Systems and methods for managing workflows

• US 8,732,568 B1
• Filed: 09/15/2011
• Issued: 05/20/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 09/15/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Veritas Technologies, LLC (Whitehouse Group Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Symantec Corporation (NortonLifeLock Inc.)
• Inventors: Mullangath, Sinoj
• Primary Examiner(s): HUYNH, CONG LAC T
• Application Number:
  US13/233,255
• Time in Patent Office: 978 Days
• Field of Search: 715/200, 715/255
• US Class Current: 715/200
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0481 based on specific properties of the displayed interaction object or a metaphor-based environment, e.g. interaction with desktop elements like windows or icons, or assisted by a cursor's changing behaviour or appearance
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0633 Workflow analysis

Abstract

A method for managing a multi-stage workflow may include: 1) displaying representations of the plurality of stages of the multi-stage workflow to the user via a graphical user interface, each representation of a workflow stage from the plurality of stages indicating a completion status of the workflow stage; 2) receiving, at a first stage in the multi-stage workflow, input from the user; 3) determining that the input from the user at the first stage affects a second stage in the multi-stage workflow; 4) in response to determining that the input from the user affects the second stage, changing a completion status of the second stage to an updated completion status; and 5) in response to changing the completion status of the second stage, modifying a representation of the second stage such that the representation of the second stage indicates to the user the updated completing status of the second stage.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method for managing workflows, at least a portion of the method being performed by a computing device comprising at least one processor, the method comprising:

managing a multi-stage workflow that presents a user with a plurality of sequential stages to be completed by the user;

displaying representations of the plurality of stages of the multi-stage workflow to the user via a Graphical User Interface (GUI), each representation of a workflow stage from the plurality of stages indicating a completion status of the workflow stage;

receiving, at a first stage in the multi-stage workflow, input from the user;

updating, in response to receiving the input from the user at the first stage, the completion status of one or more additional stages in the multi-stage workflow by;

determining that the input from the user at the first stage affects the completion status of a second stage in the multi-stage workflow,

in response to determining that the input from the user at the first stage affects the completion status of the second stage, changing the completion status of the second stage, wherein changing the completion status comprises changing a current complete status to an incomplete status;

in response to changing the completion status of the second stage, modifying a representation of the second stage such that the representation of the second stage indicates to the user the updated completion status of the second stage.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein changing the completion status of the second stage further comprises at least one of:

changing the completion status to indicate that the user can optionally enter additional input at the second stage;

changing the completion status to indicate that the user is required to enter additional input at the second stage.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving input from the user is the result of at least one of:

the user entering information into a data field;

the user choosing one or more of a plurality of selections requested by the workflow stage;

the user performing a physical task and providing input to the workflow stage indicating that the task was completed.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein modifying the representation of the second stage comprises changing an order in which the second stage is displayed relative to other workflow stages.

5. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the input from the user at the first stage causes a chain-reaction with respect to other stages in the workflow by;

determining that the input from the user at the first stage affects the completion status of the second stage such that the second stage requires additional input;

determining that the additional input to the second stage affects a completion status of one or more additional stages;

in response to determining that the input from the user at the first stage causes the chain-reaction, updating the completion status of the one or more additional stages.

6. The method of claim 5, further comprising:

determining that the input from the user at the first stage affects the completion status of a third stage in the multi-stage workflow, wherein the third stage comes after the first stage in a sequence of the multi-stage workflow and the second stage comes before the first stage in the sequence of the multi-stage workflow;

in response to determining that the input from the user at the first stage affects the completion status of the third stage, changing the completion status of the third stage to an updated completion status;

in response to changing the completion status of the third stage, modifying a representation of the third stage such that the representation of the third stage indicates to the user the updated completion status of the third stage.

7. The method of claim 6, further comprising:

determining that the input from the user at the first stage affects a completion status of each stage in a plurality of stages before the first stage in the sequence of the multi-stage workflow and a completion status of each stage in a plurality of stages after the first stage in the sequence of the multi-stage workflow, wherein;

determining that the input from the user at the first stage affects the completion status of each of the stages in the plurality of stages before the first stage comprises determining that the input from the user at the first stage affects the completion status of the second stage;

determining that the input from the user at the first stage affects the completion status of each of the stages in the plurality of stages after the first stage comprises determining that the input from the user at the first stage affects the third stage;

in response to determining that the input from the user at the first stage affects the completion status of each of the stages in the plurality of stages before and after the first stage, changing the completion status of each of the stages in the plurality of stages before and after the first stage to the updated completion status, wherein changing the completion status of each of the stages in the plurality of stages comprises changing the completion status of the second and third stages;

in response to changing the completion status of each of the stages in the plurality of stages, modifying a representation of each of the stages in the plurality of stages such that the representations of each stage in the plurality of stages indicate to the user the updated completion status of each of the stages in the plurality of stages, wherein modifying the representation of each of the stages in the plurality of stages comprises modifying the representations of the second and third stages.

8. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

in response to determining that the input from the user at the first stage affects the completion status of the second stage, informing the user of a sequence of stages that the user needs to revisit to complete the multi-stage workflow, wherein;

the sequence of stages identifies the second stage;

the sequence of stages identifies an order in which the user should revisit the stages identified in the sequence of stages.

9. The method of claim 1, further comprising:

determining that the input from the user at the first stage completes the first stage;

in response to determining that the input from the user at the first stage completes the first stage, changing a completion status of the first stage to completed;

in response to changing the completion status of the first stage to completed, modifying a representation of the first stage such that the representation of the first stage indicates to the user the completed status of the first stage.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein:

modifying the representation of the second stage comprises changing the representation of the second stage to a first color that indicates that the second stage was previously visited by the user but needs to be revisited by the user;

modifying the representation of the first stage comprises changing the representation of the first stage to a second color that indicates that the first stage is completed;

a representation of a third stage comprises a third color that indicates the third stage has not been visited by the user and is not completed.

11. A system comprising a computing device for managing workflows, the computing device comprising:

a management module programmed to manage a multi-stage workflow that presents a user with a plurality of sequential stages to be completed by the user;

a display module programmed to display representations of the plurality of stages of the multi-stage workflow to the user via a Graphical User Interface (GUI), each representation of a workflow stage from the plurality of stages indicating a completion status of the workflow stage;

an input module programmed to receive, at a first stage in the multi-stage workflow, input from the user;

a determination module programmed to determine that the input from the user at the first stage affects the completion status of a second stage in the multi-stage workflow;

an update module programmed to update, in response to receiving the input from the user, the completion status of one or more additional stages in the multi-stage workflow by;

in response to determining that the input from the user at the first stage affects the completion status of the second stage, changing the completion status of the second stage, wherein;

changing the completion status comprises changing a current complete status to an incomplete status;

the display module is further programmed to, in response to the update module changing the completion status of the second stage, modify a representation of the second stage such that the representation of the second stage indicates to the user the updated completion status of the second stage.

12. The system of claim 11, wherein the update module is further programmed to change the completion status of the second stage by performing at least one of:

changing the completion status to indicate that the user can optionally enter additional input at the second stage;

changing the completion status to indicate that the user is required to enter additional input at the second stage.

13. The system of claim 11, wherein the input module is programmed to receive input from the user as a result of at least of one:

the user entering information into a data field;

the user choosing one or more of a plurality of selections requested by the workflow stage;

the user performing a physical task and providing input to the workflow stage indicating that the task was completed.

14. The system of claim 11, wherein the update module is programmed to modify the representation of the second stage by changing an order in which the second stage is displayed relative to other workflow stages.

15. The system of claim 11, wherein:

the determination module is programmed to determine that the input from the user at the first stage causes a chain-reaction with respect to other stages in the workflow by;

determining that the input from the user at the first stage affects the completion status of the second stage such that the second stage requires additional input;

determining that the additional input to the second stage affects a completion status of one or more additional stages;

the update module is programmed to update the completion status of the one or more additional stages in response to determining that the input from the user at the first stage causes the chain-reaction.

16. The system of claim 15, wherein:

the determination module is programmed to determine that the input from the user at the first stage affects the completion status of a third stage in the multi-stage workflow, wherein the third stage comes after the first stage in a sequence of the multi-stage workflow and the second stage comes before the first stage in the sequence of the multi-stage workflow;

the update module is programmed to, in response to determining that the input from the user at the first stage affects the completion status of the third stage, change the completion status of the third stage to an updated completion status;

the update module is programmed to, in response to changing the completion status of the third stage, modify a representation of the third stage such that the representation of the third stage indicates to the user the updated completion status of the third stage.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein:

the determination module is programmed to determine that the input from the user at the first stage affects a completion status of each stage in a plurality of stages before the first stage in the sequence of the multi-stage workflow and a completion status of each stage in a plurality of stages after the first stage in the sequence of the multi-stage workflow;

the update module is programmed to, in response to determining that the input from the user at the first stage affects the completion status of each of the stages in the plurality of stages before and after the first stage, change the completion status of each of the stages in the plurality of stages before and after the first stage to the updated completion status;

the update module is programmed to, in response to changing the completion status of each of the stages in the plurality of stages, modify a representation of each of the stages in the plurality of stages such that the representations of each stage in the plurality of stages indicate to the user the updated completion status of each of the stages in the plurality of stages.

18. The system of claim 11, wherein the management module is programmed to, in response to determining that the input from the user at the first stage affects the completion status of the second stage:

inform the user of a sequence of stages that the user needs to revisit to complete the multi-stage workflow, wherein;

the sequence of stages identifies the second stage;

the sequence of stages identifies an order in which the user should revisit the stages identified in the sequence of stages;

modify an overall workflow status indicator to indicate that the multi-stage workflow is incomplete.

19. The system of claim 11, wherein:

the updated completion status of the second stage indicates that a loop of sequential stages in the multi-stage workflow is incomplete;

the representations of each stage in the sequential stage are modified to indicate to the user that the loop of sequential stages is incomplete and needs to be revisited.

20. A computer-readable-storage medium comprising one or more computer-executable instructions that, when executed by at least one processor of a computing device, cause the computing device to:

manage a multi-stage workflow that presents a user with a plurality of sequential stages to be completed by the user;

display representations of the plurality of stages of the multi-stage workflow to the user via a Graphical User Interface (GUI), each representation of a workflow stage from the plurality of stages indicating a completion status of the workflow stage;

receive, at a first stage in the multi-stage workflow, input from the user;

update, in response to receiving the input from the user at the first stage, the completion status of one or more additional stages in the multi-stage workflow by;

determining that the input from the user at the first stage affects the completion status of a second stage in the multi-stage workflow;

in response to determining that the input from the user at the first stage affects the completion status of the second stage, changing the completion status of the second stage to an updated completion status, wherein changing the completion status comprises changing a current complete status to an incomplete status;

in response to changing the completion status of the second stage, modifying a representation of the second stage such that the representation of the second stage indicates to the user the updated completion status of the second stage.