System and methods for user-customizable enterprise workflow management

• US 7,711,694 B2
• Filed: 07/28/2003
• Issued: 05/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2002
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP AG (SAP SE)
• Inventors: Moore, Dennis B.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee; Wilson
• Assistant Examiner(s): Le; Michael
• Application Number:
  US10/628,824
• Publication Number:
  US 20040122853A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,472 Days
• Field of Search: 707/103.R, 707/104.1
• US Class Current: 707/608
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06316 Sequencing of tasks or work
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 707/99944 Object-oriented database structure

Abstract

Systems and techniques to manage work related procedures. In general, in one implementation, the techniques include providing a user-interface with a user-selectable list of work-items, each work-item having metadata describing a predefined user-selectable list of guided procedures associated with the work-item, receiving a response that includes a selected work-item and selected guided procedures, and triggering the selected guided procedures associated with the selected work-item.

Claims

1. A method comprising:

providing a user-interface having a user-selectable list of work-items, each work-item having metadata describing a predefined user-selectable list of guided procedures associated with the work-item;

receiving a selected work-item and one or more selected guided procedures; and

triggering the selected guided procedures associated with the selected work item,

wherein each guided procedure includes a series of steps in a work-flow that are to be executed in parallel by a plurality of users collaborating on a project, and an owner is defined for one or more steps and responsible for completing the steps assigned to the owner.

2. The method of claim 1 wherein the list of guided procedures includes one or more optional guided procedures that the user can select.

3. The method of claim 1 wherein the list of guided procedures includes one or more mandatory guided procedures that the user must select.

4. The method of claim 1 further comprising supplementing the predefined list of guided procedures based on one or more user-customizable rules.

5. The method of claim 1 further comprising overriding the predefined list of guided procedures based on one or more user-customizable rules.

6. The method of claim 1 further comprising replacing the predefined list of guided procedures based on one or more user-customizable rules.

7. The method of claims 4, 5, or 6, wherein the rules include a rule to forward a particular work-item from one user to another user.

8. The method of claim 1 further comprising providing on the user-interface metadata that includes information related to the work item.

9. The method of claim 1 further comprising communicating with cross-functional applications of an enterprise management consolidation system.

10. The method of claim 1 further comprising:

selecting the one or more steps to be performed at runtime; and

automatically distributing the one ore more steps to their assigned owners.

11. A system comprising:

a data source of guided procedures and work-items; and

a computer having access to the data source, the computer operative to perform operations comprising;

providing a user-interface with a user-selectable list of work-items, each work-item having metadata describing a predefined user-selectable list of guided procedures associated with the work-item;

receiving a selected work-item and one or more selected guided procedures; and

triggering the one or more selected guided procedures associated with the selected work-item,

wherein each guided procedure includes a series of steps in a work-flow that are to be executed in parallel by a plurality of users collaborating on a project, and an owner is defined for one or more steps and responsible for completing the steps assigned to the owner.

12. The system of claim 11 wherein the list of guided procedures includes one or more optional guided procedures that the user can select.

13. The system of claim 11 wherein the list of guided procedures includes one or more mandatory guided procedures that the user must select.

14. The system of claim 11 further comprising supplementing the predefined list of guided procedures based on one or more user-customizable rules.

15. The system of claim 11 further comprising overriding the predefined list of guided procedures based on one or more user-customizable rules.

16. The system of claim 11 further comprising replacing the predefined list of guided procedures based on one or more user-customizable rules.

17. The system of claim 14, 15, or 16 wherein the rules include a rule to forward a particular work-item from one user to another user.

18. The system of claim 11 further comprising providing on the user-interface metadata that includes information related to the work item.

19. The system of claim 11 further comprising communicating with cross-functional applications of an enterprise management consolidation system.

20. The system of claim 11 wherein the one or more steps to be performed are selected at runtime and automatically distributed to their assigned owners.

21. An article comprising a machine-readable medium storing instructions operable to cause one or more machines to perform operations comprising:

providing a user-interface with a user-selectable list of work-items, each work-item having metadata describing a predefined user-selectable list of guided procedures associated with the work-item;

receiving a selected work-item and one or more selected guided procedures; and

triggering the one or more selected guided procedures associated with the selected work-item,

wherein each guided procedure includes a series of steps in a work-flow that are to be executed in parallel by a plurality of users collaborating on a project, and an owner is defined for one or more steps and responsible for completing the steps assigned to the owner.

22. The article of claim 21 wherein the list of guided procedures includes one or more optional guided procedures that the user can select.

23. The article of claim 21 wherein the list of guided procedures includes one or more mandatory guided procedures that the user must select.

24. The article of claim 21 further comprising supplementing the predefined list of guided procedures based on one or more user-customizable rules.

25. The article of claim 21 further comprising overriding the predefined list of guided procedures based on one or more user-customizable rules.

26. The article of claim 21 further comprising replacing the predefined list of guided procedures based on one or more user-customizable rules.

27. The article of claim 24, 25, or 26 wherein the rules include a rule to forward a particular work-item from one user to another user.

28. The article of claim 21 further comprising providing on the user-interface metadata that includes information related to the work item.

29. The article of claim 21 further comprising communicating with cross-functional applications of an enterprise management consolidation system.

30. The article of claim 21 wherein the one or more steps to be performed are selected at runtime and automatically distributed to their assigned owners.

31. An enterprise management consolidation system comprising:

a cross functional application to provide communication between at least one of an object modeling tool, a process modeling tool, and a user interface tool, wherein the process modeling tool is configured to manage a relationship between guided procedures and work items, and the user interface tool includes instructions stored in a computer readable medium, the instructions executable by a processor and comprising;

program code for providing a user-interface with a user-selectable list of work-items, each work-item having metadata describing a predefined user-selectable list of guided procedures associated with the work-item;

program code for receiving a selected work-item and one or more selected guided procedures; and

program code for triggering the one or more selected guided procedures associated with the selected work-item,

wherein each guided procedure includes a series of steps in a work-flow that are to be executed in parallel by a plurality of users collaborating on a project, and an owner is defined for one or more steps and responsible for completing the steps assigned to the owner.

32. The system of claim 31 wherein the list of guided procedures includes one or more optional guided procedures that the user can select.

33. The system of claim 31 wherein the list of guided procedures includes one or more mandatory guided procedures that the user must select.

34. The system of claim 31 further comprising supplementing the predefined list of guided procedures based on one or more user-customizable rules.

35. The system of claim 31 further comprising overriding the predefined list of guided procedures based on one or more user-customizable rules.

36. The system of claim 31 further comprising replacing the predefined list of guided procedures based on one or more user-customizable rules.

37. The system of claim 34, 35, or 36 wherein the rules include a rule to forward a particular work-item from one user to another user.

38. The system of claim 31 further comprising providing on the user-interface metadata that includes information related to the work item.

39. The enterprise management consolidation system of claim 31 wherein the one or more steps to be performed are selected at runtime and automatically distributed to their assigned owners.