Method and system for dynamic business process management using a partial order planner

• US 6,892,192 B1
• Filed: 06/22/2000
• Issued: 05/10/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2000
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Veloxiti, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Applied Systems Intelligence Incorporated
• Inventors: Hosmer, Douglas M., Geddes, Norman D.
• Primary Examiner(s): Knight, Anthony
• Assistant Examiner(s): Hirl, Joseph P.
• Application Number:
  US09/598,750
• Time in Patent Office: 1,783 Days
• Field of Search: 706/14, 706/12, 706/61, 706/45
• US Class Current: 706/14
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/103 Workflow collaboration or project management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 30/0281 Customer communication at a business location, e.g. providing product or service information, consulting

Abstract

A dynamic business process management system and method is disclosed for providing using a least commitment planner to better handle the changes and uncertainties that inevitably occur in the real-world. An embodiment of the invention provides a dynamic business process management system using partial-order planning. An additional embodiment of the present invention includes an intent interpreter module that supports the implementation of intelligent decision support functionality in a corporate information management interface.

Claims

1. A dynamic business process management system comprising:

a knowledge base including expert knowledge about one or more business process domains;

wherein the knowledge base includes one or more scripts, each of the one or more scripts comprising a sequence of fully or partially-specified actions;

an inference engine coupled to the knowledge base, the inference engine including a partial order planner;

a management system that collects and distributes data regarding one or more business processes and determines one or more goals; and

a graphical user interface system that displays information regarding the one or more business processes;

wherein the inference engine uses the partial order planner to determine a plan for achieving at least one of the one or more goals.

2. A dynamic business process management system comprising:

a knowledge base including expert knowledge about one or more business process domains;

an inference engine coupled to the knowledge base, the inference engine including a partial order planner;

wherein the inference engine includes an intent interpreter;

a management system that collects and distributes data regarding one or more business processes and determines one or more goals; and

a graphical user interface system that displays information regarding the one or more business processes;

wherein the inference engine uses the partial order planner to determine a plan for achieving at least one of the one or more goals.

3. A dynamic business process management system comprising:

a knowledge base including expert knowledge about one or more business process domains;

an inference engine coupled to the knowledge base, the inference engine including a partial order planner;

wherein the inference engine includes a non-monotonic truth maintenance system;

management system that collects and distributes data regarding one or more business processes and determines one or more goals; and

a graphical user interface system that displays information regarding the one or more business processes;

wherein the inference engine uses the partial order planner to determine a plan for achieving at least one of the one or more goals.

4. A dynamic business process management system comprising:

a knowledge base including expert knowledge about one or more business process domains;

an inference engine coupled to the knowledge base, the inference engine including a partial order planner;

a management system that collects and distributes data regarding one or more business processes and determines one or more goals; and

a graphical user interface system that displays information regarding the one or more business processes; and

wherein;

the inference engine uses the partial order planner to determine a plan for achieving at least one of the one or more goals; and

a plurality of distributed dynamic business process management systems, each containing an inference engine communicate data defining the situations and plans of each organization.

5. The system of claim 4, wherein the inference engine detects conflicts between the plans of the participating organizations and notifies the conflicting parties of the nature of the conflict.

6. A dynamic business process management system comprising:

a knowledge base including expert knowledge about one or more business process domains;

an inference engine coupled to the knowledge base, the inference engine including a partial order planner;

a management system that collects and distributes data regarding one or more business processes and determines one or more goals;

a graphical user interface system that displays information regarding the one or more business processes; and

a data security mechanism that protects data stored in the knowledge base;

wherein the inference engine uses the partial order planner to determine a plan for achieving at least one of the one or more goals.

7. The system of claim 6, wherein the data security mechanism maintains an access control list for one or more tables in the knowledge base.

8. The system of claim 7, wherein the data security mechanism maintains an access control list for one or more data records in the knowledge base.

9. A dynamic business process management system comprising:

a knowledge base including expert knowledge about one or more business process domains;

an inference engine coupled to the knowledge base, the inference engine including a partial order planner;

wherein the partial order planner is a least commitment planner;

a management system that collects and distributes data regarding one or more business processes and determines one or more goals; and

a graphical user interface system that displays information regarding the one or more business processes;

wherein the inference engine uses the partial order planner to determine a plan for achieving at least one of the one or more goals.

10. A method for conducting business process management, the method comprising:

determining a goal for a user of the business process management system; and

using a knowledge base to create a plan for meeting the determined goal;

wherein the act of determining a goal is performed using a non-monotonic truth maintenance system.