Intelligent service management and process control using policy-based automation and predefined task templates

• US 9,436,921 B2
• Filed: 06/21/2012
• Issued: 09/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Whitmore, James J.
• Primary Examiner(s): GHAFFARI, ABU Z
• Application Number:
  US13/529,274
• Publication Number:
  US 20130347003A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,538 Days
• Field of Search: 718/108
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/46 Multiprogramming arrangements
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0633 Workflow analysis

Abstract

Mechanisms are provided for dynamically determining one or more automation levels for tasks of a workflow. The mechanisms receive a workflow from a source component and receiving context and state information for an environment in which the workflow is to be performed. One or more tasks and associated task attributes are identified in the workflow and applying one or more automation rules to the context and state information and the task attributes to generate one or more automation level settings from the one or more tasks. The one or more tasks are performed in the environment in accordance with the one or more automation level settings. The automation level settings specify a degree of automation to be used when performing the one or more tasks.

Claims

1. A method, in a data processing system, for dynamically determining one or more automation levels for a workflow, comprising:

receiving, from a source component, the workflow in an environment in which the workflow is to be performed;

receiving, from the source component, required context information and state information of the environment in which the workflow is to be performed;

identifying two or more tasks and task attributes associated with each task in the two or more tasks in the workflow;

comparing the each task within the two or more tasks in the workflow to a set of predefined task templates in order to identify a task template associated with the task;

utilizing the identified two or more task templates for the corresponding two or more tasks to thereby define the workflow based on the identified two or more task templates from the set of predefined task templates;

converting the each task in the identified two or more task templates to a work order thereby creating two or more work orders that conform to the identified two or more task templates;

applying one or more automation rules to the context information and the state information of the environment as well as the task attributes associated with the each task in the two or more tasks identified from the workflow to generate an individualized automation level setting for each work order of the two or more work orders, wherein applying the one or more automation rules to the context information, the state information, and the task attributes to generate the individualized automation level setting for each of the two or more work orders comprises evaluating the context information and the state information according to conditions specified in the one or more automation rules and setting each individualized automation level setting to a first setting based on the context information and the state information satisfying the conditions specified in the one or more automation rules and setting each individualized automation level setting to a second setting based on the context information and the state information not satisfying the conditions specified in the one or more automation rules; and

performing the each work order of the two or more work orders in the environment in which the workflow is to be performed in accordance with its associated individualized automation level setting, wherein the individualized automation level setting specifies a degree of automation to be used when performing the work order.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein applying the one or more automation rules comprises at least one of:

maintaining the individualized automation level setting for each work order in the two or more work orders;

increasing the individualized automation level setting for one or more work orders in the two or more work orders to thereby increase an amount of automation used to perform the one or more work orders;

or

decreasing the individualized automation level setting for the one or more work orders in the two or more work orders to reduce an amount of automation used to perform one or more work orders and increase an amount of manual intervention in the performance of the one or more work orders.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein the degree of automation is within a range of automation having a first bound corresponding to a fully automatic automation level setting and a second bound corresponding to a fully manual automation level setting.

4. The method of claim 1, wherein at least two of the two or more work orders have different associated automation levels settings.

5. The method of claim 1, wherein the context information and the state information comprises one or more environmental variables specifying a current state of availability of one or more components of the environment required to perform at least one of the two or more work orders.

6. The method of claim 1, wherein the one or more automation rules comprise at least one of a declarative automation rule, a simple conditional automation rule, a stateful conditional automation rule, or a goal based automation rule.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein performing the two or more work orders in the environment in accordance with the individualized automation level settings comprises transmitting a command to a component of the environment to cause the component to operate in accordance with the individualized automation level setting corresponding to the component.

8. A computer program product comprising a non-transitory computer readable storage medium having a computer readable program stored therein, wherein the computer readable program, when executed on a computing device, causes the computing device to:

receive, from a source component, a workflow in an environment in which the workflow is to be performed;

receive, from the source component, required context information and state information of the environment in which the workflow is to be performed;

identify two or more tasks and task attributes associated with each task in the two or more tasks in the workflow;

compare the each task within the two or more tasks in the workflow to a set of predefined task templates in order to identify a task template associated with the task;

utilize the identified two or more task templates for the corresponding two or more tasks to thereby define the workflow based on the identified two or more task templates from the set of predefined task templates;

convert the each task in the identified two or more task templates to a work order thereby creating two or more work orders that conform to the identified two or more task templates;

apply one or more automation rules to the context information and the state information of the environment as well as the task attributes associated with the each task in the two or more tasks identified from the workflow to generate an individualized automation level setting for each work order of the two or more work orders, wherein the computer readable program causes the computing device to apply the one or more automation rules to the context information, the state information, and the task attributes to generate the individualized automation level setting for each of the two or more work orders comprises evaluating the context information and the state information according to conditions specified in the one or more automation rules and setting each individualized automation level setting to a first setting based on the context information and the state information satisfying the conditions specified in the one or more automation rules and setting each individualized automation level setting to a second setting based on the context information and the state information not satisfying the conditions specified in the one or more automation rules; and

perform the each work order of the two or more work orders in the environment in which the workflow is to be performed in accordance with its associated individualized automation level setting, wherein the individualized automation level setting specifies a degree of automation to be used when performing the work order.

9. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the computer readable program causes the computing device to apply the one or more automation rules by at least one of:

maintaining the individualized automation level setting for each work order in the two or more work orders;

increasing the individualized automation level setting for one or more work orders in the two or more work orders to thereby increase an amount of automation used to perform the one or more work orders;

or

decreasing the individualized automation level setting for the one or more work orders in the two or more work orders to reduce an amount of automation used to perform one or more work orders and increase an amount of manual intervention in the performance of the one or more work orders.

10. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the degree of automation is within a range of automation having a first bound corresponding to a fully automatic automation level setting and a second bound corresponding to a fully manual automation level setting.

11. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein at least two of the two or more work orders have different associated automation levels settings.

12. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the context information and the state information comprises one or more environmental variables specifying a current state of availability of one or more components of the environment required to perform at least one of the two or more work orders.

13. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the one or more automation rules comprise at least one of a declarative automation rule, a simple conditional automation rule, a stateful conditional automation rule, or a goal based automation rule.

14. The computer program product of claim 8, wherein the computer readable program causes the computing device to the two or more work orders in the environment in accordance with the individualized automation level settings comprises transmitting a command to a component of the environment to cause the component to operate in accordance with the individualized automation level setting corresponding to the component.

15. An apparatus, comprising:

a processor; and

a memory coupled to the processor, wherein the memory comprises instructions which, when executed by the processor, cause the processor to;

receive, from a source component, the workflow in an environment in which the workflow is to be performed;

receive, from the source component, required context information and state information of the environment in which the workflow is to be performed;

identify two or more tasks and task attributes associated with each task in the two or more tasks in the workflow;

compare the each task within the two or more tasks in the workflow to a set of predefined task templates in order to identify a task template associated with the task;

utilize the identified two or more task templates for the corresponding two or more tasks to thereby define the workflow based on the identified two or more task templates from the set of predefined task templates;

convert the each task in the identified two or more task templates to a work order thereby creating two or more work orders that conform to the identified two or more task templates;

apply one or more automation rules to the context information and the state information of the environment as well as the task attributes associated with the each task in the two or more tasks identified from the workflow to generate an individualized automation level setting for each work order of the two or more work orders, wherein the instructions cause the processor to apply the one or more automation rules to the context information, the state information, and the task attributes to generate the individualized automation level setting for each of the two or more work orders comprises evaluating the context information and the state information according to conditions specified in the one or more automation rules and setting each individualized automation level setting to a first setting based on the context information and the state information satisfying the conditions specified in the one or more automation rules and setting each individualized automation level setting to a second setting based on the context information and the state information not satisfying the conditions specified in the one or more automation rules; and

perform the each work order of the two or more work orders in the environment in which the workflow is to be performed in accordance with its associated individualized automation level setting, wherein the individualized automation level setting specifies a degree of automation to be used when performing the work order.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the instructions cause the processor to apply the one or more automation rules by at least one of:

maintaining the individualized automation level setting for each work order in the two or more work orders;

increasing the individualized automation level setting for one or more work orders in the two or more work orders to thereby increase an amount of automation used to perform the one or more work orders;

or

decreasing the individualized automation level setting for the one or more work orders in the two or more work orders to reduce an amount of automation used to perform one or more work orders and increase an amount of manual intervention in the performance of the one or more work orders.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the degree of automation is within a range of automation having a first bound corresponding to a full automatic automation level setting and a second bound corresponding to a fully manual automation level setting.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein at least two of the two or more work orders have different associated automation levels settings.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the context information and the state information comprises one or more environmental variables specifying a current state of availability of one or more components of the environment required to perform at least one of the two or more work orders.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the one or more automation rules comprise at least one of a declarative automation rule, a simple conditional automation rule, a stateful conditional automation rule, or a goal based automation rule.