JP2002279137A - Service providing workflow management system - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To make effectively usable information and to ensure the work limit of business by smoothing information transmission among respective corporation systems. SOLUTION: Workflow management parts 30, 31, 32 give and receive various information among the corporations in real time through a network 40 such as the Internet to collectively manage and operate the progress information of the whole business of companies A, B, C. The progress management information pieces are integrated, whereby not only the progress management but the notice of information to the customer is increased in speed. At the respective stages of progress, system automatically provides the work limit according to the contents of the provided service, and the work limit is managed to surely execute business. The execution history of business is managed by the workflow management parts 30, 31, 32, thereby storing an index for statically determining whether the business is surely executed, and furthermore, in the whole business flow, which part is a bottle neck.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a workflow management system for service provision for managing the progress of work between information management systems when providing services to customers in cooperation with a plurality of independent information management systems. About.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, a plurality of companies (company) are generally involved in a service request from a customer. For example, in the case of drawing new power into a building such as a new house, a company, or a factory, the company A that acts as a point of contact for customers and receives orders for construction requests, the design accompanying the laying of power lines from telegraph poles to buildings, A company B in charge of construction, a company C in charge of construction up to a power plant, a transmission line, a substation, and a telephone pole are involved.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a conventional service providing system. Company A receives an order for a power laying request from a so-called customer, and is in charge of estimating and billing of equipment laying, and notification of construction start date and progress. The person in charge tentatively receives a service request from the customer, creates a paper-based quote based on the contents (address, name, etc.) and presents it to the customer. When making a quote, please call,
The adjustment may be made by contacting the person in charge of the company B or C by facsimile or electronic mail.

[0004] Next, when the customer formally applies for the service after the quote, the person in charge of the company A receives the formal request from the customer, and from the terminal 1 based on the paper-based quote written up to that time. Submit (transfer) the information for this application. The application information is managed and operated by the order processing system 2. The customer information is managed and operated by the customer management system 3. Orders, construction progress, delivery dates, and the like are managed and operated by the progress management system 5 based on inputs from the terminal 4. At this time, work deadlines such as a delivery date are manually set in a fixed manner.

[0005] On the other hand, in the company B, a call is made from the company A,
When a tentative order is received by facsimile, e-mail, etc., the contents of the order are input from the terminal 10, and what kind of work / material (telephone pole to building) is required and how much man-hour is required are designed. 11 is performed. In addition, we will secure materials and conduct surveys on laying sites (on-site) along with the implementation of services, and survey equipment inventory of wires and other materials used for construction. Then, when a formal order is received from the company A by telephone, facsimile, e-mail, or the like, the design and construction accompanying the laying of the power line from the telephone pole to the building are performed. Also, in the company B, customer information is managed and operated by a unique customer management system 12, and similarly, orders received, construction progress, delivery dates, and the like are managed and operated by a progress management system 13. At this time, a work deadline such as a delivery date is managed by a manual communication means such as facsimile and electronic mail with the company A.

Further, when the company C receives an order from the company A or the company B by telephone, facsimile, e-mail, or the like, the order contents are inputted from the terminal 20 and what kind of work / construction is performed.
Whether material (power station to telephone pole) is required or equipment inventory survey of electric wires used for construction, etc.
This is performed using Then, telephone, fax,
When a formal order is received by e-mail or the like, construction will be performed on the power plant, transmission line, substation, and utility pole. Also in the company C, orders, progress of construction, delivery date, and the like are routinely determined by means of manual communication with the company A, and then managed and operated by the progress management system 22. The terminal 23 is used to input the completion of construction when the completion of construction is notified by a telephone call or the like from the site.

[0007]

However, in the above-mentioned prior art, a quote is manually created (transmitted by facsimile). Naturally, as described above, human intervention was also involved in sending faxes and telephone calls to related departments. Also, if the customer officially applies for the service after quotation, it is necessary to input (post) the information for this application based on the paper-based quotation created up to that time. However, there is a problem that an input error is likely to occur.

In the prior art, since the systems of each company are configured independently of each other, the effect of changing the service specifications is diversified, and the more companies, the more information is transmitted to the terminal company. There was a problem that was delayed. Furthermore, although a progress management system was built for each corporate system, it was difficult to quickly grasp the situation because each was managed independently and the work deadlines for each work were not managed uniformly. There was a problem. Therefore, when an estimate is requested, the delivery date cannot be immediately answered, and the delivery date itself is delayed.

In the prior art, the difference between the provisional reservation information and the formal contract information is not clearly managed. Therefore, if there is a change in the input items, that is, if there is a change in the contents at the time of receiving the order, it is necessary to re-enter all the information from the beginning, and at the same time, the input information for each company must be re-entered. However, there is a problem that it takes time and effort, and the possibility of input error increases.

[0010] The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and facilitates the transmission of information between the systems of each company and clearly manages the work deadline in a concurrent operation that covers a plurality of companies. It is an object of the present invention to provide a system capable of effectively utilizing information.

[0011]

In order to solve the above-mentioned problems, according to the first aspect of the present invention, when providing services to customers in cooperation with a plurality of independent information management systems, A service providing workflow management system that manages the work progress between each information management system, wherein the plurality of information management systems include:
Each is characterized by having a workflow management means for collectively managing customer information and work deadline information exchanged with each other via a network.

According to the second aspect of the present invention, there is provided the first aspect.
In the workflow management system for providing services described in the above, the workflow management means manages, at each stage of the process, a work deadline that is automatically determined and provided by the system according to the content of the service business to be provided, and When a time-lapsed state is detected, a function of generating an alarm and notifying the worker is continuously and automatically generated.

[0013] According to the third aspect of the present invention, the first aspect is provided.
In the above-described service management workflow management system, the workflow management unit stores business strategy information for improving the efficiency of service provision by managing business execution history.

Further, according to the invention described in claim 4, according to claim 1,
In the workflow management system for providing services described above, the workflow management means can easily and quickly cooperate with a new business partner by exchanging information with each other through a unified user interface. .

According to the present invention, when a plurality of companies cooperate to provide a service to a customer, the information distribution between the companies is collectively managed, and many processes are automated, thereby greatly increasing the period until the service is provided. Can be shortened.

The automation of the process makes it possible to reduce operation errors caused by manual input by a person in charge and prevent rework, which is the biggest bottleneck in cooperation between companies. At the same time, by reflecting the know-how of inter-company liaison work that relied on personal experience in the system, it is possible to constantly provide high-quality services.

[0017] By collectively managing information distributed between companies, in a service delivery process that spans a plurality of large-scale systems, a work loss due to a human error in information transfer work is reduced, and the input operation is also greatly reduced. Can be reduced. From the perspective of progress management, it is possible to quickly and unifiedly grasp the situation for all companies and persons involved in the provision of services, and automatically monitor the progress of customers who request services. To be notified.

The present system provides a unified interface to each existing system of a plurality of companies, so that when the service specification is changed or a new service is added, the existing system is changed, and the other system is changed accordingly. Can be minimized.

[0019]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. A. 1. Configuration of Embodiment FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a configuration of a service providing system to which a service providing workflow management system according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied. The same reference numerals are given to the portions corresponding to FIG. In FIG. 1, companies A, B, and C each have a workflow management unit 3
0, 31, and 32 are provided. Each company A,
B and C use the workflow management units 30, 31, and 32 as interfaces, and exchange various kinds of information between companies in real time via a network 40 such as the Internet.

The workflow management units 30, 31, and 32
Process instructions between companies A, B, and C, progress information of the entire business, and coordination between systems are managed and operated collectively.
Unified user interface (eg, HTM
L, XML, etc.) to exchange information with each other. Workflow management units 30, 3
By integrating the progress management information according to Nos. 1 and 32, not only the progress management but also the notification of the information to the customer is speeded up. Also, the workflow management units 30, 31, 32
In, in each stage of the progress, the system automatically sets work deadlines according to the contents of services to be provided, and manages them to ensure that the work can be performed. Further, by managing the execution histories of the operations by the workflow management units 30, 31, and 32, it is ensured that the operations are performed, and further, which part of the entire operation flow becomes a bottleneck. Whether
It is possible to accumulate indices to be statistically judged. The terminal 33 is used for confirming an order, progress of construction, delivery date, and the like. The terminal 34 is used for construction date and time, local worker notification, construction completion notification, and the like.

B. Next, the operation of the present embodiment will be described in detail. In the company A, the person in charge receives a provisional order for a service request from a customer and inputs the contents (address, name, etc.) directly from the terminal 1. The workflow management unit 30 notifies the contents of the provisional order received from the terminal 1 to the companies B and C via the network 40 such as the Internet. In the companies B and C, the workflow management units 31 and 32 use the information (necessary construction / materials,
Man-hours, etc.) on a network 40 such as the Internet.
Is returned to the company A via In the company A, a quote is created and presented to the customer in accordance with the answered information.

Next, when the customer officially applies for the service after the quotation, the person in charge of the company A receives a formal order based on the contents of the provisional order (including the quotation) entered so far. At this time, the person in charge of the company A does not need to newly input or transfer the information for this application from the terminal 1. When there is a change item or the like, only the change item of the contents of the provisional order needs to be corrected. Information on the order is managed and operated by the order processing system 2. The customer information is managed and operated by the customer management system 3.

On the other hand, when the company B receives a formal order from the workflow management unit 30 of the company A, the company B designs and works for laying the power line from the telephone pole to the building. At this time, the workflow management unit 31 manages and operates orders, progress of construction, delivery dates, and the like. The contents are also notified and reflected to the workflow management unit 30 of the company A, and can be immediately confirmed at the terminal 33, and the delivery date and the construction date and time are automatically determined based on the customer information stored in the system. Is sent to the customer via email.

In the company C, the workflow management unit 31 of the company A or the workflow management unit 32 of the company B
When you receive a formal order from, power plants, power lines, substations,
Perform work up to the telephone pole. At this time, the terminal 23
The work progress status, delivery date, and the like input to the system are managed and operated by the workflow management unit 32. The contents are also notified and reflected to the workflow management unit 30 of the company A, and can be immediately confirmed at the terminal 33, and the customer is notified of the delivery date and the construction date and time by e-mail as described above. .

According to the above-described embodiment, the following effects can be obtained. 1) Automating the Process from the Top Trend and Automatic Distribution of Input Information In this embodiment, the information distribution (service menu, address, contractor name, etc.) Etc.) can be automatically reflected (automatic distribution) in the information input at the time of this application, thereby preventing transcription errors and speeding up work by reducing double input of data, etc., efficiency and efficiency Has become possible.

2) Concurrent (Simultaneous / Parallel) Process Instruction and Progress Management In this embodiment, a workflow management unit for coordinating these systems concurrently (simultaneously / parallel) is prepared, and information sharing between companies is shared by a common user interface. , The efficiency of business in a plurality of systems as a whole is realized. Further, by providing the integrated workflow management units 30, 31, and 32 according to the present embodiment, it is possible to respond to addition of a new service with a minimum system change.

3) Process instructions and progress management for assuring business operations (observance of promises) and speeding up operations In this embodiment, progress management information is integrated to notify customers not only of progress management but also information. Is getting faster. In addition, the system automatically sets work deadlines at each stage of progress according to the contents of services to be provided, and manages the work deadlines so that the work can be reliably performed. Also, by managing the execution history of the business, an indicator that statistically determines how well the business is being performed and which part is the bottleneck in the overall business flow Can be stored.

4) Management of Temporary Order Information (and Realization of Correction Process) In this embodiment, even when the temporary order information is partially changed,
By categorizing the information items by type, it is possible to proceed with the workflow while retaining information that does not change. For information that cannot be changed,
Guard is applied by UI interface. In addition, considering the effect on the other system caused by the change of the information item, the system can determine to which part of the work of the other system the change information is transmitted based on the content of the changed information. It is possible.

In the above-described embodiment, only the service relating to the power supply has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is possible to provide a service in which the work deadline dynamically changes depending on the content. It can be applied to various services that span companies. For example, it can be applied to the provision of network services also by a telecommunications company, and also in the manufacturing industry, such as planning, procurement of materials, manufacture of parts, assembly of a main body,
The present invention is also applicable to a case where a plurality of companies, a plurality of business offices, and the like share a production process in adjustment of each part, test evaluation, and the like.

Further, in the above-described embodiment, an example is shown in which terminals of respective companies are distinguished by function. However, a plurality of terminals having the same function may be provided, and different functions may be mounted on the same terminal.

The companies involved in the service provision are Company A, Company B, Company C, and Company D. Among them, Company A, Company B, and Company C share information of the workflow management section, and D can be said to have a workflow management means for collectively managing information exchanged between the companies A, B, and C via the network even if the management is performed independently.

[0032]

As described above, according to the present invention,
When providing services to customers in cooperation with a plurality of independent information management systems, the plurality of information management systems are each controlled by a workflow management unit.
Since information exchanged with each other via the network is collectively managed, there is an advantage that information can be smoothly transmitted between the systems of the respective companies and information can be effectively used. Also, within one workflow, the system automatically determines the work deadlines according to the contents of the services to be provided, and by managing them, automatically notifies the person in charge of the work delay to ensure that the work is performed properly. Speeding up can be achieved.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a service providing system to which a service providing workflow management system according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration of a conventional service providing system.

[Explanation of symbols]

Reference Signs List 1 terminal 2 order receiving system 3 customer management system 10 terminal 11 design system 12 customer management system 21 material management system 23 terminal 30, 31, 32 workflow management unit (workflow management means) 33 terminal 34 terminal 40 network

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page (72) Inventor Yoshimi Fukumura 2-1-1, Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo NTT Advanced Technology Corporation (72) Inventor Satoshi Nakayama Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo 2-3-1 Otemachi, Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation (72) Inventor Toshiro Sakurai 2-3-1, Otemachi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo Nippon Telegraph and Telephone Corporation

Claims (4)

[Claims] 1. A service providing workflow management system that manages the progress of work between information management systems when providing services to customers in cooperation with a plurality of independent information management systems, The plurality of information management systems each include a workflow management unit that collectively manages information exchanged with each other via a network. 2. The method according to claim 1, wherein the workflow management unit automatically manages a work deadline provided at each stage of a process in accordance with a type of service provided to the customer and a progress status of a case. 1. The service management workflow management system according to 1. 3. The service management workflow management system according to claim 1, wherein the workflow management unit manages a task execution history. 4. The service providing workflow management system according to claim 1, wherein said workflow management means exchanges information with each other via a unified user interface.