Creative process modeling and tracking system

• US 9,047,575 B2
• Filed: 05/04/2009
• Issued: 06/02/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Oracle International Corporation (Oracle Corporation)
• Inventors: Ioannou, Andrew
• Primary Examiner(s): Hayles, Ashford S
• Application Number:
  US12/435,209
• Publication Number:
  US 20100280883A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,220 Days
• Field of Search: 705/31
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063114 Status monitoring or status determination for a person or group

Abstract

One embodiment is a system that allows multiple entities to track a process for developing a product. The system receives a process defined in terms of the entities, which are involved in the process, and the relationships, which exist among the entities. The system permits a process instance to be created from the defined process upon deeming that the process is valid, and permits the first process instance to be tracked with respect to requirements and solutions that are specified by entities in the process instance.

Claims

1. A non-transitory computer readable medium having instructions stored thereon that, when executed by a processor, cause the processor to:

receive a process comprising a plurality of levels;

create a first process instance from the defined process, the first process instance comprised of a plurality of first process entities;

permit the first process instance to be tracked based at least on requirements and solutions that are specified by the first process entities in the first process instance;

wherein the first process instance comprises an assignment of one or more first users for each of the first process entities and determines a status of each of the first process entities;

wherein each level comprises one or more components, and each component contributes to a description of its corresponding level, and the process comprises a plurality of relationships between components on different levels; and

allow an assigned user of a first component to propose a new relationship to assigned users of selected components at different selected levels, and tracking for later retrieval the proposed new relationship including a proposal date and an acceptance date wherein each component comprises an associated hyperlink that when selected provides a content of the component;

provide a first link in association with a first process name identifying the first process instance, the first link providing access to detailed information regarding selected components of the first process instance, the detailed information comprising;

a status map to provide an overall status of each component of the selected process instance, the status map being a graphical representation of the defined process;

a listing of a set of requirements of a first selected component and a listing of a set of solutions of a second selected component;

a listing of a set of component relationships involving the first selected component and the second selected component, wherein each component relationship indicates proposed solutions of the second selected component to the requirements of the first selected component;

a listing of a status of each of the component relationships within the set of component relationships; and

an indication as to whether each of the component relationships within the set of component relationships have been approved, wherein an approval date is provided in association with each approved component relationship.

2. The computer readable medium of claim 1, further comprising allowing a component to be edited by a component user, wherein the edited comprises proposing the new relationship between selected components of selected levels.

3. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

provide a first link in association with a first process name identifying the first process instance, the first link providing access to detailed information regarding selected entities of the first process instance.

4. The computer readable medium of claim 3, wherein upon receiving a change to the first process instance, the instructions further cause the processor to:

update a first overall status upon determining that the first overall status is not reflective of the first process instance including the change; and

update the detailed information to reflect the change to the first process instance.

5. The computer readable medium of claim 4, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

send a notification to each entity affected by the change, the notification includes information regarding the change, and any updates to the detailed information resulting from the change to the first process instance.

6. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein the instructions further cause the processor to:

receive a scenario involving a temporary change to at least one component of the first process instance;

preview a first overall status to reflect the first process instance in view of the temporary change to a component;

preview the detailed information to reflect the temporary change to the first process instance and compare a total amount of work between a number of selected scenarios; and

permit the first overall status and the detailed information to revert to a state prior to receiving the scenario upon receiving a request.

14. The computer readable medium of claim 1, wherein each relationship is defined as either a full solution that comprises a first set of components from one level that completely solves a second set of components from a second level, or a partial solution that comprises a first set of components from one level that partially solves a second set of components from a second level.

7. A collaborative system for developing a product, the system comprising:

a process map user interface that enables a process for developing the product to be defined in terms of multiple entities, wherein the multiple entities include a first entity that is responsible for providing at least one component requirement to a second entity, wherein the second entity is responsible for providing at least one component solution to the first entity;

component user interfaces that enable each entity to create, modify, and track component requirements or component solutions associated with a process instance of the process, wherein the process instance comprises an assignment of one or more users for each of the entities;

a process instance user interface that enables the second entity assigned users to review the at least one component requirement of the first entity and propose the at least one component solution to the first entity assigned users, the process instance user interface enables the first entity assigned users to review the at least one component solution of the second entity assigned users and accept the at least one component solution in response to the at least one component requirement; and

a component change detection module that detects changes to the at least one component requirement and the at least one component solution of the process instance, wherein the first and second entities are notified of any detected changes, wherein the component change detection module comprises a processor executing instructions stored on a storage device;

wherein the process comprises a plurality of levels and each level comprises one or more components, and each component contributes to a description of its corresponding level, and the process comprises a plurality of relationships between components on different levels;

further allowing an assigned user of a first component to propose a new relationship to assigned users of selected components at different selected levels, the proposed new relationship, and tracking for later retrieval the proposed new relationship including a proposal date and an acceptance date, wherein each component comprises an associated hyperlink that when selected provides a content of the component;

wherein the process instance user interface provides a first link in association with a first process name identifying the first process instance, the first link providing access to detailed information regarding selected components of the first process instance, the detailed information comprising;

a status map to provide an overall status of each component of the selected process instance, the status map being a graphical representation of the defined process;

a listing of a set of requirements of a first selected component and a listing of a set of solutions of a second selected component;

a listing of a set of component relationships involving the first selected component and the second selected component, wherein each component relationship indicates proposed solutions of the second selected component to the requirements of the first selected component;

a listing of a status of each of the component relationships within the set of component relationships; and

an indication as to whether each of the component relationships within the set of component relationships have been approved, wherein an approval date is provided in association with each approved component relationship.

8. The system of claim 7, further comprising:

a scenario analysis user interface that enables the first and second entities to visualize effects of various changes to either the component requirement or the component solution that is expected to occur to the process instance without having to implement the various changes to the process instance.

10. The system of claim 7, further comprising limiting, based on assigned roles, users that are allowed to propose the new relationship.

11. The system of claim 8, the scenario analysis user interface further enabling a comparison of a total amount of work between a number of selected scenarios.

15. The system of claim 7, wherein each relationship is defined as either a full solution that comprises a first set of components from one level that completely solves a second set of components from a second level, or a partial solution that comprises a first set of components from one level that partially solves a second set of components from a second level.

9. A computer implemented method for tracking a process for developing a product, said method comprising:

storing by a processor a process map, the process map defines a process with respect to multiple levels, each level includes an entity that is responsible for creating a number of component requirements and/or a number of component solutions for another level; and

tracking by the processor a status of each component requirement or solution at any specified point in time for a process instance of the process, wherein the process instance comprises an assignment of one or more users each of the entities;

updating by the processor the status in accordance with any changes that are made to any of the component requirements or solutions; and

notifying any relevant entities, which are affected by a change to the component requirement or the component solution, upon detecting the change to a component requirement or component solution;

wherein each level comprises one or more components, and each component contributes to a description of its corresponding level, and the process comprises a plurality of relationships between components on different levels;

allowing an assigned user of a first component to propose a new relationship to assigned users of selected components at different selected levels, and tracking for later retrieval the proposed new relationship including a proposal date and an acceptance date, wherein each component comprises an associated hyperlink that when selected provides a content of the component;

providing a first link in association with a first process name identifying the first process instance, the first link providing access to detailed information regarding selected components of the first process instance, the detailed information comprising;

a status map to provide an overall status of each component of the selected process instance, the status map being a graphical representation of the defined process;

a listing of a set of requirements of a first selected component and a listing of a set of solutions of a second selected component;

a listing of a set of component relationships involving the first selected component and the second selected component, wherein each component relationship indicates proposed solutions of the second selected component to the requirements of the first selected component;

a listing of a status of each of the component relationships within the set of component relationships; and

an indication as to whether each of the component relationships within the set of component relationships have been approved, wherein an approval date is provided in association with each approved component relationship.

12. The method of claim 9, further comprising limiting, based on assigned roles, users that are allowed to propose the new relationship.

13. The method of claim 9, further comprising providing a comparison of a total amount of work between a number of selected scenarios of process instances.

16. The method of claim 9, wherein each relationship is defined as either a full solution that comprises a first set of components from one level that completely solves a second set of components from a second level, or a partial solution that comprises a first set of components from one level that partially solves a second set of components from a second level.