JP2000215244A5 - - Google Patents

Description

Patent application title: WORK PROCESS MANAGEMENT APPARATUS AND WORK PROCESS MANAGEMENT METHOD

[0001]
Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a work process management apparatus that supports performing work according to a series of work procedures expressed as a work process, and in particular, in a computer network in which a plurality of computers communicate via a wireless or wired network. The present invention relates to a work process management apparatus and a work process management method capable of performing work process execution control without requiring a centralized management mechanism.

[0018]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and performs management for performing a series of tasks based on work processes through cooperation between a service requester and a service provider, and a wide area network such as the Internet An object of the present invention is to provide a work process management apparatus and a work process management method which is applicable to an environment, is resistant to server failure, and is less likely to cause loss of work process information.

[0019]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The present invention is a work process management system that performs a series of tasks for achieving a user-specified goal while receiving various services being provided through a virtual collaborative workspace. A work process management apparatus and a work process management method applicable to a network to which a computer is connected. In particular, by arranging the work process control mechanism on the service requester side and making the service provider and service requester management mechanisms independent, it is possible to construct a decentralized system, and also, for example, for abnormality of the server device. It is resistant and can avoid the loss of the work process itself.

Claims (20)

In a work process management system which receives a provided service and performs a series of work, work space information representing a virtual work space is generated according to a user's specification, and the work process information indicating a work procedure is generated. Work process specification means associated with work space information, work space holding means for holding the work space information generated by the work process specification means together with the work process information, and interpretation of the work process information in the work space holding means Work process interpretation means for sequentially specifying a service to be provided, a service request transmission means for transmitting a service request to the next service to be provided identified by the work process interpretation means, and the service request transmission Service side that sent the service request by Service requester interface means for providing a user interface for performing collaborative work through the work space with the service provider; and service request reception and storage means for receiving and storing the service request sent by the service request transmission means; A service provider interface means is provided which provides a user interface for performing cooperative work with the user through the work space corresponding to the source of the service request stored in response to the service request stored by the service request reception storage means. Work process management apparatus characterized by The service provider interface means provides an interface for receiving an input of an instruction necessary for providing a service to the user, in addition to the cooperative work through the work space, and the interface from the user on the interface is provided. The work process management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein a service is automatically executed based on designation and an execution result is provided to the user. The service requester interface means and the service provider interface means detect an operation event on the work space by the user or the service provider, transmit the operation event to the other party, and reflect it on the work space. The work process management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the work process management apparatus comprises: The service requests stored in the service request reception storage means are shared by a plurality of service providers, and a plurality of service provider interface means are arranged for a single service request reception storage means, Each service provider interface means takes out the service requests stored in the service request reception and storage means one by one and sends the service requester interface means to the user through the service requester interface means corresponding to the work space which is the transmission source of the service request. The work process management apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 3, which provides a service. The service provider interface means is derived from the service currently provided by the service provider and it is determined that the new work is necessary, the work space holding means, the work process designation means, and the service request The execution of the new work is started by the transmission means, and the correspondence between the new work space generated by the work process specification means and the work space from which the work source is derived is held in each work space. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 4, which enables access to a new workspace derived from the workspace of the derivation source or to a workspace of the derivation origin from the new workspace derived from the derivation workspace. The work process management device according to claim 1. The service provider interface unit further comprises subtask holding means for accepting specification of an execution procedure of a series of services required to provide the service and holding the execution procedure as a work process, the service provider interface means And replacing the portion of the work process held in the work space information for the work space providing the service with the execution of the service with the work process held in the subtask holding means for refinement. The work process management apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein The service provider interface means automatically generates a work space for the service provider when the service request stored in the service request reception storage means is taken out and starts the service, and the work on the user side A space is stored in association with each other, and a shared work space that enables data exchange between the work space on the user side and the work space on the service provider side is further generated. A work process management apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 6. The work process designation means provides a function of designating that work cooperation among a plurality of services be received simultaneously as an element of the work process, and the work process interpretation means may specify the work designated by the work process designation means. When an element designated to receive cooperation between a plurality of services is detected in the process of identifying a service to be provided next based on a process, for a plurality of designated services At the same time, the service request transmitting means is controlled so that the service request is transmitted, and the service requester interface means cooperates with all the service providers who have transmitted the service request by the service request transmitting means through the work space. And the service provider interface means Work process management apparatus according to claim 7, characterized in that the exchange of data between business space and the service provider side of the work space where other services provided. The service requester interface means has a function of outputting the history of the service received in the work space, and the work process specification means outputs the history of the service output by the service requester interface means as the work process information. The work process management apparatus according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the work process information is fetched and associated with the work space information. The service request reception and storage means notifies the work space corresponding to the service request of the service execution state in response to reception of the service request and extraction of the service request from the service provider interface means, and the service The work process management device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the requester interface means visualizes the execution state of the service notified by the service request reception and accumulation means. The work space holding means can hold a message in association with the work space information, and the service requester interface means and the service provider interface means can input a message and the work space holding means The work process management according to any one of claims 1 to 10, displaying a message held in the server and performing asynchronous communication between the user and the service requester. apparatus. The work space holding means can hold the history of the operation target used along with the execution of the work process in association with the time and the work space information, and the service requester interface means may hold the work space holding means. 12. The operation target used for a specified time is retrieved based on the time specified by the user, and the operation target held in the history of the operation target is accessed based on the time specified by the user. The work process management device according to item 1. The work space holding means is further capable of holding the state at the time of each service execution of the operation target used along with the execution of the work process in association with each service, and a service provider interface means corresponding to a certain service Manage data so that access to the operation target used at the time of execution of other services can not be performed from the service requester interface means, the user designates the operation target held in the work space holding means The work process management apparatus according to claim 12, wherein the operation target used at the time of execution of the service is retrieved based on the service to be accessed. Furthermore, it has service provision environment preparation rule holding means for holding a rule for automatically taking out an operation target used when the service provider provides a service based on a previously designated condition, and the service provision The user interface means is stored in the service providing environment preparation rule holding means and the condition necessary for providing the service when taking out the service request stored in the service request reception storage means and providing the service. 14. A rule is compared, and when a corresponding rule is found, an operation target is prepared based on the rule and made available in the work space. The work process management device according to item 1. Service provision environment condition specification form generation means for generating a form for inputting conditions required for preparation of a service provision environment based on the rules held in the service provision environment preparation rule holding means; The service provider interface means transmits the form generated by the service providing environment condition specification form generation means to the service request source when detecting the reception of the service request, and the service requester interface means transmits the form. The work process management apparatus according to claim 14, wherein the form is received, the user is caused to input condition information according to the form, and the condition information is sent back to the service provider interface means. In a work process management system which receives a provided service and performs a series of work, work space information representing a virtual work space is generated according to a user's specification, and the work process information indicating a work procedure is generated. Work process specification means associated with work space information, work space holding means for holding the work space information generated by the work process specification means together with the work process information, and interpretation of the work process information in the work space holding means Work process interpretation means for sequentially specifying a service to be provided, a service request transmission means for transmitting a service request to the next service to be provided identified by the work process interpretation means, and the service request transmission Service side that sent the service request by Work process management apparatus characterized by comprising a service requestor interface means for providing a user interface for cooperative work through test person and the working space. In a work process management system for performing a series of tasks by providing a service according to a user's request, a service request reception storage means for receiving and storing a service request sent from the user, and the service request A service provider interface means is provided which provides a user interface for performing collaborative work with the user through the work space corresponding to the transmission source of the service request stored in the reception storage means. Work process management device. In the work process management system in which the service side performs a series of tasks by providing the service requested by the user side, the user side generates work space information representing a virtual work space according to the user's specification and works Work process information indicating a procedure is associated with the work space information and held in the work space holding means, and the work process information in the work space holding means is interpreted to sequentially specify services to be provided, and specify The service request is sent to the service to be provided next, and the service side receives the service request sent from the user side and stores it in the service request reception storage means, and the service request reception storage means In response to the stored service request, the service provider can receive the request through the work space corresponding to the sender of the service request. A work process characterized by performing collaborative work with the user by the face means, and also performing service by the service requester interface means through the work space with the service provider on the service side that transmitted the service request also by the user side Management method. In a work process management system which receives a provided service and performs a series of work, work space information representing a virtual work space is generated according to a user's specification, and the work process information indicating a work procedure is generated. It is held in the work space holding means in association with work space information, interprets the work process information in the work space holding means, sequentially specifies the service to be provided, and specifies the next service to be provided next And a service requester interface unit that transmits the service request to the service provider who has transmitted the service request, and cooperates with the service requester interface unit through the work space. In a work process management system that performs a series of tasks by providing a service according to a user's request, the service request received from the user side is received and stored in a service request reception storage means, and the service request A work process management method characterized in that, in response to a service request stored in the reception storage means, the user and the service provider interface means perform cooperative work through the work space corresponding to the transmission source of the service request.