioning workflow management system in the graphical user interface, the completion status of each of the universal workflow steps associated with the other graphical depictions.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the network circuit corresponds to a service or product ordered by a customer by way of an order, and wherein the plurality of universal workflow steps comprise an order collection step associated with the order, an order approval step associated with the order, and an order completion step associated with the order.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein the plurality of universal workflow steps further comprise a circuit path determination step, a circuit inventory step, a network layer provisioning step, and a circuit testing and activation step.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein the wherein the plurality of universal workflow steps further comprise a third party ordering step and a customer premises equipment configuration step.

6. The method of claim 1, further comprising directing, by the provisioning workflow management system, one or more provisioning systems distinct and separate from the provisioning workflow management system to perform at least one of the workflow tasks.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein the dynamically updating the graphical indication of the completion status of the one or more universal workflow steps comprises dynamically modifying one or more display attributes of one or more of the graphical depictions representative of the one or more universal workflow steps in response to a completion of at least one of the one or more workflow tasks associated with the universal workflow step.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein the dynamically updating the graphical indication of the completion status of the one or more universal workflow steps comprises displaying a graphical depiction of a completion status adjacent to one or more of the graphical depictions representative of the one or more universal workflow steps in response to a completion of at least one of the one or more workflow tasks associated with the one or more universal workflow steps.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein the network circuit comprises a telecommunication circuit.

10. The method of claim 1, embodied as computer-executable instructions on at least one tangible computer-readable medium.

11. A method comprising:

maintaining, by a provisioning workflow management system, data representative of one or more workflow tasks associated with each of a plurality of universal workflow steps in a provisioning workflow that is applicable to a provisioning of a plurality of distinct types of network circuits;

receiving, by the provisioning workflow management system, a request to provision a first type of network circuit included in the plurality of distinct types of network circuits;

displaying in a graphical user interface, by the provisioning workflow management system in response to the request, graphical depictions representative of the universal workflow steps as applied to the provisioning of the first type of network circuit;

detecting, by the provisioning workflow management system, a selection by a user of a graphical depiction included in the graphical depictions and representative of a universal workflow step included in the plurality of universal workflow steps;

displaying, by the provisioning workflow management system in response to the selection by the user of the graphical depiction representative of the universal workflow step, the one or more workflow tasks associated with the universal workflow step;

updating, by the provisioning workflow management system while the one or more workflow tasks associated with the universal workflow step are displayed, a completion status of at least one workflow task included in the one or more workflow tasks associated with the universal workflow step;

determining, by the provisioning workflow management system, a completion status of one or more universal workflow steps included in the plurality of universal workflow steps based on the updated completion status of the at least one workflow task; and

dynamically modifying, by the provisioning workflow management system and in response to the determining of the completion status of the one or more universal workflow steps, one or more of the graphical depictions of the universal workflow steps to graphically depict the completion status of the one or more universal workflow steps in real time.

12. The method of claim 11, further comprising:

receiving, by the provisioning workflow management system, another request to provision a second type of network circuit included in the plurality of distinct types of network circuits;

displaying in another graphical user interface, by the provisioning workflow management system in response to the another request, other graphical depictions of each of the universal workflow steps as applied to the provisioning of the second type of network circuit; and

dynamically modifying, by the provisioning workflow management system, one or more of the other graphical depictions of the universal workflow steps to graphically depict progress made in completing the provisioning of the second type of network circuit.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the network circuit corresponds to a service or product ordered by a customer by way of an order, and wherein the plurality of universal workflow steps comprise an order collection step associated with the order, an order approval step associated with the order, and an order completion step associated with the order.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the plurality of universal workflow steps further comprise a circuit path determination step, a circuit inventory step, a network layer provisioning step, and a circuit testing and activation step.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the plurality of universal workflow steps further comprise a third party ordering step and a customer premises equipment configuration step.

16. The method of claim 11, further comprising directing, by the provisioning workflow management system, one or more provisioning systems distinct and separate from the provisioning workflow management system to perform one or more workflow tasks associated with each of the universal workflow steps.

17. The method of claim 11, wherein graphically depicting the completion status of the one or more universal workflow steps in real time comprises dynamically modifying one or more display attributes of the one or more of the graphical depictions of the universal workflow steps.

18. The method of claim 11, embodied as computer-executable instructions on at least one tangible computer-readable medium.

19. A system comprising:

a workflow task association facility configured to associate one or more workflow tasks with each of a plurality of universal workflow steps, the one or more workflow tasks being specific to a provisioning workflow that corresponds to a first type of network circuit;

a communication facility configured to receive a request to provision a network circuit of the first type; and

a workflow management facility communicatively coupled to the communication facility and configured to

display, in response to the request, graphical depictions representative of the universal workflow steps for provisioning the network circuit of the first type in a graphical user interface,

detect a selection by a user of a graphical depiction included in the graphical depictions and representative of a universal workflow step included in the plurality of universal workflow steps;

display, in response to the selection by the user of the graphical depiction representative of the universal workflow step, the one or more workflow tasks associated with the universal workflow step;

update, while one or more workflow tasks associated with the universal workflow step are displayed, a completion status of at least one workflow task included in the one or more workflow tasks associated with the universal workflow step;

determine a completion status of one or more universal workflow steps included in the plurality of universal workflow steps based on the updated completion status of the at least one workflow task,

graphically indicate in the graphical user interface the completion status of the one or more universal workflow steps, and

dynamically update the graphical indication of the completion status of the one or more universal workflow steps in real time as the one or more workflow tasks associated with the one or more universal workflow steps are determined to be completed.

20. The system of claim 19, wherein:

the workflow task association facility is further configured to associate one or more other workflow tasks with each of the plurality of universal workflow steps, the one or more other workflow tasks being specific to another provisioning workflow that corresponds to a second type of network circuit;

the communication facility is further configured to receive another request to provision a network circuit of the second type; and

the workflow management facility is further configured to

display, in response to the request, other graphical depictions of the universal workflow steps in the graphical user interface,

determine a completion status of each of the universal workflow steps associated with the other graphical depictions based on a completion status of each of the one or more other workflow tasks associated with each of the universal workflow steps, and

graphically indicate in the graphical user interface the completion status of each of the universal workflow steps associated with the other graphical depictions.