Visualizing business processes or scenarios in a business software model using transit maps

• US 9,286,584 B2
• Filed: 12/14/2011
• Issued: 03/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP SE
• Inventors: Mayerle, Jochen, Brosche, Marianne, Keil, Ulrich, Knospe, Holger, Olson, Laura, Fessler, Joachim, Pecht-Seibert, Guenter
• Primary Examiner(s): Pan, Yongjia
• Application Number:
  US13/325,632
• Publication Number:
  US 20130159896A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,553 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06375 Prediction of business process outcome or impact based on a proposed change

Abstract

A business scenario landscape map can show a scenario-centric view of a business scenario landscape that includes business scenarios accessible to members of an organization and supported by a business software architecture. In the scenario-centric view, first user interface elements can be arranged to show a linear representation of business process features of a selected business scenario and a visual depiction of relationships between the selected business scenario and other business scenarios. Upon receiving selection of a first user interface element(s) related to another business scenario, at least some of the first user interface elements can be rearranged to show a new scenario-centric view of the business scenario landscape in which business process features of the newly selected business scenario are arranged in a new linear representation including a visual depiction of relationships between the newly selected business scenario, the originally selected business scenario, and/or relationships with other additional scenarios.

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:

displaying, via a user interface, a business scenario landscape map showing a scenario-centric view of a business scenario landscape, the business scenario landscape comprising a plurality of business scenarios accessible to members of an organization and supported by a business software architecture, the scenario-centric view comprising a first subset of a plurality of first user interface elements arranged to show a linear representation of a plurality of first business process features of a selected business scenario of the plurality of business scenarios, the scenario-centric view further comprising a second subset of the plurality of first user interface elements arranged to show at least one relationship between the selected business scenario and an other business scenario of the plurality of business scenarios, wherein the linear representation comprises the first subset of the plurality of first user interface elements disposed approximately centrally in the scenario-centric view and forming a single straight line;

receiving, via the user interface, a selection of one or more of the second subset of the plurality of first user interface elements related to the other business scenario;

rearranging, in response to receiving the selection, the plurality of first user interface elements to show a new scenario-centric view of the business scenario landscape, the new scenario-centric view comprising the second subset of the plurality of first user interface elements arranged to show a new linear representation of a plurality of second business process features of the other business scenario and the first subset of the first user interface elements arranged to show the at least one relationship and at least one other relationship between the other business scenario and a third business scenario, wherein the new linear representation comprises the second subset of the plurality of first user interface elements disposed approximately centrally in the new scenario-centric view and forming a single straight line, and wherein the first subset of the plurality of first user interface elements are arranged to show a subordinate relationship of the plurality of the first business process features to the plurality of second business process features of the other business scenario.

2. A computer program product as in claim 1, wherein the at least one relationship comprises one or more of a business scenario intersection relationship, a business scenario dependency relationship, a business scenario prerequisite relationship, and a business scenario predecessor-successor relationship.

3. A computer program product as in claim 1, wherein the selected business scenario comprises at least one of a currently active business scenario being operated on by a current user of the business software architecture and a most relevant business scenario to a role of the current user.

4. A computer program product as in claim 1, wherein the operations further comprise presenting, via the user interface upon receiving a navigation command entered via one or more of the plurality of first user interface elements, a second visualization layer based on the metadata, the second visualization layer comprising a plurality of second user interface elements displayed in a navigation pane concurrently with a work pane, the plurality of second user interface elements being arranged in a linear progression to represent a linear sequence of the plurality of second business process features of the other business scenario, the work pane comprising a plurality of additional user interface elements corresponding to functionality provided by one or more feature modules of the business software architecture related to a currently selected one of the plurality of second business process features.

5. A computer program product as in claim 1, wherein the plurality of first user interface elements are arranged in the business scenario landscape map to form a transit map view of the business scenario landscape in which each of the selected business scenario and the other business scenario are shown as linearized processes represented by a plurality of stops each representing a business process feature that is part of one or more of the selected business scenario and the other business scenario and a linear route linking at least some of those business process features that are part of each of the selected business scenario and the other business scenario.

6. A computer program product as in claim 1, wherein the subordinate scenario includes at least one of a predecessor scenario, a successor scenario, a joint use scenario, and a hierarchical use scenario.

7. A system comprising:

at least one programmable processor; and

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

displaying, via a user interface, a business scenario landscape map showing a scenario-centric view of a business scenario landscape, the business scenario landscape comprising a plurality of business scenarios accessible to members of an organization and supported by a business software architecture, the scenario-centric view comprising a first subset of a plurality of first user interface elements arranged to show a linear representation of a plurality of first business process features of a selected business scenario of the plurality of business scenarios, the scenario-centric view further comprising a second subset of the plurality of first user interface elements arranged to show at least one relationship between the selected business scenario and an other business scenario of the plurality of business scenarios, wherein the linear representation comprises the first subset of the plurality of first user interface elements disposed approximately centrally in the scenario-centric view and forming a single straight line;

receiving, via the user interface, a selection of one or more of the second subset of the plurality of first user interface elements related to the other business scenario;

rearranging, in response to receiving the selection, the plurality of first user interface elements to show a new scenario-centric view of the business scenario landscape, the new scenario-centric view comprising the second subset of the plurality of first user interface elements arranged to show a new linear representation of a plurality of second business process features of the other business scenario and the first subset of the first user interface elements arranged to show the at least one relationship and at least one other relationship between the other business scenario and a third business scenario, wherein the new linear representation comprises the second subset of the plurality of first user interface elements disposed approximately centrally in the new scenario-centric view and forming a single straight line, and wherein the first subset of the plurality of first user interface elements are arranged to show a subordinate relationship of the plurality of the first business process features to the plurality of second business process features of the other business scenario.

8. A system as in claim 7, wherein the at least one relationship comprises one or more of a business scenario intersection relationship, a business scenario dependency relationship, a business scenario prerequisite relationship, and a business scenario predecessor-successor relationship.

9. A system as in claim 7, wherein the selected business scenario comprises at least one of a currently active business scenario being operated on by a current user of the business software architecture and a most relevant business scenario to a role of the current user.

10. A system as in claim 7, wherein the operations further comprise presenting, via the user interface upon receiving a navigation command entered via one or more of the plurality of first user interface elements, a second visualization layer based on the metadata, the second visualization layer comprising a plurality of second user interface elements displayed in a navigation pane concurrently with a work pane, the plurality of second user interface elements being arranged in a linear progression to represent a linear sequence of the plurality of second business process features of the other business scenario, the work pane comprising a plurality of additional user interface elements corresponding to functionality provided by one or more feature modules of the business software architecture related to a currently selected one of the plurality of second business process features.

11. A system as in claim 7, wherein the plurality of first user interface elements are arranged in the business scenario landscape map to form a transit map view of the business scenario landscape in which each of the selected business scenario and the other business scenario are shown as linearized processes represented by a plurality of stops each representing a business process feature that is part of one or more of the selected business scenario and the other business scenario and a linear route linking at least some of those business process features that are part of each of the selected business scenario and the other business scenario.

12. A computer-implemented method comprising:

displaying, via a user interface, a business scenario landscape map showing a scenario-centric view of a business scenario landscape, the business scenario landscape comprising a plurality of business scenarios accessible to members of an organization and supported by a business software architecture, the scenario-centric view comprising a first subset of a plurality of first user interface elements arranged to show a linear representation of a plurality of first business process features of a selected business scenario of the plurality of business scenarios, the scenario-centric view further comprising a second subset of the plurality of first user interface elements arranged to show at least one relationship between the selected business scenario and an other business scenario of the plurality of business scenarios, wherein the linear representation comprises the first subset of the plurality of first user interface elements disposed approximately centrally in the scenario-centric view and forming a single straight line;

receiving, via the user interface, a selection of one or more of the second subset of the plurality of first user interface elements related to the other business scenario;

rearranging, in response to receiving the selection, the plurality of first user interface elements to show a new scenario-centric view of the business scenario landscape, the new scenario-centric view comprising the second subset of the plurality of first user interface elements arranged to show a new linear representation of a plurality of second business process features of the other business scenario and the first subset of the first user interface elements arranged to show the at least one relationship and at least one other relationship between the other business scenario and a third business scenario, wherein the new linear representation comprises the second subset of the plurality of first user interface elements disposed approximately centrally in the new scenario-centric view and forming a single straight line, and wherein the first subset of the plurality of first user interface elements are arranged to show a subordinate relationship of the plurality of the first business process features to the plurality of second business process features of the other business scenario.

13. A computer-implemented method as in claim 12, wherein the at least one relationship comprises one or more of a business scenario intersection relationship, a business scenario dependency relationship, a business scenario prerequisite relationship, and a business scenario predecessor-successor relationship.

14. A computer-implemented method as in claim 12, wherein the selected business scenario comprises at least one of a currently active business scenario being operated on by a current user of the business software architecture and a most relevant business scenario to a role of the current user.

15. A computer-implemented method as in claim 12, further comprising presenting, via the user interface upon receiving a navigation command entered via one or more of the plurality of first user interface elements, a second visualization layer based on the metadata, the second visualization layer comprising a plurality of second user interface elements displayed in a navigation pane concurrently with a work pane, the plurality of second user interface elements being arranged in a linear progression to represent a linear sequence of the plurality of second business process features of the other business scenario, the work pane comprising a plurality of additional user interface elements corresponding to functionality provided by one or more feature modules of the business software architecture related to a currently selected one of the plurality of second business process features.

16. A computer-implemented method as in claim 12, wherein the plurality of first user interface elements are arranged in the business scenario landscape map to form a transit map view of the business scenario landscape in which each of the selected business scenario and the other business scenario are shown as linearized processes represented by a plurality of stops each representing a business process feature that is part of one or more of the selected business scenario and the other business scenario and a linear route linking at least some of those business process features that are part of each of the selected business scenario and the other business scenario.

17. A computer-implemented method as in claim 12, wherein at least one of the displaying, the receiving, and the rearranging is performed by at least one programmable processor.