Adapting a Workflow

• US 20110153555A1
• Filed: 12/14/2010
• Published: 06/23/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 12/22/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Hepper, Stefan Alfons, Falkenberg, Matthias
• Granted Patent: US 10,430,387 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 707/608
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/176 Support for shared access to files; File sharing support
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/9536 Search customisation based on social or collaborative filtering
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0633 Workflow analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/103 Workflow collaboration or project management

Abstract

A method for adapting a workflow of a content management system comprises setting an allowed action for a user, creating at least one information item depending on the allowed action for the user, in which the at least one information item comprises content to be published and a first information item status level indicative of a present status level of the content within the workflow, and executing the workflow which comprises stages each corresponding to a respective information item status level, such that a next stage of the workflow is determined based on a combination of different types of user status information, indicative of a status of the user, and the first information item status level.

Claims

1. A method for adapting a workflow of a content management system, the method comprising:

creating at least one information item depending on an allowed action established for a particular user, in which the at least one information item comprises content to be published and a first information item status level indicative of a present status level of the content within the workflow, and

executing the workflow which comprises stages each corresponding to a respective information item status level,

such that a next stage of the workflow is determined based on a combination of different types of user status information, indicative of a status of the user, and the first information item status level.

2. The method of claim 1, in which the workflow creates at least one information item for managing web pages, modifies at least one information item for managing web pages, deletes at least one information item for managing web pages, or combinations thereof.

3. The method of claim 1, in which the information item status level comprises a draft status level, an approved for publishing status level, an expired status level, a deleted status level, or combinations thereof.

4. The method of claim 1, in which the different types of user status information comprises a user role status, a user profile status, a historic transaction status, or combinations thereof.

5. The method of claim 1, in which the at least one information item further comprises a second information item status level.

6. The method of claim 5, in which the second information item status level comprises at an urgency level, the language of the information item, content area, content type, or combinations thereof.

7. A content management system for adapting a workflow, the content management system comprising:

a user interface configured to enable the user to create at least one information item depending on an allowed action established for a particular user by a setting unit, in which the at least one information item comprises content to be published and a first information item status level indicative of a present status level of the content within the workflow,

a storage unit adapted for storing the at least one information item,

a workflow engine comprising a dynamic workflow stage determination engine adapted for executing the workflow which comprises stages each corresponding to a respective status level,

such that a next stage of the workflow is determined based on a combination of different types of user status information, indicative of a status of the user, and the first information item status level.

8. The system of claim 7, in which the workflow engine further comprises a dynamic actor determination engine configured to determine which user among those users associated with the content management system is to approve the at least one information item.

9. The system of claim 8, in which the determination of the user who approves the at least one information item is based on a second information item status level that is associated with the at least one information item.

10. The system of claim 9, in which the second information item status level comprises an urgency level, the language of the information item, content area, content type, or combinations thereof.

11. The system of claim 7, in which the workflow creates at least one information item for managing web pages, modifies at least one information item for managing web pages, deletes at least one information item for managing web pages, or combinations thereof.

12. The system of claim 7, in which the information item status level comprises a draft status level, an approved for publishing status level, an expired status level, a deleted status level, or combinations thereof.

13. The system of claim 7, in which the different types of user status information comprises a user role status, a user profile status, a historic transaction status, or combinations thereof.

14. A computer program product for adapting a workflow, the computer program product comprising:

a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code comprising;

computer readable program code configured to set an allowed action for a user;

computer readable program code configured to create at least one information item depending on an allowed action established for a particular user, in which the at least one information item comprises content to be published and a first information item status level indicative of a present status level of the content within the workflow; and

computer readable program code configured to execute the workflow which comprises stages each corresponding to a respective information item status level

in which a next stage of the workflow is determined based on a combination of different types of user status information, indicative of a status of the user, and the first information item status level.

15. The computer program product of claim 14, in which the workflow creates at least one information item for managing web pages, modifies at least one information item for managing web pages, deletes at least one information item for managing web pages, or combinations thereof.

16. The computer program product of claim 14, in which the information item status level comprises a draft status level, an approved for publishing status level, an expired status level, a deleted status level, or combinations thereof.

17. The computer program product of claim 14, in which the different types of user status information comprises a user role status, a user profile status, a historic transaction status, or combinations thereof.

18. The computer program product of claim 14, in which the at least one stored information item further comprises a second information item status level.

19. The computer program product of claim 14, in which the second information item status level comprises at an urgency level, the language of the information item, content area, content type, or combinations thereof.

20. A method of publishing content on a computer network, the method comprising:

creating at least one information item depending on an allowed action defined by a user role assigned to a particular user creating the at least one information item, in which the at least one information item comprises content to be published and a first information item status level indicative of a present status level of the content within the workflow,

storing the at least one information item to a web content database;

with a dynamic workflow stage determination engine, executing a workflow which comprises stages, each stage corresponding to a respective status level, such that a next stage of the workflow is determined based on a combination of different types of user roles, indicative of a status of the user, and the first information item status level; and

publishing, to the computer network, the at least one information item.

21. The method of claim 20, further comprising a dynamic actor determination engine that determines which user among those users associated with the content management system is to approve the at least one information item.

22. The system of claim 21, in which the determination of the user who approves the at least one information item is based on a second information item status level that is associated with the at least one information item.