Dynamically optimized distributed cloud computing-based business process management (BPM) system

• US 8,504,400 B2
• Filed: 03/24/2010
• Issued: 08/06/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 03/24/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Original Assignee: International Business Machines Corporation
• Inventors: Purcell, Joshua L., Supakkul, Tassanee K., Thomas, Mathews, Wong, Julio
• Primary Examiner(s): FEENEY, BRETT A
• Application Number:
  US12/730,962
• Publication Number:
  US 20110238458A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,231 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 705/7.11
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 9/5072 Grid computing
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0633 Workflow analysis

Abstract

A workflow server can receive requests, each for a business process workflow conforming to a business process model. Each business process workflow can include a set of interdependent tasks. The workflow server can satisfy received requests by assigning tasks to different service providers that provide software services. Each of the tasks can be assigned to corresponding ones of the software services. For each task, the workflow server can also defines an allocated cost per software service, and a time allocation per software service for completing the corresponding one of the tasks. Different service providers, including those assigned to tasks, can receive information for ones of the tasks not directly assigned to them by the workflow server. The different service providers can then bid on these tasks. Wherein when bids are won, tasks for a business process flow can be reassigned based on winning bids.

Claims

1. A software method for dealing with service provider competition within business process flows comprising:

receiving, at a workflow server comprising software running on hardware, a request from an originator for a business process workflow conforming to a business process model, wherein the business process workflow comprises a plurality of different tasks with interdependencies among the different tasks, which by the interdependencies some of the different tasks are able to be executed in parallel and others must be executed in series upon completion of other ones of the different tasks, wherein the originator comprises software running on hardware and wherein the originator is remotely located from the workflow server;

responsive to the request, the workflow server assigning the plurality of different tasks to a plurality of different software services provided by different service providers, where each task has a corresponding one of the different software services that completes the corresponding one of the different tasks, wherein each of the different service providers comprises software running on hardware;

the workflow server establishing a workflow document defining the plurality of different tasks, the corresponding ones of the software services, an allocated cost per software service, and a time allocation per software service for completing the corresponding one of the different tasks;

providing at least a portion of the workflow document to the different service providers, wherein each of the different service providers is provided with details for at least one of the different tasks that was not initially assigned by the workflow server;

the different service providers bidding on at least a one of the different tasks that were not initially assigned to them;

wherein at least a portion of the different service providers determines an ability to perform at least one of the different tasks of the business process flows in a more efficient manner than a service provider of the different service providers which was initially assigned that task by the workflow server, wherein the more efficient manner means that the one of the different tasks will be performed in either a shorter time frame or lower cost than that determined by the workflow server;

responsive to the bidding, at least one of the different service providers winning a bid to provide an uncompleted one of the different tasks;

responsive to determining the ability to perform at least one of the different tasks, modifying the business process flow to substitute at least one of the plurality of different tasks with a more efficient task as determined by at least one of the different service providers;

updating the workflow document to reflect the uncompleted one of the different tasks is to be completed in accordance with the bid of a winning service provider of the different service providers that won the bid when the originator approves the change to the workflow document;

executing at the different service providers the business process flow in accordance with the modifications that include at least one substituted and more efficient task than that originally determined by the workflow server or executing at the different service providers the business process flow in accordance with the unmodified workflow when the originator does not approve the changes to the workflow document; and

completing the workflow in accordance with the workflow document as updated.

2. The software method of claim 1, further comprising:

the workflow server storing the workflow document in a cloud registry, which each of the different service providers have access to, wherein the updating of the workflow document occurs within the cloud registry.

3. The software method of claim 1, further comprising:

each of the different service providers receiving a copy of the workflow document from the workflow server, wherein bids from the different service providers are submitted back to the workflow server for approval, wherein when the workflow server determines that one of the different service providers has won a bid, the workflow server updates the workflow document accordingly, and the workflow server conveys the workflow document as updated to at least a portion of the different service.

4. The software method of claim 1, wherein bids from the different service providers are submitted back to the workflow server for approval, wherein prior to modifying the business process flow to substitute at least one of the plurality of different tasks with a more efficient task as determined by at least one of the service providers the workflow server requests approval from the originator to make a change responsive to at least one of the bids, said method further comprising:

when the originator approves the change, the workflow server approving the change and updating the workflow document accordingly; and

when the originator does not approve the change, the workflow server not approving the change so that the workflow document remains unmodified by the change which was not approved and continuing to accept bids from other different service providers.

5. The software method of claim 1, further comprising:

at least a portion of the service providers being approved to automatically update the workflow document responsive to having a more efficient bid on a task, wherein the winning and updating is performed directly by one of the service providers without activities being required of the workflow server.

6. The software method of claim 1, wherein the workflow document is written in a cloud business process execution language, which is a standardized business process execution language (BPEL) language, which is independent of and functional across a plurality of different cloud computing platforms.

7. The software method of claim 1, wherein each of the software services is a cloud service, wherein each of the service providers is remotely located from the workflow server and is operated and owned by an entity independent of the entity that operates and owns the workflow server.

8. A non-transitory computer readable medium for dealing with service provider competition within business process flows comprising instructions for:

receiving, at a workflow server comprising software running on hardware, a request from an originator for a business process workflow conforming to a business process model, wherein the business process workflow comprises a plurality of different tasks with interdependencies among the different tasks, which by the interdependencies some of the different tasks are able to be executed in parallel and others must be executed in series upon completion of other ones of the different tasks, wherein the originator comprises software running on hardware and wherein the originator is remotely located from the workflow server;

responsive to the request, the workflow server assigning the plurality of different tasks to a plurality of different software services provided by different service providers, where each task has a corresponding one of the different software services that completes the corresponding one of the different tasks, wherein each of the different service providers comprises software running on hardware;

the workflow server establishing a workflow document defining the plurality of different tasks, the corresponding ones of the software services, an allocated cost per software service, and a time allocation per software service for completing the corresponding one of the different tasks;

providing at least a portion of the workflow document to the different service providers, wherein each of the different service providers is provided with details for at least one of the different tasks that was not initially assigned by the workflow server;

the different service providers bidding on at least a one of the different tasks that were not initially assigned to them;

wherein at least a portion of the different service providers determines an ability to perform at least one of the different tasks of the business process flows in a more efficient manner than a service provider of the different service providers which was initially assigned that task by the workflow server, wherein the more efficient manner means that the one of the different tasks will be performed in either a shorter time frame or lower cost than that determined by the workflow server;

responsive to the bidding, at least one of the different service providers winning a bid to provide an uncompleted one of the different tasks;

responsive to determining the ability to perform at least one of the different tasks, modifying the business process flow to substitute at least one of the plurality of different tasks with a more efficient task as determined by at least one of the different service providers;

updating the workflow document to reflect the uncompleted one of the different tasks is to be completed in accordance with the bid of a winning service provider of the different service providers that won the bid when the originator approves the change to the workflow document;

executing at the different service providers the business process flow in accordance with the modifications that include at least one substituted and more efficient task than that originally determined by the workflow server or executing at the different service providers the business process flow in accordance with the unmodified workflow when the originator does not approve the changes to the workflow document; and

completing the workflow in accordance with the workflow document as updated.

9. A system for dealing with service provider competition within business process flows comprising:

a workflow server configured to;

receive a request from an originator for a business process workflow conforming to a business process model, wherein the business process workflow comprises a plurality of different tasks with interdependencies among the different tasks, which by the interdependencies some of the different tasks are able to be executed in parallel and others must be executed in series upon completion of other ones of the different tasks, wherein the originator comprises software running on hardware and wherein the originator is remotely located from the workflow server;

responsive to the request, the workflow server assign the plurality of different tasks to a plurality of different software services provided by different service providers, where each task has a corresponding one of the different software services that completes the corresponding one of the different tasks, wherein each of the different service providers comprises software running on hardware;

establish a workflow document defining the plurality of different tasks, the corresponding ones of the software services, an allocated cost per software service, and a time allocation per software service for completing the corresponding one of the different tasks;

provide at least a portion of the workflow document to the different service providers, wherein each of the different service providers is provided with details for at least one of the different tasks that was not initially assigned by the workflow server;

the different service providers bidding on at least a one of the different tasks that were not initially assigned to them;

wherein at least a portion of the different service providers determines an ability to perform at least one of the different tasks of the business process flows in a more efficient manner than a service provider of the different service providers which was initially assigned that task by the workflow server, wherein the more efficient manner means that the one of the different tasks will be performed in either a shorter time frame or lower cost than that determined by the workflow server;

responsive to the bidding, at least one of the different service providers winning a bid to provide an uncompleted one of the different tasks;

responsive to determining the ability to perform at least one of the different tasks, modifying the business process flow to substitute at least one of the plurality of different tasks with a more efficient task as determined by at least one of the different service providers;

update the workflow document to reflect the uncompleted one of the different tasks is to be completed in accordance with the bid of a winning service provider of the different service providers that won the bid when the originator approves the change to the workflow document;

execute at the different service providers the business process flow in accordance with the modifications that include at least one substituted and more efficient task than that originally determined by the workflow server or executing at the different service providers the business process flow in accordance with the unmodified workflow when the originator does not approve the changes to the workflow document; and

complete the workflow in accordance with the workflow document as updated.

10. The system of claim 9, further comprising:

a cloud registry comprising a tangible storage medium directly accessible by the workflow server and the different service providers, wherein the cloud registry stores a workflow document for each of the business process flows, wherein the workflow document specifies the tasks for each of the business process flows, the corresponding software services and service providers for each of the tasks, the allocated cost per software service, and the time allocation per software service.

11. The system of claim 10, wherein each of the workflow documents of the cloud registry is written in a cloud business process execution language, which is a standardized business process execution language (BPEL) language, which is independent of and functional across a plurality of different cloud computing platforms.

12. The system of claim 9, wherein bids by the different service providers are won when bids indicate that tasks of the business process flow are able to be performed more efficiently than indicated in the workflow document, wherein more efficiently means that the uncompleted one of the tasks will be performed in a shorter time frame, a lower cost, or both a shorter time frame and a lower cost than previously indicated.