JP2003050905A - Workflow management system and workflow system, and workflow managing program and computer-readable recording medium with the program recorded - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To automatically set a proper circulation route depending on the contents of a document. SOLUTION: A workflow management device 10 is equipped with a circulation route storage part DB2 which stores circulation route data R wherein a circulation route of a workflow for circulating an application document T among a plurality of circulators is previously set corresponding to a combination of data on an 'application department' and an 'examination rank' included in the application document T and a circulation route determination part 12b which obtains the data needed to determine the circulation route from the application document T and determines the circulation route according to the circulation route data R. Consequently, the circulation route can automatically be set according to the 'examination rank' (importance) of the application document T.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a so-called workflow system for circulating electronic data such as approval documents on a computer network, and more particularly to a workflow management device for performing flow management in the workflow system and the workflow management device. The present invention relates to a workflow system, the workflow management device, a workflow management program that realizes the workflow system, and a computer-readable recording medium that records the program.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, when an approval case occurs in a company,
Approval cases are documented in approval documents, circulated to the necessary superiors and executives, approved and finally approved by the chief executive officer such as the president.

At present, information communication technology using computers has been developed, and communication systems such as electronic mails and electronic bulletin boards are widely used for mutual communication among users.

There is a workflow system in which a circulation route that models the flow of routine business in a company as described above is stored as a flow definition, and a business document is electronically circulated according to the flow definition. This is to circulate business documents such as approval documents created on a computer to a plurality of approvers via a computer network using a personal computer or various terminals.

However, even in a workflow system in which a business document is circulated on a computer network, it is still necessary to set a circulation route for each business document. Therefore, the setting work of the circulation route is complicated and it is difficult to set it appropriately. Therefore, various workflow systems that automate the setting of circulation routes have been proposed.

[0006] For example, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2001-3
Japanese Patent No. 4681 (published date: February 9, 2001) manages unfilled template data having a predetermined layout and destination route, and creates a template when creating a new document. A document flow system is disclosed that provides replication of data. In this document flow system, since the copy of the template data in which the circulation route is set is provided to the user, each user who is the approver does not need to set the destination when transferring the business document to the next viewer. .

In addition, Japanese Unexamined Patent Publication No. 2000-22
No. 2500 publication (publication date: August 11, 2000), the flow used depends on the business, but the route to be circulated is the same. A workflow management method for doing so is disclosed. In this workflow management method, a flow definition section that determines a circulation route for each business and a form format name used in business processing are set in the business definition. Then, based on the flow definition indicated by the flow definition name, the name of the person in charge of processing the business document next and the node name are determined from the current node name. That is, the above workflow management method enables a plurality of business documents to be circulated through the same circulation route by determining the circulation route according to a preset flow definition.

[0008]

In the quality control / quality assurance work, it is important that the ruled work is definitely executed by the responsible person / authorized person.
In addition, important business documents are required to be reviewed by multiple reviewers. In this case, appropriate reviewers must be assigned to all nodes included in the review process in the workflow without exception, and the circulation route must be set. As described above, when the workflow system is applied to the quality control / quality assurance work, the accuracy of the circulation route is particularly required.

However, even for similar business documents, it is difficult to determine the circulation route because the judging members differ depending on the degree of importance. Therefore, the circulation route may be erroneously set, and the business document may not be efficiently circulated to an appropriate responsible person / authorized person according to the rule.

In this respect, since the applicant usually does not judge the importance of the application, it is not possible to use a template or the like in which a circulation route is set in advance unlike the conventional workflow system. Further, in the above conventional workflow system, the degree of importance of the business document and the circulation route are not associated with each other, so that the circulation route cannot be automatically set in consideration of the degree of importance of the business document.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a workflow management apparatus and a workflow system which can automatically set a circulation route appropriately in accordance with the contents of a business document. It is in.
Further, an object of the present invention also includes providing a workflow management program that realizes the workflow management apparatus and the workflow system, and a computer-readable recording medium that records the program.

[0012]

In order to solve the above problems, the workflow management apparatus of the present invention is the first information in which the circulation route of the workflow for circulating the document among a plurality of readers is included in the document. First storage means for storing circulation route data set in advance in association with
A circulation route determining means for acquiring the first information necessary for determining the circulation route from the document, and determining the circulation route according to the circulation route data based on the first information. I am trying.

With the above structure, the circulation route is preset in the circulation route data in association with the information (first information) contained in the document to be circulated.
Then, according to the circulation route data, the circulation route determining means determines the circulation route based on the information acquired from the document to be circulated. The first information is
It may be a combination of a plurality of data.

Therefore, according to the workflow management apparatus, the circulation route can be determined based on the information contained in the document to be circulated.

Therefore, the circulation route can be automatically set appropriately in accordance with the contents of the document. Therefore, the circulation route is not erroneously set and can be efficiently circulated to an appropriate responsible person / authorized person according to the business rule.

Further, it becomes possible to determine the downstream circulation route based on the information added to the document upstream of the circulation route. That is, the downstream circulation route can be determined by the content of the document after the circulation by the previous circulation person. Therefore, unlike the conventional case, it is not necessary to determine the downstream circulation route at the start of circulation, and flexible circulation is possible.

For example, even if the receptionist judges the importance of the application and assigns a rank to the application document submitted by the applicant, and the circulation route is determined based on this rank, According to the workflow management device, the circulation route can be automatically set when the rank is given to the application document. Further, according to the workflow management device, since the circulation route and the importance of the document can be associated with each other, the circulation route can be automatically set in consideration of the importance of the document.

Further, the workflow management apparatus of the present invention further comprises a parallel processing flow control means for controlling the progress of a parallel processing process in which a plurality of readers simultaneously circulate the above document, which is included in the above circulation route. It is characterized by doing.

With the above arrangement, the workflow management apparatus can further manage the flow of parallel processing.
Therefore, by performing the parallel processing, the processing time of the workflow can be shortened.

For example, the examination of the application document is a process that can be simultaneously processed by a plurality of examiners. Therefore, by performing the processes in parallel as described above, the time required for the examination can be shortened. As a result, the processing time of the entire workflow can be shortened.

Further, in the workflow management apparatus of the present invention, the second memory for storing the parallel processing member data set in advance in which the members participating in the parallel processing process are associated with the second information included in the document. A means and a parallel processing for acquiring the second information necessary for determining a member participating in the parallel processing process from the document, and determining the member according to the parallel processing member data based on the second information. It is characterized by further comprising member determining means.

With the above configuration, the members participating in the parallel processing process are set in advance in the parallel processing member data in association with the information (second information) contained in the document to be circulated. Then, according to the parallel processing member data, the parallel processing member determining means, based on the information acquired from the document to be circulated,
Decide which members will participate in the parallel processing process. The second information may be a combination of a plurality of data. Further, the second information may be the same as the first information.

Therefore, according to the workflow management apparatus, it is possible to determine the members participating in the parallel processing process based on the information contained in the document to be circulated.

Therefore, the members who participate in the parallel processing process can be automatically set appropriately according to the contents of the document.
Therefore, the members participating in the parallel processing process are not mistakenly set, and can be efficiently circulated to an appropriate responsible person / authorized person according to the business rule.

Further, it becomes possible to decide a member who participates in the downstream parallel processing process based on the information added to the document upstream of the circulation route. That is, the members participating in the downstream parallel processing process can be determined according to the content of the document after the circulation by the previous circulation person. Therefore, it is not necessary to decide the members who participate in the downstream parallel processing process at the start of circulation as in the past,
Flexible circulation is possible.

For example, for the application document submitted by the applicant, the receptionist determines the importance of the application and assigns a rank, and based on this rank, the members participating in the examination process for performing parallel processing are determined. Even in such a case, the workflow management apparatus can automatically set the examiner when the application document is ranked. Further, according to the workflow management apparatus, since the examiner and the importance of the document can be associated with each other, it is possible to automatically set the examiner in consideration of the importance of the document. That is, even when the examiner varies depending on the importance of the application document, it is easy to efficiently circulate it to an appropriate responsible person / authorized person according to the business rule.

Further, in the workflow management apparatus of the present invention, the parallel processing flow control means includes a monitoring means for monitoring the progress status of the parallel processing process, and according to the progress status, according to a preset end condition. It is characterized in that the parallel processing process is terminated.

With the above arrangement, the parallel processing flow control means can further terminate the parallel processing process in accordance with preset termination conditions.

Therefore, flexible circulation is possible. That is, according to the workflow management device described above, it is possible to efficiently circulate the work to the appropriate manager / authorized person according to the business rule, and various workflows are possible.

For example, in the case where the examination process of the application document is processed in parallel, the examination process may be terminated when the examinations of all the examiners are completed, or the examination of the prescribed number of people is approved when the examination of the prescribed number of persons is completed. Alternatively, the examination process may be terminated when the non-approval is recorded, when a predetermined time has elapsed, or the like.

Further, the workflow management apparatus of the present invention is characterized in that the end condition of the parallel processing process is the circulation completion by all members.

With the above arrangement, the parallel processing flow control means can further terminate the parallel processing process when all members have completed the circulation. Therefore,
You can wait until all members have completed the circulation and proceed to the next process.

In order to solve the above problems, in the workflow system of the present invention, the workflow management device, the document database storing the documents, and the terminal device operated by the reader form a computer network. It is characterized by being connected through.

With the above configuration, the workflow system is under the control of the workflow management device.
Circulate a document among multiple readers.

Therefore, according to the workflow system, the circulation route can be determined based on the information contained in the document to be circulated.

Therefore, the circulation route can be automatically set appropriately according to the contents of the document. Therefore, the circulation route is not erroneously set and can be efficiently circulated to an appropriate responsible person / authorized person according to the business rule.

Further, it becomes possible to determine the downstream circulation route based on the information added to the document upstream of the circulation route. That is, the downstream circulation route can be determined by the content of the document after the circulation by the previous circulation person. Therefore, unlike the conventional case, it is not necessary to determine the downstream circulation route at the start of circulation, and flexible circulation is possible.

Further, the workflow system of the present invention is characterized in that the workflow management device transmits a communication message according to the progress status of the workflow to the terminal device.

With the above configuration, the workflow system can further notify the reader of a communication message according to the progress status of the workflow via the terminal device. For example, a reader who has reached the order of circulation can be requested to confirm and process the document. Further, the processing can be urged to the reader who has not completed the circulation even after the processing deadline.

Therefore, it is possible to surely allow the reader who is given the responsibility and the authority to perform the work. As a result, the workflow can be completed without delay.

The workflow management program of the present invention is a computer program that causes a computer to function as each of the above means.

With the above-mentioned configuration, by realizing each means of the workflow management apparatus with a computer,
The workflow management device can be realized. Therefore, the circulation route can be determined based on the information included in the document to be circulated, which is an effect of the workflow management device described above.

A computer-readable recording medium in which the workflow management program of the present invention is recorded is
It is a computer-readable recording medium in which a workflow management program for causing the computer to implement each of the above means and operating the workflow management apparatus is recorded.

With the above arrangement, the workflow management apparatus can be implemented on a computer by the workflow management program read from the recording medium. Therefore, it is possible to realize a workflow system including the workflow management device.

[0045]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION An embodiment of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS. 1 to 12.

In the present embodiment, when an application case occurs, a workflow in which an application document (business document) is circulated in the order of application → application confirmation → application acceptance → application acceptance confirmation → examination → approval → approval confirmation. explain. Here, each process included in the workflow includes zero or more nodes (that is, a reader). In particular, in the above workflow, a plurality of examiners simultaneously examine the application document in the examination process (parallel processing process), and wait for the completion of examination by all the examiners before proceeding to the next approval process. That is, in the examination process, unlike other processes, nodes are connected in parallel.

A configuration example of a computer network system to which the workflow system according to this embodiment is applied will be described with reference to FIGS. 2 and 3.

First, the computer network system shown in FIG. 2 has a configuration in which one server device 1 is provided in the center to centrally manage the terminal devices 2 ... At the sites A, B, C. In this configuration example, basically all the terminal devices 2 ...
Accesses the database 20. However, in order to improve the response, a replica of the database 20 (database 20 ') may be provided at each base. This configuration example is suitable for a company-wide business system, for example, a complaint management system (described later).

The computer network system shown in FIG. 3 has a configuration in which the server devices 1 are provided at the sites A, B and C, respectively, and the terminal devices 2 ... Are distributed and managed for each site. In this configuration example, when the terminal device 2 participates in the business system managed by the server device 1 of another base, the terminal device 2 accesses the database 20 of the base. The database 20 may be managed for each base or may be a replica of one master. This configuration example is suitable for a business system mainly based on a base, such as a process change management system, an initial flow management system, an internal audit system, and a design review system (all described later).

Here, in any of the above configuration examples, the server device 1 can be configured based on a general-purpose computer such as a workstation or a personal computer.
Similarly, the terminal device 2 can be configured based on a general-purpose computer such as a personal computer or a personal digital assistant.

That is, the server device 1 and the terminal device 2 each have a CPU (central processing unit) for executing instructions of programs for realizing respective functions, a ROM (read only memory) storing a boot logic,
RAM (random access memo) for developing the above programs
ry), a storage device (recording medium) such as a hard disk for storing the above programs and various databases, an input device such as a keyboard and a mouse, an output device such as a monitor and a printer, and a network connection device connected to an external network are internal buses. Are connected and configured by.

The functions of the server device 1 and the terminal device 2 are realized by expanding the program stored in the storage device into the RAM and executing the program by the CPU as needed.

In the computer network system described above, devices such as the server device 1 and the terminal device 2 are
LAN (local area netwo) between bases and within bases
rk) and the Internet and other networks are communicatively connected.

The server device 1 (FIGS. 2 and 3) has a workflow management device 10 according to the present embodiment, a database 20 for storing data such as application documents, and an email in the computer network system. At least an e-mail management device 30 that manages the sending and receiving of e-mail is provided.

On the other hand, the terminal device 2 is a client device which processes the application document stored in the database 20 when each reader uses various business systems provided by the server device 1. . for that reason,
The terminal device 2 has at least a function of accessing the database 20 (including a function of editing an application document) and a function of transmitting and receiving an email with the email management device 30.

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing an outline of the configuration of the workflow management device 10. As shown in FIG. 1, the workflow management apparatus 10 is configured to include at least an application document creation control unit 11, a circulation flow control unit 12, and an examination flow control unit (parallel processing flow control unit) 13. In addition, the application document creation control unit 1 described above
1, the circulation flow control unit 12, the document storage unit (document database) DB1 accessed by the examination flow control unit 13, the circulation route storage unit (first storage unit) DB2, the examination member storage unit (second storage unit) DB3, Database 20
(FIGS. 2 and 3). The circulation route storage unit DB2 and the examination member storage unit DB3 may be provided in the circulation flow control unit 12 and the examination flow control unit 13, respectively.

The application document creation control unit 11 inputs the input data d input by the applicant and the person involved in the workflow via the terminal device 2 and the input data from the circulation flow control unit 12 or the examination flow control unit 13. The application document (document) T is edited based on the above, and the application document T is stored in the document storage unit DB1.

FIG. 4 is a flow chart showing the operation of the application document creation control section 11. The application document creation control unit 11 acquires application data (input data d) input by the applicant via the terminal device 2 and creates an application document to be circulated (S11). At this time, it is confirmed whether the application data has been correctly input (S12), and if the application data is incomplete (NO), a warning is issued to the terminal device 2 used by the applicant (S13). As a result, incomplete application documents can be controlled so as not to be used for application confirmation, and complete application processing can be performed. Finally, when the input is completed (YES in S12
S), a new application document T is created based on the obtained application data and stored in the document storage unit DB1 (S14).

The circulation flow control unit 12 determines the completion of processing by the circulation person for each node of the circulation route, and controls the circulation flow so that the application document T is efficiently circulated. Therefore, the circulation flow control unit 12 includes an application document monitoring unit 12a and a circulation route determination unit (circulation route determination means).
12b and an e-mail transmission unit 12c (FIG. 1).

The application document monitoring unit 12a monitors the contents of the application document T stored in the document storage unit DB1 (for example, "processing history column" (FIG. 9, later-described)) to check the progress status of the circulation flow. To detect. The circulation route determination unit 12b is
Based on the content of the application document T (including application data), the circulation route data R (described later) stored in advance in the circulation route storage unit DB2 is referred to, and the circulation person and the circulation route are determined. The e-mail sending section 12c
Automatically creates an e-mail for requesting the process to the next reader or urging the reader who has not completed the process, and sends it via the e-mail management device 30 (FIGS. 2 and 3). To do.

FIG. 5 is a flowchart showing the operation of the circulation flow control unit 12 at the time of application. First, the circulation route determination unit 12b acquires the data (first information; for example, “application target product type”) necessary for determining the circulation route from the application document T in the document storage unit DB1 (S21), and stores the circulation route. The circulation route data R of the department DB2 is referred to determine the circulation person and the circulation route.

At this time, the circulation route deciding unit 12b, as an application confirmation person (superior manager of the applicant, etc.), who is the next circulation person,
The same person as the application document previously made by the applicant can be automatically set (S22). This can save labor for setting the application confirmer.

The circulation route determination unit 12b determines the next circulation person, the person in charge of application acceptance, based on the content of the application document T (first information; for example, "application type"). To automatically set (S2
3). In this way, since the person in charge of application acceptance can be automatically determined, the applicant does not need to memorize or check the person in charge of application acceptance and can make a reliable application. In addition, the setting of the application confirmer in step S22 also applies to the application document T.
It may be automatically set by referring to the circulation route data R based on the contents of.

Further, if the data necessary for determining the circulation route is not yet input to the application document T, the circulation route determination unit 12b can determine the data until it is input and can be determined at the time of input. That is, the setting of the “approval person” and the “confirmation person” can be determined when the person in charge of application acceptance inputs the “examination rank”, and is thus undecided.

The application confirmer and the application receiver set by the circulation route determination unit 12b are the circulation flow control unit 12
From the application document creation control unit 11, and the application document creation control unit 11 writes the application document T in the document storage unit DB1. Of course, the circulation flow control unit 12 may directly write the application document T.

Subsequently, the E-mail including the contents to be requested by the e-mail transmission unit 12c to the application confirmer who is the next reader and the bookmark etc. for specifying the application document T to be requested in the document storage unit DB1. Is created (S24) and automatically transmitted to the application confirmer (S25).

FIG. 8 is a flow chart showing the operation of the circulation flow control unit 12 when the approval is completed. In the circulation flow control unit 12, the application document monitoring unit 12a monitors the application document T in the document storage unit DB1 at an appropriate timing (S51). Then, the application document monitoring unit 12a
However, when it detects the entry of the approval completion by the approver in the application document T (YES in S52), it notifies all the persons involved in the circulation flow (including the approval confirmer) that the processing of the application document T is completed. Create an email and send it automatically (S
53). As a result, it is possible to notify the participants of the examination result almost in real time without omission. In addition, in the e-mail to the confirmation person of confirmation, after confirming the contents, the user is requested to input the confirmation of the confirmation in the application document T.

As described above, the circulation flow control unit 12 is
In order to carry out the circulation efficiently, it has the following two functions.

First, the circulation flow control unit 12 causes the circulation route determination unit 12b to determine the circulation (application confirmation person, application confirmer, etc.) for all nodes of all processes except the parallel processing process (in this embodiment, the examination process). (Recipient of application, confirmer of acceptance of application, approver, confirmer of approval, etc.) Specifically, the circulation route determination unit 12b preliminarily uses the circulation route storage unit DB2 based on the content of the target application document T, that is, the application data input by the applicant and the data input by the upstream circulation user. The circulation person is assigned from the circulation route data R stored in. Note that future readers can be set based on the data input by upstream readers. For example, the “authorizer” and “authorizer” are set based on the combination of the “application department” entered by the applicant and the “examination rank” entered by the person in charge of application acceptance (first information). Good.

Secondly, the circulation flow control unit 12 monitors the writing to the application document T stored in the document storage unit DB1 by the application document monitoring unit 12a, detects the progress status of the circulation flow, and Appropriate processing is performed according to Specifically, the application document monitoring unit 12a detects whether or not the processing date is input in the “processing history column” (FIG. 9) of the application document T. When the application document monitoring unit 12a detects the completion of processing by a certain reader, the e-mail sending unit 12c creates and sends an e-mail requesting processing to the next reader. When the application document monitoring unit 12a detects that the processing completion is not written even after the scheduled processing completion date, E
The mail sending unit 12c creates and sends an e-mail requesting processing to the reader who has not completed processing.

The examination flow control unit 13 manages the progress of the examination process of simultaneous parallel processing by a plurality of persons included in the circulation flow. Therefore, the examination flow control unit 13
Includes at least an application document monitoring unit (monitoring unit) 13a, an examination member determination unit (parallel processing member determination unit) 13b, and an email transmission unit 13c (FIG. 1).

The application document monitoring unit 13a monitors the content of the application document T stored in the document storage unit DB1 (for example, "processing history column" (FIG. 9, later-described)) to check the progress of the examination process. To detect. Judging member determination section 13b
Is based on the content of the application document T (including application data)
By referring to the examination member data (concurrent processing member data) M which is set in advance and stored in the examination member storage unit DB3, the examination member is assigned.
In addition, the e-mail transmission unit 13c sends an E-mail for requesting the examiner to examine or requesting the examiner who has not completed the examination.
A mail is automatically created and sent via the e-mail management device 30 (FIGS. 2 and 3).

FIG. 6 is a flow chart showing the operation of the examination flow control unit 13. First, the examination member determination unit 13b acquires the data (second information; “examination rank” and “application section” in the present embodiment) necessary for determining the examiner from the application document T in the document storage unit DB1. Then, the examiner is automatically determined by referring to the examination member data in the examination member storage DB3 (S31).

Here, the “examination rank” is determined and entered by the person in charge of application acceptance at the time of application acceptance according to the importance of the application. Further, the “application section” is input by the applicant as application data at the time of application. In this way, the examiner can automatically make a decision, and the applicant does not need to memorize or check a plurality of examiners who should be requested for examination, and can make a reliable application. Also, an appropriate examiner can be easily set according to the examination rank.

The setting of the examiner by the judging member determining unit 13b may be performed in response to a request from the circulating route determining unit 12b when the circulating route determining unit 12b sets a circulating person, or an application may be made. It may be performed at the time when the document monitoring unit 13a detects that the examiner is not set in the predetermined column (for example, "processing history column") of the application document T.

The examiner set by the examination member determination unit 13b is transmitted from the examination flow control unit 13 to the application document creation control unit 11 and written in the application document T in the document storage unit DB1 by the application document creation control unit 11. Be done. Of course, the examination flow control unit 13 may directly write the examination document in the application document T.

Subsequently, when the application acceptance confirmation person confirms the "examiner" sent to the application document creation control section 11, the e-mail transmission section 13c requests all the examiners to start the examination and requests. The target application document T is the document storage unit D
An e-mail including the bookmark specified in B1 and the like is created and automatically transmitted (S32). Thus, in the workflow system according to the present embodiment, the examination period can be shortened by conducting examinations by a plurality of examiners in parallel (concurrent). Of course, like other processes, it is also possible to judge one by one.

Next, the result of the examination is recorded in the application document T when the examination is completed for each examiner. Specifically, the “examination comment” entered by the examiner who finished the examination as the input data d from the terminal device 2 and the “examination completion date”
And are recorded in the application document T by the application document creation control unit 11 (S33).

Then, when the application document monitoring unit 13a detects that the "examination completion date" is not recorded in the application document T (S34), the e-mail transmission unit 13c sends an e-mail to the examiner who has not completed the examination. Create and send (S3
5). In this way, the examination flow control unit 13 monitors the examination process, and when the examination remains, performs the dunning process (re-sending of the examination request) to control the flow so that it does not stay.

FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the operation of the examination flow control unit 13 when the examination is completed. In the examination flow control unit 13, the application document monitoring unit 13a monitors the application document T in the document storage unit DB1 at an appropriate timing (S41). Then, when the application document monitoring unit 13a detects the completion of the examination by all the examiners in the application document T (YES in S42), an email requesting the approval is created and automatically transmitted to the authorizer (S43). ). The circulation flow control unit 12 may perform the process of FIG. 7.

As described above, the examination flow control unit 13
In order to carry out the examination process efficiently,
Has two functions.

First, the examination flow control unit 13 determines the examiner by the examination member determination unit 13b. The examination member determination unit 13b determines the content of the target application document T,
That is, based on the application data input by the applicant, the data input by the upstream reader, and the like, the examiner is assigned from the examination member data M stored in the examination route storage unit DB3 in advance and assigned to the parallel nodes.
For example, the setting of the examiner may be set based on a combination of the “application section” input by the applicant and the “examination rank” input by the person in charge of application reception in consideration of the importance of the application.

Secondly, the examination flow control unit 13 monitors the writing of the application document T stored in the document storage unit DB1 by the application document monitoring unit 13a to detect the progress status of the examination process, Appropriate processing is performed according to
Specifically, the application document monitoring unit 13a detects whether or not the processing date is input in the “processing history column” (FIG. 9) of the application document T. Then, when the application document monitoring unit 13a detects the completion of the process (confirmation of application acceptance) immediately before the examination process, the email transmitting unit 13c creates and sends an examination start request email to all the examiners. . When the application document monitoring unit 13a detects that the examination completion is not written even after the scheduled examination completion date, the e-mail transmission unit 1
3c creates and sends an e-mail to remind the examiner who has not completed the examination.

Here, FIG. 9 shows an example of the “processing history column” of the application document T. The “processing history column” is arranged at the beginning of the application document T and displays the processing history of the circulation flow in a stamped form. As a result, when a viewer (including a reader) of the application document T opens the application document T, the progress of the processing can be seen at a glance in this column.

The "processing history column" contains the name of the person in charge of each process (upper row) and the processing date (lower row). In the example of FIG. 9, it can be seen that the circulation flow has proceeded to the examination process and that two of the examiners (examiner q, r) have not completed the examination. Here, confirmation of approval, confirmation of approval, confirmation of acceptance of application,
The person in charge of each process of application reception and application confirmation is set by the circulation route determination unit 12b. The examiner of the examination process is set by the examination member determination unit 13b. The applicant name is entered as application data by the applicant. Further, the processing date by each person in charge is automatically input when each person in charge completes the processing.

Further, as described above, since the entry in the "processing history column" of the application document T is monitored by the application document monitoring units 12a and 13a, the progress of all circulation flows including the flow of the examination process. Circulating the situation Flow control unit 1
2 and the examination flow control unit 13. Of course, the progress status of the circulation flow by the application document monitoring units 12a and 13a can be detected by separately creating control data independent of the application document T.

Next, FIG. 10 shows an example of the circulation route data R and the examination member data M. In FIG. 10, the examiner, the authorizer, and the authorizer are set in correspondence with the combination of the application department to which the applicant belongs and the examination rank according to the importance of the examination target. Note that, in FIG. 10, the circulation route data R and the examination member data M are collectively displayed. That is, the correspondence between the application department / examination rank (first information) and the approver and the approval confirmer is the circulation route data R, and the correspondence between the application department / examination rank (second information) and the examiner is the appraisal. It is member data M. Therefore, by designating the application section and examination rank for these data, it is possible to allocate the examiner, the authorizer, and the authorizer. The combination of the application department and the examination rank shown in FIG. 10 is an example. Further, the index used for the decision of the examiner or the like is arbitrary as long as it is the data inputted by the upstream reader and the correspondence with the members can be set in advance.

The "processing history column" of FIG. 9 corresponds to the case of application department x / examination rank A (uppermost row) of FIG. In addition to the above correspondence table, the circulation route data R includes a correspondence table between the applicant and the application confirmer, and a correspondence table between the application target product and the application receptionist. Therefore, based on these correspondence tables of the circulation route data R, the application confirmer, the person in charge of accepting the application, and the person confirming the application can be set in the “processing history column”.

The workflow handled by the workflow management apparatus 10 is not limited to the process configuration of application → application confirmation → application acceptance → application acceptance confirmation → inspection → approval → approval confirmation. That is, the type and number of processes included in the workflow can be set arbitrarily. Further, the type and number of processes included in the workflow for performing parallel processing can be arbitrarily set. Therefore, all processes may perform sequential processing or may perform parallel processing. Also, the number of nodes included in each process can be set arbitrarily.

Further, the examination process may be terminated under conditions other than the examination completion of all the examiners. That is, the examination flow control unit 13 terminates the examination process according to termination conditions such as completion of examination of a predetermined number of people, recording of approval or non-approval of a predetermined number of people, and passage of a predetermined time. May be. It should be noted that the termination condition of the process such as the examination process which performs the concurrent parallel processing may be recorded in the application document T together with the names of the members participating in the process, or other control data may be created and managed. Good.

If the circulation route determination unit 12b or the judging member determination unit 13b needs to change the circulation route in the middle of the circulation flow, the circulation route is reset and the circulation route is reset, for example, in the “processing history column” of the application document T. It is possible to change the circulation route by modifying ". At this time, an E requesting approval of the circulation route change from the E-mail transmission units 12c and 13c.
An email may be sent to the person who confirms the application. Also, E
The mail sending units 12c and 13c may automatically send the approved circulation route to the participants.

Further, the circulation flow control unit 12 and the examination flow control unit 13 may be integrated into one.
In this case, circulation route data R and judging member data M
And can be combined into one (Fig. 10).

Further, the notice to the reader may be made by using a communication means other than the email.

An example in which the workflow management apparatus 10 and the workflow system equipped with the workflow management apparatus 10 are applied to, for example, a quality control system for an electronic component manufacturing line will be described below.

The above-mentioned quality control system is an individual EDP (elec) built for each rule (regulation, procedure, procedure manual, etc.) established for quality control and quality assurance of manufactured products.
A collection of tronic data processing systems. Specifically, the quality control system
"Complaint management", "Process change management", "Initial flow management", "Internal audit", "Design examination", "Special recruitment",
It includes individual business systems such as "process abnormality processing".

In each of the above-mentioned business systems, "business content", "business procedure", which are defined in the rules for each business,
"Responsibility" and "authority" are incorporated. Then, each business system supports the execution of a predetermined business process in accordance with the following steps (1) to (11) so that the business process is surely performed according to the rule.

(1) The business system accessed by the person in charge who is the base of the business is the business document (application document)
To enter the required items in

(2) After the person in charge has entered the necessary items,
The business system determines the necessity of confirmation / approval by the superior or the like. Then, when confirmation / approval is required, the business system creates and sends an e-mail having the content of notifying the relevant superior or the like that the business of confirming / approving the business document has occurred. After that, the business system accessed by the superior or the like who has received the email presents the business document input by the person in charge and requests the input of necessary items for confirmation / approval.

(3) Next, the business system creates and sends an e-mail with the content notifying that the business has occurred to the person (department) in charge of taking over the business processing.

(4) When the business system is accessed by the person who receives the e-mail in (3), the business system requires input of necessary items for reporting the execution result of the business.

(5) After the input of (4) is completed, the business system judges the necessity of confirmation / approval by the superior or the like, as in (2). Then, when confirmation / approval is necessary, the business system creates and sends an e-mail with the content notifying the superior or the like that the business of document confirmation / approval has occurred.
After that, the business system accessed by the superior who received the email presents the business document input by the person in charge,
Require entry of confirmation / approval requirements.

(6) In addition, when a plurality of examiners need to make an examination and an authorizer makes an approval, the business system automatically selects an appropriate examiner based on the data (examination rank, application section) entered in the business document. The email will be created and sent out to inform the relevant examiner that the examination work has occurred. After that, the business system accessed by the examiner who received the email presents the business document input by the person in charge and requests the input of necessary items for reporting the examination result. Further, after all the examiners have completed inputting the examination results, the business system automatically creates and sends an e-mail that informs the decision-makers that have been assigned that the decision-making work has occurred. After that, the business system accessed by the approver who received the e-mail presents the business document entered by the person in charge and the examiner, and requests the entry of necessary items for approval.

(7) The business system follows the rules
Repeat steps (3) to (6).

(8) In the steps (1) to (7), the business system issues a warning and refuses to execute a process that deviates from the rule or a process by an inappropriate authority.

(9) The business system automatically completes the business at the time when all the business processes defined by the rules are completed.

(10) In the steps (2) to (8), the business system automatically sends a report by e-mail to the parties specified by the rules.

(11) Further, the business system automatically saves all the records in each of the steps (1) to (9) as a quality control record in the database and provides it so that it can be searched and quoted when necessary.

As described above, each business system of the quality control system is constructed as follows. The business system incorporates applicable quality control and quality assurance rules. The business system is set with responsible persons and authorized persons stipulated in the rules. The business system automatically assigns the tasks to be performed and the order in which they should be performed, the responsible person or the authorized person to be performed, and requests the relevant persons to perform the tasks.
The business system detects the execution of the business that deviates from the built-in rules and the business execution by the inappropriate authority, issues a warning, and rejects the execution. The business system stores the processed business document as a quality control record at the same time as the business execution.

Therefore, once the business system is accessed by the person in charge who is the base point, the series of business thereafter is automatically identified for each business executor, and the business is executed by e-mail. Ask the practitioner to complete the task. In addition, the above-mentioned business system issues appropriate warnings so that processing outside the scope of responsibility / authority cannot be executed at each stage of business, and conversely, there is no omission of processing within the scope of responsibility / authority. , Strictly adhere to the rules.

Therefore, according to the above-mentioned business system, it is possible to allow a person who is given responsibility and authority to carry out the business in accordance with the rules. Further, according to the business system, it is possible to complete and complete a series of business defined by the rules without departing from the rules and without omission. That is, at the end of all work,
A series of tasks can be automatically completed according to rules. Further, according to the above-mentioned business system, the progress of the work in progress can be monitored and reliable progress management can be performed.

Therefore, since the above-mentioned quality control system is constituted as a set of individual business systems in which various kinds of work of quality control and quality assurance are respectively ruled (documented), quality control and quality assurance work is performed. The following two points can be realized overall. Since the ruled work is definitely executed by the responsible person and the authorized person, each rule of quality control is surely operated. Since the result of the business process is automatically recorded for each progress, it can be surely saved as a quality control record in the end.

Next, as a specific example of the business system of the quality control system, a business system of "process change management" and "initial flow management" will be described.

1. Business Process Management System for Process Change Management FIG. 11 is an explanatory diagram showing an outline of processing by the business system for process change management.

(1) In the process change management business system, the process change applicant sends the necessary information such as the change contents, related materials and data to the “process change application form” through the terminal device 2 (FIGS. 2 and 3). Start processing by inputting "". When the input is completed, the business system automatically identifies the supervisor of the person in charge and requests the supervisor to approve the issuance of the "process change application form" by e-mail. At this time, if there are omissions of necessary items, the business system shows an omission of input items and issues a warning, and refuses to send an e-mail to the superior.

(2) When the supervisor inputs the approval of the “process change application form”, the business system automatically identifies the person in charge of reception and requests the person in charge of reception for reception processing by e-mail.

(3) The business system has the "examination rank" determined by the receptionist based on the contents of the "process change application".
Ask for. The business system automatically extracts a predetermined “examiner”, “approver”, “confirmer of approval result”, and “destination of report of approval result” according to the “examination rank”. After that, the business system automatically identifies the superior of the receptionist and requests the superior of the receptionist to approve the start of the examination and approval of the “process change application” by e-mail.

(4) When the supervisor of the receptionist inputs the approval of the “process change application form”, the business system requests all the examiners to examine by e-mail at the same time.

(5) The business system requires each examiner to input the "examination comment". When "Review comment" is not entered, the business system warns the reviewer and does not finish the review. When all the reviewers have completed the entry of the "Reviewing comment", the business system automatically requests the authorizer to confirm the decision by e-mail.

(6) The business system presents the “process change application” and “examination comment” to the approver to request the approval (approval, process change application, conditional approval, rejection). After that, when the approver inputs the approval, the business system automatically requests the confirmation of the approval result by e-mail for confirmation.

(7) The business system requests the confirmation by presenting the “process change application form”, the “examination comment” and the “approval result” to the confirmer. After that, when the confirmation is input by the confirmer, the business system automatically notifies the applicant and the examiner of the result by e-mail.

(8) Here, when the approval or the rejection is decided, the business system ends all the processes for the application.

(9) On the other hand, when the decision of conditional approval is given, the business system automatically requests the applicant to follow up for canceling the condition. Specifically, the applicant will be presented with "examination comments" by the examiner and "conditions" by the approver, and will be requested to complete the "follow-up sheet". After that, the business system automatically performs the same processing as above for the "follow-up sheet" ((2) to (9),
However, step (7) may be omitted).

(10) When the business system detects a process deviating from the rule or a process by an inappropriate authority in each of the steps (1) to (9), it issues a warning and rejects the execution.

(11) Further, the business system saves all the information in each step of (1) to (9) in the database at the same time as it is input so that it can be searched and quoted as needed.

Therefore, the work system for process change management has the following effects.

First, no one other than the authorized person can execute the process. Here, in the above business system,
Corresponding to the "examination rank" determined by the process, etc.
“Reception”, “examiner”, “approver”, “confirmer”, “report destination of results”, etc. are registered in advance. Therefore, when the applicant decides the product name and process, and the receptionist decides the examination rank, the business system automatically decides the circulation route by extracting all the authorized persons involved in the work.
The business system sequentially requests the performance of business according to this circulation route.

Secondly, it is possible to carry out and complete a series of tasks defined by the rules without departing from the rules and without omission. In the business system, the order and the content of work to be performed in each process are registered as rules for all the work of application, reception, examination, approval, and confirmation.

Thirdly, the subsequent flow is automatically selected according to the result of approval (approval, conditional approval, denial), and appropriate follow-up is performed.

Fourthly, in each step of the business, if the authorized person who is requested to process the business does not complete the processing within a predetermined number of days after receiving the e-mail, a reminder e-mail is automatically sent. As a result, the work can be performed quickly and reliably. The timing of sending the e-mail is preset for each destination.

Fifth, the progress of all process changes in progress can be confirmed and managed.

2. Initial Flow Management Business System FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing an outline of processing by the initial flow management business system.

(1) The initial flow management business system starts the process when the applicant for the process change inputs necessary information such as the plan change content into the “initial flow management plan” through the terminal device 2. . At this time, when the initial flow control is applied in response to the previous process change, necessary input information (product name etc.) is automatically input from the process change control business system. After that, the relevant process changes and initial flows can be inquired by linking screens to each other. When the input is completed, the business system automatically identifies the supervisor of the person in charge and requests the supervisor to approve the issuance of the "initial flow management plan" by e-mail. At this time, if there are omissions of necessary items, the business system shows an omission of input items and issues a warning, and refuses to send an e-mail to the superior.

(2) When the supervisor inputs the approval of the "initial flow management plan", the business system automatically identifies the person in charge of reception and requests the person in charge of reception to perform reception processing by e-mail. .

(3) The business system requests the receptionist to input the "examination rank" determined based on the contents of the "initial flow management plan". Business system is "examination rank"
According to the above, a predetermined “examiner”, “approver”, and “addressee of report of approval result” are automatically extracted. After that, the business system automatically identifies the superior of the receptionist, and sends an “initial flow management plan” to the superior of the receptionist by e-mail.
Seek approval for the examination and approval of the decision. At this time, in the case of linking with the process change, the business system automatically takes over the "examination rank" in the process change.

(4) When the superior of the receptionist inputs the approval of the "initial flow management plan", the business system requests all the examiners to examine by e-mail at the same time.

(5) The business system requires each examiner to input an "examination comment". When "Review comment" is not entered, the business system warns the reviewer and does not finish the review. When all the reviewers have completed the entry of the "Reviewing comment", the business system automatically requests the authorizer to confirm the decision by e-mail.

(6) The business system presents the "initial flow management plan" and "examination comment" to the approver to request the approval (approval or rejection). After that, when the approver enters the approval, the business system automatically notifies the applicant and the examiner of the result by e-mail.

(7) Here, if the approval is decided,
The business system finishes all processing for the "initial flow management plan."

(8) On the other hand, when the decision of rejection is made, the business system automatically requests the applicant to follow up for the plan change. Specifically, present the applicant with "examination comments" by the examiner and "conditions" by the approver,
Request to fill in "Initial Flow Management Plan". After that, the business system automatically carries out a reexamination by the same process as above with respect to the modified "initial flow management plan" ((1) to (7)).

(9) Next, after carrying out the initial liquidity management based on the “initial liquidity management plan” for which approval has been decided,
The business system requires the applicant to input the necessary items in the "initial flow management report". When the input is completed, the business system automatically identifies the supervisor of the person in charge and requests the supervisor to approve the issuance of the "initial flow management report" by e-mail. At this time, if there are omissions of necessary items, the business system shows an omission of input items and issues a warning, and refuses to send an e-mail to the superior.

(10) The business system automatically identifies the person in charge of reception when the superior inputs the approval of the "initial flow management report", and requests the person in charge of reception to perform reception processing by e-mail. .

(11) The business system requires the receptionist to input the "examination rank" determined based on the contents of the "initial flow management report". Business system is "examination rank"
According to the above, a predetermined “examiner”, “approver”, and “addressee of report of approval result” are automatically extracted. After that, the business system automatically identifies the superior of the receptionist, and sends an “initial flow management report” to the superior of the receptionist by e-mail.
Seek approval for the examination and approval of the decision.

(12) When the supervisor of the receptionist inputs the approval of the "initial flow management report", the business system requests all the examiners to examine by e-mail at the same time.

(13) The business system requires each examiner to input the "examination comment". When "Review comment" is not entered, the business system warns the reviewer and does not finish the review. When all the reviewers have completed the entry of the "Reviewing comment", the business system automatically requests the authorizer to confirm the decision by e-mail.

(14) The business system presents the "initial flow management report" and "examination comment" to the approver to request the approval (cancellation, continuation). After that, when the approver enters the approval, the business system automatically notifies the applicant and the examiner of the result by e-mail.

(15) Here, when the decision is made to cancel the initial flow management, the business system ends all the processes regarding the "initial flow management report".

(16) When the business system detects a process deviating from the rule or a process by an inappropriate authority in each of the steps (1) to (15), it issues a warning and rejects the execution.

(17) On the other hand, when a decision is made to continue the initial flow management, the business system automatically
Repeat steps (1) to (16).

(18) Further, the business system stores all the information in each of the steps (1) to (17) in the database at the same time as it is input so that it can be searched and quoted at any time.

Therefore, the business system for initial flow management has the following effects.

First, no one other than the authorized person can execute the process. Here, in the above business system,
Corresponding to the "examination rank" determined by the process, etc.
“Reception”, “examiner”, “approver”, “confirmer”, “report destination of results”, etc. are registered in advance. Therefore, when the applicant decides the product name and process, and the receptionist decides the examination rank, the business system automatically decides the circulation route by extracting all the authorized persons involved in the work.
The business system sequentially requests the performance of business according to this circulation route.

Secondly, it is possible to carry out and complete a series of tasks defined by the rules without departing from the rules and without omission. In the business system, the order and the content of work to be performed in each process are registered as rules for all work of application, reception, examination, and approval.

Thirdly, by linking the process change management database and the initial flow management database with each other, necessary data is automatically inherited from the process change management. Further, the operator can alternately switch and refer to the data of the process change management and the initial flow management linked from the terminal device 2.

Fourthly, the subsequent flow is automatically selected according to the decision result (cancellation, continuation), and appropriate follow-up becomes possible.

Fifth, in each step of a series of jobs, if the authorized person who is requested to do the jobs does not complete the processes within a predetermined number of days after receiving the e-mail, a reminder e-mail is automatically sent. As a result, the work can be performed quickly and reliably. The timing of sending the e-mail is
It is set in advance for each destination.

Sixth, the progress of all initial flows in progress can be confirmed and managed.

Then, the workflow management apparatus 10
Other business systems provided by will be briefly described.

3. Business system for complaint management The business system for complaint management has the following features. When issuing a complaint notification to the factory from the sales department, the manufacturing factory and the person in charge of reception are automatically determined based on the entered product name. If there is a change in the person in charge, once you send it to the changed person in charge, change the person in charge,
After that, it will be automatically sent to the person in charge. When the analysis information etc. after contacting the complaint is sequentially input, those data (product name, date and time, place, user, failure phenomenon, analysis result,
"Cause management ledger" is automatically created based on the cause, countermeasure, etc.). Complaint statistics are created based on the data of the above "complaint management ledger". The “complaint reply” sent from the factory to the sales department and the “claim complaint” originally issued are associated with each other in the business system.
This confirms the completion of complaint processing. In the business system, authority is set for each department such as sales, factory, and head office, and the range and contents to be disclosed can be limited.

4. Internal Audit Business System In the internal audit business system, the "audit report" and the "following report" for the pointed item are managed as a pair. In addition, a "following report" is issued for each pointed out matter,
Although approved, it is integrated as if it were a “following report” within the business system.

Next, the specifications common to the business systems of the quality control system will be supplemented.

(1) Link between Business Documents In the above quality control system, business documents can be linked to each other within the same business system or between different business systems. Thereby, for example, the data can be taken over by referring to the business document created in the past. Further, the business documents linked to each other can be alternately switched and referenced.

As described above, when the "initial flow management plan" for initial flow management is created, the procedure for linking with the "process change application form" for process change management is as follows.
(1) Display a list of "process change application forms" issued in the past in the selection dialog (view). (2) From the “process change application” selected by the user to the “initial flow management plan”
Acquires the data of the items that can be passed over to (document number of related work, process change approval date, subject, target product type, implementation department, department manager, person in charge, quality control department, receptionist, etc.). (3)
Write the data obtained in (2) in the prescribed fields of the "Initial Flow Management Plan". (4) Add link information (readout button) that references each other to the “process change application” and “initial flow management plan”.

(2) Mandatory input items The above business system is such that when the applicant newly creates a business document (application form), the business document (“process change application form”,
A template such as “initial flow management plan” is displayed on the terminal device 2. In this template, mandatory input items that the applicant must absolutely input are set in advance. If the mandatory input items are not completely input, the business system displays an essential item input error even if the applicant presses the issue button and cannot proceed with the process. Similarly, in the business system, in the process after the application process, the business document is preset with the essential input items that the person in charge must absolutely input.

(3) User Authority The above business system identifies a user based on user identification information such as a password. Then, according to the flow stage (process) and the authority of the user, the access to the business document is controlled so that only the processing by the appropriate user is accepted at an appropriate timing. For example, the button for the user to request the business system to perform processing is not displayed only when the processing should be performed and the user is not the processing user. In addition, the location input by the user is also displayed from the time when it should be input (or only the timing to be displayed). Specifically, the fields filled in by the receiving department (examination rank, necessity of initial flow management, examiner setting, etc.) are not displayed to the applicant when creating the application, but are displayed from the time the application is received. As a result, it is possible to prevent operational troubles due to user operation mistakes.

(4) Reader Group In the above business system, a reader group can be created for each application section and the created contents of the application document can be circulated. It should be noted that although a department (division, section, etc.) or an individual can be designated as a constituent unit of a group, it may be predetermined if necessary.

Further, in the business system, the reader group can be linked to the address group and the personal address in the business system. This allows
The document disclosure target (reader) can be set for each application section selected and entered when creating the application form. Note that security-related registration can be set only by an administrator who has been designated in advance for each operational unit of the database.

(5) Communication Means In the above-mentioned business system, processing requests and reminder notifications to users are automatically transmitted by e-mail. This e-mail contains the request contents and the bookmark of the target document, and the reader can understand what to do by looking at his or her e-mail box. The communication means in the business system may not be email.

An object of the present invention is to provide a computer-readable recording medium for recording the program code (execution format program, intermediate code program, source program) of a workflow management program, which is software for realizing the above-mentioned functions. By supplying to the system or apparatus, and the computer (or CPU or MPU) of the system or apparatus reads and executes the program code recorded in the recording medium,
Achievable. In this case, the program code itself read from the recording medium realizes the above-mentioned function, and the recording medium recording the program code constitutes the present invention.

More specifically, the workflow management device 1 described above.
The application document creation control unit 11, the circulation flow control unit 12, and the examination flow control unit 13 included in 0 are provided by a microprocessor or the like executing a predetermined program stored in a memory (not shown) of the server device 1. Will be realized.

The recording medium for supplying the above-mentioned program code can be constructed so as to be separable from the system or the device. Further, the recording medium may be a medium that fixedly carries the program code so that the program code can be supplied. Even if the recording medium is installed in the system or the device so that the computer can directly read the recorded program code, the recording medium can be used as an external storage device via the program reading device connected to the system or the device. It may be attached so that it can be read.

For example, the recording medium is a tape system such as a magnetic tape or a cassette tape, a magnetic disk such as a floppy (registered trademark) disk / hard disk, or a CD.
-Disk systems including optical disks such as ROM / MO / MD / DVD / CD-R, IC cards (including memory cards) / card systems such as optical cards, or mask ROM /
A semiconductor memory system such as EPROM / EEPROM / flash ROM can be used.

The program code may be recorded so that the computer can read it from the recording medium and directly execute it, or it can be read from the main memory by the computer after being transferred from the recording medium to the program memory area of the main memory. It may be recorded so that it can be executed.

Further, the system or device is used as a communication network (including the Internet, intranet, etc.).
The program code may be supplied via a communication network.

The program for reading the program code from the recording medium and storing it in the main memory, and
It is assumed that the program for downloading the program code from the communication network is stored in advance in the system or the device so as to be executable by the computer.

The above-mentioned functions are realized not only by executing the above-mentioned program code read by the computer, but also based on the instruction of the program code, the OS running on the computer performs one of the actual processes. It is also realized by performing all or part.

Further, the above-mentioned function is executed after the program code read from the recording medium is written in a memory provided in a function expansion board mounted in the computer or a function expansion unit connected to the computer,
It is also realized by the CPU provided in the function expansion board or the function expansion unit performing a part or all of the actual processing based on the instruction of the program code.

[0177]

As described above, in the workflow management apparatus of the present invention, the circulation route of a workflow for circulating a document among a plurality of readers is set in advance in association with the first information included in the document. First storage means for storing the circulation route data and the first information necessary for determining the circulation route from the document, and based on the first information, the circulation route according to the circulation route data. It is a configuration including a circulation route determining means for determining.

Therefore, according to the workflow management device, the circulation route can be determined based on the information contained in the document to be circulated.

Therefore, the circulation route can be automatically set appropriately according to the contents of the document. Therefore, there is an effect that the circulation route is not erroneously set and can be efficiently circulated to an appropriate responsible person / authorized person according to the business rule.

Further, it becomes possible to determine the downstream circulation route based on the information added to the document upstream of the circulation route. That is, the downstream circulation route can be determined by the content of the document after the circulation by the previous circulation person. Therefore, unlike the conventional case, it is not necessary to determine the downstream circulation route at the start of circulation, and there is an effect that flexible circulation becomes possible.

Further, the workflow management apparatus of the present invention further comprises a parallel processing flow control means for controlling the progress of the parallel processing process in which the plurality of readers simultaneously circulate the above document included in the above circulation route. This is the configuration.

Therefore, the workflow management apparatus can further manage the flow for performing parallel processing. Therefore,
By performing the parallel processing, it is possible to reduce the processing time of the workflow.

Further, in the workflow management apparatus of the present invention, the second storage for storing the parallel processing member data set in advance in which the members participating in the parallel processing process are associated with the second information included in the document. A means and a parallel processing for acquiring the second information necessary for determining a member participating in the parallel processing process from the document, and determining the member according to the parallel processing member data based on the second information. This is a configuration further comprising member determining means.

Therefore, according to the workflow management apparatus, the members participating in the parallel processing process can be determined based on the information contained in the document to be circulated.

Therefore, the members who participate in the parallel processing process can be automatically set appropriately according to the contents of the document. Therefore, the members participating in the parallel processing process are not mistakenly set, and it is possible to efficiently circulate the members to appropriate managers / authors according to the business rules.

Further, it becomes possible to determine the members who participate in the downstream parallel processing process based on the information added to the document upstream of the circulation route. That is, the members participating in the downstream parallel processing process can be determined according to the content of the document after the circulation by the previous circulation person. Therefore, unlike the conventional case, it is not necessary to determine the members who participate in the downstream parallel processing process at the time of starting circulation, and it is possible to achieve flexible circulation.

Further, in the workflow management apparatus of the present invention, the parallel processing flow control means includes a monitoring means for monitoring the progress status of the parallel processing process, and according to the progress status, according to a preset end condition. The configuration is such that the parallel processing process is terminated.

Therefore, more flexible circulation is possible. That is, according to the workflow management apparatus, it is possible to efficiently circulate the work to the appropriate responsible person / authorized person according to the business rule, and various workflows are possible.

Further, in the workflow management apparatus of the present invention, the termination condition of the parallel processing process is the completion of circulation by all members.

Therefore, the parallel processing flow control means can terminate the parallel processing process when all members have completed the circulation. Therefore, there is an effect that the circulation can be advanced to the next process after the circulation of all members is completed.

As described above, in the workflow system of the present invention, the workflow management device, the document database storing the documents, and the terminal device operated by the reader are connected via a computer network. It has a structure.

Therefore, according to the workflow system, the circulation route can be determined based on the information contained in the document to be circulated.

Therefore, the circulation route can be automatically set appropriately in accordance with the contents of the document. Therefore, there is an effect that the circulation route is not erroneously set and can be efficiently circulated to an appropriate responsible person / authorized person according to the business rule.

Further, it becomes possible to determine the downstream circulation route based on the information added to the document upstream of the circulation route. That is, the downstream circulation route can be determined by the content of the document after the circulation by the previous circulation person. Therefore, unlike the conventional case, it is not necessary to determine the downstream circulation route at the start of circulation, and there is an effect that flexible circulation becomes possible.

Further, in the workflow system of the present invention, the workflow management device transmits the communication message according to the progress status of the workflow to the terminal device.

Therefore, the workflow system can notify the reader of the communication message according to the progress status of the workflow through the terminal device. For example, a reader who has reached the order of circulation can be requested to confirm and process the document. Further, the processing can be urged to the reader who has not completed the circulation even after the processing deadline.

Therefore, there is an effect that the reader who is given the responsibility and authority can surely perform the work. As a result, it is possible to complete the workflow without delay.

The workflow management program of the present invention is a computer program that causes a computer to function as each of the above means.

Therefore, the workflow management apparatus can be realized by realizing each unit of the workflow management apparatus with a computer. Therefore, there is an effect that the circulation route can be determined based on the information included in the document to be circulated, which is an effect of the workflow management device described above.

A computer-readable recording medium in which the workflow management program of the present invention is recorded is
It is a computer-readable recording medium in which a workflow management program for causing the computer to implement each of the above means and operating the workflow management apparatus is recorded.

Therefore, the workflow management apparatus can be realized on the computer by the workflow management program read from the recording medium.
Therefore, it is possible to realize a workflow system including the workflow management device.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a functional block diagram showing an outline of a configuration of a workflow management device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a configuration example of a computer network system that realizes a workflow system including the workflow management apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing another configuration example of a computer network system that realizes a workflow system including the workflow management apparatus shown in FIG.

FIG. 4 is a flowchart showing an operation of an application document creation control unit included in the workflow management device shown in FIG.

5 is a flowchart showing an operation of a circulation flow control unit included in the workflow management device shown in FIG.

6 is a flowchart showing an operation of an examination flow control unit included in the workflow management device shown in FIG.

7 is a flowchart showing an operation of an examination flow control unit included in the workflow management device shown in FIG.

8 is a flowchart showing an operation of a circulation flow control unit included in the workflow management device shown in FIG.

9 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of a processing history column of an application document circulated by the workflow management device shown in FIG.

FIG. 10 is an explanatory diagram showing an example of circulation route data and examination member data used by the workflow management device shown in FIG. 1 for setting a circulation person.

11 is an explanatory diagram showing an example in which the workflow management apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is applied to a business system for process change management.

FIG. 12 is an explanatory diagram showing an example in which the workflow management apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is applied to a business system for initial flow management.

[Explanation of symbols]

2 Terminal device 10 Workflow management device 12b Circulation route determination unit (circulation route determination unit) 13 Examination flow control unit (parallel processing flow control unit) 13a Application document monitoring unit (monitoring unit) 13b Examination member determination unit (parallel processing member determination unit) ) DB1 document storage unit (document database) DB2 circulation route storage unit (first storage unit) DB3 examination route storage unit (second storage unit) M examination member data (parallel processing member data) R circulation route data T application document (document) )

Continued front page    (72) Inventor Takashi Takasaki             2-10-10 Tenjin, Nagaokakyo, Kyoto Stock             Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Makoto Yamamuro             2-10-10 Tenjin, Nagaokakyo, Kyoto Stock             Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Kazuaki Sasayama             2-10-10 Tenjin, Nagaokakyo, Kyoto Stock             Murata Manufacturing Co., Ltd.

Claims (9)

[Claims] Claim: What is claimed is: 1. First storage means for storing preset circulation route data in which a circulation route of a workflow for circulating a document among a plurality of readers is associated with first information included in the document. A circulation route determining means for acquiring the first information necessary for determining the circulation route from the document, and determining the circulation route according to the circulation route data based on the first information. Workflow management device. 2. A parallel processing flow control means for controlling the progress of a parallel processing process in which a plurality of readers simultaneously circulate the document, which is included in the circulation route, is further provided. 1. The workflow management device described in 1. 3. A second storage unit for storing preset parallel processing member data in which a member participating in the parallel processing process is associated with the second information included in the document, and stores the parallel processing member data in advance. A parallel processing member determining means for acquiring the second information necessary for determining a member participating in the processing process and determining the member according to the parallel processing member data based on the second information. The workflow management device according to claim 2, wherein 4. The parallel processing flow control means includes a monitoring means for monitoring the progress status of the parallel processing process, and ends the parallel processing process according to a preset ending condition according to the progress status. The workflow management device according to claim 2 or 3, characterized in that: 5. The workflow management apparatus according to claim 2, wherein the end condition of the parallel processing process is completion of circulation by all members. 6. The workflow management device according to claim 1, a document database for storing the document, and a terminal device operated by the reader are connected via a computer network. A workflow system that is characterized by 7. The workflow system according to claim 6, wherein the workflow management device transmits a communication message according to the progress status of the workflow to the terminal device. 8. A workflow management program for operating the workflow management device according to claim 1, wherein the workflow management program causes a computer to function as each of the above means. 9. A computer-readable recording medium in which the workflow management program according to claim 8 is recorded.