System and method of enterprise action item planning, executing, tracking and analytics

• US 9,262,732 B2
• Filed: 06/22/2011
• Issued: 02/16/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 06/22/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: SAP SE
• Original Assignee: SAP SE
• Inventors: Duan, Bin, Chan, Lap
• Primary Examiner(s): Chacko, Joe
• Application Number:
  US13/166,501
• Publication Number:
  US 20120331036A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,700 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: H04W 64/006 with additional information processing, e.g. for direction or speed determination

Abstract

A system and method of tracking action items in an enterprise data processing environment. The method includes receiving, by a client from a server, an action item that includes a location. The method further includes performing a check-in, by the client, at the location related to the action item. The method further includes performing a check-out, by the client, related to the action item. The method further includes changing, by the client, the status of the action item. In this manner, a database of action items and statuses may be developed for more effective business collaboration and business management.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of tracking action items in an enterprise data processing environment, comprising:

creating, by a server computer as directed by a user, an action item, wherein the action item is a data record indicating a plan to perform a certain business-related action in a future time frame, wherein the action item is a step in a larger business process, wherein once the action item has been performed, other actions in the larger business process are performed, wherein the action item includes a location, wherein the action item is one of a plurality of action items stored by the server computer, wherein the action item is associated with a business object stored by the server computer, wherein the business object is a code construct that corresponds to a thing in an actual business, wherein the business object includes data that describes the business object and a method that makes decisions based on the data, wherein the data includes instance variables, properties, and associations with other business objects, and wherein the action item is associated with the user prior to a check-in at the location;

receiving, by a client computer from the server computer, the action item;

determining, by the client computer, that the client computer is at the location related to the action item, wherein determining that the client computer is at the location corresponds to the check-in, and wherein the check-in indicates that the user is at the location;

determining, by the client computer, that the client computer is no longer at the location, wherein determining that the client computer is no longer at the check-in corresponds to a check-out;

changing, by the client computer, a status of the action item;

sending, by the server computer to the client computer, a result list that includes a plurality of follow-up action items that follow the action item in the larger business process;

receiving, by the server computer, a selection of a selected follow-up action item from the plurality of follow-up action items in the result list; and

receiving, by the server computer, an assignment that assigns the selected follow-up action item to one of a plurality of users,

wherein the client computer includes a wireless local area network card that connects to a wireless hotspot, wherein the server computer determines the location of the client computer according to a hotspot location of the wireless hotspot.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

creating, by the server computer as directed by at least one of a group of users, the action item, wherein the check-in is associated with one of the group of users.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

associating the action item with a plurality of users, at least some of whom perform the check-in, perform the check-out, and change the status of the action item.

4. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the status is other than performing the check-in and is other than performing the check-out.

5. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing, by the server computer, a plurality of statuses related to the action item, wherein changing the status comprises changing the status from one of the plurality of statuses to another of the plurality of statuses.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing, by the server computer, the plurality of action items that includes the action item; and

executing, by the server computer, a query that generates a result based on the plurality of action items.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing, by the server computer, the plurality of action items that includes the action item, wherein the plurality of action items are related to a plurality of users; and

executing, by the server computer, a query that generates a result based on the plurality of action items.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

storing, by the server computer, the status related to the action item.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

communicating, from the client computer to the server computer, the status of the action item having been changed.

10. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying, by the client computer, the action item as one of the plurality of action items arranged in a calendar.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

displaying, by the client computer, a list of users;

receiving, by the client computer, a selection of one of the list of users; and

displaying, by the client computer, the plurality of action items arranged in a calendar that are associated with the one of the list of users.

12. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the action item includes a due date.

13. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the action item is associated with a plurality of business objects that includes the business object.

14. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the action item is non-recurring.

15. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, further comprising:

sending, by the server computer in a feed to the plurality of users, a start broadcast in response to the check-in by the user; and

sending, by the server computer in the feed to the plurality of users, a finish broadcast in response to the check-out by the user.

16. A system for tracking action items in an enterprise data processing environment, comprising:

a server computer; and

a client computer,

wherein the server computer is configured to create, as directed by a user, an action item, wherein the server computer is configured to store the action item, wherein the action item is a data record indicating a plan to perform a certain business-related action in a future time frame, wherein the action item is a step in a larger business process, wherein once the action item has been performed, other actions in the larger business process are performed, wherein the action item includes a location, wherein the action item is one of a plurality of action items stored by the server computer, wherein the action item is associated with a business object stored by the server computer, wherein the business object is a code construct that corresponds to a thing in an actual business, wherein the business object includes data that describes the business object and a method that makes decisions based on the data, wherein the data includes instance variables, properties, and associations with other business objects, and wherein the action item is associated with the user prior to a check-in at the location,

wherein the client computer is configured to perform the check-in at the location related to the action item, to perform a check-out related to the action item, and to change a status of the action item, wherein the check-in indicates that the user is at the location,

wherein the server computer is configured to send, to the client computer, a result list that includes a plurality of follow-up action items that follow the action item in the larger business process, to receive a selection of a selected follow-up action item from the plurality of follow-up action items in the result list, and to receive an assignment that assigns the selected follow-up action item to one of a plurality of users,

wherein the client computer includes a wireless local area network card that connects to a wireless hotspot, wherein the server computer determines the location of the client computer according to a hotspot location of the wireless hotspot.

17. The system of claim 16, wherein the server computer is configured to store the plurality of action items that includes the action item, and to execute a query that generates a result based on the plurality of action items.

18. A non-transitory computer readable medium storing instructions to control a computer system for tracking action items in an enterprise data processing environment, comprising:

a creation component, executed by a server computer, that controls the server computer to create an action item as directed by a user, wherein the action item is a data record indicating a plan to perform a certain business-related action in a future time frame, wherein the action item is a step in a larger business process, wherein once the action item has been performed, other actions in the larger business process are performed, wherein the action item includes a location, wherein the action item is one of a plurality of action items stored by the server computer, wherein the action item is associated with a business object stored by the server computer, wherein the business object is a code construct that corresponds to a thing in an actual business, wherein the business object includes data that describes the business object and a method that makes decisions based on the data, wherein the data includes instance variables, properties, and associations with other business objects, and wherein the action item is associated with the user prior to a check-in at the location;

a reception component, executed by a client computer, that controls the client computer to receive, from the server computer, the action item;

a check-in component, executed by the client computer, that controls the client computer to determine that the client computer is at the location related to the action item, wherein determining that the client computer is at the location corresponds to the check-in, and wherein the check-in indicates that the user is at the location;

a check-out component, executed by the client computer, that controls the client computer to determine that the client computer is no longer at the location, wherein determining that the client computer is no longer at the check-in corresponds to a check-out;

a data interface component, executed by the client computer, that controls the client computer to change a status of the action item;

a sending component, executed by the server computer, that controls the server computer to send, to the client computer, a result list that includes a plurality of follow-up action items that follow the action item in the larger business process;

a first receiving component, executed by the server computer, that controls the server computer to receive a selection of a selected follow-up action item from the plurality of follow-up action items in the result list; and

a second receiving component, executed by the server computer, that controls the server computer to receive an assignment that assigns the selected follow-up action item to one of a plurality of users,

wherein the client computer includes a wireless local area network card that connects to a wireless hotspot, wherein the server computer determines the location of the client computer according to a hotspot location of the wireless hotspot.

19. The non-transitory computer readable medium of claim 18, further comprising:

a storing component, executed by the server computer, that stores the plurality of action items that includes the action item; and

an executing component, executed by the server computer, that executes a query that generates a result based on the plurality of action items.