PROVISIONING AND PERFORMING ACTION ITEMS

• US 20130014026A1
• Filed: 07/05/2011
• Published: 01/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/05/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Beringer, Joerg, Bhamidipati, Prasad, Samson, Frederic, Spork, Murray
• Granted Patent: US 9,367,824 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 715/753
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group

Abstract

An action item specifying one or more tasks is instantiated. Thereafter, data characterizing the action item is associated with at least one tool to perform at least one task. Each tool comprises at least one service, application or procedure to facilitate or perform the at least one task. Subsequently, the at least one tool is initiated. User-generated input and/or other data is received from the at least one tool. Performance of one or more of the tasks specified by the action item is then finalized using the at least one tool and the user-generated input and/or other data. In some variations, the action item can be provisioned with at least one contextual resource to facilitate performance of at least one task. The at least one contextual resource can be associated with the action item and/or at least one user associated with the action item. Related apparatus, systems, techniques and articles are also described.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

instantiating an action item specifying one or more tasks;

associating data characterizing the action item with at least one tool to perform at least one task, each tool comprising at least one service, application or procedure to facilitate or perform the at least one task;

initiating the at least one tool;

receiving user-generated input, via the at least one tool, by one or more users associated with the action item; and

finalizing performance of the one or more tasks specified by the action item using the at least one tool and the user-generated input.

2. A method as in claim 1, further comprising:

provisioning the action item with at least one contextual resource to facilitate performance of at least one task, the at least one contextual resource being associated with the action item and/or at least one user associated with the action item.

3. A method as in claim 2, wherein the at least one contextual resource is selected from a group comprising:

objects, documents, and participants.

4. A method as in claim 2, wherein the at least one contextual resource is further associated based on pre-defined preferences or historical action items of at least one user associated with the action item.

5. A method as in claim 1, wherein the at least one tool comprises at least one collaboration service selected from a group comprising:

a collaborative workspace, a web conference, a teleconference, a video conference, and an online document sharing service.

6. A method as in claim 1, wherein the action item includes a textual description and the action item is associated with the at least one tool based on the textual description.

7. A method as in claim 1, wherein instantiating the action item comprises:

receiving a text description;

parsing the text description to identify an intent for the action item;

identifying an action item type based on the parsing;

instantiating the action item according to the identified action item type.

8. A method as in claim 1, further comprising at least one of:

transmitting data characterizing performance of the action item, persisting data characterizing performance of the action item, and displaying data characterizing performance of the action item.

9. A method as in claim 1, further comprising:

receiving user-generated input, via a graphical user interface, dragging an object into an action item list;

wherein the action item is instantiated in response to the dragging of the object and is selected based on the object.

10. A method as in claim 1, further comprising:

encapsulating the at least one tool within a unified interface;

wherein the action item is instantiated in the unified interface, at least a portion of the action item is performed in the unified interface, and data characterizing performance of the action item is displayed in the unified interface.

11. A method as in claim 10, wherein the unified interface includes a conversation panel displaying communications between two or more users pertaining to the action item.

12. A method as in claim 10, wherein the unified interface includes a task drawer graphical user interface element, the task drawer graphical user interface element, when activated, displaying data characterizing a plurality of previously defined tasks, at least one of the displayed previously defined tasks being used to define the action item.

13. A method as in claim 10, wherein the unified interface includes a collection graphical user interface element, the collection graphical user interface element, when activated, displaying a collection of contextual resources, at least one of the displayed contextual resources being provided to at least one of the tasks.

14. A method as in claim 10, wherein the unified interface includes a team graphical user interface element, the team graphical user interface element, when activated, displaying a plurality of entities, at least one of the displayed plurality of entities participating in the performance of at least one of the tasks.

15. A method as in claim 6, further comprising:

determining an intended task type based on the textual description; and

presenting, via a graphical user interface, a task template corresponding to the intended task type having one or more fields to be completed by a user.

16. A method as in claim 15, wherein the presentation of the task template comprises:

polling a contextual resource repository to obtain data characterizing at least one contextual resource associated with the intended task type.

17. A method as in claim 15, wherein the task template specifies at least one pre-defined entity to participate with the performance of a corresponding task and/or at least one contextual resource used for the performance of a corresponding task.

18. A method comprising:

receiving user-generated input specifying a short text description of an action item;

parsing the short text description, using a text extraction algorithm, to identify a corresponding action item type;

displaying a template associated with the identified corresponding action item type, the template listing at least one tool and one contextual resource to be used for the performance of the action item;

receiving user-generated input selecting one or more of the at least one tool and the at least one contextual resource; and

generating an action item based on the user-generated input, the action item to be performed using the selected one or more of the at least one tool and the at least one contextual resource.

19. A method as in claim 18 further comprising:

determining an intent for the action item used to identify the corresponding action item type; and

determining a context for the action item used to identify the listed at least one tool and at least one contextual resource.

20. A method comprising:

instantiating an action item specifying one or more tasks;

associating data characterizing the action item with at least one tool to perform at least one task, each tool comprising at least one service, application or procedure to facilitate or perform the at least one task;

initiating the at least one tool;

receiving data from the at least one tool relating to the action item; and

finalizing performance of the one or more tasks specified by the action item using the at least one tool and the received data.