Linear visualization for overview, status display, and navigation along business scenario instances

• US 9,064,220 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2011
• Issued: 06/23/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP SE
• Inventors: Brosche, Marianne, Knospe, Holger, Pecht-Seibert, Guenter, Mayerle, Jochen, Keil, Ulrich, Fessler, Joachim, Geisau, Otfried, Schultz, Uwe, Steinbach, Jochen
• Primary Examiner(s): ALVESTEFFER, STEPHEN D
• Application Number:
  US13/326,207
• Publication Number:
  US 20130159907A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,287 Days
• Field of Search: None
• 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

Abstract

Transactional data associated with a specific instance of a business scenario that includes an intersecting process feature requiring prerequisite action by a prerequisite process feature that is part of another business scenario can be linked to a scenario model providing a linearized representation in which other process features of the business scenario, the intersecting process feature, and the prerequisite process feature are arranged in a linear sequence. A navigation pane including a linear progression of user interface elements representing the linear sequence can be concurrently displayed with a work pane including other user interface elements corresponding to functionality provided by business software architecture features related to a currently selected process feature. The navigation pane display can expand at a selected user interface element to display additional user interface elements corresponding to process features involved in completion of the process feature corresponding to the selected first user interface element.

Claims

1. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory machine-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by at least one programmable processor, cause the at least one programmable processor to perform operations comprising:

linking transactional data associated with a specific instance of a first business scenario to a scenario model representing the first business process, the first business scenario comprising a plurality of first business process features, the plurality of first business process features comprising an intersecting business process requiring prerequisite action by at least one prerequisite business process feature that is part of a second business scenario, the scenario model comprising a linearized representation of the first business scenario in which the plurality of first business process features, the intersecting business process, and the at least one prerequisite business process feature are arranged in a linear sequence;

displaying, concurrently in a user interface, a scenario navigation pane and a work pane, the scenario navigation pane comprising a plurality of first user interface elements arranged in a linear progression to represent the plurality of first business process features in the linear sequence, the work pane comprising a plurality of second user interface elements corresponding to functionality provided by one or more feature modules of a business software architecture related to a currently selected one of the plurality of first business process features; and

changing the scenario navigation pane to expand the linear progression at a selected one of the plurality of first user interface elements to display at least one additional user interface element corresponding to at least one process step involved in completion of the one of the plurality of first business process features corresponding to the selected one of the plurality of first user interface elements.

2. A computer program product as in claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a user selection of a different one of the first plurality of user interface elements corresponding to a different one of the plurality of first business process features that the currently selected one; and

changing the work pane to comprise a plurality of third user interface elements corresponding to functionality provided by one or more feature modules of the business software architecture related to the different one of the plurality of first business process features.

3. A computer program product as in claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

providing a process browser user interface element in the user interface;

receiving a user selection of the process browser user interface element; and

displaying, in the user interface, a graphical representation of a plurality of business scenarios supported by the business software architecture, the plurality of business scenarios comprising the first business scenario and the second business scenario, the graphical representation illustrating the first business scenario and the second business scenario intersecting at the intersecting business process feature.

4. A computer program product as in claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a user selection of a different one of the first plurality of user interface elements corresponding to the intersecting business process feature; and

changing the scenario navigation pane to comprise a plurality of different user interface elements arranged in a second linear progression to represent a second linear sequence into which a plurality of second business process feature of the second business scenario are arranged according to a second linearized representation of the second business scenario defined in a second scenario model.

5. A computer program product as in claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise providing a visual indicator in the scenario navigation pane, the visual indicator identifying one of the plurality of first user interface elements corresponding to the currently selected one of the plurality of first business process feature.

6. A computer program product as in claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise associating, with at least one of the plurality of first user interface elements in the scenario navigation pane, a status indicator showing a current completion status of the business process feature corresponding to the at least one of the plurality of first user interface elements, the current completion status being calculated based on the linked transactional data.

7. A system comprising:

at least one programmable processor; and

a machine-readable medium storing instructions that, when executed by the, cause the at least one programmable processor to perform operations comprising;

linking transactional data associated with a specific instance of a first business scenario to a scenario model representing the first business process, the first business scenario comprising a plurality of first business process features, the plurality of first business process features comprising an intersecting business process requiring prerequisite action by at least one prerequisite business process feature that is part of a second business scenario, the scenario model comprising a linearized representation of the first business scenario in which the plurality of first business process features, the intersecting business process, and the at least one prerequisite business process feature are arranged in a linear sequence;

displaying, concurrently in a user interface, a scenario navigation pane and a work pane, the scenario navigation pane comprising a plurality of first user interface elements arranged in a linear progression to represent the plurality of first business process features in the linear sequence, the work pane comprising a plurality of second user interface elements corresponding to functionality provided by one or more feature modules of a business software architecture related to a currently selected one of the plurality of first business process features; and

changing the scenario navigation pane to expand the linear progression at a selected one of the plurality of first user interface elements to display at least one additional user interface element corresponding to at least one process step involved in completion of the one of the plurality of first business process features corresponding to the selected one of the plurality of first user interface elements.

8. A system as in claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a user selection of a different one of the first plurality of user interface elements corresponding to a different one of the plurality of first business process features that the currently selected one; and

changing the work pane to comprise a plurality of third user interface elements corresponding to functionality provided by one or more feature modules of the business software architecture related to the different one of the plurality of first business process features.

9. A system as in claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise:

providing a process browser user interface element in the user interface;

receiving a user selection of the process browser user interface element; and

displaying, in the user interface, a graphical representation of a plurality of business scenarios supported by the business software architecture, the plurality of business scenarios comprising the first business scenario and the second business scenario, the graphical representation illustrating the first business scenario and the second business scenario intersecting at the intersecting business process feature.

10. A system as in claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise:

receiving a user selection of a different one of the first plurality of user interface elements corresponding to the intersecting business process feature; and

changing the scenario navigation pane to comprise a plurality of different user interface elements arranged in a second linear progression to represent a second linear sequence into which a plurality of second business process feature of the second business scenario are arranged according to a second linearized representation of the second business scenario defined in a second scenario model.

11. A system as in claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise providing a visual indicator in the scenario navigation pane, the visual indicator identifying one of the plurality of first user interface elements corresponding to the currently selected one of the plurality of first business process feature.

12. A system as in claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise associating, with at least one of the plurality of first user interface elements in the scenario navigation pane, a status indicator showing a current completion status of the business process feature corresponding to the at least one of the plurality of first user interface elements, the current completion status being calculated based on the linked transactional data.

13. A computer-implemented method comprising:

linking transactional data associated with a specific instance of a first business scenario to a scenario model representing the first business process, the first business scenario comprising a plurality of first business process features, the plurality of first business process features comprising an intersecting business process requiring prerequisite action by at least one prerequisite business process feature that is part of a second business scenario, the scenario model comprising a linearized representation of the first business scenario in which the plurality of first business process features, the intersecting business process, and the at least one prerequisite business process feature are arranged in a linear sequence;

displaying, concurrently in a user interface, a scenario navigation pane and a work pane, the scenario navigation pane comprising a plurality of first user interface elements arranged in a linear progression to represent the plurality of first business process features in the linear sequence, the work pane comprising a plurality of second user interface elements corresponding to functionality provided by one or more feature modules of a business software architecture related to a currently selected one of the plurality of first business process features; and

changing the scenario navigation pane to expand the linear progression at a selected one of the plurality of first user interface elements to display at least one additional user interface element corresponding to at least one process step involved in completion of the one of the plurality of first business process features corresponding to the selected one of the plurality of first user interface elements.

14. A computer-implemented method as in claim 13, further comprising:

receiving a user selection of a different one of the first plurality of user interface elements corresponding to a different one of the plurality of first business process features that the currently selected one; and

changing the work pane to comprise a plurality of third user interface elements corresponding to functionality provided by one or more feature modules of the business software architecture related to the different one of the plurality of first business process features.

15. A computer-implemented method as in claim 13, further comprising:

providing a process browser user interface element in the user interface;

receiving a user selection of the process browser user interface element; and

displaying, in the user interface, a graphical representation of a plurality of business scenarios supported by the business software architecture, the plurality of business scenarios comprising the first business scenario and the second business scenario, the graphical representation illustrating the first business scenario and the second business scenario intersecting at the intersecting business process feature.

16. A computer-implemented method as in claim 13, further comprising:

receiving a user selection of a different one of the first plurality of user interface elements corresponding to the intersecting business process feature; and

changing the scenario navigation pane to comprise a plurality of different user interface elements arranged in a second linear progression to represent a second linear sequence into which a plurality of second business process feature of the second business scenario are arranged according to a second linearized representation of the second business scenario defined in a second scenario model.

17. A computer-implemented method as in claim 13, further comprising providing a visual indicator in the scenario navigation pane, the visual indicator identifying one of the plurality of first user interface elements corresponding to the currently selected one of the plurality of first business process feature.

18. A computer-implemented method as in claim 13, further comprising associating, with at least one of the plurality of first user interface elements in the scenario navigation pane, a status indicator showing a current completion status of the business process feature corresponding to the at least one of the plurality of first user interface elements, the current completion status being calculated based on the linked transactional data.

19. A computer-implemented method as in claim 13, wherein at least one of the linking, the displaying, and the changing is performed by at least one programmable processor.