JP2010170405A - Progress management device and program - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To generate progress information of a work process, based on an operation to a document. <P>SOLUTION: Information of derivative relationship having a first document as a parent, and a second document, which is generated as a result of operation on the first document, as a child, is received from an information processing device and stored into a memory unit. The operation made on each document is recorded document-by-document. Based on the information of derivative relationship and the operation record, progress information of the work related to each document is generated, and the generated progress information is output. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a progress management device and a program.

  The management computer records the work plan data including the construction identifier, the construction shop identifier, the worker identifier, the process identifier, and the data related to the previous process in the work plan data storage unit, and the work management terminal identifier, the worker identifier, the process identifier, the progress Receive work performance notifications that include status data. Then, based on the order of the process based on the data related to the previous process of the work plan data and the process identifier of the work result notification, the next process at the construction site is specified, and the worker scheduled for the next process A technique of notifying an instruction is disclosed in Patent Document 1. In this patent document 1, the process corresponding to the process identifier and the progress status of the work are configured to be selected and input by the operator.

JP 2005-267523 A

  By the way, in the structure which makes a worker input the progress status of a process or a work | work, work performance management based on incorrect information may be performed by an input mistake.

  An object of the present invention is to generate work process progress information based on a user's operation on a document and a derivation relationship between documents generated based on the operation.

  The invention according to claim 1 is a progress management device, wherein information of a derivation relationship of a plurality of generations having a first document as a parent and a second document generated as a result of an operation on the first document as a child is obtained. Based on the registration means received from the information processing apparatus and registered in the storage unit, the recording means for recording the operation performed on the document for each document, the information on the derivation relationship, and the recording of the operation, The information processing apparatus includes a generation unit that generates progress information of work related to a document, and an output unit that outputs the generated progress information.

  The invention according to claim 2 is the progress management device according to claim 1, wherein the recording means records information relating to the operator and information for specifying the content of the operation as the operation record, The generation unit is predetermined as a record of an operation on a document of interest, in association with information on the operator, details of the operation, and information specifying a progress process related to a document of a preceding generation. Information for specifying a progress process is acquired, and progress information of work related to the document of interest is generated.

  The invention according to claim 3 is a program, in which the computer is used as a parent for the first document, and information on the derivation relationship of a plurality of generations with the second document generated as a result of the operation on the first document as a child. On the basis of the registration means for receiving the information from the information processing apparatus and registering it in the storage unit, the recording means for recording the operation performed on the document for each document, the information on the derivation relationship, and the recording of the operation, It is configured to function as a generation unit that generates progress information of work related to each document and an output unit that outputs the generated progress information.

  According to the first and third aspects of the invention, the progress information of the work process can be generated based on the operation on the document.

  According to invention of Claim 2, progress information can be produced | generated based on the information regarding each operator.

It is a block diagram showing the schematic structure of the progress management apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention, and its connection aspect. It is a block diagram showing the example of a structure of the client terminal which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a functional block diagram showing the example of the client terminal which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing showing the example of the document made into the process target by the progress management apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a block diagram showing the example of a structure of the progress management apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is a functional block diagram showing the example of the progress management apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing showing the example of the content of the document database which the progress management apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention hold | maintains. It is explanatory drawing showing the example of the content of the derivation relation database which the progress management apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention hold | maintains. It is explanatory drawing which represented the derivation relation database which the progress management apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention hold | maintained with the tree structure. It is explanatory drawing showing the example of the action table which the progress management apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention hold | maintains. It is explanatory drawing showing the example of the process name production | generation rule which the progress management apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention hold | maintains. It is a flowchart figure showing the example of operation of the progress management device concerning an embodiment of the invention. It is explanatory drawing showing the example of the progress information which the progress management apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention produces | generates. It is explanatory drawing showing another example of the process name production | generation rule which the progress management apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention hold | maintains. It is explanatory drawing showing the example of the meta information which the progress management apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention hold | maintains. It is explanatory drawing showing the example of the progress information which the progress management apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention produces | generates. It is explanatory drawing showing the example of another process name production | generation rule which the progress management apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention hold | maintains. It is explanatory drawing showing an example of the image showing the progress information which the progress management apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention produces | generates. It is explanatory drawing showing the example of another meta information which the progress management apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention hold | maintains. It is explanatory drawing showing another example of the process name production | generation rule which the progress management apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention hold | maintains. It is explanatory drawing showing another example of the progress information which the progress management apparatus which concerns on embodiment of this invention produces | generates. It is explanatory drawing showing the example of the table for a progress information display in the client terminal which concerns on embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing showing the example of a display of progress information in the client terminal which concerns on embodiment of this invention.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a block diagram illustrating a schematic configuration of a progress management device 1 according to the present embodiment and a connection mode thereof. The progress management device 1 of the present embodiment is connected to client terminals 2a, 2b (hereinafter collectively referred to as client terminals 2) via communication means such as a network.

  The client terminal 2 is a terminal used by a user to operate a document, and examples thereof include a personal computer and a digital multifunction peripheral. As an example, the client terminal 2 includes a control unit 21, a storage unit 22, an operation unit 23, a display unit 24, and a communication unit 25 as shown in FIG.

  Here, the control unit 21 is a program control device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit) and operates according to a program stored in the storage unit 22. As shown in FIG. 3, the control unit 21 according to the present embodiment functionally includes a document operation unit 31, a registration processing unit 32, and an action setting processing unit 33. The operation of the control unit 21 will be described later.

  The storage unit 22 is a memory device or the like, and holds a program executed by the control unit 21. This program may be provided in a state stored in a computer-readable recording medium such as a DVD-ROM (Digital Versatile Disc Read Only Memory) and stored in the storage unit 22. The storage unit 22 also operates as a work memory for the control unit 21.

  The operation unit 23 includes a device for operating a document such as a keyboard and a mouse. When the client terminal 2 is, for example, a digital multifunction peripheral, the operation unit 23 includes a device that optically reads an image formed on various media such as a paper medium and outputs image data, such as a scanner device. But you can. The display unit 24 is a display or the like, and displays and outputs information according to instructions input from the control unit 21. The communication unit 25 communicates with the progress management device 1 and the like via communication means such as a network.

  Next, a specific operation of the control unit 21 will be described. The document operation unit 31 performs an operation on the document. In the present embodiment, document information is registered in the progress management device 1 (stored in the storage unit 12 of the progress management device 1 described later). The document operation unit 31 registers a document in the progress management device 1 according to a user instruction, reads out and acquires the document from the progress management device 1, and performs operations such as browsing and editing. In addition to document display ("browsing"), copying (copying electronic documents), deleting, editing, and printing, document operations are newly performed on the client terminal 2 side, such as reading paper documents and copying paper documents. Includes a process of generating a document. When an operation is performed on a document to be processed, the document operation unit 31 causes the progress management apparatus 1 to register a document representing the result of the operation.

  In the present embodiment, it is assumed that the document includes meta information M and document content C as illustrated in FIG. The document content C is entity information of the content of the document generated as a result of the operation of the document operation unit 31. When the document operation unit 31 creates / edits an electronic document, the document content C is the content of the document generated as a result of editing by the software. When the document operation unit 31 prints an electronic document, the document content C may be information (such as an instruction for image formation) indicating the content of the electronic document to be printed, for example. When the document operation unit 31 scans or copies a paper document, the document content C may be, for example, image data obtained by reading a paper document.

  The meta information M is information for document management, and includes a management ID, a parent ID, and log information as an operation record. Here, the management ID is identification information uniquely determined for each document. For example, the hash value of the corresponding document (however, excluding the management ID) is obtained, and this hash value may be used as the identification information of the document. As a function for obtaining this hash value, a collision-resistant cipher such as SHA-256 (SHA-256 is a cryptographic hash function having a 256-bit hash value defined by NIST in FIPS180-2), etc. If a scientific hash function is used, a management ID having practically sufficient uniqueness can be generated.

  The parent ID is the management ID of the document that becomes the “parent” when there is a document that becomes the “parent” for the document. That is, in the present embodiment, when a new document F is obtained by performing an operation on a certain document P, the original document P that is the target of the operation is “parent”, and a new result obtained as a result of the operation is obtained. A parent-child relationship (derivative relationship) is set with the document F as a “child”. Hereinafter, similarly, if an operation is performed on a document that has become a “child”, the document generated as a result of the operation is a “child” document having the document F as the “parent”, and the original document P From this point of view, it is a document of “grandchild”. In this way, the derivation relationship includes documents of a plurality of generations. In this embodiment, an ancestor document that exists in advance and is an operation target is referred to as a “preceding generation document”, and a descendant document obtained through at least one operation is referred to as “after”. It will be called as “Documents of the Generation”. A series of documents having common ancestors (documents associated with each other in a derivation relationship) is called a family.

  When an operation for newly registering an unregistered electronic document in the progress management apparatus 1 is performed, or when an operation for scanning or copying an unregistered paper document is performed (in this case, an image read from the paper document is displayed) In a document generated when a document having a document content is newly generated and registered), the parent ID is “empty” (that is, the parent does not exist).

  However, a management ID can also be associated with a document formed on a medium such as paper. For example, an RFID (Radio Frequency Identifier) tag is included in a medium that forms an image of a document, and is included in a medium that forms an image of a document that is a target of the printing operation when the document is printed. The management ID (which may include the parent ID) of the document generated as a result of the printing operation is written in the RFID tag.

  When such a print operation is performed, the document operation unit 31 includes a document including meta information such as a management ID of the document resulting from the print operation and an operation type indicating “print” (content information is: For example, the registration processing unit 32 is instructed to register the progress management apparatus 1 with a formation instruction described in PDL (Page Description Language) or the like.

  Further, when performing an operation of optically reading the medium in which the management ID is embedded, the document operation unit 31 performs a new management for a document (such as an image of the read document) obtained as a result of the reading operation. Issue an ID. Further, the document operation unit 31 reads the management ID as a “parent ID” from an RFID tag or the like embedded in the medium. Further, the document operation unit 31 instructs the registration processing unit 32 to register the information of the document including the issued management ID and the read parent ID in the progress management device 1 with the image of the read result as the document content. To do.

  The log information represents the content of the operation when the document is generated. This log information includes a plurality of log item information. Examples of the log item information include, but are not limited to, the date and time when the operation was performed, the type of operation, and information specifying the user (operator) who performed the operation.

  Of these, the operation type information includes, for example, registration (registering a new document), copying, deleting, viewing, editing, updating (registering an updated version), printing, scanning, and copying of a paper document. It is the information showing another. The information on the type of operation does not necessarily represent the content of the operation executed by the document operation unit 31. For example, it may be recorded that the document has passed the operator, that is, that the document has been delivered to another operator after being received. A plurality of operations executed by the document operation unit 31 may be classified into the same operation type. Further, even if the operation performed by the document operation unit 31 is the same, it may be recorded as a different operation type by the option information related to the operation. For example, when a user edits a document, information on the type of operation is displayed when the user instructs “Register as confirmation (of document content)” on the operation menu and “Register as approval (of document content)”. May be distinguished as “confirmation” and “approval”, respectively. User information may be used as the option information. For example, even if a “registration” operation is performed on the same document, “confirmation” is performed when one user performs this operation, and “approval” is performed when another user performs this operation. It may be different.

  Furthermore, in the present embodiment, when a new document is registered, input of information related to the type of work is accepted from the user. Information relating to the type of work (hereinafter referred to as work type code) includes, for example, “circulation of finalized document”, “estimation / purchasing”, “contract processing”, and the like. When the document operation unit 31 receives the input of the work type code when registering a new document, the document operation unit 31 instructs the registration processing unit 32 to include this in the meta information of the document and register it in the progress management apparatus 1. .

  The registration processing unit 32 transmits the document information output from the document operation unit 31 to the progress management device 1 for registration. The action setting processing unit 33 sets execution conditions and contents of dynamic processing (hereinafter referred to as “action”) by the progress management device 1. For example, the action setting processing unit 33 receives, from the user, input of information for specifying a document and information for specifying an execution condition and contents of an action set for the document specified by the information from the user. accept. Then, information identifying the accepted document and information representing the action execution condition and contents are transmitted to the progress management apparatus 1. A specific example of the action in this case will be described later.

  Next, the progress management device 1 will be described. As illustrated in FIG. 5, the progress management device 1 includes a control unit 11, a storage unit 12, and a communication unit 13. Here, the control unit 11 is a program control device such as a CPU (Central Processing Unit), and operates according to a program stored in the storage unit 12. As illustrated in FIG. 6, the control unit 11 functionally includes a document registration unit 41, an action setting unit 42, an action execution unit 43, a request processing unit 44, and a progress information generation unit 45. The operation of the control unit 11 will be described later.

  The storage unit 12 is a memory device or the like, and holds a program executed by the control unit 11. The program may be provided in a state stored in a computer-readable recording medium such as a DVD-ROM (Digital Versatile Disc Read Only Memory) and stored in the storage unit 12. The storage unit 12 also operates as a work memory for the control unit 11. The storage unit 12 holds a document database, a derivation relation database, an action table, a process name generation rule table, and a work progress information database. The communication unit 13 communicates with the client terminal 2 and the like via communication means such as a network.

  When the communication unit 13 receives a document registration instruction from the client terminal 2, the document registration unit 41 realized by the control unit 11 according to the present embodiment stores information on the document received as a registration target in the storage unit 12. Store. In this embodiment, a user (operator) who gives an instruction to operate a document is authenticated by a user name and a password. Further, the document registration unit 41 may store the document content C in the document database among the information of the document received as a registration target, and store the corresponding meta information M in the derivation relation database.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 7, the document database stores content identification information (content ID) for identifying the content of the document and the document content in association with each other. The content ID may be the same as or different from the management ID as long as it is information unique to each document content. The content ID may be given by the client terminal 2 or may be generated by the progress management device 1.

  The derivation relation database is a database that accumulates meta information mainly including information part of derivation relation among document information. FIG. 8 shows an example of the contents of the derivation relationship database. Information of each row in the table shown in FIG. 8 is a meta information record corresponding to one document. In this example, a document is newly registered in the progress management apparatus 1, this document is distributed to a plurality of users, the user who receives the document edits the document, and edits the document (hereinafter “edited”). (Also referred to as “document”) represents the history of the document when it is further registered in the progress management apparatus 1. In the example table of FIG. 8, information such as a parent ID, an operation type, an operator, an operation date and time, and a work ID is registered in association with the management ID of each document.

  The control unit 11 of the progress management device 1 issues a unique number (for example, a serial number) for each work type code received from the user at the time of new registration, and generates a work ID connected to the work type code. As an example, if the work type code indicating “circulation of approval document” is “8” and the serial number is 4 digits, the work ID is generated as “80001” or the like. Of these, the first “8” represents a work type code, and the remaining four digits represent a unique number. In this embodiment, this work ID is directly inherited from “parent” to “child”.

  The meta information items illustrated in FIG. 8 are merely examples. For example, a path name (reference information) indicating the storage location of the corresponding document content in the document database may be included in the corresponding record in the derivation relation database. Further, for example, the contact information (e-mail address, FAX (facsimile) number, telephone number, etc.) of the operator may be registered in a related record in the derivation relation database.

  Note that the example of FIG. 8 is merely a representation of the data managed by the derivation relation database from the viewpoint of contents, and does not define a specific representation format or database format. For example, the derivation relation database can be constructed as a general relational database, or an XML (eXtensible Markup Language) document describing meta information excluding the management ID is constructed as a database in which the management ID is registered as a key. You can also. The contents of the data held in the derivation relation database shown in FIG. 8 can also be expressed as a tree structure as shown in FIG. This tree structure is a tree structure in which the management ID is a node and the parent-child relationship between the management IDs is an edge.

  When the action setting unit 42 receives the information specifying the document from the client terminal 2 together with the information indicating the execution condition and contents of the action, the action setting unit 42 assigns a unique action number to each action instructed by the information. In association with the number, the management ID of the document corresponding to each action, the received action activation condition, and the action content are registered in the action table of the storage unit 12.

  The action table stored in the storage unit 12 stores execution conditions and contents of a process (action) to be executed by the progress management device 1. FIG. 10 shows an example of the contents of the action table. In this example, each row in the table corresponds to a respective action. In the action table, items of management ID, action activation condition, and action content are registered in association with an action number that is an identification number of each action. The management ID is any management ID of a document registered in the progress management device 1. The action activation condition represents a condition for executing an action having the content set in the corresponding “action content” item. The action content item represents the content of the process executed when the condition set in the corresponding “action activation condition” item is satisfied.

  The action execution unit 43 executes an action according to the action table stored in the storage unit 12. The action execution unit 43 determines whether or not an action activation condition is satisfied for each action on the action table. And the process which the action content which concerns on the action judged that action starting conditions are satisfy | filled is performed. Furthermore, the action execution unit 43 regards the process represented by the executed action content as an operation on the document, and registers the history of this operation in the derivation relation database.

  The request processing unit 44 provides a service using the derivation relation database in response to a service request including the management ID from the client terminal 2. The service provided by the request processing unit 44 includes, for example, a service for searching for the latest version of the document corresponding to the management ID in the service request. Another example is a service that provides log information about an ancestor (root) document corresponding to the management ID in the service request or the ancestor. Another example is a service that provides a history of the management ID, that is, a history of operations that the document has passed from the founder to the management ID (for example, a list of information indicating who performed what operation when). Also good. Alternatively, the service may be a service that accepts specification of a search condition for an attribute item registered in the derivation relation database and provides a list of ID-added documents that satisfy the search condition.

  It is also conceivable that the designation of the service by the user is regarded as one “operation” and a new management ID is given to the “operation”. In this case, the client terminal 2 generates a document that includes the specified service code as the operation type, includes the management ID of the original document used in the specification as the parent ID, and uses the generated document as a service. The request is transmitted to the progress management device 1 as a request. The request processing unit 44 determines a service to be provided based on the received operation type information in the document, and similarly uses the parent ID in the document as a starting point for the process of tracing the derivation relationship.

  When the request processing unit 44 receives a service request from the client terminal 2, the derivation relationship between the management ID and the parent ID registered in the derivation relationship database is configured with the management ID specified in the service request as a starting point. The tree is scanned, and the service requested by the user is executed using the information obtained as a result of the scanning.

  The progress information generation unit 45 generates progress information based on the derivation relationship information included in the derivation relationship database and the record of the operation on the document. In this embodiment, as illustrated in FIG. 11, information for identifying a process (process ID), a process name, a process ID of a preceding process, an operation name, and a user's affiliation are stored in association with each other. The process name generation rule is held in the storage unit 12, and the progress information generation unit 45 generates progress information while referring to the process name generation rule.

  Specifically, the progress information generation unit 45 accepts input of a work ID and a request for progress information related to the work specified by the work ID, and starts the process shown in FIG. Then, the meta information related to the designated work ID is extracted from the derivation relation database in which the meta information related to the document is recorded (S1). The progress information generating unit 45 converts the operator information of each extracted meta information into information of the operator's affiliation (information indicating a department, etc.) (S2). The progress information generation unit 45 rearranges the extracted meta information in the order of the operation date and time (S3), and selects the meta information one by one as the attention meta information in the order of the operation date and time (S4).

  When the parent ID is included in the attention meta information, the progress information generation unit 45 acquires a process ID (predetermined by processing described later) for the meta information indicated by the parent ID (S5). The progress information generation unit 45 includes an operation name included in the attention meta information, information on the operator's affiliation, and a process ID (preceding process ID) for the meta information indicated by the parent ID when the parent ID is included. In association therewith, the process ID included in the process name generation rule is searched (S6). Here, in the process name generation rule, the case where the information of the operator's affiliation is used as the information related to the operator has been described as an example, but the present embodiment is not limited thereto, for example, as information related to the operator, Information related to the equipment / environment used by the operator, such as the ID of the terminal used by the operator (such as the network address assigned to the terminal) instead of or along with the information of the operator's affiliation It may be used. Further, the process name generation rule may be defined using information of each operator such as the name of the operator. In these cases, as information related to the equipment / environment used by the operator, for example, the host name, network address, terminal certificate information, etc. for identifying the operating terminal (computer) are included in the meta information and recorded. deep. Then, search for the process ID included in the process name generation rule associated with the operation name included in the noticed meta information, the information such as the equipment used by the operator, and the information such as the name of the operator. Become.

  It should be noted that information (host name, etc.) for specifying the operation terminal and an affiliated department table to which the operational terminal belongs are set in advance, and the information for identifying the operational terminal included in the meta information represents the affiliated department signature. It may be converted into information (converted into user affiliation information), and the process ID may be determined by a process name generation rule defined in association with the user affiliation.

  Here, if a related process ID is found as a result of the search, the management ID of the attention meta information and the process ID are associated with each other and stored in the storage unit 12 (S7). In the process S5, the information generated in the process S7 is referred to.

  The progress information generation unit 45 checks whether or not all of the extracted meta information has been selected (S8). If there is meta information that has not been selected, the process returns to the process S4 and continues the process. If the progress information generating unit 45 determines that all of the extracted meta information has been selected in the process S8, the process information is associated with the process ID by referring to the information stored in the process S7. The process ID is converted to a character string of the process name, and the management ID is converted into operation date information stored in the derivation relation database in association with the management ID (S9). Thereby, as illustrated in FIG. 13, the meta information is converted into information in which the process name and the operation date / time are associated with each other.

  In this embodiment, as exemplified here, the process name is not limited to the case where the process name is generated based on the affiliation of the operator, the operation name, and the preceding process ID, and further, information input by the operator (for example, “ As a result of the “confirmation” operation, the process name may be generated using whether the document is OK or NG. In this case, as shown in FIG. 14, the process name generation rule includes information for identifying the process (process ID), process name, process ID of the preceding process, operation name, operator affiliation, and operation. It is associated with the information entered by the person.

Next, as an operation example,
(1) Department1 userA
Creates a new document,
(2) Department 1 userB
Confirms the document,
(3) UserA copies the document (electronically)
(4) Department 1 userC
Confirms the document,
(5) Department 2 userD
Confirms the document,
(6) UserE of department 2
Confirms the document and enters NG,
(7) Discard the document copied by userA in (3).
Let us consider a case where the above operation is performed by each user. The management ID related to the history of each operation is X1 to X7, and a table that associates the user name and affiliation of each user is stored in the storage unit 12 (not shown). It is assumed that information can be generated.

  In this operation example, the information stored in the derivation relationship database as meta information related to the work ID is as shown in FIG. The progress information generation unit 45 arranges the meta information in chronological order. First, (1) since the user in the department 1 newly registers the document, refer to the process name generation rule (FIG. 14). However, since the process name related to the new registration is not defined, the progress information regarding this entry is not generated. Next, (2) when the user of department 1 confirms the document, the parent ID exists (becomes the management ID of the document registered by userA in (1)), but there is no process ID for this parent ID. It is determined that there is no process and the user in department 1 “confirms”, and process ID = “1” is found in the process name generation rule. Therefore, the progress information generation unit 45 stores the process ID “1” and the management ID “X2” in association with each other.

  Further, (3) the process ID related to the parent ID of the meta information that the user of the department 1 is electronically copying the document is “1”, so the user of the department 1 “stores a copy”. In the process name generation rule, process ID = “2” is found. Therefore, the process ID “2” and the management ID “X3” are held in association with each other.

  Hereinafter, for (4), since the user of the department 1 confirms the preceding process ID “1”, process ID = “3” is found, and for (5), the preceding process ID “1” is found. 3 ”is confirmed by the user of the department 2, so that the process ID =“ 4 ”is found, and the user of the department 2 confirms the preceding process ID“ 4 ”for (6). In addition, since NG is input, process ID = “6” is found.

  In this way, for the generated information, the process ID is converted into a character string of the process name associated in the process name generation rule, and the management ID is stored in the derivation relation database in association with the management ID. When the information is converted into information on the operation date and time, progress information as illustrated in FIG. 16 can be generated. The progress information generation unit 45 transmits the progress information thus generated to the requester of the progress information.

  Furthermore, here, an example has been described in which the progress information generation unit 45 uses the parent ID included in the noticed meta information as the key information for the search when the process name generation rule is searched. However, in the present embodiment, as already described, the process ID corresponding to each piece of meta information does not always exist. Therefore, when the process ID cannot be acquired for the meta information indicated by the parent ID included in the noticeable meta information (for example, when there is no process ID for the meta information indicated by the parent ID), in the meta information indicated by the parent ID, The information included as the “parent ID” is referred to, and it is checked whether there is a process ID for the meta information indicated by the referenced information. If there is, the process ID may be acquired.

  That is, when there is no process ID corresponding to the meta information related to the parent document, a process ID corresponding to the meta information of the document one generation before is further searched. Hereinafter, the process ID corresponding to the meta information may be searched backwards until the process ID is found or until there is no more preceding generation document (until the ancestor of the family).

  In this way, in the process S5, the immediately preceding process ID may be acquired while going back the generation. In this case, the progress information generation unit 45 is included in the process name generation rule in association with the operation name included in the attention meta information, the information of the operator's affiliation, and the immediately preceding process ID (preceding process ID). The process ID that is present is searched.

  That is, as an example, in the operation sequence (generation) illustrated in FIG. 15, when an operation (operation ID = X10) with an operation name “view” is performed between the management IDs “X3” and “X4”, Since the operation name “X10” does not specify a process name, no progress information is generated and no process ID is assigned. Therefore, when the progress information of “X4” is generated, since the process ID is not associated with the parent “X10”, the management ID “X2” that is the parent (the document two generations before) is further assigned. The related process ID “1” is regarded as the preceding process, and the process name generation rule is referred to. Then, the process ID “3” is found, and the management ID “X4” and the process ID “3” are stored in association with each other.

  In the above description, the progress information generation unit 45 generates progress information in response to a request from the user, but the present invention is not limited to such an example. For example, each time a document is newly registered and meta information is stored in the derivation relationship database, the progress information generation unit 45 generates corresponding progress information, includes the meta information, and stores it in the derivation relationship database. It may be left.

  According to the example of generating in advance in this way, when a request from the user is received, the progress information generated in advance for the corresponding meta information and the information of the operation date and time are extracted and output in association with each other. do it.

  Furthermore, the process name is not necessarily generated only by the process name generation rule as shown here. For example, when a dynamic process (action) to be executed by the progress management device 1 is defined, the process ID and the process name may be included in the meta information representing the result of executing the action when the action is executed. As an example, process IDs and process names that should be included in the meta information are recorded together in the action table illustrated in FIG. 9 as a result of execution, and the meta information related to the document generated after the execution of the action corresponds to the action. The process ID and process name recorded are included.

  As described above, when the process ID and process name are included in the meta information, the progress information generation unit 45 adds the progress information generated based on the process name generation rule to the process ID and process name included in the meta information. Based on progress information. For example, in the above operation example, (5) when userD of department 2 confirms the document, userD determines whether userE has performed the process when a predetermined number of days have elapsed, and performs the process. If there is not, an action for instructing to send a dunning mail is set, and a process name of “Dunning transmission” is associated with this action. At this time, if the predetermined number of days elapses without userE performing the process, the action is executed, a reminder email is sent to userE, and confirmation by userD, the action setter, is performed Meta information including the process name “reminder transmission” is generated together with log information indicating this. Thereafter, (6) when userE of the department 2 confirms the document and inputs “NG”, the progress information generation unit 45 determines the process ID “4”, the reminder mail for (5) from each meta information. Process name “Dunning transmission” for the transmission of (6), (In the process name generation rule, “Dunning transmission” is included with the process ID “4” as the preceding process ID), and the process ID “6”. Is found ... and so on.

[Modification 1]
In the examples described so far, a work ID is issued corresponding to the work type specified by the user for each new registration of a document, and the work ID for a document belonging to one family, which is derived from this document, is assigned to the work ID. Inheriting, the process name is generated and the progress information is obtained in correspondence with each operation for a series of documents belonging to one family associated with the work ID.

  However, the present invention is not limited to this example. For example, when a technique for virtually combining a plurality of documents into one can be used regardless of whether there is a derivation relationship, such as a file directory (folder), a work ID is assigned to each folder. Each time a document is stored in any folder, the work ID of the folder may be included in the document meta-information.

  In this case, the user who wants to start work instructs the progress management apparatus 1 to create a folder for storing the document, and inputs information representing the work type. The progress management device 1 forms a folder (such as a directory) for virtually storing documents of a plurality of families in the storage unit 12, and issues them based on the input work type in association with the directory. A unique work ID may be stored in association with each other.

  In this way, a common work ID is assigned to a group of documents belonging to a plurality of families, and the progress management device 1 generates a process name based on each operation on documents of a plurality of families that are not in a derivation relationship. Get progress information.

As an example, a case will be described in which a folder associated with the work ID “001” is created, and a document belonging to Family A and a document belonging to Family B are stored in this folder. Here, the following case will be described as an example.
(1) userA sends document A01 (for example, a request to create document B) and newly registers it in a folder (2) userA sends document A01 to userB (this operation generates document A02)
(3) userB newly registers document B01 in the folder (4) userB prints document B01 (image formation instructions at this time are generated as document B02)
(5) userA updates document A02 to generate document A03 (6) userA confirms document B02 (document B03 is generated)
(7) userA updates document A03 to generate document A04 (8) userA sends document A04 to another user (document A05 is generated)

  Further, it is assumed that the corresponding process name generation rule is set as illustrated in FIG. In the process name generation rule illustrated in FIG. 17, the process ID and the operation name and the IP (Internet Protocol) address of the information processing apparatus used by the operator as keys are used as the process ID and the operation name. The process name is associated.

  In the specification of the IP address, 192.168.111.x means that “x” may be any value. The blank IP address means that the entire IP address may be arbitrary (that is, regardless of the operating environment of the operator). Thus, the key condition may be set including a so-called regular expression.

  The progress management apparatus 1 accepts an instruction to generate progress information for the work ID “001”, and creates a document stored in the folder corresponding to the designated work ID “001” in the order of date of generation (operation). Rearrange. Here, there are documents of a plurality of families, but operations on each document are rearranged in order of date and time regardless of the family. The results are in the order of (1) to (8) described above.

  The progress management device 1 refers to the process name generation rule illustrated in FIG. 17 and, based on the operations (1) to (8) (information of each operation after sorting in date order) as follows: A process name (progress information) is generated. It is assumed that userA performs an operation on a document from a computer assigned an IP address of 192.168.111.1, and userB performs an operation on a document from a computer assigned an IP address of 192.168.222.1. .

  First, since (1) is “new registration” with no preceding process and userA (IP address is 192.168.111.1), the process name “output” of process ID “1” is related to the operation of (1). “Figure request acceptance” is generated.

  Next, (2) is a “send” operation in which the operation of (1) (process ID “1”) is a preceding process, and therefore a process name “drawing” of process ID “2” is generated. In addition, for “3” newly registered in the folder from userB (IP address 192.168.222.1), “drawing” of process name “2” is generated.

  Further, since the operation (4) is a “print” operation in which the operation (process ID “2”) for the document B01 of the family B is a preceding process, the operation becomes “binding” with the process ID “3”. Since the operation is an “update” operation in which the operation (process ID “2”) for the document A02 of family A is a preceding process, the “delivery date response” of the process ID “4” is obtained.

  Hereinafter, “delivery confirmation” with process ID “5” for (6), “delivery confirmation” with process ID “5” for (7), and process ID for (8) A process name “delivery” of “6” is generated.

As a result, for the date and time when operations related to each process were performed,
(1) Drawing request acceptance (2) Drawing (3) Drawing (4) Bookbinding (5) Delivery answer (6) Delivery confirmation (7) Delivery confirmation (8) Delivery Each process name may be associated with information for identifying the corresponding family. In the above example,
(1) Drawing request acceptance, Family A
(2) Drawing, Family A
(3) Drawing, Family B
(4) Bookbinding, Family B
(5) Delivery response, Family A
(6) Delivery confirmation, Family B
(7) Delivery confirmation, Family A
(8) Delivery, Family A
It becomes.

  Then, the progress management device 1 draws a figure representing a branch at a location where the same process name continues (the operation date / time information may be drawn inside), and the operation date / time of the other processes is substantially rectangular. It is also possible to generate an image (FIG. 18) representing progress information by surrounding each figure and connecting each figure with a line segment.

[Modification 2]
Further, the process name is not necessarily generated by the method described so far. For example, when a file name is set for each document, the process name generated according to the process name generation rule and the file name may be concatenated to obtain the final process name. For example, when the file name “estimate” has a process name “store a copy”, these may be concatenated to be “store a copy of the estimate”. In this case, if there is no file name in the document corresponding to the target meta information, but there is a file name in the document corresponding to the meta information related to the parent ID, the process is performed using the file name of the document related to the parent ID. The final process name may be generated by concatenating the names.

[Modification 3]
In the description so far, the example using the derivation relationship information has been described. However, the present embodiment is not limited to this example. For example, the client terminal 2 and the progress management device 1 do not necessarily have to manage the derivation relationship. Further, it is not necessary to register a new document every time an operation is performed.

  As an example, a case is assumed in which user A performs “new registration” and user B to F sequentially perform “confirmation” operations for a document in which work ID = “80001” is set. In this case, the progress management device 1 records information as exemplified in FIG. 19 as meta information.

  Then, a process name generation rule as illustrated in FIG. 20 is stored in the storage unit 12 in advance, and the control unit 11 of the progress management device 1 uses the meta information illustrated in FIG. 19 as a process according to the process name generation rule. Convert to first name. Note that the information on the department to which the user belongs may be replaced with the department type. The control unit 11 converts the meta information into a process name and outputs it in association with the date and time when the operation related to each history was performed (FIG. 21).

[Display example]
In addition, when the client terminal 2 receives information associating the process name with the operation date / time as progress information from the progress management device 1, based on the received information, the client terminal 2 displays a chart showing the start / end date / time of each process. It may be generated and displayed. For example, in the received information, a process classification table (FIG. 22) that associates a process classification with a pair of process names (process names corresponding to the start and end of the process type) is held in the storage unit 22, The control unit 21 refers to the process classification table and converts the process name of the received information into a process classification.

  For example, the process names “start circulation” and “approval manager” correspond to the process classification “internal circulation”, “start circulation” starts “internal circulation”, and “superior approval” Corresponds to the end of “partial circulation”.

  The control unit 21 refers to the information after conversion, and draws a rectangle that is hatched in advance for each process classification. This rectangle has a predetermined height, the left end coordinate is a coordinate associated with the operation date associated with the process name corresponding to the start of the process classification, and the right end coordinate is the end of the process classification. The coordinates are associated with the operation date and time associated with the corresponding process name. The control unit 21 arranges and displays the generated rectangular image on a graph with the work ID on the vertical axis and the time on the horizontal axis (FIG. 23).

  Note that this image may be generated not by the client terminal 2 but by the progress management device 1. In this case, the process classification table is stored in the storage unit 12, and the control unit 11 performs processing instead of the control unit 21, and transmits the generated image to the client terminal 2 that is the request source of the progress information.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Progress management apparatus, 2 Client terminal, 11, 21 Control part, 12, 22 Storage part, 13, 25 Communication part, 23 Operation part, 24 Display part, 31 Document operation part, 32 Registration process part, 33 Action setting process part 41 Document registration unit, 42 Action setting unit, 43 Action execution unit, 44 Request processing unit, 45 Progress information generation unit.

Claims (3)

Registration means for receiving, from the information processing apparatus, information on a plurality of generations of derivation relations having a first document as a parent and a second document generated as a result of an operation on the first document as a child;
For each document, a recording means for recording operations performed on the document;
Generating means for generating work progress information related to each document based on the derivation relationship information and the operation record;
Output means for outputting the generated progress information;
A progress management device comprising: The recording means records information relating to the operator and information for specifying the content of the operation as a record of the operation,
The generation unit is predetermined as a record of an operation on a document of interest, in association with information on the operator, details of the operation, and information specifying a progress process related to a document of a preceding generation. The progress management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein information for specifying a process of progress is acquired, and progress information of work related to the document of interest is generated. Computer
Registration means for receiving, from the information processing apparatus, information on a plurality of generations of derivation relations having a first document as a parent and a second document generated as a result of an operation on the first document as a child;
For each document, a recording means for recording operations performed on the document;
Generating means for generating work progress information related to each document based on the derivation relationship information and the operation record;
Output means for outputting the generated progress information;
A program characterized by functioning as

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