WO2001033397A2 - Systeme et procede de gestion de processus ayant une plus grande flexibilite - Google Patents

Systeme et procede de gestion de processus ayant une plus grande flexibilite Download PDF

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Publication number
WO2001033397A2
WO2001033397A2 PCT/US2000/029800 US0029800W WO0133397A2 WO 2001033397 A2 WO2001033397 A2 WO 2001033397A2 US 0029800 W US0029800 W US 0029800W WO 0133397 A2 WO0133397 A2 WO 0133397A2
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WO
WIPO (PCT)
Prior art keywords
user
search
documents
wherem
mformahon
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PCT/US2000/029800
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English (en)
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WO2001033397A9 (fr
WO2001033397A8 (fr
Inventor
Mark A. Mcfarlane
Joel B. Dye
Roland F. Garner
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Landmark Graphics Corporation
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Application filed by Landmark Graphics Corporation filed Critical Landmark Graphics Corporation
Priority to AU17534/01A priority Critical patent/AU1753401A/en
Priority to EP00980247A priority patent/EP1230612A2/fr
Publication of WO2001033397A2 publication Critical patent/WO2001033397A2/fr
Publication of WO2001033397A8 publication Critical patent/WO2001033397A8/fr
Publication of WO2001033397A9 publication Critical patent/WO2001033397A9/fr

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    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06Q—INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR
    • G06Q10/00—Administration; Management
    • G06Q10/10—Office automation; Time management

Definitions

  • TITLE SYSTEM AND METHOD FOR PROCESS MANAGEMENT WITH IMPROVED FLEXIBILITY
  • the present invention generally relates to computer software programs and databases to be used in enterprise computer systems More particularly, the present invention relates to an enterprise computmg system based on a client/server model for managing projects including processes, tasks, data, resources, and people
  • An enterprise computer system generally mclude several components that are used in various ways in the support of work
  • An enterprise computing system may include a server system
  • One or more server applications or services may be provided by the server system
  • Server applications and services may mclude a messagmg system for transferring information between users, a file repository for storing documents, and a database for sto ⁇ ng ente ⁇ se computer system data
  • a web server may also be included to provide web-based access to the server and its applications and services
  • An ente ⁇ se computer system may also include client systems
  • Client systems generally includes tools and applications useable to access the services, applications and data on the ente ⁇ se server system
  • a client system may mclude a process management application useable to create and manage computer representations of workflows, or processes
  • a process management applicahon can generally be defined as software which manages and controls the flow of work items or tasks from one function to the next m a well defined application process to achieve complete processmg of these work items
  • a client system may also mclude a browser tool for browsmg information in the ente ⁇ se computer system
  • a client system may also mclude search tools useable to search for data of va ⁇ ous types in the ente ⁇ nse computer system
  • One problem with existmg ente ⁇ se computer systems is that the various components that make up a comprehensive ente ⁇ se computer system are provided by more than one vendor Therefore, the components tend to not be mtegrated into a system where the components can collaborahvely manage the
  • the system may be based on a client/server model
  • the system may be configured for managing projects including processes, tasks, data, resources, and people
  • a server computer system is provided that may store various server applications
  • the server computer system may store a messaging system for transferring mformation between users
  • the messagmg system is the Microsoft Exchange Server Application Program available from Microsoft Co ⁇ oration
  • the server computer system may also store a file repository for sto ⁇ ng documents
  • the server computer system may also store a relational database for sto ⁇ ng status information, knowledge hierarchies and project configuration mformation
  • the server computer system may further mclude a web server or other type of access application for enablmg access to information in the memory medium of the computer system
  • one or more client computer systems are provided Each of the client computer systems may mclude va ⁇ ous client application software programs
  • a process management tool may be provided for managmg work processes
  • An mformation browser for browsmg processes, documents and discussions within the ente ⁇ se computmg system may be provided
  • Each client system may mclude search application software for performmg searches on predefined web sites, public files, databases, and file directones for documents
  • Each client system may further mclude a locator application for locating users, such as domam experts, based on a predefined knowledge topology comp ⁇ sed within the network
  • the component tools and applications in the ente ⁇ se computmg system may collaborate m the management of projects, processes, tasks, users, documents and data Interfaces may be provided m the tools and applications for accessmg, addmg, deleting, and modifying documents, projects, processes, tasks, users, and data m other applications and tools For example, an expert located us g the locator applicahon may
  • Figure 1 illustrates an Ente ⁇ se Computmg System accordmg to one embodiment of the mvenhon
  • Figure 2A illustrates a server system with va ⁇ ous server applications m an Ente ⁇ se Computmg System accordmg to one embodiment of the mvenhon
  • Figure 2B illustrates a client system with va ⁇ ous client applications m an Ente ⁇ se Computing System accordmg to one embodiment of the mvenhon
  • Figure 3 illustrates one embodiment of a computer display screen m one embodiment of an information browser
  • Figure 4 illustrates one embodiment of a computer display screen showing a project's Gantt Chart one embodiment of a process management applicahon
  • Figure 5 illustrates one embodiment of a computer display screen showmg a task's team members in one embodiment of a process management applicahon
  • Figure 6 illustrates one embodiment of a computer display screen showmg a task history m one embodiment of a process management applicahon
  • Figure 7 illustrates one embodiment of a computer display screen showmg a task's status m one embodiment of a process management applicahon
  • Figure 8 illustrates one embodiment of a computer display screen for initiating a locator search for an expert m one embodiment of a locator applicahon
  • Figure 9 illustrates one embodiment of a computer display screen showing a personal profile for one embodiment of a locator application
  • Figure 10 illustrates one embodiment of a computer display screen for initiating a search of the ente ⁇ se computing system m one embodiment of a search application
  • Figure 11 illustrates one embodiment of a computer display screen for a user's search subsc ⁇ phon display m one embodiment of a search applicahon
  • Figure 1 illustrates an Ente ⁇ se Computmg System accordmg to one embodiment of the mvenhon
  • Figure 1 illustrates a simplified example of an Ente ⁇ se system for managmg information and workflow processes
  • the present mvenhon may be mcluded m any of va ⁇ ous types of systems as desired
  • Figure 1 mcludes at least one server computer system 102 that connects through a network 104 to one or more client computer systems 112A and 112B
  • the server computer system 102 may comp ⁇ se va ⁇ ous standard components, mcludmg one or more CPUs, a memory medium, one or more buses, etc
  • each of client computer systems 112A and 112B may comp ⁇ se standard computer components such as a CPU, memory medium, etc
  • the network 104 may be any of va ⁇ ous types of local area network or wide area network, mcludmg the Internet
  • FIG. 2A A server system with va ⁇ ous server applications m an Ente ⁇ se Computmg System accordmg to one embodiment of the mvenhon
  • the server computer system 102 shown m Figure 1 may store va ⁇ ous server applications As shown m Figure 2A, the server may store a messagmg system for transferring information between users
  • the messagmg system is preferably the Microsoft Exchange Server Applicahon Program available from Microsoft Co ⁇ orahon
  • the server computer system may also store a file repository for sto ⁇ ng documents
  • the server computer system 102 may also store a relahonal database for sto ⁇ ng status information, knowledge hierarchies and project configuration information
  • the server may further mclude a web server or other type of access applicahon for enablmg access to mformation m the memory medium of the server 102
  • FIG. 2B A client system with vanous client applications m an Ente ⁇ nse Computmg System accordmg to one embodiment of the mvenhon
  • Each of the client computer systems may mclude va ⁇ ous client application software programs such as shown m Figure 2B
  • each client computer system may mclude a process management tool 142 for managmg work process
  • Each client may also mclude an information browser 144 for browsmg processes, documents, discussion, and other sources of information within the ente ⁇ se
  • Each client may also mclude search applicahon software 146 for performmg searches on predefined web sites, public files, databases, and file directones for documents
  • Each client 112A and 112B may further include a locator application 148 for locating users, such as domain experts, based on a predefined knowledge topology comprised within the network
  • there is a single client side mstallation program to mstall all of the client side components of the ente ⁇ se computmg system
  • Figure 3 One embodiment of a computer display screen in one embodiment of an mformahon browser
  • Figure 3 illustrates one embodiment of a display screen mterface in one embodiment of an mformahon browser
  • Figure 3 illustrates how the mformahon browser may display a set of projects For a given project, the mformahon browser may display Processes, process templates (conceptually like a spreadsheet template), documents, and discussions
  • process templates may be added to projects, for example, oil well mformahon, seismic mformahon, etc
  • the informahon browser may serve as a portal, or entry point into the other client applications illustrated m Figure 2A
  • the display screen may mclude one or more toolbars 200 Each toolbar may mclude one or more icons useable to perform functions m the informahon browser
  • a Project Tree panel 202 may display the data available for buildmg projects and the projects that currently exist
  • the Project Tree panel may mclude one or more hierarchies, mcludmg a "My Data Source” hierarchy and a "My Projects" hierarchy Selectmg a project may make it the current project, and may display mformahon about the project in view area 203
  • a view area 203 is where the user may perform va ⁇ ous tasks that concern data, mcludmg viewmg the contents of data sources m data g ⁇ ds or wmdows, viewmg the contents of projects m data g ⁇ ds or wmdows, creating, deleting, and editing data, launching third party applications, and, running ente ⁇ se workflow system applications
  • a g ⁇ d 204 displays va ⁇ ous processes for the project Test Selectmg a
  • Figure 4 One embodiment of a computer display screen showmg a project's Gantt Chart in one embodiment of a process management applicahon
  • Figure 4 illustrates one embodiment of a process display screen m one embodiment of a process management applicahon, showmg a project's Gantt chart Selectmg a process from the process g ⁇ d 204 m the mformahon browser may result m displaying the selected process m a process management applicahon process display screen
  • the Gantt chart view allows a user to see a quick summary of all achvates in a process in the form of a Gantt chart
  • the Gantt may be one of several process summary views available to the end user
  • process summary views mclude Role diagrams, which show people and their roles across va ⁇ ous related achvihes
  • Each Process may mclude a set of tasks
  • the relationships among tasks may be represented in a hierarchy, or tree, relationship In some embodiments, other relationship topologies, such as networks of tasks, may be supported
  • Each task also mcludes a set of properties that may be stored m a database
  • Task properties may mclude instructions and results documents, task status mformahon, team members and individual subsc ⁇ phons (tell a team member when certain events happen, e g when the status of this task changes), a notebook that may hold any document or file type, a discussion area where team members may hold and persist discussions about the task, a task overview, and a detailed history, or audit trail, of changes made to the task
  • Some embodiments of the process management apphcation may include additional task property pages, for example, votmg pages, uncertainty, links page to related docs, web sites, etc
  • Some embodiments may mclude a method for addmg new types of properties pages In some embodiments, new types of property pages may be added without
  • the process display screen may mclude one or more toolbars 220 Each toolbar may mclude one or more icons useable to perform functions m the process management applicahon
  • a task hierarchy may be displayed m a panel 222
  • One or more tabbed panels 224 may be mcluded m a view area In this example, the Gantt chart view is selected
  • Figure 5 One embodiment of a computer display screen showmg a task's team members m one embodiment of a process management applicahon
  • Figure 5 illustrates one embodiment of a task display screen m one embodiment of a process management applicahon
  • the task display screen may mclude one or more toolbars 230 Each toolbar may mclude one or more icons useable to perform functions m the process management applicahon
  • a task hierarchy may be displayed in a process tree panel 234
  • a task may be displayed m the task display screen by selectmg it m the task hierarchy
  • One or more tabbed panels 236 may be mcluded m a view area
  • the process tree 234 may show a hierarchical representation of the tasks that make up this process Tasks m the tree may have associated icons and color codmgs that represent their current state, for example, tasks rendered as red task are currently behind schedule
  • Some embodiments of a process management applicahon may mclude other task visualization options such as recent activity, activity that the current user has not seen yet (e g
  • the Team Members tab 238 is selected, showmg the team members page for a selected task Team members may use this page to 'subsc ⁇ be' to task change nohficahons whereby they may receive a message, for example an email message, with a 'shortcut' to this task when whatever task change notification type they subsc ⁇ bed to changes
  • a task change notification type is a task status change
  • Some embodiments may mclude addihonal task change notification types such as 'email when a document is added or edited', or 'email if the results page has been updated '
  • a user may initiate a videoconference or applicahon sharing session with any team member by selectmg a ⁇ ght-mouse menu item while pointing at a team member's user name m the Team Member tab
  • Figure 6 One embodiment of a computer display screen showmg a task history m one embodiment of a process management applicahon
  • Figure 6 illustrates one embodiment of a task display screen m one embodiment of a process management applicahon
  • the task display screen may mclude one or more toolbars 230 Each toolbar may mclude one or more icons useable to perform functions m the process management applicahon
  • a task hierarchy may be displayed m a process tree panel 234
  • a task may be displayed m the task display screen by selectmg it m the task hierarchy
  • One or more tabbed panels 236 may be included m a view area
  • the History tab 240 is selected, showmg the Task History page for a selected task
  • Figure 7 One embodiment of a computer display screen showmg a task's status m one embodiment of a process management applicahon
  • Figure 7 illustrates one embodiment of a task display screen m one embodiment of a process management application
  • the task display screen may mclude one or more toolbars 230 Each toolbar may mclude one or more icons useable to perform functions m the process management application
  • a task hierarchy may be displayed m a process free panel 234
  • a task may be displayed m the task display screen by selectmg it in the task hierarchy
  • One or more tabbed panels 236 may be mcluded m a view area
  • the Status tab 242 is selected, showmg the Task Status page for a selected task
  • One embodiment of a process management applicahon may allow a user to model decision processes with uncertainty, l e each task becomes a decision pomt or mput mto a decision with some amount of uncertainty associated with whether it is the correct decision (evidence for, evidence agamst, unknown, etc )
  • One of the roll- ups may then be a probability that the top-level decision is correct
  • Figure 8 One embodiment of a computer display screen for initiating a locator search for an expert in one embodiment of a locator applicahon
  • Figure 8 illustrates one embodiment of a computer display screen for initiating a locator search for an expert in one embodiment of a locator program
  • the locator program is a web-based applicahon
  • the display screen is a web page
  • the screen mcludes multiple tabs, or views
  • the locator applicahon may be launched from the mformahon browser and from the process management applicahon
  • the locator program may be used to help locate a person(s) with a particular set of skills, interests, or expe ⁇ ences - hereinafter all called 'skills' - that may be applicable for a task, process, or project Any set of skills may be defined
  • the skills used m the locator program may be customizable
  • the locator program may be used to locate individuals to participate m a process, to participate in a meehng/forum, to answer a queshon via email or telephone, or for any other reason
  • a Search for Experts tab 250 is selected
  • Search for Experts tab 250 may mclude a Text Search area 252, a Browse area 254, a Current Search area 256, and a Search Results area 258
  • Skills for use m search c ⁇ te ⁇ a may be selected from the Browse area 254
  • Currently selected skills and other search c ⁇ te ⁇ a may be displayed m
  • the Current Search area 256 Text may be searched for m different fields of the experts' profiles by addmg text search c ⁇ te ⁇ a m area 252
  • Results of a search may be displayed m Search Results area 258
  • Some embodiments of a locator program may mclude pre-defined skill hierarchies for particular industnes Some embodiments may allow the automatic populahon of individuals' expe ⁇ ences as they work m the process management applicahon This is possible due to the mtegrahon of the process management applicahon and the locator program
  • one of the locator program's hierarchies of expe ⁇ ence is 'project', then as projects are created the team members will automatically be assigned locator program records indicating their participation m the project
  • locator program records may be automatically assigned to all team members with that location experience
  • a team member participates in a project as a Geologist, then this skill could automatically be recorded in the locator program
  • a user found in searches may be directly added mto roles m Work projects
  • a user may send an email to the list of people
  • Figure 9 One embodiment of a computer display screen showmg a personal profile for one embodiment of a locator application
  • Figure 9 illustrates one embodiment of a display screen showmg a personal profile for an individual m a locator program
  • a View Personal Profile tab is selected on the display screen Va ⁇ ous personal mformahon, experience, framing, skill set, photographs, etc pertaining to an individual may be displayed
  • a personal profile may be edited when mformahon needs to be updated
  • the system may automatically notify users if they have not updated their personal profiles within a configured time
  • a user may view other users' personal profiles located with the Search for Experts tab
  • One embodiment may mclude video conferencing to an individual through a video conference wmdow m the individual's personal profile
  • Figure 10 One embodiment of a computer display screen for initiating a search of the ente ⁇ nse computmg system m one embodiment of a search applicahon
  • Figure 10 illustrates one embodiment of a computer display screen for initiating a search of the ente ⁇ se computmg system in one embodiment of a search applicahon
  • the search applicahon is a web- based applicahon
  • the display screen is a web page
  • the screen mcludes multiple tabs, or views
  • the search applicahon may be launched from the mformahon browser and from the process management applicahon
  • the "Search Documents" tab 270 is selected Displayed are a find box 272 to accept mput from a user, a catalog selechon menu 274 that may allow the user to select from among a list of catalogs, and a Submit button 276 to initiate a search To begm a search, a user will type a search
  • the search applicahon provides a simple interface for a user of the ente ⁇ se computmg system to search for and find mformahon m all areas of the ente ⁇ se computmg system
  • the "Search Documents" display may be used to create a search Searches may be stored for later display m the "Subsc ⁇ phon" display
  • a user may also schedule automahc subsc ⁇ phon updates that may be sent to the user usmg e-mail
  • a user of the system may create different types of catalogs of data to search depending on the manner m which the data is gathered Informahon may be gathered by usmg the search applicahon to crawl different data reposito ⁇ es, mcludmg, but not limited to Web sites, file systems, Microsoft Exchange Public folders, and newsgroups
  • a database catalog is a type of crawl catalog that is built by gathering mformahon from records m a database When a user finds a document m a database catalog, clicking a link on a results page may display mforma on from database records
  • the database is a Microsoft Open Database Connectivity (ODBC) database
  • the search application may allow users to perform a full-text search for documents stored by the mformahon browser and the process management applicahon In addihon to these document searches, the search application allows crawlmg and searchmg of intranet and Internet web sites, file systems such as NT file systems, Microsoft Exchange public folders and relational databases In one embodiment, the search program is based on the Microsoft Site Server search engme.
  • the search program also allows users to save searches and set up searches to run on a predefined schedule (e g daily)
  • a predefined schedule e g daily
  • the results of these scheduled searches are delivered m abstract form via e-mail with links back to the o ⁇ gmal documents or web pages.
  • Figure 11 One embodiment of a computer display screen for a user's search subsc ⁇ phon display m one embodiment of a search applicahon
  • Figure 11 illustrates one embodiment of a computer display screen for displaying a user's search subsc ⁇ phon m one embodiment of a search applicahon.
  • the search applicahon is a web-based applicahon
  • the display screen is a web page.
  • the screen m cludes multiple tabs, or views
  • the search applicahon may be launched from the informahon browser and from the process management application.
  • the "My Subsc ⁇ phon" tab 280 is selected. Displayed on the screen are a list of stored searches 282. Stored search 284 is shown to be currently selected The currently selected search's c ⁇ te ⁇ a and other mformahon about the currently selected search are shown m area 286. Stored search results for the currently selected search are displayed m search results 288.
  • subsc ⁇ phon settings may be changed by the user by clicking on an "Edit" icon by the subsc ⁇ phon's name
  • Examples of subsc ⁇ phon settings mclude, but are not limited to: the order the searches are performed, and; rest ⁇ chng search results to only the last day or week, and the name and desc ⁇ phon of searches.
  • Searches may be removed by clicking on a "Delete" icon. If the user has not saved any searches, no searches will be displayed m the subsc ⁇ phon.
  • the search applicahon may also be used to mine informahon about people, for example, by havmg search catalogs to search through profiles set up m the locator applicahon.
  • a user may use the search applicahon to find all documents authored by an individual from a locator applicahon search result.
  • a user may use the search applicahon to find all documents authored by an individual from the team members tab m the process management apphcahon.
  • a reference to the process may be shown as part of the search result, providmg the context that the o ⁇ gmal document was authored under.
  • processes and documents may be tagged with tags that match nodes m the locator apphcahon hierarchy Usmg a combination of the locator applicahon and the search applicahon, users may then navigate the locator hierarchies to a node and find people, documents, and processes at those nodes.
  • a user may create industry specific document and process 'meta tags' that improve signal-to-noise ratio of searches
  • a user may select text in any document, discussion, etc, and send this to the search apphcation as a query
  • a reference to the Work process may be displayed as part of the search result This provides the context that the o ⁇ gmal document was authored under
  • process management application processes and documents may be tagged with tags that match nodes m the locator apphcahon hierarchy. Usmg a combmahon of the locator apphcahon and the search apphcation, users may then navigate the locator application hierarchies to a node, and not only find people at those nodes but also tagged documents and processes
  • a user may be able to select text m any document, discussion, etc., and send this to the search apphcation as a query, which may return other documents that contam this text
  • the process management apphcahon is a collaboration tool for organizing and managmg team-centered achvihes. It may allow a user to perform many tasks, mcludmg, but not limited to, the following: • assemble teams assign roles and permissions to team members define achvihes to be accomplished by members of the team organize the achvihes mto hierarchical workflows, also called "processes", or other topologies assign process management properties such as p ⁇ o ⁇ ty, durahon, status, percent complete, etc., to the achvihes store documents and discussion forums m a central locahon accessible to all members of the team associate applications with achvihes so that the team uses a common set of tools launch collaboration tools so that team members can network easily collect informahon c ⁇ hcal to the team mission by searchmg databases, public folders, file systems, and web sites locate individuals with particular qualifications notify team members automatically when an activity's status changes
  • Each process management apphcahon wmdow may display a smgle process.
  • a process is a set of achvihes that a team plans to perform m order to accomplish a common goal. It has a set of attributes mcludmg process name, creator, orgamzahon, start date, end date, comments, team members, etc.
  • the process may be stored m a process folder m a server, and its attributes may be stored in a database
  • the server may be a Microsoft Exchange server
  • the database may be an SQL database
  • Activities are stored m activity folders.
  • achvihes may reside m a process folder on a server.
  • the server is a Microsoft Exchange server.
  • Achvihes may mclude att ⁇ butes such as deadlmes, p ⁇ o ⁇ hes, responsibilities, team members, instructions, results, importance, history, etc.
  • the user when the user creates an achvity, the user may specify these attnbutes usmg a tabbed set of data entry pages
  • the Achvity att ⁇ butes may be stored m a database
  • the database may be an SQL database.
  • a document is any type of file that team members use to share knowledge. These files can be generated from third party products. They can be charts, word processmg documents, spreadsheets, process management files, public presentations, graphics, etc. All documents can be opened from the process management apphcahon, provided that the parent applicahon is properly installed on the user's local system
  • a discussion is an exchange of messages about a topic that has been posted by a team member.
  • the messages may be displayed m a sequence so that users can identify which messages generated which responses
  • documents and discussions are stored m a document repository on a server.
  • documents and discussions are stored m a document repository on a Microsoft Exchange server.
  • toolbars appear above the achvity tree and details panel. Each toolbar may mclude a cluster of icons that are related by function. The toolbars may be separated by double vertical lmes called "bands." In one embodiment, to reposihon a toolbar, place the cursor over the band, left click, and drag the toolbar to the desired locahon.
  • a File toolbar may be used to manage the projects m the user's workspace.
  • An Edit toolbar may be used to edit selected achvihes m the achvity tree.
  • a View toolbar may be used to control the appearance and layout of the process management apphcahon.
  • a Tools toolbar may be used to launch applications and tools.
  • the Achvity Tree panel may display achvihes from the cu ⁇ ent process that are available to the current user. Achvihes may not be visible if the current user does not have permission to view them. The user may use this panel to perform achons, mcludmg the following actions-
  • the activity tree may use icons to represent different types of nodes
  • An icon may be used to represent the process to which all activities belong. This is the top level of the achvity tree. Icons may be used to represent activity 'folders' on a server In one embodiment, the server is a Microsoft Exchange server. An icon may be used to represent a shortcut to an achvity whose folder resides withm a different process folder.
  • Processes may be nested, that is, one process may consist of several sub-processes Access may be made directly to a sub-process via the mformahon browser, or the super-process may be accessed m the browser and then sub-processes accessed directly from withm the process management applicahon. The sub-processes may have completely different secu ⁇ ty contexts from then parent
  • the achvity tree may mclude a context menu that pops up when a user ⁇ ght clicks on any node of the tree
  • the options available m the menu may vary, dependmg on whether a user has clicked on a process or an achvity
  • the context menu ophons are desc ⁇ bed below
  • a "New Subachvity" context menu ophon may create a new subachvity below the selected achvity (or process).
  • a "New Achvity" context menu ophon may create a new achvity at the same level as the selected achvity.
  • a "Delete Achvity" context menu ophon may delete the selected achvity.
  • a "Rename Achvity" context menu ophon may rename the selected achvity.
  • a "Create New Process from Achvity" context menu ophon may create a new process from the selected achvity and all of its children, and may copy the activity's documents, discussions, and att ⁇ butes to the new process. In one embodiment, history, comments, and dates may not be copied.
  • An "Email Achvity Shortcut" context menu ophon may create a shortcut to the achvity, insert the shortcut m an email form, and display the email form. The recipient of the shortcut may may double click on the short cut to launch the process tool and go directly to the achvity whose shortcut was emailed.
  • the ent ⁇ es m the tree may be color-coded to mdicate whether they are on schedule, behind schedule, or completed. For example, a red entry may mdicate the value m the % Complete field is less than 100% and the Actual Finish date has passed; a black entry may mdicate the value m the % Complete field is less than 100%, but the Actual Fmish date has not passed, and; a blue entry may mdicate the value m the % Complete field is 100%.
  • the user may be able to use addihonal text colors and icon selechons to highlight addihonal att ⁇ butes of the process or achvity.
  • the software when a user creates a new achvity or subachvity, the software may create a new folder on a server.
  • the server is a Microsoft Exchange server.
  • the process management file system on the server may mclude a root directory, a process management directory, and a process directory for each of the processes.
  • Achvity and subachvity folders may occupy the same level withm their parent process folders Details Panel
  • the details panel may display details about the currently selected process or achvity Tabs may appear at the top of the panel
  • the user may then view va ⁇ ous data entry pages that may allow the user and other team members to enter, edit, and review details pertinent to the process or activity
  • the number of tabbed pages may vary, dependmg on whether the user has selected a process or an achvity In some embodiments, the number and contents of tabs may be customized by the end user
  • a user may assemble a team by selectmg team members from the master directory on a server
  • the server may be a Microsoft Exchange server
  • the master dnectory may mclude all employees, consultants, and third parties that have accounts on the server
  • a master directory user list dialog box appears 4 Either key m the prospechve team member's name or select it from the address list If necessary, the user may select a different collection of addresses other than the ente ⁇ se master directory to locate the name In one embodiment, the user may select the name of an mdividual whose name appears m a global address book In one embodiment, the global address book is a Microsoft Exchange global address book If an individual's name is not m the book, the name may be added to the book by an admmistrator
  • a role is a category that desc ⁇ bes the responsibility or function of one or more team members
  • the following is one embodiment of a method that may be used to create roles 5 Select a process or achvity to which the roles may pertain 6 Click on the "Team Members" tab of the details folder
  • a message may query whether the user wants to add the role to a master list If the user adds it to the master list, the role may be available for selechon by all users of the ente ⁇ se workflow system If the user does not add it, the role may be unique to the current process
  • mulhple roles may be assigned to one person However, to do this, the user may add the mdividual to the team list mulhple times, once for each role
  • mulhple mdividuals may be assigned to the same role
  • the user might want to have several team members fulfillmg the role of product developer To do this, the user may add the role to the team list mulhple times, once for each team member that is to assume the role
  • a pulldown menu is achvated 25 Click on the pulldown menu control and select the approp ⁇ ate permission Remove Team Members and Roles from the Team
  • a group may be a
  • Groups may be created and assigned a common secu ⁇ ty access level to allow the mdividuals in the group a common level of access For example, groups of editors and groups of owners may be created
  • the user organizes tasks and responsibilities by defining a "process” that represents the team's collective objechve, and then populating this process with a set of "achvihes” that articulate the tasks required to attain this objechve
  • the process and achvihes appear m the achvity tree as a hierarchical structure.
  • the top level of the tree is the process It funchons as "parent” to the achvihes
  • the achvihes appear as nodes on this tree
  • the user may position them m the tree so that their posihons m the hierarchy represent their relationships to other achvihes
  • other topologies may exist to which the user may add achvihes
  • Processes is a group of achvihes that share a common goal Generally, the process mcludes a set of team members with defined roles, a set of achvihes organized m a hierarchy, a set of documents pertainmg to the goal of the team, and a set of discussion threads
  • the user may view processes in an mformation browser project tree
  • the processes' activities, team members, and properties may be managed from withm the process management apphcahon
  • the process management application does not link the status of a process to the status of its component achvihes For example, the user can classify a process 100% complete even though some of its component achvihes may not have been completed
  • Each process consists of one or more achvihes
  • An "achvity" is a task that accomplishes one or more goals or milestones. It shares some general characte ⁇ shcs with a process, but is more detailed.
  • an achvity mcludes a set of team members with defined roles, a set of documents, and a set of discussions, just as a process does In addihon, it mcludes met ⁇ cs such as p ⁇ o ⁇ ty ranking, status, actual start, actual finish, durahon, etc. It can also mclude comments, instructions, and results Achvihes may be managed from withm the process management apphcahon, and may be stored m a database
  • the process management application may not enforce dependencies between achvihes and their parent process. For example, a user may classify a process as 100% complete even though some of the process's child achvihes may not have completed.
  • the user may attach any type of document file to a process or achvity.
  • a user attaches the document it may be copied to a folder m the document repository on a server.
  • the server may be a Microsoft Exchange server.
  • the o ⁇ gmal file may not be deleted. Subsequent edits to the document may be saved to the document repository, but may not be propagated to the o ⁇ gmal file.
  • the document repository mcludes folders that correspond to processes and achvihes. These folders are nested m the same manner as the processes and achvihes that they represent. Documents that are associated with a particular process or achvity reside m the corresponding process folder or achvity folder.
  • the user can view the documents that are associated with a particular process or achvity by selectmg that process or achvity m the achvity tree, then clicking on the Notebook tab of the Achvity folder. If the user has approp ⁇ ate permission, the user may launch the documents by double clicking on them.
  • the applications that correspond to the document types may be installed on the user's system m order for the documents to launch. Access to documents is governed by the permission types that were granted to team members by whoever created the team. Permissions are implemented as follows *
  • An "associated application” is an application that has been designated as a prefe ⁇ ed tool for performmg an activity Associatmg the application with an activity makes it available to users by providmg an icon from which the application can be launched
  • the process management application may provide the following methods for communicating with team members
  • the user may attach discussions to a process and to each of its subsidiary achvihes •
  • the user may have the process management applicahon automatically broadcast emails to team members when the status of an achvity changes
  • the user may create shortcuts to activities and send them to mterested parties via email
  • the user may launch an mtegrated collaboration tool, such as Microsoft NetMeehng TM and use its video conferencing, chat, and whiteboard options to collaborate onlme
  • an mtegrated collaboration tool such as Microsoft NetMeehng TM and use its video conferencing, chat, and whiteboard options to collaborate onlme
  • a "discussion” is a sequence of messages relating to a particular topic Discussions can be initiated withm the process management applicahon at any level of the achvity tree Users with Owner, Editor, and Viewer permissions may view messages that have been submitted on a discussion topic and may post new messages If the user copies or moves a node of the achvity ttee, the discussions associated with that node and its children are also copied
  • the user can have the process management applicahon send email messages automatically to selected team members when the status of an achvity changes
  • Other events m an achvity may t ⁇ gger email broadcasts, e g when a document is edited or when a discussion is created
  • the following is one embodiment of a method that may be used to have the process management applicahon send email messages automatically to selected team members when the status of an achvity changes
  • the following is one embodiment of a method that may be used to send shortcuts to members and nonmembers of a user's team
  • the email recipient may double-click the shortcut withm the e-mail message, or may copy the shortcut from the e-mail message to another locahon on the system an double-click on it, to view the achvity in the process management applicahon
  • Microsoft NetMeehngTM provides valuable tools for collaborating onlme These mclude videoconferencing tools that enable team members to network from mulhple locahons, networking capabilities that allow team members to chat onlme, and screen-sharmg ophons that allow users m remote locahons to share a whiteboard or an apphcahon
  • the user may have Microsoft NetMeetingTM installed and properly configured m order for these ophons to work
  • One embodiment of a method that may be used to launch Microsoft NetMeehngTM is to Select Tools -> Onlme Collaboration -> Meet Now from the process management apphcahon mam menu
  • Another embodiment is to select any object m the system that has an associated user, e g a document, discussion, achvity team member, or locator personal profile, and select "collaborate with "User X" from a ⁇ ght mouse menu ophon
  • secu ⁇ ty may be imposed by a server, a database server, and or the mdividual team member permissions
  • the server may be a Microsoft Exchange server
  • the database server may be an SQL server
  • An mformahon browser may serve as a console for the teamwork products It provides resources for sharing data, applications, documents, and communications In addihon, it may be used to launch tools that may allow a user to
  • Activities withm an mformation browser may utilize a project folder withm which users may assemble the documents, discussions, and processes that articulate a common ente ⁇ se
  • the data assembled in the project may reside in a Microsoft Exchange folder or in a database
  • Data may be derived from teamwork products or from third party products, for example, word processmg programs, spreadsheet applications, process management applications, and public presentation programs All parent applicahons may be launched from the mformahon browser, as long as the parent application is properly installed on a client of the ente ⁇ se workflow system.
  • a project may be a folder that may mclude the processes, achvihes, documents, and discussions that articulate a common ente ⁇ se.
  • the data assembled m the project may reside m a data storage system that spans a Microsoft Exchange data storage structure and an SQL database
  • users may assign several types of data to the project. Examples of data types that may be assigned to a project mclude, but are not limited to: processes, process templates, documents, and discussions
  • a process is a set of tasks that has been defined by the team as relevant to the accomplishment of the team's goal. Processes may be managed from withm the process management apphcahon and may be stored m a database. Processes generally possess a set of att ⁇ butes such as p ⁇ o ⁇ hes, responsibilities, importance, history, etc.
  • a process template is an existing process that has been designated as a template because it embodies a set of good prachces. When a user creates a new process from a process template, the structure and all the contents of the existmg process may be copied to the new process
  • the process templates may be stored m a database.
  • a document is any type of file that team members assign to the project These files may be de ⁇ ved from third party products. Files may be charts, word processmg documents, spreadsheets, process management files, and public presentahons, graphics, etc. In one embodiment, when a user assigns a document to the project, it may be stored m a document repository on a Microsoft Exchange server. All documents may be opened from the mformahon browser, provided that the parent apphcahon is properly installed on a client of the ente ⁇ se workflow system
  • a discussion is an exchange of messages about a topic that has been posted by a team member.
  • the messages are displayed m sequence so that users may identify which messages spawned which responses.
  • discussions may be stored m a document repository on the Microsoft Exchange server.
  • Toolbars may be located above the mam display area of the mformahon browser. Each toolbar may mclude a cluster of icons that may be related by function The toolbars may be separated by double vertical lmes called "bands " To reposition a toolbar, place the cursor over the band, left click, and drag the toolbar to the desired locahon. To suppress the display of a toolbar, ⁇ ght click and toggle off the toolbar that the user does not want to display.
  • File Icons To suppress the display of a toolbar, ⁇ ght click and toggle off the toolbar that the user does not want to display.
  • Icons on the File toolbar may be used to manage the projects the user's workspace
  • a New Pro j ect tool icon creates a new project
  • a pulldown menu next to the icon provides options for creating new processes and new process templates
  • An Add Existmg Project tool icon may allow the user to add an existmg project to the user's workspace
  • a Shortcuts tool icon may control the display of the Shortcuts panel If the panel is visible, clickmg on this icon hides it If the panel is not visible, clickmg on this icon displays it
  • a Project Tree tool icon may control the display of the Project Tree panel If the panel is visible, clickmg on this icon hides it If the panel is not visible, clickmg on this icon displays it
  • Tools toolbar may be used to launch va ⁇ ous applications and tools
  • An icon may be used to launch a locator application
  • This program may search a co ⁇ orate expert database for resources, mcludmg mdividuals with particular qualifications, called "experts "
  • An icon may be used to launch a workflow system search applicahon
  • This program may be used to search predefined web sites, public files, databases, and file directo ⁇ es for documents
  • a Send Email icon may be used to launch an email form
  • the form may be a Microsoft Exchange form
  • Another icon may be used to launch a same-time collaboration tool
  • the same-time collaboration tool is Microsoft NetMeehng
  • a Navigahon toolbar may be used to control a web-based application that is running m the informahon browser view area An icon may be provided to page backward This icon may only become achve if a user has navigated through a succession of web pages m the informahon browser view area An icon may be provided to page forward This icon may only become available if a user has navigated through a succession of web pages, and then navigated back one or more pages usmg the Back icon An icon may be provided to terminate a web process such as contacting a URL or loadmg a web page An icon may be provided that may refresh the cu ⁇ ently achve web applicahon
  • a Shortcuts panel may provide icons that may expedite the display of data
  • the Processes icon may list all processes that currently reside m a database
  • the Process Templates icon may list all process templates m a database Project Tree
  • a Project Tree panel may display the data available for building projects and the projects that currently exist This panel may be used to perform achons, mcludmg the following
  • the Project Tree panel may mclude a "My Data Source" hierarchy This hierarchy may mclude sources of data that can be added to a project Data sources may mclude
  • the data sources added to a project may be activity-sharing registers that may be assembled m the process management apphcahon and stored m a database
  • the database is an SQL database
  • a user may add data sources to mdividual projects
  • a user's ability to edit and delete data associated with the data sources may be consttamed by the secu ⁇ ty measures imposed by the process management apphcahon
  • a "My Projects" hierarchy may appear in the Project Tree panel
  • This hierarchy lists projects that the user has added to the user's workspace Each project can mclude processes, process templates, documents, and discussions Other data types, such as explorahon well mformahon, stored m a relahonal database, the Internet, or another area, may be added to a project's list of mformahon sources
  • the user can create new projects withm the "My Projects" hierarchy by ⁇ ght clicking and selectmg "New Projects " Or the user can add existmg projects to the user's workspace by ⁇ ght clicking and selectmg Open
  • all projects may be open to all ente ⁇ se workflow system users
  • the view area is where the user may perform tasks that concern actual data It allows the user to perform achons mcludmg the following • View the contents of the user's data sources m data g ⁇ ds or other formats mcludmg non-tabular views such as 3D ⁇ mens ⁇ onal displays, maps, etc • View the contents of projects m data grids or other formats
  • a g ⁇ d is a data table that lists instances of a particular type of data
  • the information browser may mclude several g ⁇ ds, mcludmg Process g ⁇ ds, Process Template Grids, Document g ⁇ ds, and Discussions g ⁇ ds When the user opens a project and clicks on one of these data types, the corresponding g ⁇ d may be displayed m the view area
  • a Processes g ⁇ d may be displayed
  • Selectmg a process may cause a preview pane at the bottom of the g ⁇ d to display the contents of the process
  • previews may also be available for other types of mformahon, such as documents, discussions, or Energy industry specific data such as 3D earth models, well log curves, maps, etc
  • Double clickmg on a data item m a g ⁇ d may launch the parent applicahon and may display the corresponding data
  • data may be viewed m other formats, for example, non-tabular views such as 3D ⁇ mens ⁇ onal displays, maps, etc
  • Apphcahon programs may also appear m the view area Examples of apphcahon programs that may appear m the view area mclude, but are not limited to
  • Opening documents from withm the mformahon browser generally launches third party applicahons outside of the view area For example, if the user opens a document that was created usmg Microsoft Word, the Microsoft Word apphcahon may be launched m its own floating wmdow
  • a "project” combmes a group of processes, process templates, documents, discussion threads, and other data types that may be shared by a team
  • Each project consists of a public folder Withm this folder, members of the work team can group processes, documents, and discussion threads
  • the processes may be stored in a database
  • the database may be an SQL database
  • the documents and discussion threads may be stored m a database
  • the database may be a Microsoft Exchange database
  • projects may be considered community property.
  • projects may be secured to a single user or group of users.
  • anyone who has access to the server used by the ente ⁇ rise workflow system may view and edit projects on the server. Users may add existing projects to their own workspaces as "new" projects.
  • Add Project dialog box select the project that the user wants to open.
  • the project may appear in the Project Tree panel.
  • processes and process templates may be protected by ownership permissions. A user may not be able to edit or delete them unless the user has the appropriate permissions.
  • the following is one embodiment of a method that may be used to create a new project.
  • the software may create a folder for the new project on a server and store its corresponding identification number in a database.
  • the server may be a Microsoft Exchange server.
  • the database may be an SQL database.
  • the project may appear in the Project Tree panel.
  • the following is an embodiment of a process that may be performed to remove a project from a Project Tree panel. Removing the project from the panel may not delete it or any of its contents from a database or from a server used by the ente ⁇ rise workflow system.
  • the user may request a site administrator to perform the deletion
  • a "process” is a collection of achvihes or tasks that cont ⁇ bute to a common goal
  • the processes are defined and managed from withm the process management apphcation
  • the mformahon browser may list all of the processes m the database
  • the user can add existmg processes and then associated achvihes to project folders
  • a user may not be able to edit or delete the processes without appropriate permission
  • the user can also create new processes from withm the mformahon browser
  • a Project Processes g ⁇ d displays the processes that have currently been associated with the project
  • the g ⁇ d lists the process names, creators, creation dates, number of achvihes, and the group or orgamzahon withm which it o ⁇ gmated Most of these att ⁇ butes de ⁇ ve from the process management apphcahon, where the process management tools reside
  • the following may be performed to create a process from withm the mformahon browser
  • a new process folder is created m an ente ⁇ nse workflow system server, and its identity is stored m an ente ⁇ se workflow system database.
  • the server is a Microsoft Exchange server
  • the software adds it to the project. If the user specifies a unique process name, the software creates a new process and adds it to the project. The user may use the process management apphcahon to define the characte ⁇ shcs of the process. If the user selects a process template, the software creates a new process that duplicates the structure and contents of the process template.
  • a user may launch the process management apphcahon.
  • the following is one embodiment of a method that may be used to launch the process management applicahon 63.
  • unfold the project to which the process belongs 64 Smgle click on the Processes node to display the project's processes m the Processes g ⁇ d
  • Delete a Process from the ente ⁇ nse workflow system Database The following is an embodiment of a method that may be used to delete a process from the ente ⁇ se workflow system database.
  • a "process template” is a process that has been designated as a model because it mco ⁇ orates good practices Generally, the templates are created from withm the process management applicahon, where process properties are defined. From the mformahon browser, the user can view all of the process templates m the database The user can also add particular process templates and then associated achvihes to project folders. If the user creates a new process usmg a process template, the new process may duplicate the structure and contents of the process template.
  • All of the process templates m the ente ⁇ se workflow system database may be displayed m a Process Templates grid.
  • the following is one embodiment of a method that may be used to view the process templates assigned to a project.
  • a Process Templates g ⁇ d may display the process templates that are currently associated with the project.
  • the g ⁇ d may list the process template names, creators, creahon dates, number of achvihes, and the group or orgamzahon withm which it o ⁇ gmated. These att ⁇ butes may denve from the process management apphcahon where the process template management tools reside.
  • the following is one embodiment of a method that may be used to view the achvihes assigned to a process template.
  • the user may use the process management applicahon to define the charactenshcs that make the template a model
  • the following is one embodiment of a method that may be used to delete a process template from the ente ⁇ se workflow system database
  • the selected process template may be deleted from the database, provided that the user has ownership ⁇ ghts for it If the user does not have ownership ⁇ ghts, the user may be informed that the user may not perform the deletion
  • the user can store any type of document file m the "Documents" folder of a project
  • the documents may be stored on the Microsoft Exchange server
  • users may launch a document by double clickmg on it
  • the nahve applicahon must be installed on the user's system m order for the document to launch
  • the Documents folder once a user has stored a document m the Documents folder, it is available to anyone who has access to the Microsoft Exchange server
  • These documents may not be protected by secu ⁇ ty from being read and edited Documents m the project may not be mamtamed m tandem with the documents from which they o ⁇ gmated Edits to the documents m the project may not be propagated to versions of the documents outside of the project View a List of the Documents Stored in a Project
  • a Documents grid may display the documents that have currently been associated with the project.
  • the g ⁇ d lists the name of the person who posted the document, document name, creation date, data last modified, importance, size, and whether the document has been read by the current user smce it was placed m the pro j ect or smce it was last edited These attributes may de ⁇ ve from the apphcahon where the document was created
  • a Documents g ⁇ d displays the documents that have currently been associated with the pro j ect 89 Posihon the cursor anywhere over the Documents gnd, ⁇ ght click, and select New
  • documents may be "dragged" from the desktop, or from a document display m another apphcahon that supports drag-and-drop protocols, and
  • the selected document may be copied to a document repository and posted m the Documents g ⁇ d with all of its att ⁇ butes
  • the selected document may be opened by its nahve applicahon
  • the user may edit the document and save it
  • usmg the apphcahon's Save ophon may automahcally wnte the edits to the version of the document that is stored m a server
  • the server is a Microsoft Exchange server
  • the following is one embodiment of a method that may be used to delete a document from a pro j ect 96 In the "My Projects" hierarchy, unfold the project to which the document belongs
  • a Documents g ⁇ d displays the documents that have currently been associated with the pro j ect 98. Position cursor over the document that the user wants to delete, right click, and select Delete 99. Click on Yes to confirm that the user wants to delete the document from the pro j ect.
  • the selected document may be deleted from the project
  • any user of the system may delete a document from the document repository.
  • a user may not have to own the document to delete it
  • ownership restnchons may be placed on a document to protect it from bemg deleted by users without approp ⁇ ate secunty access to the document.
  • a "discussion” is a sequence of messages relahng to a particular topic Discussions can be initiated withm a project Users can view a sequence of messages that have been submitted on a discussion topic, review mdividual messages, post responses, and initiate new discussion threads.
  • the following is one embodiment of a method that may be used to view the discussions associated with a project. lOO.In the "My Projects" hierarchy, unfold the project whose discussions the user wants to view.
  • a Discussions g ⁇ d displays the discussions that are associated with the project. For each message, the gnd lists the name of the person who posted the message, the subject of the message, the creation date, and whether the message has been read. All messages relahng to a smgle topic are posted m sequence. The messages are mdented to show their relahonship to the other messages m the sequence. Messages that ongmated m response to the same message appear m sequence immediately below that message. They are mdented the same amount to show that they share a "child" relahonship to the "parent" message.
  • the Discussions g ⁇ d displays the messages that are currently associated with the project.
  • the message is posted the Discussions g ⁇ d As they are submitted, messages relatmg to the user's topic may appear immediately below it The user may refresh the display to see responses that other members of the user's team have submitted Do this by posihonmg the cursor over the g ⁇ d, ⁇ ght clickmg, and selectmg Refresh
  • the total sequence of messages may have the appearance of a hierarchical structure
  • the following is one embodiment of a method that may be used to post a response to a message that belongs to an existmg discussion 108 In the "My Projects" hierarchy, unfold the project to which the discussion belongs
  • the Discussions grid displays the messages that are currently associated with the project 110
  • To view messages m a discussion sequence, double click on each message that user wants to read 11 l.To reply to a message, click on the "Post Reply" option m the Exchange message form where the message is displayed (An alternative is to highlight the message m the Discussions g ⁇ d, ⁇ ght click, and select
  • a discussion form appears. 112 Use this form to enter a subject and a message Click on Post to submit response. The response may be posted m the Discussions g ⁇ d, immediately below the message to which the user responded
  • a user may pe ⁇ odically refresh the Discussions g ⁇ d This may be done by posihonmg the cursor over the gnd, ⁇ ght clickmg, and selectmg Refresh
  • the discussion wmdow automahcally refreshes when new discussions are added by the user or by other users
  • the selected document may be deleted from the project
  • any user may delete a message from the document repository
  • a user may not have to own a message to delete it
  • ownership rest ⁇ ctions may be placed on a message to protect it from bemg deleted by users without appropriate secu ⁇ ty access to the message
  • the locator apphcahon is a knowledge management tool that may allow a user to search for resources such as experts who have particular credentials and expe ⁇ ences
  • the locator apphcahon may locate the experts by searchmg one or more databases that stores mformahon about the experts such as biographical data, employment records, and expe ⁇ ence records
  • the following is an embodiment of a method of performmg a search usmg the locator apphcahon.
  • the user constructs a se ⁇ es of search c ⁇ tena by browsmg a database tree or specifying text search strings.
  • the user executes the search
  • the locator apphcahon may compile and display a list of all the experts that fit the user's c ⁇ tena. The user can refine this list by specifying addihonal search c ⁇ te ⁇ a and resubmithng the query.
  • locator application users There are two types of locator application users - guests and experts
  • Guests may not have their own credenhals stored m the database, but may have access to the database.
  • a guest may search for experts and send email to them. However, a guest may not be allowed to edit data m the database
  • Experts have their personal credenhals stored m the database as "expert profiles " They can search for other experts, and can also enter or modify data about themselves
  • a user click on the "View Personal Profile" tab. If the user has an expert profile m the database, it may be displayed The user may enter a password m order to view the expert profile. If the user does not have an expert profile m the database, an error message may appear indicating that a profile was not found. In this case, the user is a guest The user may contact the system administrator if the user feels that the user's profile should be m the database.
  • locator application may mclude the following components:
  • a database may be used by the locator application to store information about experts and their qualifications.
  • the database may also provide contact information such as their current locations, email addresses, and telephone numbers.
  • the database may be centrally located, and may reside on the server where the locator application is located, and may be accessible via the web. Initially, data about experts is loaded by the user's system administrator from the user's company's personnel records. However, in most cases, this information may be minimal and insufficient. For this reason, if the user has a personal profile in the database, the user should examine it and add missing information, as well as details that describe the user's expertise in the various database categories.
  • the data in the database is stored in two types of records: • base records
  • the Text Search tool searches fields in the base records and detail records.
  • the Browse tool searches fields in the detail records.
  • Base records store basic identification information.
  • the data categories may include the following: names, for example, first, last, middle, nickname, title, suffix, spouse, children; home information, for example, street, city, state, country, PO box, PO code, home phone, home fax, personal home page; employment information, for example, profession, company name, job title, reports to, department, office location, main phone, network; contact informahon, for example, assistant name and phone, email, fax; personal information, for example, hobbies, language, children, spouse, anniversary, birthday; alternate address information, for example, street, city, state, country, PO box, PO code, home phone, home fax, personal home page; and comments, miscellaneous text describing personal accomplishments, hobbies, etc.
  • the comments may include keywords that may enable a particular expert to be distinguished from other experts in the database.
  • the base record informahon may appear in the Identification panel of the expert profile. If the user is viewing a profile belonging to someone else, only the populated fields may be visible. If the user is viewing the user's own profile, all of the possible data fields may be visible. Populatmg the Base Records with Data
  • Each expert in the database may have a smgle base record Initially, this record may mclude some data that has been loaded by the system administrator from a human resources or department database However, many of the fields m the base record may be populated by the expert who owns the record. If the user has an expert profile m the expert database, and some of the fields m the user's base record are empty, the fields should be filled Domg so may enable users of the database to locate the expert profile more easily. In one embodiment, use the Edit option m the personal profile to enter data that is missing from a base record
  • the "Text Search” option may be used to search the fields of the base record
  • Detail records store significant c ⁇ te ⁇ a that can be used to differentiate experts.
  • the user's company has designed the detail records that it wants to use for this pmpose
  • the details may relate to particular skills or projects, or they may identify more general qualifications such as languages or geographic locahons.
  • detail records may be associated with data hierarchies.
  • each detail record may be lmked to a particular node of a data hierarchy.
  • the Identification panel may display data that is stored m a base record. All other panels may display data from detail records The headmgs for these panels may correspond to the names of the vanous hierarchies that have been implemented by the user's company. Data from detail records may appear below the names of the hierarchies to which the detail records are linked For example, if the user's company has implemented a "Technical Expertise" hierarchy, data from detail records that are linked to this hierarchy may appear below the heading "Technical Expertise "
  • the following is one embodiment of a method that may be used to create a detail record.
  • the user can submit as many detail records as the user wants for each hierarchy. Searchmg the Detail Records
  • Each detail record is linked to a node m a hierarchy
  • a hierarchy For example, suppose the user's company has implemented a hierarchy called "Work History," and one of the nodes m this hierarchy is "D ⁇ llmg " If appropnate, the user might create a detail record desc ⁇ bmg the user's qualification as a casmg engmeer Creating the detail record would automahcally link it to the corresponding node in the hierarchy
  • the user may use search tools to specify one or more search c ⁇ tena
  • the user then may submit the search and view the results
  • the user may submit a se ⁇ es of searches If the user does not start over, each new search may be performed on the list of experts that was generated by the previous search
  • a locator apphcahon may provide search tools for specifymg search c ⁇ te ⁇ a, mcludmg the following search tools
  • the text search tool may search the base records for data that has been stored as real text It also may seach the hierarchy nodes and the Comments fields m the detail records
  • the browse tool may search the detail records
  • the user should combme text search c ⁇ te ⁇ a with browse tree c ⁇ tena This strategy may ensure that the user's search intersects both the base records and the detail records
  • the Text Search tool may allow the user to search all of the fields m the "base” records, as well as the hierarchy nodes and Comments fields m the "detail" records
  • the Text Search tool may appear at the top of the Search panel
  • the user can enter up to 64 characters m the text field
  • the search tool may treat all characters and symbols m the text field literally In one embodiment, the search tool may not recognize Boolean operators or wildcard symbols In one embodiment, one or more characters or symbols may be used as wildcard symbols In one embodiment, the aste ⁇ sk may be used as a wildcard symbol In one embodiment, one or more characters or symbols may be specified for use as Boolean operators for performmg Boolean searches
  • the selection tool may allow the user to choose among search modes.
  • the user's text search string may be posted in the Query panel on the right side of the screen.
  • This ophon searches the "Name" fields of the database for instances of the character string. It may return a list of all the experts with a particular name.
  • Comments fields are fields where users provide textual descriptions of their interests, work experiences, skills, hobbies, etc. If the user is looking for individuals who possess unique or uncommon attributes, searching the "comments" fields may be a good strategy.
  • This ophon searches all of the text fields in the base records, the hierarchy nodes, and the Comments fields in both the base records and the detail records.
  • Nodes This option searches all of the nodes in the hierarchy ttee. It returns all matches, plus their children. For example, if the user searches on "geologist,” and the "Geologist" node appears at the middle of the tree, all profiles that have links to "Geologist” and its children may be returned as "hits.” Rules and Exceptions
  • quotation marks may force the search tool to find the exact sequence of words m the specified text string
  • an astensk funchons as a wildcard symbol Use it if the user has enclosed the text string m quotes, and the user is uncertain of the text that occurs between two words •
  • the locator apphcahon may not use Boolean logic and may not recognize Boolean operators
  • the search tool may not be case sensihve
  • the semi-colon, percentage sign, and square brackets ([]) may be invalid cnte ⁇ a and may cause error messages •
  • a maximum number of "hits" may be posted If the user's search produces more than the maximum number, the user may be notified In this case, the user may specify addihonal search c ⁇ tena m order to narrow the user's search results In one embodiment, the maximum number of hits may be configured by a user of the search tool
  • the Browse tool allows the user to select particular hierarchy nodes and their children as search cnte ⁇ a
  • the browser may use the following graphical components to represent data hierarchies
  • magmfymg glasses may represent the top levels of hierarchies In one embodiment, these levels may not be selectable as search nodes These levels identify the hierarchies • In one embodiment, folders mdicate intermediate nodes of the hierarchy
  • plus signs (+) may mdicate nodes whose children are not currently displayed Clicking on a plus sign may display children of the node
  • minus signs may mdicate that a node has children that are displayed Clickmg on a minus sign may hide the children (Mmus signs may also appear next to terminal nodes that have no children In this case, clickmg on the mmus signs has no effect )
  • "Add to Query” may add the selected hierarchy node to the list of search c ⁇ tena that are listed m the "Current Search" panel
  • the search software may return as "hits" all experts that have “detail” records linked to the specified hierarchy node and its children Panels that Show Current Status
  • the locator apphcahon mam panel may show the status of the current search, and the results of the most recent search that the user has performed It may display this mformahon m the following panels
  • the user may use browser's Back command to view the results of previous searches.
  • the "Search for Experts" panel may appear as soon as the user defines a search
  • the "Search for Experts” panel may display the search c ⁇ te ⁇ a that the user has selected usmg the Text search and Browse tools
  • the "Search C ⁇ te ⁇ a" column lists all of the currently specified search c ⁇ te ⁇ a.
  • a prefix mdicates the search type of each c ⁇ te ⁇ on. Examples of prefixes •
  • a Comments prefix may mdicate that the comments fields m the base records and the detail records may be searched for a specified text string.
  • a Name prefix may mdicate that the name fields of the base records may be searched for a specified text string.
  • an All Fields prefix may mdicate that all of the base record fields, all of the fields storing text m the detail records, and all of the nodes of the data hierarchies may be searched for a specified text string.
  • a Tree prefix m dicates the hierarchy node at which a search for detail records may begm. This node and all of its children may be searched
  • the user may receive an error message.
  • the maximum number of search c ⁇ te ⁇ a is five
  • buttons are used to control the search.
  • a Remove button may delete the corresponding search entry.
  • a Submit button may perform the search usmg the c ⁇ tena listed in the Current Search table.
  • a Clear All button may clear all the search c ⁇ te ⁇ a and redisplays the home page.
  • the Search Results panel may post a list of "hits" for the search that the user has executed.
  • the hst may mclude the experts' names, email addresses, primary telephone numbers, htles, and departments Email
  • Clickmg an email icon invokes the "send email” tool from whatever email package the user's browser is configured to use
  • the address field of the email tool may be filled in with expert's "primary" email address. (There may be additional email addresses m the expert's profile )
  • Clickmg on the expert's name may display the corresponding expert profile This form mcludes all of the data mcluded m the database for the expert
  • the phone number is the "primary" phone number the expert's profile. If no phone number is listed, the expert may have neglected to designate a primary number Check the profile for other phone numbers that may be there mstead
  • the title may be de ⁇ ved from the "Title" field of the expert's base record. This field may be empty.
  • the department name may be denved from the "Department" field of the expert's base record. This field may be empty.
  • Profiles There may be several types of profiles, mcludmg expert profiles and personal profiles.
  • An expert profile is a summary of the data stored in the database for a particular expert. These ent ⁇ es can span a va ⁇ ety of skills and mterests.
  • the expert profiles may be created mihally by a database administrator.
  • a user can edit the user's profile by addmg new records, and modifying or deleting existmg records
  • a user may not delete the user's own profile, and may not edit other experts' profiles.
  • the user may display expert profiles one at a time by performmg a search and then double clickmg on the names of the experts that appear m the user's search results.
  • the profiles may be displayed m separate browser wmdows so that the user may compare their credenhals.
  • the Personal Profile may display all the mformation in the database relahng to an individual It may be available only to users that have an expert account m the database
  • the profile may display mformahon such as name, photo, email address, place of employment, contact mformahon, organization, and qualifications It may display all of the types of data that the database can store Some of the fields m a personal profile may be empty A personal profile may be invoked by clickmg on the View Personal Profile option
  • the locator apphcahon may allow a user to specify search c ⁇ te ⁇ a As the user specifies the search c ⁇ tena, they are posted m the Current Search table
  • a Text Search query may search whatever fields the user specifies with the search type selechon tool
  • a Browse query may search only the detail records Before the user specifies the search c ⁇ te ⁇ a, the user should consider whether the user's target data is stored m base records or detail records This informahon may enable the user to determine which search tool to use, or whether to use both For example, if the user is looking for informahon about a specific mdividual, and the user knows the person's name, then a text search of the Name fields should be sufficient
  • the user could specify a text search that uses the Node ophon, or the user could use the Browse tool If the user wants to perform a broad search on qualifications, but limit the results to a particular office location, the user may want to combme cnte ⁇ a usmg both the Text Search tool and the Browse tool
  • the most comprehensive searches may be performed when the user combmes cnte ⁇ a usmg the two search tools, smce this type of search may examine all the records m the database
  • the text string that the user specified may be added to the Current Search table 127 Specify additional text strings as appropnate The user can specify as many as five search cnte ⁇ a at a time
  • the results may be displayed m the Search Results panel
  • the Browse tool may search for data m detail records, but may not search m base records If the user wants to perform a comprehensive search of the enhre database, the user should combme c ⁇ te ⁇ a that the user has selected usmg the browse tool with c ⁇ te ⁇ a that the user has specified with the Text Search tool
  • Each expert profile may mclude several categones of contact mformahon Some embodiments may be mtegrated with a collaboration tool such as Microsoft NetMeetmg, allowmg contact via mterachve chat, audio or video conference, apphcahon sharing and mformation sharing via a shared whiteboard
  • the user can send email to an expert by clickmg on the email icon that appears next to the expert's name m the Search Results panel Addihonal email addresses may appear m the expert's profile
  • the base record mcludes fields for a va ⁇ ety of telephone numbers, fax numbers, web addresses, etc This information may appear on each expert's profile if it has been loaded mto the base record If the expert has not updated the base record with this mformahon, the user may secure the mformahon from another source
  • the user data may be displayed m a personal profile invoked with the "View Personal Profile" ophon Initially, the personal profile may be populated with minimal data In one embodiment, it may be the responsibility of the user to provide data that is missing and to keep the user's personal profile updated
  • the user may be prompted for a network logm and password Addmg or Changmg a Photograph
  • the locator application may impose controls on photo format and size Photos may be of several formats, mcludmg jpg and .gif files, and may be requned to comply with pixel area and memory settings These settings may be accessed m the Personal Profile Photo Entry form In order to comply with these settings, a photo may be edited usmg an image editor
  • the followmg is one embodiment of a method that may be used to add and/or change a photograph.
  • the followmg is one embodiment of a method that may be used to edit the user's personal profile.
  • Detail records store expertise mformahon m data categones specified by the user's company for tracking experts. These records are linked to nodes m the database hierarchies and can only be searched with the browse tool. The user is responsible for creatmg the detail records that idenhfy the user as an expert.
  • the followmg is one embodiment of a method that may be used to create detail records.
  • the followmg is one embodiment of a method that may be used to correct detail record ent ⁇ es 155 View the data m the detail record sechons of user's personal profile The names of these sechons may correspond to the names of the hierarchies that appear under the browse tool
  • An achvity may appear as a task m an activity tree Achvihes are managed from withm the process management apphcahon and stored m a database
  • activity tree A hierarchy tree that provides tools for creatmg and managmg the activities that compose a process The activities appear m a hierarchical structure that can be used to articulate the work flow of the process
  • links may be created to the processes and process templates m an SQL database
  • "Data sources" may not mclude file directo ⁇ es mcludmg documents
  • a user may also add documents to the project by storing them m a document repository which resides on a server
  • the server is a Microsoft Exchange server
  • a user may select a document repository from one of a plurality of document repositones on the server discussion
  • any type of file that team members have attached to a project, process, or achvity can be generated from third party products They can be charts, word processmg documents, spreadsheets, process management files, public presentations, graphics, etc
  • the server may be a Microsoft Exchange server Documents that are attached to a project can be opened from the mformation browser Documents that are attached to a process or activity can be opened from the process management applicahon The parent apphcahon must be properly mstalled on a client for the documents to open
  • grid A g ⁇ d is a data table that lists mstances of a particular type of data
  • the process management apphcahon may mclude a Process g ⁇ d, a Process Template G ⁇ d, a Document g ⁇ d, and a Discussions g ⁇ d
  • the Process, Process Template, and Document g ⁇ ds may be used to preview data and to launch parent applicahons
  • the Discussion G ⁇ d may be used to view messages and respond to them
  • a link may be used if it is desired to access an achvity from mulhple locahons, but to not maintain mulhple mstances of it For example, if a user is workmg m Process A, but wants to view an activity that belongs to Process B, the user may embed a link to it m Process A
  • the view and edit ⁇ ghts assigned to team members by the owner of a process or achvity These permissions determine who can view the process or achvity, and who can edit the documents and discussions that have been attached to it process
  • An existing process that has been designated as a template because it embodies a set of good practices.
  • a user creates a new process from a process template, the structure and all the contents of the existing process are copied to the new process.
  • the process templates are stored in a database.
  • sources of information may include, but are not limited to: oil well information, earth models, and calendars.
  • the information browser project tree provides tools for creating and managing projects. Users can attach documents and discussions to particular projects.
  • Team role The function that a team member is to perform on the team. Team roles can be created and assigned to team members by the owner of a process or activity.
  • a shortcut is a file that stores an executable that launches the process management application with a particular process and activity displayed. You can create a shortcut and send it by email. The recipient can paste the shortcut to his or her desktop.
  • a group of individuals who share responsibility for a particular activity or process A group of individuals who share responsibility for a particular activity or process.
  • the individuals must have email accounts on the server and must be listed in a server master directory.
  • the server is a Microsoft Exchange server and the master directory is an Exchange global address book. base record
  • a record that stores personal and employment mformation about an expert The base record fields mclude name, address, job title, company, phone numbers, email addresses, etc. Each expert has a smgle base record
  • a record that stores mformahon that can be used to evaluate an expert's qualifications Detail records are linked to data hierarchies and can be searched with the Browse tool
  • the detail records and hierarchies are determmed by the company implementmg the ente ⁇ nse solution Generally, they are ordered classificahons such as expertise, projects, languages, etc
  • a tool for specifymg text strings as search cnte ⁇ a The search software looks for the text strings in fields that store text m base records, hierarchy nodes, and detail records
  • a tool for specifymg nodes m the database hierarchies as search c ⁇ te ⁇ a
  • the search software retneves experts who have detail records linked to the designated nodes and their children
  • search criteria Data charactenshcs submitted as search parameters You can specify up to five cnte ⁇ a comments field

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Abstract

L'invention concerne un système informatique d'entreprise. Le système peut être basé sur un modèle client-serveur. Dans un mode de réalisation, un système informatique serveur peut stocker différentes applications serveur. Le système informatique serveur peut également stocker un référentiel de fichiers conçu pour stocker des documents. Il peut en outre stocker une base de données relationnelle conçue pour stocker des informations d'état, des hiérarchies de connaissance et des informations de configuration de projets. Le système informatique serveur peut en outre comprendre un serveur Web ou un autre type d'application d'accès destiné à permettre l'accès à des informations dans un support de mémoire du système informatique. Un ou plusieurs systèmes informatiques client peuvent comprendre divers programmes logiciels d'application client. L'invention peut comporter un outil de gestion de processus pour gérer les processus de travail, ainsi qu'un navigateur d'informations destiné à explorer les processus, les documents et les discussions au sein du système informatique d'entreprise. Un système client peut comporter un logiciel d'application de recherche destiné à effectuer des recherches dans des sites Web, des fichiers publics, des bases de données et des répertoires de fichiers prédéterminés. Le système client peut également comporter une application de localisation destinée à localiser les utilisateurs, tels que des experts de domaines, sur la base d'une topologie de connaissances prédéfinie comprise dans le réseau. Les outils et les applications des composants du système informatique d'entreprise peuvent participer à la gestion de projets, de processus, de tâches, d'utilisateurs, de documents et de données. Les outils et les applications peuvent comprendre des interfaces destinées à ajouter, à effacer, à modifier des documents, des projets, des processus, des tâches, des utilisateurs et des données et à accéder à ces derniers dans d'autres applications et outils.
PCT/US2000/029800 1999-10-29 2000-10-27 Systeme et procede de gestion de processus ayant une plus grande flexibilite WO2001033397A2 (fr)

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AU17534/01A AU1753401A (en) 1999-10-29 2000-10-27 System and method for process management with improved flexibility
EP00980247A EP1230612A2 (fr) 1999-10-29 2000-10-27 Systeme et procede de gestion de processus ayant une plus grande flexibilite

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US09/430,119 1999-10-29

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Cited By (3)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US6493635B1 (en) 1999-11-01 2002-12-10 3Dgeo Development, Inc. Remote access and automated dialog building for seismic processing
WO2003005241A1 (fr) * 2001-07-06 2003-01-16 Doctool Ab Systeme d'informations
EP1442419A1 (fr) * 2001-11-05 2004-08-04 JohnsonDiversey, Inc. Procede et dispositif de gestion de travaux pour entretien de locaux

Non-Patent Citations (1)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Title
No Search *

Cited By (4)

* Cited by examiner, † Cited by third party
Publication number Priority date Publication date Assignee Title
US6493635B1 (en) 1999-11-01 2002-12-10 3Dgeo Development, Inc. Remote access and automated dialog building for seismic processing
WO2003005241A1 (fr) * 2001-07-06 2003-01-16 Doctool Ab Systeme d'informations
EP1442419A1 (fr) * 2001-11-05 2004-08-04 JohnsonDiversey, Inc. Procede et dispositif de gestion de travaux pour entretien de locaux
EP1442419A4 (fr) * 2001-11-05 2005-11-16 Johnson Diversey Inc Procede et dispositif de gestion de travaux pour entretien de locaux

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EP1230612A2 (fr) 2002-08-14
WO2001033397A9 (fr) 2002-07-04
AU1753401A (en) 2001-05-14
WO2001033397A8 (fr) 2002-01-24

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