Process modeling and interface

• US 9,342,220 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Issued: 05/17/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Basu, Arijit, Wang, Tao, Zhang, Yi, Peng, Sheng, Srinivasan, Sridhar
• Primary Examiner(s): Bycer, Eric J
• Application Number:
  US13/828,061
• Publication Number:
  US 20140282199A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,160 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 16/00 Information retrieval; Database structures therefor; File system structures therefor
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 21/6227 where protection concerns the structure of data, e.g. records, types, queries
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0482 Interaction with lists of selectable items, e.g. menus
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0484 for the control of specific functions or operations, e.g. selecting or manipulating an object, an image or a displayed text element, setting a parameter value or selecting a range
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04842 Selection of displayed objects or displayed text elements G06F3/0482 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0486 Drag-and-drop
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06 Resources, workflows, human or project management; Enterprise or organisation planning; Enterprise or organisation modelling
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0631 Resource planning, allocation, distributing or scheduling for enterprises or organisations
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06311 Scheduling, planning or task assignment for a person or group
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/063112 Skill-based matching of a person or a group to a task
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06313 Resource planning in a project environment
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/06316 Sequencing of tasks or work
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/0633 Workflow analysis
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/10 Office automation; Time management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/103 Workflow collaboration or project management
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/105 Human resources
• CPC Class Codes: G06Q 10/109 Time management, e.g. calendars, reminders, meetings or time accounting

Abstract

An instance of an existing data system has one or more processes. Each process has corresponding metadata. In one example method, metadata for a given process is accessed and a visual diagram of the process is automatically generated based on the diagram. The visual diagram is displayed on a user interface display and a user modification input is received on the user interface display modifying the visual diagram to obtain a modified visual diagram. The metadata corresponding to the process is modified based on the modification to the visual diagram.

Claims

1. A computer-implemented method of generating a representation of a process, comprising:

accessing metadata corresponding to a process in a data system;

generating a visual diagram of the process based on the metadata;

instructing a display device to display the visual diagram on a user interface display, the user interface display having a diagram modification user input mechanism for modifying the visual diagram and a security role user input mechanism for adding a security role to the process;

receiving an indication of user actuation of the security role user input mechanism and, based on the received indication, defining a display area on the user interface display that corresponds to the security role added to the process;

receiving an indication of a user modification input, through the diagram modification user input mechanism on the user interface display that displays the visual diagram, modifying the visual diagram by placing a user interface element, representing a task or activity in the process, within the display area that corresponds to the security role; and

modifying the metadata to assign the security role to the task or activity in the process based on the user interface element being placed within the display area.

2. The computer-implemented method of claim 1, wherein the user interface display comprises a first display area corresponding to a first security role, and wherein defining the display area comprises defining a second display area that is visually distinguished from the first display portion area and corresponds to a second security role, and the method further comprising:

receiving an indication of a second user modification input that places a second user interface element, representing a second task or activity in the process, within one of the first or second display areas, wherein the second task or activity is assigned to one of the first security role or the second security role based on whether the second user interface element is placed in the first display area or the second display area.

3. The computer-implemented method of claim 2, wherein the first and second display areas comprise separate visual security lanes displayed in the user interface display.

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

instructing the display device to display a properties display having a user input mechanism to receive user input that defines properties of the added security role.

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

identifying work items to be performed on the process based on the modification to the visual diagram so the process operates as indicated by the modified visual diagram; and

storing the work items for viewing or export.

6. The computer-implemented method of claim 5 and further comprising:

automatically generating a fit gap list from the work items.

7. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein receiving an indication of a user modification input comprises:

receiving an indication of a user drag and drop input modifying the visual diagram to add the task or activity to the visual diagram of the process.

8. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein receiving an indication of a user modification input comprises:

receiving an indication of a user drag and drop input modifying the visual diagram to reposition the task or activity in the process.

9. The computer-implemented method of claim 1 wherein receiving an indication of a user modification input comprises:

receiving an indication of a user drag and drop input modifying the visual diagram to reposition a task or activity in the visual diagram; and

wherein assigning the security role comprises changing a security role assigned to the task or activity based on the repositioning of the task or activity in the visual diagram.

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

receiving an indication of a user input to begin recording a portion of the process;

instructing the display device to display user interface displays from the data system to receive user inputs to perform the portion of the process; and

recording the user inputs, and corresponding metadata, performing the portion of the process.

11. The computer-implemented method of claim 10 wherein generating the visual diagram comprises:

generating the visual diagram based on the recorded metadata.

12. A solution process mapping system, comprising:

a recorder component configured to obtain metadata corresponding to a process in a data system;

a user interface component configured to;

instruct a display device to display a user interface display with a diagram modification user input mechanism for modifying the visual diagram and a security role user input mechanism for adding a security role to the process, the user interface display displaying a visual diagram representing an ordered set of tasks for the process;

receive an indication of user interaction with the security role user input mechanism and, based on the received indication, defining a display area in the user interface display that corresponds to the security role added to the process;

receive an indication of user interaction with the diagram modification user input mechanism that modifies the visual diagram by placing a user interface element, representing a particular task for the process, within the display area in the user interface display;

a process modifier component configured to automatically modify the metadata corresponding to the process based on the modification to the visual diagram; and

a security role component configured to assign the security role to the particular task for the process based on the user interface element being placed within the display area in the user interface display.

13. The solution process mapping system of claim 12, wherein the user interface display comprises a first display area corresponding to a first security role, and wherein defining the display area comprises defining a second display area that is visually distinguished from the first display area and corresponds to a second security role, and wherein the user interface component is configured to:

receive an indication of a second user modification input that places a second user interface element, representing a second task or activity in the process, within one of the first or second display areas, wherein the second task or activity is assigned to one of the first security role or the second security role based on whether the second user interface element is placed in the first display area or the second display area.

14. The solution process mapping system of claim 12 wherein the recorder component is configured to generate the diagram as a flow diagram with shapes connected by connectors and wherein the process modifier component comprises:

a process navigator component configured to receive an indication of a user input actuating a given portion of the flow diagram and instruct the display device to display additional information about a portion of the process corresponding to the given portion of the flow diagram.

15. The solution process mapping system of claim 14 wherein the process navigator component is configured to receive an indication of a user input actuating a given connector on the flow diagram and to instruct the display device to display classes and methods used by the data system in performing process steps represented by the given connector.