JP2014096182A - Workflow management device and workflow management method - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a general-purpose workflow system which can manage generation to completion of not only document circulation workflow but of every job.SOLUTION: A workflow management device enables a user to process cases along a job process. The job process is shifted by action performance and is expressed as a sequence of status showing progress of the case. The workflow management device is provided with status storage means for stringing a process with a status and storage means for stringing an action with a status. When a display request of progress at an arbitrary point of time in a prescribed process is received from a user terminal, the device acquires a status strung with the prescribed process from the status storage means, displays to the user terminal selection means which can select a desired action from a sequence of status names and actions strung with the status by the action storage means, receives specific information about a selected action selected by the selection means from the user terminal, and performs the selected action.

Description

  The present invention relates to a workflow management apparatus and a workflow management method for providing a workflow system that allows a user to execute a business action in accordance with the status at the same time as displaying the status at that time in a business flow of a business matter. .

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, workflow systems have been widely used to digitize approval procedures for reports, reports, and notification applications in an organization to improve speed, improve work efficiency, and strengthen internal controls (for example, Patent Document 1).
A conventional workflow system such as Patent Document 1 is implemented by digitizing paper, circulating the digitized paper among related parties, and leaving a trail of approval.
And since the functions necessary for circulation of sentences, such as applying, sending back, approval, proxy approval, etc. were limited, it is possible to implement functions for these actions in advance, and the order of executing the actions is a workflow tool It is a specification that can be defined in.

However, in many situations of actual work, the type of action is not limited to application, approval, etc., but the contents of the work and the progress stage of the work, such as requesting, confirming, telling by phone, etc. Because there are innumerable types of actions “to do”, there are functional limitations in applying the conventional workflow system to any business flow.
Although the design concept of the conventional workflow system can be realized when the types of actions are limited as in the document circulation workflow, it is not suitable for the specification for managing the work state across all other business processes. In order to realize individual actions, individual program development is required, and the conventional workflow is limited in application.

The conventional system has been easy to understand by realizing paperless and reducing labor and cost. However, in the normal business, the work flow is systematized in addition to the business targeted by such a workflow system. There is a reality that exists.
For example, there is a task list that is managed by a list created by spreadsheet software, an email job request, and information exchange. There are various operations in the company, such as inquiry reception, exchange of orders with business partners, and product shipment procedures.
These operations are also performed according to a certain operation flow, but there are various types of operations and types of exchanges, and there are many cases where such a flow cannot be managed by a conventional approval type workflow. The workflow system required at this time is to define a flow (flow) of a business procedure and exchange information along the flow, and is not limited to a flow for circulation and approval of a document. In many cases, it should be possible to manage all forms in which project information flows back and forth across multiple organizations and business partners.

  Usually, when such cases are made more efficient by systemization, business-specific package software is introduced or systemized using spreadsheet software or the like in many cases to reduce the work load. However, these systems are unique to an organization, and many operations generated from such a situation exist in the company as invisible costs. For example, the work flow from the generation to the completion of work by e-mail or telephone communication is difficult to surface, and its inefficiency, lack of information, neglect of tasks, delay, rework The trouble is not manifested.

JP 2007-265198 A (paragraphs 0048 to 0064, FIGS. 1 and 6)

The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and its purpose is not limited to a workflow in which a document is circulated and shared. It is an object of the present invention to provide a workflow management apparatus and a workflow management method that can provide a versatile workflow system.
Another object of the present invention is that the system administrator of the organization that uses the system can freely create and create any status that exists in the work, and at the same time, freely create an action for transitioning from one status to the next. It is an object of the present invention to provide a workflow management apparatus and a workflow management method capable of providing a highly flexible workflow system that can be applied to any business process.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a workflow management apparatus and a workflow management method realized as a software product that can be used in common by a large number of organizations and companies.
Still another object of the present invention is to provide a workflow management apparatus and a workflow management capable of creating an action executed by a user in a workflow system in a non-programming manner by combining action elements which are basic parts prepared in advance. It is to provide a method.

  According to the workflow management apparatus according to claim 1, the problem is a workflow management apparatus that provides a workflow system used by a user to process a matter in accordance with a business process, the process being performed by the user Transitioned by executing an action on the terminal computer, expressed as an array of statuses indicating the progress status of the matter, specific information, names, and display order of a plurality of statuses constituting the process include the status Status storage means linked to the process and the specific information of one or more actions allowed to be executed when in the respective status are linked to the specific information of the status and stored. Action storage means, comprising: a user terminal computer; When the progress display request at an arbitrary point in time of the predetermined process is received, the status storage unit displays the specific information, the name, and the display order of the status associated with the predetermined process. The status is extracted with reference to the action storage means by using, as a key, an arrangement of the names of the statuses arranged in accordance with the acquired display order, and the status specific information at the arbitrary time point Action display means for displaying on the screen of the user's terminal computer, an action selection means capable of selecting a desired action from the action, and the selected action selected by the action selection means from the user's terminal computer. Action execution means for receiving specific information and executing the selection action; Providing the, it is solved by.

  The subject is a workflow management method for providing a workflow system used by a user according to claim 5 to process a matter in accordance with a business process, wherein the process is executed by the user using a terminal computer. The process is expressed as an array of statuses indicating the progress status of the matter, and when the progress status display request at an arbitrary time of the predetermined process is received from the terminal computer of the user, the process The status specifying means associated with the predetermined process from the status storage means in which the identification information, names, and display order of the plurality of statuses constituting the status are associated with the process including the status. , A procedure for acquiring the name and the display order, and the display order acquired. Specific information of one or more actions that are allowed to be executed when in each of the statuses, using the arrangement of the names of the statuses arranged in sequence and the specific information of the status at the arbitrary time as a key. An action selection means capable of selecting a desired action from the actions extracted with reference to the action storage means stored in association with the specific information of each status, and a screen of the user's terminal computer An action display procedure to be displayed above, and an action execution procedure for receiving the specific information of the selected action selected by the action selecting means from the terminal computer of the user and executing the selected action. Solved.

According to the workflow management apparatus of the present invention configured as described above, a business status and a necessary action can be defined by combining action elements, and can be applied to various business flows. Actions are not limited to applications and approvals, and actions according to various work flows, such as work requests, reports on specific tasks, and orders (requests), can be created by setting by the system administrator.
In addition, the progress of the business process can be grasped based on the number of cases remaining in each status, making it easier to measure the performance of the organization.

That is, by capturing the workflow on the basis of state transition called status, versatility can be given to actions, and monitoring by state becomes easy. Since all the statuses of matters and logs of actions executed by users can be recorded in the system provided by the workflow management apparatus of the present invention, the performance of all businesses can be recorded by summing up the current matters and the status of logs. For example, it is possible to immediately check if the cases are tabulated such as the ratio of the number of cases handled at the primary window by the help desk that accepts end-user inquiries, the average response speed, and the ratio of escalation to the secondary reception. Furthermore, the ability to measure the processing performance of cases in the organization makes it easier to compare with the organization's key evaluation index (KPI). It can also contribute to quantifying on-site work performance, which was difficult to visualize in the past.
In addition, it is equipped with action element storage means that stores multiple action elements, which are the smallest unit processing programs that make up each action, so actions can be defined by combining action elements that are basic functions prepared in advance. It becomes. By generalizing parts in units of action elements, actions can be realized flexibly and without programming.

Furthermore, the present invention is not limited to workflows that circulate and share documents, but can provide a general-purpose workflow system that can manage and visualize from the generation to completion of every work, and improve efficiency.
It can capture the state of work flowing between organizations from the start to the end of the work, focusing on the state of work flowing between the organizations, and transitioning between people, systems and documents related companies from the start of work to completion It is possible to manage the status of the work to be performed, and it is possible to construct a workflow system that is useful for visualizing and controlling the flow of any work.
In addition, when a certain matter is in a certain status, what the user should do next can be shown to the user according to the definition of the business process.
Further, since the next action can be defined for each business status, the user only needs to select an appropriate action according to the situation. If the status transitions by executing the action, a list of predetermined actions for the next status is displayed on the user's terminal computer screen. In this way, when the user executes an action, it is possible to realize a workflow in which one business process progresses toward completion while the matter changes state. As in the past, when a business flow is systemized, it is not necessary to analyze the actual business flow, develop an individual system screen according to the business definition, and attach a business manual.

In addition, an action authority storage unit that defines an action that can be used by each user by associating it with the specific information of each user is provided, and the action display unit includes the predetermined action authority in the action authority storage unit. It is preferable that the action associated with the user specific information can be selected by the action selection means as the action that can be executed by the predetermined user at the arbitrary time.
Because it is configured in this way, by applying action execution conditions according to the role and matter contents, action definition that can be executed only by users with a certain authority and conditional branching by matter state are also realized. it can. It can be set as the system according to the actual condition that the candidate of the action which should be performed next may differ with a user's role and the content of a case for every state of a case.

Further, the status specifying information included in the process is received from a terminal computer of a system administrator, and combination information of the process specifying information and the status specifying information included in the process is set as the status information. Means for storing in the storage means, and the specific information of the action that is permitted to be executed when the matter is in each of the statuses, linked to the status, received from the terminal computer of the system administrator, It is preferable to comprise means for storing, in the action storage means, combination information of the status specific information and the specific information of the one or more actions permitted to be executed in the status.
With this configuration, you can freely define and create any status that exists in the job, and create actions to transition from one status to the next by combining action elements. A highly flexible workflow system that can be adapted to any business process is realized.

  In addition, a plurality of action elements that are processing programs of the minimum unit constituting each of the actions are stored, and the plurality of action elements include an action including another system method call action element that calls a method prepared in another system. The element storage means includes means for storing in the action storage means, the specific information of one or a plurality of the actions allowed to be executed by the user when the matter is in each of the statuses, and the user The terminal computer screen display action name is associated with the status and received from the system administrator's terminal computer, and the status identification information, the one or more of which is permitted to be executed in the status Action specific information and combination information of the action name Receiving from the terminal computer of the system administrator the specific information of the action stored in the action storage means and the specific information of one or more action elements that are arbitrarily combined to constitute the action. Action-element registration means for storing combination information of the action specific information and the specific information of the one or more action elements constituting the action in an action-element storage means, and each user uses Action authority storage means for defining the possible actions by associating them with the specific information of each user, and the action display means uses the status specific information at an arbitrary time as a key. The one or more actions extracted with reference to action storage means Among all the actions associated with the specific information of the predetermined user in the action authority storage means as the actions that can be executed by the predetermined user at the arbitrary time point. The action execution means displays a selection action selected from the actions that can be executed by the predetermined user at the arbitrary time point from the terminal computer of the predetermined user. Receiving the information, referring to the action-element storage means using the specific information of the selected action as a key, extracting all the action elements constituting the selected action, and executing all the extracted action elements It is preferable.

According to the workflow management device of the present invention, when a certain matter is in a certain status, what the user should do next can be shown to the user according to the definition of the business process.
Further, since the next action can be defined for each business status, the user only needs to select an appropriate action according to the situation. If the status transitions by executing the action, a list of predetermined actions for the next status is displayed on the user's terminal computer screen. In this way, when the user executes an action, it is possible to realize a workflow in which one business process progresses toward completion while the matter changes state. As in the past, when a business flow is systemized, it is not necessary to analyze the actual business flow, develop an individual system screen according to the business definition, and attach a business manual.

  By capturing the workflow on the basis of the state transition called status, the action is versatile and monitoring by state becomes easy. Since all the statuses of matters and logs of actions executed by users are recorded in the system provided by the workflow management apparatus of the present invention, the performance of all operations can be recorded if the current matters and statuses of logs are aggregated. . For example, it is possible to immediately check if the cases are tabulated such as the ratio of the number of cases handled at the primary window by the help desk that accepts end-user inquiries, the average response speed, and the ratio of escalation to the secondary reception. Furthermore, the ability to measure the processing performance of cases in the organization makes it easier to compare with the organization's key evaluation index (KPI). It can also contribute to quantifying on-site work performance, which was difficult to visualize in the past.

1 is an overall configuration diagram of a workflow system provided by a workflow management apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention. It is a hardware block diagram of the workflow management apparatus which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is explanatory drawing which shows the screen image relevant to the table structure regarding action element. It is explanatory drawing of the business framework managed with the workflow system which concerns on one Embodiment of this invention. It is a category list screen displayed on a terminal computer of a system administrator. It is a project detailed setting screen displayed on a terminal computer of a system administrator. It is a status setting screen displayed on a terminal computer of a system administrator. It is an action setting screen displayed on a system administrator's terminal computer. It is an action creation screen displayed on a system administrator's terminal computer. It is an action element screen displayed on a system administrator's terminal computer. It is a start screen displayed on a user's terminal computer. It is an item list screen displayed on a user's terminal computer. It is a flowchart of the action execution process performed with a workflow management apparatus. It is a flowchart of the action execution process performed with a workflow management apparatus. It is a matter detail screen displayed on a user's terminal computer. It is an action execution screen displayed on a user's terminal computer. This is a process flow when escalated from one process to a related process. An example in which a company processes an inquiry from an end user regarding a system provided by the company using the workflow system of the present embodiment will be described.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that members, arrangements, and the like described below do not limit the present invention, and it goes without saying that various modifications can be made in accordance with the spirit of the present invention.
In this specification, “business” refers to a series of work from the start to the end of a certain work. “Business flow” refers to the flow of business.
In one work flow, several work states transition from the start to the end of the work. “Status” refers to the status of this matter and indicates the progress.
“Action” refers to each operation performed by the user for a matter in a certain status.
Every business flow can be expressed by connecting a status and an action, and this cluster of state transitions is called a “process”.
“Workflow” refers to a state transition rule of a matter.

(Workflow management device and hardware configuration)
A server computer 11 (hereinafter referred to as a server 11) of this embodiment as a workflow management apparatus provides a workflow system S (hereinafter referred to as a system S) to a plurality of user organizations.
In the system S provided by the server 11 of the present embodiment, the system administrator of the company 2 that is a user organization that uses the system S can freely define and create any status that exists in the job. You can freely create actions for transitioning to.
The user of the company 2 who becomes the user of the system S executes an action according to the workflow set by the system administrator. The user includes not only members of the company 2 such as employees and managers of the company 2, but also members of the contractor of the company 2, members of the manager, end users such as customers of the company 2, and the like.

The system S of the present embodiment is a design specification that can realize the definition of work actions in any business in a general and non-programming manner. Then, the status of every business is visualized, and the action to be performed next by the user in charge of the job is displayed.
In the system S, the state from the beginning to the end of work can be managed across a plurality of business processes (organizations). The center of the workflow is not a document but a delivery of work, and the state of these works is mainly considered. In other words, the state transition model centered on the work state is placed at the center of the workflow.
Because it is possible to quickly respond to changes such as business process changes, even system administrators who have no actual system programming experience can change workflows without developing programs.

The system S of this embodiment will be described with reference to FIG.
The system S is constructed among a system provider 1 that operates the system S, a plurality of companies 2 that use the system S, a contractor 3 to which the company 2 entrusts operations, and other end users. .
The system provider 1 includes a server 11 as a workflow management apparatus that provides the system S. In the present embodiment, a single server 11 is provided as a workflow management device. However, a plurality of servers may be provided, or may be provided for each company 2 to which the system S is provided. The server 11 is provided in the system provider 1, but may be provided in the company 2.
The hardware configuration of the server 11 is shown in FIG.
The server 11 includes a CPU 72 as a data calculation / control processing device, a RAM 73 as a storage device, a ROM 74, an HDD 75, and a storage medium device 76.

The CPU 72 is configured to execute various processes according to programs stored in the ROM 74 or the HDD 75. The RAM 73 stores data necessary for the CPU 72 to execute various processes.
Further, the keyboard 78 and the mouse 79 which are input devices are operated when a command is input to the CPU 72.

On the display device 80 and the printer 81, information, images, etc. displayed in a predetermined format are output and displayed.
The storage medium device 76 includes an external hard disk, a magneto-optical disk, a CD-R, a DVD, a memory stick, and the like, and can appropriately store and read data transmitted via the network 13. Has been made.
The communication device 77 transmits data to the network 13 and receives data supplied via the network 13.

The HDD 75 stores a category table for storing project category information, a project table for storing project information, a business process table T1 for storing process information, a status table T2 for storing status information, and action information. An action table T3, an action element master table M1 that stores names of action elements inside and outside the system, a role table that stores information about users who use the system S and their authority, an action authority table, and a role × user table are stored. .
These tables are not divided for each company 2 or project for which the present system S is provided, but a plurality of companies 2 and project information are mixedly registered.
A part of the configuration of these tables is shown in FIG.

The category table includes, as items, a project category ID, a category name, and a tenant ID.
The project table includes, as items, a project ID, a project category ID, a parent project ID, a project name, a normal project, a parent project, a project type indicating a child project, and a tenant ID.
The business process table T1 as the process storage means includes, as items, a process ID, a project ID, a display order, a process name, a process type, and a tenant ID.

The status table T2 as status storage means includes, as items, a status ID, a tenant ID, a process or library ID, a status name, a display order, and a completion flag indicating whether the status indicates completion. As for the completion flag, 1 indicates completion, and 0 does not indicate completion. A combination of the status ID and the display order corresponds to status array information.
The action table T3 as an action storage means includes, as items, a process ID, an action ID, a status ID, an action name, a display order, a conference presence / absence flag indicating whether a conference is necessary, and a tenant ID.
The action element master table M1 as action element storage means is a master table for storing the names of action elements inside and outside the system, and as items, an action element ID, an action element screen display name, and an action element for internal use of the system It has a name. The action element master table M1 does not have a tenant ID because it is a master common to the entire system S. The screen display name is a name displayed on the management screen, and the system internal name of the action element is used as a class name of the action element or a folder name for storing the action element file.

In this system, a fixed number of 15 action elements are stored in the action element master table M1 as follows.
“Create a case” is set at the time of new registration, and there is only one item per process.
“Update item” is set when the screen item needs to be updated during the action.
“Delete matter” is set when the matter is logically deleted.
“Consolidate cases” is set when collecting cases.
“Create a related item” is set when an item is copied or escalated to each process.
“Create a comment” is set when a comment is left as a history or when used as a body text when an email is transmitted.
“Update status” is set to an action that requires status update.
“Send mail” is set when sending an email when executing an action.
“Create a library” is set when an item of a related library is registered.
“Update library” is set when the item data of the library linked to the matter is updated.
“Associate records” is set when associating items.
“Updating libraries in a batch” is set when a plurality of records in related libraries are updated in a batch.
“Call another system SOAP method” is set when calling a method defined in another system or service bus product implemented according to SOA (Service Oriented Architecture).
“Start measurement of work time” is set when the time when an action is executed is recorded in the item information.
“End work time measurement” is set when an end time corresponding to the time at which measurement was started by the action element “start measurement of work time” is recorded.

In the present embodiment, a fixed number of 15 action elements are provided, but can be added as necessary. By increasing the number of action elements available for general use, new elements can be added to all the actions that can be executed from any status of the business process. Once an action element is prepared, it can be used in every scene of the system S, so that the function of the additional action element can be used in every scene of business.
Although the number of action elements can be increased or decreased, it is preferable that the number of action elements is a uniform fixed number in the entire system S.

The action × element table T4 as action-element storage means is a table for storing action element information included in the action, and includes a record ID, an action ID, an action element ID, and an action completion button that the system automatically shakes as items. The execution order that is the order of action elements executed when the button is pressed, the display order that is the order in which the view associated with the action element is displayed on the initial screen / confirmation screen of the action, and the tenant ID are provided.
The action setting table T5 is a table for storing setting information at the time of executing an action set by the system administrator of the company 2, and records for each action element of each set action are registered. The action setting table T5 includes, as items, a record ID automatically assigned by the system, a tenant ID, a library ID, a status update condition, a comment field width, a comment field height, a mail template ID, a project ID, a status ID, and a process type. ID, action ID, etc. are provided.

For each work status, there is not always one action that is a work performed by the user. It is necessary to select a plurality of next actions for one status such as conditional branching and execution of parallel tasks. Therefore, it is necessary to create a plurality of action settings for work statuses defined in one business process so that n actions correspond to one status.
For example, if the status of a case is “approved town”, at least two types of actions “approve” and “reject” are required as the next actions. In some cases, multiple actions for matters that have a status of "Waiting for approval", such as "E-mail notification", "Enter comments", "Correct part of matter", "Update existing related database" The need to do it comes out.

The role table is a table for setting whether or not to disclose a specific matter group and history group to the user, and includes a role ID, a project ID, a role name, a history public / private initial value flag (1 : Public, 0: Private), Private history display flag (1: Public, 0: Private), Item public / private initial value flag (1: Display, 0: Non-display), Private matter display It has a flag (1: public, 0: non-public) and a tenant ID.
The action authority table is a table for restricting the use of actions and controlling the display of actions according to the role of the user. The action authority ID, role ID, action ID, process type ID, and tenant ID are items. It has.
The role × user table is a table that defines the users to which each role belongs, and includes items of role × user ID, role ID, user ID, project ID, and tenant ID.
The action authority table and the role × user table correspond to the action authority storage unit.
The related matter table is a table that stores the status of escalation from the drafting matter to the related drafting destination matter, and includes the item ID of the drafting matter and the drafting matter. It has a project ID.

The HDD 75 also includes a management screen storage unit that stores a management screen (setting_ui) as a management user interface, and a runtime user screen storage unit that stores a runtime user screen (activity-ui) as a runtime user interface. And execution program storage means for storing an execution program (exec-logic).
Here, the action element has an information input screen for the user and an execution code of a logic execution part, and is an additional and extensible part that is used for general purposes. The management screen (setting_ui) and the runtime user screen (activity -ui) (registration, confirmation), and the execution program (exec-logic) always possess three functions. These three functions are an execution program, and the action element may be considered as a small system having a UI having a name associated with the system internal name (code_name) of the action element.
If the form of the program interface is satisfied, the action elements can be individually expanded and developed, and can be executed simultaneously with a plurality of action elements on one action execution screen.
Once an action element has been developed, it can be registered in any action and can be used for setting according to the business scene.

The management screen (setting_ui) includes an action element-specific master table that holds setting parameters as setting values for changing the behavior of the action element when creating an action, and a setting screen. The action element-specific master table is assigned a name associated with the action element system internal name (code_name), and the action element system internal name (code_name) + "setting"".
Thereby, setting information can be held individually for each action element, and parameters can be held. Register the setting values that match the characteristics of the action on the setting screen.

The runtime user screen (activity-ui) is composed of an input screen (act-UI) component and a confirmation screen (conf-UI) component that accept input of input values from the user when the user executes an action.
The input screen (act-UI) component is a screen generation program with the name "code_name" + "act". By displaying this screen generation program in the order of the number of action element definitions, the figure is displayed. It is used to display 16 action execution screens 1600.
The confirmation screen (conf-UI) component is an action element confirmation screen program having the name “code_name” + “conf”.
The execution program (exec-logic) is an execution logic code that is processed when the user executes an action. As the execution program, a program having the name “code_name” + “exec” is executed in order.
A program named "code_name" + "exec" has a standard execute () method and accepts arguments defined in input variables in HTML, and is set for that action defined in the settings screen. The action element is executed according to the setting information inherent to the action element.

  The company 2 and the contractor 3 are respectively provided with terminal computers (hereinafter referred to as “terminals”) 21 and 31 used by members such as employees of the company 2, and are connected to the server 11 via the network 13. Information can be sent and received between them. Since the hardware configuration of the terminals 21 and 31 is the same as the hardware configuration of the server 11, description thereof is omitted. The terminals 21 and 31 can display information received from the server 11 such as a PC, a personal digital assistant (PDA), a tablet, a mobile phone, and a smartphone, and can transmit information input on the screen to the server 11. An information processing apparatus is included.

(Business framework)
A business framework managed by the system S is shown in FIG.
“Tenant” means a group of projects and libraries.
“Project” refers to a group of processes / members / groups / roles / reports / events / related libraries / libraries / user groups.
“Item” means a business unit managed in a process. Projects can be related to multiple projects or aggregated as a single project.
“Escalation” means that the project crosses the process. Also, by escalating, a case is created in the escalation destination process and related to the escalation source case. A related item is called a “related item”.
“Library” refers to a data list of management items. A group of items registered in each library is called an “item”.
"Process" means a series of work processes defined. The function of dividing the operation contents of “process” into cases is called “process type”.
The process type can be selected at the time of matter processing, and screen items can be sorted and status transitions can be changed by switching.
“Status” refers to the life cycle state of the process itself. It is possible to define “actions” that can be operated for each “status”. At the time of action execution, "Status" can be changed and matter contents can be updated.
For "action", define "role" that can execute this. As a result, it is possible to perform control such that the “status” can be changed only for roles having specific authority.
In addition to “action”, “role” can be set for each process type and finely set for each screen item.
Each “action” can be set from a predetermined “action element”. On the management screen, settings such as changing the name of an action and adding multiple elements to a single action are possible.

(Workflow system S functions)
The function of the system S of this embodiment will be described. In the system S of the present embodiment, the system administrator of the company 2 sets the workflow to be executed by the user by linking the action to be performed next to each status of the matter executed by the user. A workflow setting stage and a workflow execution stage in which a user executes a workflow set by a system administrator are provided.
In the workflow setting stage, the system administrator accesses the server 11 and associates an action with the status from the management screen displayed on the screen of the terminal 21, and defines this action by a combination of action elements. Sets the next action for the status of.

(Workflow setting by system administrator)
Hereinafter, the workflow setting stage will be described in detail.
When the system administrator starts up the program of the system S on the terminal 21, the terminal 21 accesses the server 11, and a login screen (not shown) is displayed. When the tenant code, system administrator ID and password are entered on the login screen, a management screen top (not shown) is displayed.
When the project management tab is clicked among the buttons displayed so as to be selectable on the management screen top (not shown), the server 11 uses the tenant ID of the tenant to which the corresponding system administrator belongs as a key to create a category table and a project table. , The project category ID, category name, and project information to which the tenant ID is assigned are acquired, and the category list screen 500 shown in FIG. 5 is displayed.

The category list screen 500 is a screen for enumerating the category names of the entire tenant to which the system administrator belongs, and for creating a category name display field 501, the number of projects display field 502 included in the category, and a new category. And a new creation button 503 for displaying a new category creation screen (not shown).
A category described in the category name display field 501 is newly created by inputting a category name and clicking a completion button (not shown) on the new category creation screen.

When the project number display field 502 is clicked, a project list screen (not shown) that displays a list of project names included in the category is displayed using the project information acquired when the category list screen 500 is displayed. The On this screen, a new creation button for displaying a project new creation screen (not shown) for creating a new project is displayed.
When any project name is clicked on the project list screen (not shown), the project ID is obtained by referring to the project table using the project name as a key, and the business process table T1 is referenced using this project ID as a key. Then, the process information included in the project is acquired, and the project detail setting screen 600 of FIG. 6 is displayed.

The project detailed setting screen 600 is a screen for performing detailed setting of a project. The basic information display field 601 of the project, a list of processes 602 included in the project, a process order change button 603 in the project, a new process creation A button 604 and a status detail button 605 for displaying the status setting screen 700 of FIG. 7 are displayed. When a new creation button 603 is clicked, a process new creation screen (not shown) for creating a new process is displayed.
When the status detail button 605 is clicked, the server 11 refers to the status table T2 using the process ID as a key, and further refers to the action table T3 using the status ID obtained from the status table T2 as a key. The status setting screen 700 of FIG. 7 is displayed.

The status setting screen 700 is a screen for setting a status. As shown in FIG. 7, a process selection box 701 for selecting a process to be set from a list, an unillustrated order for setting the order of statuses included in the process A sequence change button 702 for displaying a setting screen, a new creation button 703 for displaying a status screen (not shown) for newly creating a status included in the process, a number column 704 indicating a status ID automatically assigned by the system, and a status name display A column 705, an action list 708 set for each status, an action setting button 709 for displaying the action setting screen 800 of FIG. 8, and an operation button 710 for editing the status are displayed.
When the new creation button 702 is clicked, the server 11 displays a status creation screen (not shown) on the terminal 21. When the completion button is clicked on this screen, the server 11 displays the status name input on the screen as a process selection box. In association with the ID of the process selected in 701, it is registered in the status table T2. This processing corresponds to means for storing in the status storage means in the claims.

When the action setting button 709 is clicked on the status setting screen 700, the server 11 uses the status name for which the action setting button 709 has been clicked, and the action ID and action name information associated with the status, as shown in FIG. The action setting screen 800 is displayed.
The action setting screen 800 is a screen for setting an action. As shown in FIG. 8, a process selection box 801 for selecting a process to be set from the list, and a status selection box 802 for selecting a status included in the process from the list. An order change button 803 for displaying an action order setting screen (not shown) for setting the order of actions associated with the status, and an action creation screen 900 of FIG. 9 for newly creating an action associated with the status are displayed. A new creation button 804, a number field 805 indicating an action ID automatically assigned by the system, an action name display field 806, and an action element button for displaying the action element screen 1000 of FIG. 10 for setting action elements constituting each action 807, conference setting Collegial button 809 to be set free, status list display button 811 to display the status setting screen 700 of FIG. 7 is displayed.

When the new creation button 804 is clicked, the server 11 refers to the action element master table M1 and displays the action creation screen 900 of FIG.
In the action creation screen 900, an action name input field 901, an action element selection field 902 for displaying an action element selected on the screen by the system administrator, and all action element names acquired from the action element master table M1 are selected. An action element list 903 that can be displayed and a completion button 904 for completing the action creation are displayed.

When an action element is selected in the action element selection field 902 of the action creation screen 900 and the completion button 904 is clicked, the server 11 acquires the action element ID of the action element input in the action element selection field 902. The action × element table T4 is searched using the tenant ID as a key, and the maximum value of the record ID and action ID is acquired. The numerical value of the maximum value + 1 is registered as the record ID and action ID in the action × element table T4 in association with the action element ID. The same processing is performed for all the action elements input in the action element selection field 902 and registered in the action × element table T4. This process corresponds to action-element registration means.
Also, the corresponding status ID, action ID, action name, etc. are registered in the action table T3.

When the action element button 807 of any action is clicked on the action setting screen 800 of FIG. 8, the action ID of the selected action is referenced as a key in the action × element table T4, and the record ID associated with the action is recorded. And the action element ID, and referring to the action element master table M1 using the action element ID as a key, the screen display name and the system internal name of the corresponding action element are obtained, and the action element screen 1000 in FIG. Is displayed.
The action element screen 1000 is a screen for setting an update item to be updated when the user executes an action on the terminal 21 and a screen item to be displayed on the user terminal 21 screen for the action element. The action element screen 1000 includes a corresponding action name display field 1001, an action element display field 1002 that displays the ID and screen display name of the action element included in the corresponding action, and an update item for each action element shown in FIG. An update item setting button 1003 for displaying the management screen 1100 and a screen item setting button 1004 for displaying a screen item setting screen (not shown) for setting the screen item of each action element are displayed.

When the update item setting button 1003 is clicked, the server 11 refers to the action element master table M1 using the action element ID of the action element for which the update item setting button 1003 is clicked as a key, and acquires the system internal name. . Next, a management screen having the name “system internal name +“ setting ”is acquired from the management screen storage means and displayed on the screen of the terminal 21.
A unique management screen is provided for each action element. FIG. 10 shows “new setting” displayed by clicking the update item setting button 1003 of the action element “create a comment”. A management screen 1010 having a name is shown.
When the completion button 1015 is clicked on the management screen 1010, the server 11 registers the information input on the management screen 1010 in the action setting table T5.

(Workflow execution by user)
Next, the workflow execution stage in which the user executes the workflow set by the system administrator will be described.
When the user starts up the system S program on the terminal 21, the terminal 21 accesses the server 11, and a login screen (not shown) is displayed. When the tenant code, user ID, and password are input on the login screen, the server 11 refers to the role × user table and role table using the tenant code and user ID as keys, and the diagram corresponding to the role of the user. 11 start screen 1100 is displayed.
The start screen 1100 is a screen for displaying a list of projects, processes, and statuses to which the user corresponds, and a status for displaying the project display column 1101, the process display column 1102, the process type display column 1103, the status and the number of cases of the corresponding status. A display column 1104 and a case list area 1105 for displaying a list of process cases are displayed.
When each process or process type name in the process display column 1101 or the process type display column 1103 is clicked, the server 11 displays the item list screen 1200 of FIG.
The item list screen 1200 is a screen for displaying a list of matters of a specified process. The item search area 1201 includes a new item search area 1201, a new registration button 1202 for newly registering an item in a corresponding process, and items of a process to be displayed. A list of cases 1203 to be displayed is displayed.

When a case ID of any of the cases displayed in the case list 1203 is clicked, the server 11 starts the action execution process of FIG. In step S1, the server 11 refers to the status table T2 using the clicked case ID as a key, acquires a status ID, a status name, a display order, and a completion flag, and displays a screen specific to the business process table T1 and each process. Get the screen display item information of the matter from the process screen item information table that stores the item information.
Next, in step S2, the item detail screen 1500 of FIG. 15 is displayed using the information acquired in step S1.
The item detail screen 1500 includes an item title display column 1501 including a process name, a status display column 1503 of the corresponding item, a screen item information display column 1504 of the item, a related item display column 1505 of the item, and an action selection screen shown in FIG. An action button 1508 to be displayed is displayed.
In the status display column 1503, the status of the case is displayed using all the status names associated with the process ID of the case in the status table T2, the display order, and the completion flag.
In accordance with the definition of the business process, the status of the case changes according to its progress, such as new to received in the status display field 1503, in response, in secondary response, in secondary response to completed. One Item transitions from the initial status to completion as defined in the business process. By representing the business flow as a status transition, it is easy to define the next action. In addition, there is also an advantage that it is easy to monitor the status of the entire business process, such as in what state the project stays.

In step S3, it is determined whether the action button 1508 has been clicked.
If the action button 1508 has not been clicked (step S3: NO), the process returns to step S3 to determine whether the action button 1508 has been clicked. That is, step S3 is repeated until the action button 1508 is clicked.
When the action button 1508 is clicked in step S3 (step S3: YES), in step S4, the tenant ID and the status ID acquired in step S1 are used as a key to refer to the action table T3, and the tenant ID and status The action ID, action name, and display order of all records with IDs are acquired. Further, using the action ID and user ID acquired here as keys, the action authority table and the role × user table are referred to, and it is confirmed whether or not the user is restricted for each action.

Next, in step S5, using the action name and display order information acquired in step S4, the action selection field 1601 in FIG. 16 listing the actions permitted for the user is displayed. Step S5 corresponds to the action display means in the claims.
The action selection column 1601 is a list that displays all the action names associated with the current status of the subject matter by the system administrator in the display order set in the action table T3.

In the present embodiment, display of actions is controlled according to the role of the user by restricting the use of predetermined business processes and actions in this way. By applying action execution conditions according to the role and item contents, it is possible to define actions that can be executed only by users with certain privileges and conditional branching depending on the item status. It can be set as the system according to the actual condition that the candidate of the action which should be performed next may differ with a user's role and the content of a case for every state of a case.
For example, an action that can be executed only by an approver can be selected if the user has an approver role, or an action that can be executed only by a person in charge of purchase is an action if the user has a role of purchaser. Can be selected.
Further, it is preferable that the UI of the action selection field 1601 holds the display conditions of the target action, and only the executable actions are displayed when the action selection field 1601 is displayed.
For example, if a case exceeds a certain amount, if the approver is different, the search conditions for the case management items are stored as business rules in the UI in advance, and when all check items in the case arrive, the next action Can be configured to execute.

Next, in step S6, it is determined whether any action is selected in the action selection field 1601.
If no action is selected (step S6: NO), the process returns to step S6 to determine whether an action is selected. That is, step S6 is repeated until an action is selected.

When an action is selected (step S6: YES), in step S7, with reference to the tenant ID and action ID as keys, the action × element table T4 is referred to, and all records associated with the selected action are acquired.
Next, in step S8, one record acquired in step S7 is read.
Next, in step S9, the action element master table M1 is referenced using the action element ID of the record read in step S8 as a key, and system internal names (code_name) of all action elements are acquired.
In step S10, the runtime user screen storage means is referenced using the system internal name (code_name) + act name as a key, and the screen generation program (activity-ui) of the action element of the record read in step S8 is acquired.

Next, in step S11, it is determined whether there is a record that has not yet been read in the records acquired in step S7.
If there is a record that has not yet been read in the record acquired in step S7 (step S11: YES), one record that has been read out of the records acquired in step S7 is read in step S8.
That is, steps S8 to S11 are repeated until all records acquired in step S7 are read.
If there is no record that has not been read in the record acquired in step S7 (step S11: NO), it is determined that acquisition of the screen generation program has been completed for all action elements associated with the action, and the process proceeds to step S12. In accordance with the order determined by the execution order of the action elements included in the record acquired in step S7, all the screen generation programs acquired in step S10 repeatedly executed are executed to display the input screen 1600 of FIG. To do.
In this step, for example, if the code_name of the action element “Enter comment” is defined as “comment” and the code_name of the action element “Send mail” is defined as “mail”, the screen generation program comment-act, the screen generation program Execute mail-act in order and display them side by side on the screen.
In the input screen 1600, an action selection field 1601 for displaying a list of actions currently available in the target case, an input field 1602 for inputting and selecting necessary items for the action elements constituting the action, and an action confirmation screen 1610 are displayed. A confirmation button 1604 is displayed. The display content of the action selection field 1601 varies depending on authority, setting, process, and status. The display contents of the input field 1602 differ depending on the selected action, authority, setting, process, and status.

Next, the process proceeds from step A in FIG. 13 to step S13 in FIG. 14 through step A in FIG. 14 to determine whether the confirmation button 1604 has been clicked.
If the confirmation button 1604 is not clicked (step S13: NO), the process returns to step S13 to determine whether the confirmation button 1604 has been clicked. That is, step S13 is repeated until the confirmation button 1604 is clicked.
When the confirmation button 1604 is clicked in step S13 (step S13: YES), in step S14, the action × element table T4 is referenced using the tenant ID and action ID as keys, and all the actions associated with the selected action are referred to. Get a record.
Next, in step S15, one record acquired in step S14 is read.

Next, in step S16, the action element master table M1 is referenced using the action element ID of the record read in step S15 as a key, and the system internal names (code_name) of all action elements are acquired.
In step S17, the runtime user screen storage means is referred to using the system internal name (code_name) + conf as a key, and the action element confirmation screen program read in step S15 is acquired.

Next, in step S18, it is determined whether there is a record that has not yet been read in the records acquired in step S14.
If there is a record that has not been read yet in the record acquired in step S14 (step S18: YES), one record that has been read out of the records acquired in step S14 is read in step S15.
That is, steps S15 to S18 are repeated until all records acquired in step S14 are read.

If there is no record that has not been read in the record acquired in step S14 (step S18: NO), it is determined that acquisition of the confirmation screen program has been completed for all action elements associated with the action, and the process proceeds to step S19. The parameters input in the input field 1602 are respectively transferred from “code_name” + “act” to “code_name” + “conf”, and are determined in the execution order of the action elements included in the record acquired in step S14. In accordance with the order, the confirmation screen program acquired in the repeated step S17 is executed to display the confirmation screen 1610 of FIG.
The parameter is passed by passing the input contents to the HTML input tag using the POST method. The parameter name given to the input tag is composed of the action element ID + the parameter ID unique to the action element so that it does not overlap with the parameters of other action elements.

The confirmation screen 1610 displays a confirmation field 1611 for displaying the result input and set in the input field 1602 and a completion button 1613 for executing the action.
Next, in step S20, it is determined whether the completion button 1613 has been clicked.
If the completion button 1613 is not clicked (step S20: NO), the process returns to step S20 to determine whether the completion button 1613 is clicked. That is, step S20 is repeated until the completion button 1613 is clicked.
When the completion button 1613 is clicked in step S20 (step S20: YES), one record acquired in step S14 is read in step S21.
Next, in step S22, the action element master table M1 is referenced using the action element ID of the record read in step S21 as a key, and system internal names (code_name) of all action elements are acquired. Using the system internal name (code_name) of this action element, the execution program storage means is referenced using the system internal name (code_name) + exec name as a key, and the execution program of the action element of the record read in step S21 is obtained. To do.

Next, in step S23, the action element execution program acquired in step S22 is executed. For example, the “comment-exec” program records the parameters input by the user on the input screen 1600 in the comment table of the corresponding case. The “mail-exec” program transmits mail according to the contents (address, subject, contents, etc.) entered by the user on the input screen 1600.
In step S24, it is determined whether there is a record that has not yet been read in the records acquired in step S14.
If there is a record that has not been read yet in the record acquired in step S14 (step S24: YES), one record that has been read out of the records acquired in step S14 is read in step S21.
That is, steps S21 to S24 are repeated until all records acquired in step S14 are read.

  If there is no record that has not been read in the record acquired in step S14 (step S24: NO), it is assumed that execution of the execution program has been completed for all action elements associated with that action, as shown in FIGS. Ends the flow of the action execution process. Steps S21 to S24 correspond to the action execution means in the claims.

(Example of implementation of three functional elements of action element)
As already described, the action element has three functions: a management screen (setting_ui), a runtime user screen (activity-ui) (registration, confirmation), and an execution program (exec-logic).
A display example of the management screen (setting_ui) is the management screen 1010 in FIG. 10, and a display example of the runtime user screen (activity-ui) (registration, confirmation) is the input screen 1600 and the confirmation screen 1610 in FIG. 16. Specific implementation examples of these three functions will be described.
In the “update status” action element, the setting-ui holds the next status information to be transitioned when the action is executed. activity-ui never gets input from the user. The user is notified by displaying on the screen which status is to be changed to which status. exec-logic transitions the matter to the status specified in setting-ui when executing the action.

In the action element “update the contents of the management item”, setting-ui sets which management item is updated when the action is executed. activity-ui displays a user interface that accepts input to the screen item to be updated. A confirmation screen for confirming the data entered by the user is displayed. exec-logic updates the management item data of the matter with the contents entered in activity-ui.
In the “send mail” action element, the setting-ui has a template for a mail transmission body, a user interface that can be set for a destination for mail transmission, and a setting database. activity-ui has a user interface that can select a destination when executing an action. Display the confirmation screen for the mail to be sent. exec-logic sends the contents defined by setting-ui as emails as specified by activity-ui.
In the “Post comment history to matter” action element, setting-ui specifies the number of characters to be given to the matter and the presence / absence of an attached file. activity-ui displays an input field for inputting a comment. exec-logic adds the comment entered in the matter to the matter history.

(Action implementation example)
Next, when an "Approve" action is defined with a combination of four action elements: "Update status", "Update management item", "Send email", and "Post comment history to matter" An implementation example will be described. In this implementation example, only functions are described, and specific processing by the server 11 for realizing the implementation example is the same as the processing in the column of (workflow setting by system administrator) (workflow execution by user). The description is omitted.
In the example of creating an "Approve" action from the status of "Waiting for approval", a new "Approve" action is first created, "Update status""Update management item contents""Sendemail" Four action elements of “Yes” and “Post comment history to the case” are selected.
Next, parameters that determine the behavior of the action are set for each action element. The parameter is set to set a meaning specific to the specific action for the general-purpose action element. Unique actions are realized by combining parameters with general-purpose action elements.
In “update status”, a transition from the transition source status “waiting for approval” to the transition destination status “approved” is set. In “update the contents of the management item”, the approver name is input as the management item of the matter. In “send email”, email transmission to the applicant is set, and the email text is designated in advance.

The action set as described above is executed as follows.
Execution of actions is a user interface part that can select the executable action defined for each status of the matter from the matter screen, the user interface part that is displayed when the action list is selected, and the logic that is processed at the time of execution Divided into parts.
When a certain item is selected on the screen of the user terminal 21, the server 11 displays the corresponding status on the screen of the terminal 21. In accordance with the pre-defined definition, the menu displays the actions that can be used when the status is appropriate.
When the user selects one action, activity-ui defined in the action element assigned to the action is listed on the input screen.

  The “update status” action element displays a message notifying the user that the status changes from waiting for approval to the transition destination status “approved”. In the action element “update the contents of the management item”, the approver name is displayed, and the input UI of the management item that can be input in accordance with the prior setting is displayed. “Send mail” displays the mail document to be sent and the destination. In “Post comment history to case”, a comment input field is displayed.

When the execution button for this action is pressed on the screen of the terminal 21, the server 11 sequentially processes the execution logic defined by each action element.
In the “update status” action element, the status is changed to “approved”. In the “update the contents of management item” action element, the management item is updated. “Send mail” sends an email. In “Post comment history to case”, a comment is added to the case.

Actions can be defined in many other ways.
For example, the action “Record phone contact details” is an “update status” action element that transitions from “calling town” to “called” and “updates the contents of management items” In the action element, enter the person in charge of the call, select the talk script used during the call, describe the content that was heard during the call, and should be noted in the action element “Post comment history to the case” If there is a point, it can be defined by entering a comment. At this time, the “send mail” action element is not used.
At this time, an action “to be recalled” can be created in preparation for a case where the call is not connected from the “calling town” status. This action is the “update status” action element, transitions from “calling town” to “recall schedule”, and the “send email” action element records the calling time, etc. If there is a noteworthy point in the “post comment history” action element, it can be defined by entering a comment.

(Draft related projects by escalation)
As an action of the present embodiment, an action “escalate” can be created. “Escalate” means to issue a related matter from one process to one or a plurality of related processes. As a result, the processes are related, and the matter can be linked to the related process.
Here, another item that has been drafted in the related process is called a “related item”.

FIG. 17 shows a process flow when escalated from one process to a related process.
The related item 1702 is created by executing an action that can issue a related item 1702. In this case, the matter 1701 in the drafting process and the related matter 1702 in the drafting destination exist in parallel.
The process expresses from the start to the end of the work that one organization is in charge of. In fact, in many cases, part of the work on the way is outsourced to the outsourcer 3 or a group of business procedures is performed by another department in charge. In this case, for example, a process for a related organization is created so that a matter can be drafted from the first process.
Even when a related matter 1702 is issued from the first process, the status of the first process changes to the status defined in the first process. At this time, the status of the first process is kept in an inactive state such as “in escalation”.
On the other hand, in the related item 1702, the action is executed in accordance with the process from the start state such as “new”, and the business progresses.

For example, there are a plurality of business processes such as sales process → contract process → procurement process → shipment process → support process, and they are related to each other. On the system S, a case generated from sales is recognized as one case until support.
Therefore, in the system S, after receiving contract documents such as NDA and purchase order in the sales process, it is preferable to issue a matter related to the contract process.
At this time, the actions “Start contract procedure” are “Update status” (transition from “In negotiation” → “Contract procedure in progress”), “Create comment” (Enter contract date etc. in the negotiation process case) ), “Send an email” (send a notification email to the person in charge of contract), “Create a comment” (fill in a comment at the time of contract), “Create a related matter” (Create a new matter in the contract process) These five action elements are combined and created in this order.
In the action element “Create related matter” (create a new matter of the contract process), setting-ui selects the process of the drafting destination and sets the screen item to be newly registered in the drafting destination. activity-ui displays a new registration screen for the drafting business process. exec-logic creates related matter data in which the drafting matter and the drafting matter are linked. This related matter data includes the matter ID of the drafting matter and the matter ID of the drafting matter, and exec-logic registers this related matter data in the related matter table.
As a result, in the case where a “contract procedure start” action is prepared for the “business in progress” status in the sales process and the transition is made to “contract procedure in progress”, a new contract process item is created at the same time.
The drafting case and related cases progress with different statuses in the process defined independently. Because the role is different for each process, the specifications are very easy to understand for users who perform different tasks in the same case. The status varies depending on the business process, even if it is the same matter, such as “under contract procedure” if it is a sales process, and “accepting” if it is a contract person.
In this way, business processes can be organized and sophisticated division of labor can be realized due to process relationships.

(Action elements that call other systems)
In addition, an action element “call another system SOAP method” that transmits a message to another system may be added to the action “start contract procedure”.
In this case, after “Create a related matter” (create a new matter in the contract process), the action element “Call another system SOAP method” (register the contract amount and product details information in the sales management system) to add.
In the action element “call other system SOAP method”, setting-ui defines the method of the call destination and the parameters required for the call for the related system developed according to SOA. Activity-ui inputs parameters to be passed to other systems. exec-logic communicates to other systems using the SOAP protocol and calls methods prepared in other systems.
By incorporating this action element into the appropriate action of the business, the user executed the action, and at the same time, the information permeated the related system, and the user had to log in to another system and transcribe the information. Work can be greatly reduced.

According to the above system S, as shown in FIG. 18, a workflow system for a large-scale project that is divided into a plurality of subsystems can be freely constructed by setting of a system administrator.
FIG. 18 shows an example in which the company 2 uses this system S to process inquiries from end users regarding the system provided by the company 2.
Inquiries from end users are received by the general window / distributor in charge of the company 2 and, depending on the content, by selecting an action in the action selection field 1601 in FIG. Then, proceed to any of the incident management, external contractor management, and asset management that are projects.

  Note that a workflow management apparatus that provides a workflow system used by a user to process a matter in accordance with a business process has the process transition when the user executes an action on a terminal computer, A matter update that is expressed as an array of statuses indicating the progress status and stores a plurality of action elements that are processing programs of the minimum unit constituting each of the actions. An action element, a related matter creation action element for drafting the relevant matter from one process to one or more related processes, and a status update action element for transitioning the status to the next status , Other such action elements are included Action element storage means, and action information for screen display of the terminal computer of the user, the specific information of one or more of the actions that are allowed to be executed by the user when the matter is in each of the statuses In addition, for each status, the status storage unit receives the status identification information, the action identification information permitted to be executed in the status, and the action name combination information in the action storage means. Means for storing, identification information of the action, and identification information of one or a plurality of the action elements which are arbitrarily combined to constitute the action, from the terminal computer of the system administrator, Specific information and the action constituting the action By combining the action-element registration means for storing the combination information with the original specific information in the action-element storage means, and the action available to each of the users, to the specific information of the respective users, Among the one or a plurality of the actions extracted with reference to the action storage means using the action authority storage means to be defined and the status specific information at an arbitrary time as a key, the action authority storage means All of the actions linked to the specific information of the user are displayed as selectable actions on the screen of the terminal computer of the predetermined user as the actions that can be executed by the predetermined user at the arbitrary time point. From the action display means and the terminal computer of the predetermined user, the arbitrary time The selection action is received by receiving the specific information of the selected action selected from the actions that can be executed by the predetermined user. The selection action is configured by referring to the action-element storage unit using the selection action specific information as a key. It is also possible to provide an action execution means for extracting all the action elements to be executed and executing all the extracted action elements.

  In addition, a workflow management method for providing a workflow system used by a user to process a matter in accordance with a business process, wherein the process transitions when the user executes an action on a terminal computer, A plurality of action elements, which are expressed as an array of statuses indicating a progress status and are processing programs of the smallest unit constituting each action, are stored in action element storage means, and the action execution is included in the plurality of action elements. A matter update action element that occasionally updates a management item, a related matter creation action element that raises the relevant matter from one process to one or more related processes, and the status as the next status A status update action element that transitions to Other action elements, and specific information of one or a plurality of the actions that are permitted to be executed by the user when the matter is in each of the statuses. Along with the action name for screen display, for each status, the status specifying information, the action specifying information permitted to be executed in the status, and the action name combination information are received from the system administrator's terminal computer. Are stored in the action storage means, the action specifying information, and the specifying information of one or more action elements that are arbitrarily combined to form the action are received from the terminal computer of the system administrator The action specific information and the action The combination information with the action element specific information is extracted with reference to the action storage means using the action-element registration procedure for storing the action-element storage means in the action-element storage means and the status specific information at an arbitrary time as a key. Among the one or more actions, the action authority storage means for defining the action that can be used by each user in association with the specific information of each user, and is associated with the specific information of the user. An action display procedure for displaying all the actions as selectable actions on the screen of the terminal computer of the predetermined user as the actions that can be executed by the predetermined user at the arbitrary time, and the predetermined user Before the predetermined user can execute from the terminal computer at any time Receiving the specific information of the selected action selected from the action, referring to the action-element storage means using the specific information of the selected action as a key, and extracting all the action elements constituting the selected action; An action execution procedure for executing all of the extracted action elements may be provided.

According to the workflow management device of the present invention configured as described above, the workflow is not limited to circulating and sharing a document, but can be managed and visualized from the generation to the completion of every work, and can be efficiently used. Can provide a system.
It can capture the state of work flowing between organizations from the start to the end of the work, focusing on the state of work flowing between the organizations, and transitioning between people, systems and documents related companies from the start of work to completion It is possible to manage the status of the work to be performed, and it is possible to construct a workflow system that is useful for visualizing and controlling the flow of any work.
In addition, when a certain matter is in a certain status, what the user should do next can be shown to the user according to the definition of the business process.
Further, since the next action can be defined for each business status, the user only needs to select an appropriate action according to the situation. If the status transitions by executing the action, a list of predetermined actions for the next status is displayed on the user's terminal computer screen. In this way, when the user executes an action, it is possible to realize a workflow in which one business process progresses toward completion while the matter changes state. As in the past, when a business flow is systemized, it is not necessary to analyze the actual business flow, develop an individual system screen according to the business definition, and attach a business manual.

  Furthermore, an action can be defined by a combination of action elements that are basic functions prepared in advance. By generalizing parts in units of action elements, actions can be realized flexibly and without programming.

  It is preferable that the other action elements include an other system method call action element that calls a method prepared by another system.

Further, it is preferable that the action element is configured to be provided in a specific number fixed in the entire workflow system.
With this configuration, generalized action elements can be shared by the entire system, and various types of actions can be efficiently implemented.

The system further comprises means for receiving combination information of the process specific information and the status array information constituting the process from the terminal computer of the system administrator and storing it in the status storage means. It is preferable.
With this configuration, you can freely define and create any status that exists in the job, and create actions to transition from one status to the next by combining action elements. A highly flexible workflow system that can be adapted to any business process is realized.

The action element includes a management user interface for the system administrator, a runtime user interface for the user, and an execution program specific to the action element, and the management user interface includes the action user interface. A setting screen that is used to set a setting value for changing the behavior of an element and is displayed on the terminal computer of the system administrator, and a setting that stores the setting value received from the terminal computer of the system administrator Value storage means, and the execution-time user interface includes an input screen component for each of the action elements that receives an input value from the user's terminal computer when the action is executed, and when necessary, when the action is executed To confirm the input value It is preferable that a check screen component for each action element displayed on the user's terminal computer is provided, and the execution program changes the behavior based on the set value and executes the action element using the input value. .
With this configuration, the action element can be handled as one program part, and various actions can be easily created by combining the action elements that are made into parts.

The action-element registration unit associates the execution order of the action elements at the time of executing the action with the combination information, and stores the combination in the action-element storage unit. It is preferable to execute the action elements sequentially in the order along.
With this configuration, the action element can be handled as one program part, and various actions can be easily created by combining the action elements that have been made into parts in various orders.

Further, it is preferable that the workflow system is configured to be provided to a plurality of organizations in which confidentiality of information is ensured.
With this configuration, it is possible to provide a workflow system with a single or a small number of workflow management devices in a state where mutual information security is ensured for an organization such as a plurality of companies.

In addition, an action authority storage unit that defines an action that can be used by each user is provided, and the action display unit displays only the action permitted to the user by the action authority storage unit. It is preferable to be configured to display on the screen of the terminal computer.
Because it is configured in this way, by applying action execution conditions according to the role and matter contents, action definition that can be executed only by users with a certain authority and conditional branching by matter state are also realized. it can. It can be set as the system according to the actual condition that the candidate of the action which should be performed next may differ with a user's role and the content of a case for every state of a case.

  In addition, a process storage unit that stores the specific information and name of the process is provided, and the related item creation action element is selected from the processes stored in the process storage unit as a draft destination of the status. A draft destination receiving means for receiving information identifying the vote destination process from the terminal computer of the user, and newly creating a related matter related to the received draft destination process, It is preferable to comprise a means associated with the status to be stored in the case-related storage means.

With such a configuration, it is possible to construct a system in which one item progresses in parallel while maintaining a relationship across a plurality of business processes. In other words, even in a single case, the processes in charge differ depending on the organization in charge of the business, and there are cases where multiple processes exist in a single business and are related to each other. Is possible.
Further, it is possible to manage the state in an integrated manner as one item while defining unique processes between organizations and business partners.
In the past, there was an approval flow and individual systems that were divided for each business, so the increase in office work, the effort of re-inputting data, the development and maintenance costs related to inter-system collaboration were enormous. In the present invention, by issuing related cases by escalation, each organization can maintain a self-sustained process, and can manage work consistently as one case from the beginning to the end of work. You can understand the status of the entire communication and work.

S workflow system, 1 system provider, 2 company, 3 contractor, 11 server computer, 21, 31 terminal computer

Claims (7)

A workflow management device that provides a workflow system used by a user to process matters in accordance with business processes,
The process is expressed as an array of statuses indicating a progress status of the matter, when the user makes a transition by executing an action on a terminal computer.
Status storage means for storing specific information, names, and display orders of a plurality of statuses constituting the process in association with the process including the status;
Action storage means in which specific information of one or more actions that are allowed to be executed when in each of the statuses is stored in association with the specific information of the respective statuses,
When the progress display request at an arbitrary time of the predetermined process is received from the terminal computer of the user, the specific information of the status to which the predetermined process is associated, the name, and the display order Means for obtaining from the status storage means;
The desired action is extracted from the action extracted by referring to the action storage unit using the status information array arranged according to the acquired display order and the status specifying information at the arbitrary time as a key. Action display means for displaying selectable action selection means on the screen of the user's terminal computer;
An action execution unit that receives the specific information of the selection action selected by the action selection unit from the terminal computer of the user and executes the selection action. Action authority storage means for defining the actions available to each user by associating them with the specific information of each user,
The action display means selects, by the action selection means, the action associated with the specific information of the predetermined user in the action authority storage means as the action that can be executed by the predetermined user at the arbitrary time point. The workflow management apparatus according to claim 1, wherein the workflow management apparatus is enabled. The status specifying information included in the process is received from a terminal computer of a system administrator, and combination information of the process specifying information and the status specifying information included in the process is received as the status storage unit. Means for storing in,
The specific information of the action permitted to be executed when the matter is in each of the statuses is received from the terminal computer of the system administrator in association with the status, and the specific information of the status and the status The workflow management apparatus according to claim 1, further comprising: means for storing, in the action storage means, combination information with the specific information of the one or more actions that are permitted to be executed. A plurality of action elements that are processing programs of the minimum unit constituting each of the actions are stored, and the plurality of action elements include an action element storage that includes another system method call action element that calls a method prepared in another system. With means,
The means for storing in the action storage means includes specific information of one or a plurality of actions permitted to be executed by the user when the matter is in each of the statuses, and a screen display of the terminal computer of the user And an action name associated with the status, received from a terminal computer of a system administrator, the status specifying information, the specifying information of the one or more actions permitted to be executed in the status, and the Storing action name combination information in the action storage means;
The action identification information and the identification information of one or a plurality of the action elements that are arbitrarily combined to constitute the action are received from the terminal computer of the system administrator, and the action identification information, Action-element registration means for storing combination information with the specific information of the one or more action elements constituting the action in the action-element storage means;
Action authority storage means for defining the actions available to each user by associating them with the specific information of each user,
The action display means is a predetermined user in the action authority storage means among the one or a plurality of the actions extracted with reference to the action storage means using the specific information of the status at an arbitrary time as a key. All of the actions associated with the specific information are displayed as selectable actions on the screen of the terminal computer of the predetermined user as the actions that can be executed by the predetermined user at the arbitrary time point.
The action execution means receives, from the terminal computer of the predetermined user, specific information on the selected action selected from the actions that can be executed by the predetermined user at the arbitrary time point, and stores the specific information on the selected action. 4. The workflow according to claim 3, wherein all the action elements constituting the selected action are extracted with reference to the action-element storage means as a key, and all the extracted action elements are executed. Management device. A workflow management method for providing a workflow system used by a user to process matters in accordance with business processes,
The process is expressed as an array of statuses indicating a progress status of the matter, when the user makes a transition by executing an action on a terminal computer.
When the progress status display request at an arbitrary point in time of the predetermined process is received from the terminal computer of the user, specific information, names, and display order of a plurality of statuses constituting the process include the status. A procedure for acquiring the specific information, the name and the display order of the status associated with the predetermined process from the status storage means associated with the process and stored.
Using the name arrangement of the status arranged in accordance with the acquired display order and the specific information of the status at the arbitrary time as a key, one or a plurality of executions permitted in each status Action selecting means capable of selecting a desired action from the actions extracted with reference to action storage means stored with action specifying information linked to and stored in the respective status specifying information, and the user Action display procedure to be displayed on the terminal computer screen,
An action execution procedure for receiving the specific information of the selected action selected by the action selecting means from the user's terminal computer and executing the selected action.   The action display procedure includes the action associated with predetermined specific information of the user in an action authority storage unit that defines an action that can be used by each of the users by associating with the specific information of each of the users. 6. The workflow management method according to claim 5, wherein the action selection unit can select the action that can be executed by the predetermined user at the arbitrary time. The status specifying information included in the process is received from a terminal computer of a system administrator, and combination information of the process specifying information and the status specifying information included in the process is received as the status storage unit. The procedure to store in
The specific information of the action permitted to be executed when the matter is in each of the statuses is received from the terminal computer of the system administrator, and the specific information of the status and the execution permitted in the status are received. The workflow management method according to claim 5, further comprising a procedure for storing combination information with action specific information in an action storage unit.

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