Collaborative decision making

• US 9,224,126 B2
• Filed: 05/18/2010
• Issued: 12/29/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Micro Focus Software, Inc. (Open Text Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Novell Incorporated (Open Text Corporation)
• Inventors: Vaidya, Ashish, Carter, Stephen R, Isaacson, Scott Alan
• Primary Examiner(s): Ng, Amy
• Assistant Examiner(s): STITT, ERIK V
• Application Number:
  US12/782,230
• Publication Number:
  US 20110231779A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,051 Days
• Field of Search: 715/810, 715/764, 715/753
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management

Abstract

Techniques for collaborative decision making are presented. A collaborative decision making process is referred to as a buzz. A principal creates and defines the policies for the buzz as well as the criteria for participants of the buzz. The buzz is launched for online collaboration and is managed according to the policies. Actions and decisions are logged and recorded during the buzz.

Claims

1. A method implemented in a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium and processed by one or more processors configured to perform the method, comprising:

receiving a request to initiate an online collaborative decision process referred to as a buzz, the request received from a principal;

acquiring, from the principal, goals for success of the buzz, participant criteria for participants in the buzz, and policies for managing and concluding the buzz, the principal criteria provided as a list of roles that define when identities are assigned to those roles, those role-assigned identities comprise the participants, and dynamically evaluating selection policies defined in the principal criteria to resolve some of the identities, the identities comprise the participants, and wherein at least one of the participants participates in the buzz using multiple different identities;

initiating the buzz online for participation by the participants and the principal; and

managing the buzz in accordance with the policies to automatically make decisions based on the policies, proposals, and goals of the buzz by interrogating and using at least in part recorded activities and histories for each of the identities and the buzz as a whole in making the decisions.

2. The method of claim 1 further comprising, logging activities of the buzz in a history repository by identities, each identity for a particular activity logged in the history repository associated with the principal or a particular one of the participants.

3. The method of claim 1 further comprising, interacting with collaborative and/or personal calendaring and/or journal tools to the principal and the participants within the buzz.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising, raising events within the buzz to an event processor to take actions within the buzz in accordance with the policies and/or to send notices to other external buzzes.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising, detecting an event from an event processor that sends a notice to the buzz regarding other related buzzes to the buzz.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein receiving further includes receiving the request from the principal in response to mining a. plurality of other buzzes and providing a notice to the principal via a dashboard service listing the buzz as a potential buzz of interest to the principal.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein acquiring further includes obtaining the goals, the principal criteria, and the policies via a template presented to the principal and accepted or modified by the principal.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein acquiring further includes obtaining a moderator for the buzz as identified by the principal or other moderators of the buzz.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein acquiring further includes obtaining one or more initial proposals for resolution and discussion within the buzz by the principal.

10. The method of claim 1, wherein initiating further includes starting the buzz when a start time defined in the policies is reached or starting the buzz at state times when the buzz is a recurring buzz.

11. The method of claim 1, wherein initiating further includes sending invitations to the participants to engage one another in the buzz.

12. A method implemented in a non-transitory machine-readable storage medium and processed by one or more processors configured to perform the method, comprising:

receiving a request from a principal to initiate an online collaboration decision making process referred to as a buzz;

determining when an existing buzz is present that matches the request and when so proposing the existing buzz to the principal to satisfy the request, wherein determining further includes performing a scoring technique using a threshold value to identify a substantial match on the existing buzz;

joining the principal to the existing buzz when the principal agrees, the existing buzz and the buzz become one and the same;

initiating the buzz as a new buzz when the principal does not agree to joining the existing buzz, the new buzz and the buzz become one and the same; and

using a trend indicator within the summary details to inform the principal when decisions for the buzz are becoming less likely and permitting the principal to interject additional information into the buzz to alter the trend and steer the buzz back on a track that the principal desires and providing at least some of the summary details for a particular different principal to the principal and permitting the principal to influence that particular principal in a particular direction by interrogating and using at least in part recorded activities and a history for the particular different principal and the buzz as a whole in permitting the principal to influence that particular principal in the particular direction, and wherein the principal participates in the buzz under multiple different identities.

13. The method of claim 12 further comprising, presenting on a dashboard of the principal summary details for the buzz as the buzz progresses.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein presenting further includes presenting identities with the summary details to inform the principal of identities for other principals to which the summary details relate.

15. The method of claim 12, wherein initiating further includes selectively copying policies, goals, proposals, and attributes of the existing buzz when initiating the new buzz for the principal.

16. A non-transitory multi-processor implemented system, comprising:

a first processor configured to start a buzz controller, the buzz controller configured to initiate one or more online collaborative decision processes, referred to as buzzes;

a second processor configured to start a buzz modulator, the buzz modulator configured to send instructions to participants in the buzz and allow the participants to interact with the buzz and the buzz modulator configured to support a direction of a particular buzz made by a particular participant using instructions received from the particular participant of that particular buzz; and

a third processor configured to start a buzz event processor, the buzz event processor configured to raise and detect events occurring within the buzzes and send notices and take actions based on the events;

the buzz controller joins the participants to t le buzzes and ensures policies for each buzz are satisfied, the buzz controller joins each of the participants when that participant is assigned to a role defined in a role list by a principal, the buzz modulator provides information to the buzz controller, the buzzes, and the participants via the instructions, the buzz event processor traps some of the events from the buzz controller, the buzz modulator, and the buzzes for purposes of generating other events that are then communicated to the buzz controller, the buzz modulator, and the buzzes and decisions for each buzz are automatically made based on policies, proposals, and goals for that buzz by interrogating and using at least in part recorded activities and histories for the participants and the buzzes as a whole in automatically making the decisions for each buzz, wherein at least one of the participants participates in the buzz using multiple different identites.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein at least one buzz is a closed-decision making process where a leader is assigned and when a decision is reached, that buzz concludes.

18. The system of claim 16, wherein at least one buzz is an open-decision making process where more than one leader exists and each leader self-appoints his/her leadership role within that buzz and when one decision is reached other decisions still exists that spawn off as sub buzzes.

19. The system of claim 18, wherein the buzz controller splits at least one buzz into two or more separate buzzes that are linked to one another.