JP2002041744A - Method and system for workflow processing - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a method and a system for workflow processing which makes it visual and easy to grasp the design and progress state of a workflow and which can sufficiently improve user's convenience. SOLUTION: A flow (transistion) of processes is generated as a rule object by arranging basic objects defining process contents according to an operation processing procedure and put in a DB30 after XML conversion using a converter 21 and an XML-relative program 23 so that a workflow engine 22 can handle the generated transition charge; and the rule contents are run on the workflow engine 22 and further converted by a converter 24 to HTML to perform visual restructuring, so that a browser displays a rule display picture 40.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a workflow processing method for managing business processes, and more particularly to a workflow processing method and a workflow processing system capable of easily designing a workflow and grasping the progress of the workflow. .

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art There has conventionally been a workflow processing method in which personal computers and workstations are connected via a network, and various tasks in the system are promoted and executed while cooperating with persons in charge through a workflow.

A conventional technique of this kind is disclosed in
97) Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 9-106382, published on April 22, 1997, entitled "Client Server System and Method of Determining Business Mail Address in Client Server System" (Applicant: Lancept, Inventor: Fumio Nohara et al.).

[0004]

However, in the conventional workflow processing method, it is difficult to easily design a workflow while simulating the workflow, or to easily grasp the progress of a task in an actual workflow. However, there is a problem that the workflow design and the progress status of the workflow cannot be easily performed, and the convenience of the user is not sufficiently improved.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above-mentioned circumstances, and it is possible to easily design a workflow and grasp the progress of the workflow visually, thereby sufficiently improving the convenience for the user. It is an object to provide a workflow processing method and a workflow processing system.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In order to solve the above-mentioned problems of the prior art, the present invention relates to a workflow processing method and a workflow processing system, in which a rule object formed by arranging defined basic objects in accordance with business procedures. It is converted into a format that can be handled by the workflow engine and stored as rule contents. The workflow engine executes the rule contents and displays a figure corresponding to the rule object as a rule display screen. I can understand.

Further, according to the present invention, in the workflow processing method and the workflow processing system, the rule display screen is displayed in association with the workflow engine, so that the user can easily perform a task using the rule display screen. I can do it.

Further, according to the present invention, in the workflow processing method and the workflow processing system, the rule display screen displays the progress of the business.
By referring to the rule display screen, there is an effect that the progress of the work can be easily grasped.

In the workflow processing method and the workflow processing system according to the present invention, when an authorized person accesses a specific business location on the rule display screen, the screen is changed to a business processing screen, and the business screen is displayed on the screen. Can be easily completed using the rule display screen, and the progress can be updated in real time.

[0010]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. A workflow processing method and a workflow processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention include:
Using drawing software, the basic objects that define the processing contents are arranged according to the business processing procedure, a series of processing flows (transitions) are created as rule objects, and the created transition diagrams can be handled by the workflow engine. Using an XML-related program, convert the XML into a database (DB), operate the dropped rules with a workflow engine, convert the contents into HTML, perform visual reconstruction, and display the rule display screen with a browser. Things.

The rule display screen displayed on the browser is associated with the workflow engine,
Specific part of rule display screen (part indicating specific work)
By operating, the progress of the work can be viewed, and when an authorized person accesses the work, the work can be erased and updated.

A workflow processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an outline of a workflow processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention. The workflow processing system (the present system) according to the embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG.
The screen 10 on which the rule objects of the workflow are created by the drawing software, and the rule objects on the screen are converted into data that can be handled by the workflow engine, and the rules are reconstructed again into a form that allows the user to recognize the rule contents on the display screen. Conversion server 2
0 and a database (DB) 3 for storing the contents of rules converted so that the workflow engine can handle them.
0, and a display screen 40 for displaying a rule display screen that has been converted for reconstruction.

Each part of FIG. 1 will be specifically described. Screen 10
Is a screen drawn using drawing software. The screen 10 includes a basic object section 11 having a plurality of basic objects and a rule object section 12 in which rule objects are created. Here, the drawing software uses one that can define each basic object. Specifically, Visio2000 is used, and the basic object is defined using a stencil.

The basic object is provided with a script in which a processing procedure or the like is described in advance to perform a specific process and parameters for the process. Therefore, all the basic objects execute scripts according to various state changes.

[0015] Then, the workflow designer arranges the basic objects on the drawing screen and connects them with lines. here,
The line itself also constitutes a basic object, and performs specific processing, for example, processing such as data transfer or branch determination.

Further, the workflow designer changes the script and parameters and forms rules so that a special process can be executed for each basic object. It is also possible to start a specific application from the basic object and display a table or the like.

In this manner, a rule object is created by determining a rule for performing a series of processes for all basic objects. A script library index (Script Library Index) at the time of each event (Event) is added to the rule object in advance, and a definition for calling a script is made as necessary. Other events call the script as needed, as defined by the user.
Therefore, the screen 10 includes basic object defining means for defining basic objects and rule object creating means for creating rule objects.

The server 20 includes a converter 21, a workflow engine 22, an XML-related program 23,
And a converter 24. Converter 21
Imports the rule object, converts it into an XML format that can be handled by the workflow engine 22 via the XML-related program 23, and outputs it to the database 30.

The workflow engine 22 reads the contents of the rules stored in the database 30 and outputs them to the converter 24. The workflow engine 22
Is to detect an event by operating a specific portion of the rule display screen on the display screen 40 and to sequentially execute a suitable script.

The XML-related program 23 converts the rule object output from the converter 21 into an XML format and outputs it to the database (DB) 30 as rule contents. Converter 24 converts X stored in DB 30
The rule content in the ML format is reconstructed so that it becomes a visual figure similar to the rule object on the screen 10,
The rule display screen is displayed and output in an HTML format that can be displayed by the browser 40.

The database 30 stores the contents of rules converted by the converter 21 and the XML-related programs, and further stores parameters, files, and the like necessary for the operation of the workflow engine.

The display screen 40 displays a rule display screen reconstructed by the converter 24 into a visual figure similar to a rule object. In the present embodiment, the rule display screen is displayed using a browser.

Here, the rule display screen displayed on the display screen 40 is associated with a specific task by the workflow engine 22. When a specific part (specific task part) of the rule display screen is double-clicked, for example, The display shifts to a related business-related display screen, and an authorized business person can input a business execution process (application, etc.).

Further, by referring to a specific job location on the rule display screen on the display screen 40, the progress of the workflow can be grasped, which can be used for workflow design. Can be evaluated.

Next, the processing at a specific job location on the rule display screen displayed on the display screen 40 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an outline of a process at a specific job location on the rule display screen. As shown in FIG. 2, when a task (Task) is input, a user response process (Cruise User Response) operates in a process at a specific business place. The user response process is a process of determining whether the response from the user is to a new task or a continuation task, and then shifts to process diagnosis.

In the process diagnosis (Cruise Judgment), a classification process, a clearing process, and the like in the object are performed. Depending on the result of the processing diagnosis, the processing shifts to response processing (Cruise Reception) or transition processing (CruiseTransition). The response process performs an automatic process and a script execution process when a transition is made to an object. The transition process is a process for performing an automatic process and executing a script when a transition is attempted from an object.

The processing diagnosis, response processing, and transition processing repeat each processing until all data in the history of the database (Database) is waiting for a response or processing is completed. Here, the history includes the rule history (Rule History)
And the object history (ObjectHistory), the rule history indicates the progress of the rule, and the object history indicates the progress of the object.

Upon completion of these processes, one or more tasks are output from the basic object. Note that the history stored in the database and the rule object (Rule
Object) and Task (Task) are fetched from the database to the basic object as needed.

Next, the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 will be described more specifically as a first embodiment with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 is a diagram of a display screen example showing a workflow of parts, and FIG. 4 is a diagram of a display screen example showing the actual work progress of the small part test in FIG.
FIG. 3 shows that the actual work is progressing from the left side, and the work is actually progressing to the portion connected by the thick black line. In addition, the basic object for which the work has been completed is marked with (complete) indicating completion, and the basic object in the intermediate stage is displayed so that the intermediate stage can be identified. It is displayed like 2.

Further, as shown in FIG. 4, it is possible to display the progress in each task. In FIG. 4, when the basic object of the small component test is double-clicked, the actual work progress is displayed. Note that the progress of each process in FIG. 3 can be referred to by an administrator, but authority is given to access so that only a person in charge of the work can perform actual work clearing.

Next, a specific second embodiment will be described with reference to FIGS.
This will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a workflow state to be designed, FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a workflow example of a rule object on the screen 10 in FIG. 1, and FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a rule on the display screen 40 in FIG. FIG. 8 is a view showing a display example of a display screen, FIG. 8 is a view showing a screen for issuing an order form, FIG. 9 is a view showing a screen for receipt / confirmation of an invoice, and FIG. It is a figure showing the screen of issuance of a request form.

First, in the second embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the actual work flow is as shown in FIG.
1) Next, data output for issuing an order form (CS
V output) Set the desired conditions and request an order from the purchasing department (S
12). The purchasing department accepts an e-mail (S13), determines the ordering party, confirms the contents, and issues an order form (S1).
4). The order is sent to the maintenance parts center / supplier, and is stored in the order DB (database) (S15).

The maintenance parts center / supplier automatically receives the order form, checks the supplier (S21), accesses the stock database (stock DB) for stock check (S23), and determines the delivery date ( (S22), access the inventory DB to determine the amount, and determine the partition table (S2).
4). In addition, the receipt confirmation slip processing is performed by the automatic receipt (S21) (S25), and the business database (business DB)
(S26) and create a shipping list (S26).
27) Send a shipping request and send a confirmation to the purchasing department. The purchasing department receives the confirmation, confirms the delivery date and amount (S16), and stores it in the order DB.

FIG. 6 shows a screen 10 in which the above workflow is created by using the drawing software shown in FIG.
Further, the display screen 40 of FIG. 1 reconstructed using the server 20 and the database 30 is as shown in FIG. Note that FIG.
Is also a rule display screen for checking the progress of the workflow.

Since the rule display screen of FIG. 7 is associated with the workflow engine 22, double-clicking the output of the parts table of FIG. 7 picks up maintenance parts and performs a process of outputting a parts list. FIG.
Double click on the purchase order issuance, CSV in the Purchasing Department
Then, a purchase order is created, and a display screen for issuing the purchase order shown in FIG. 8 is output. On the screen shown in FIG. 8, a person who has the authority for business processing confirms the contents of the order form created in Step 3 and performs processing of transmitting the order form in Step 4.

When the task arrives, the registered user is automatically searched for when the task arrives, the automatic calculation is performed from the stock / partition DB, and the receipt receipt / confirmation display screen shown in FIG. 9 is output. I do. In the screen of FIG. 9,
The person who has the authority of the business process checks the invoice sent from the maintenance parts center as Step 1, and
To select <Complete>.

When the shipping request shown in FIG. 7 is double-clicked, a screen for issuing a shipping request (instruction) is displayed as shown in FIG. Since the shipment request is issued at the same time as the receipt issuance upon receipt confirmation, in FIG. 10, it is the display screen of the issued shipment request.

Next, a third embodiment will be described. If the workflow processing method and the workflow processing system according to the embodiment of the present invention are applied, it is possible to set the procedure of the display page on the Internet or the like for each user and display the procedure in order.

For example, when a user joins a site, the user's gender, age, hobbies, and other related items are input in the form of a questionnaire. , Conditions and procedures can be specified and displayed in order. Furthermore, in order to make the user's response sufficient, it is also possible to create a workflow utilizing the statistical information on the access history of each user using knowledge management.

According to the workflow processing method and the workflow processing system (the present method and the present system) according to the embodiment of the present invention, the rule objects are converted into XML, and are further schematized so that the user can easily understand them visually. Since the rule display screen is displayed by the browser in the HTML format, there is an effect that the user can easily visually recognize the workflow.

According to the method and the system, since the rule display screen displayed by the browser is linked to the workflow engine, there is an effect that the progress of the business can be easily grasped by referring to the rule display screen.

According to the method and the system, when an authorized person accesses a specific job location on the rule display screen, the screen shifts to a necessary processing screen, where the job is performed and the job is erased. This has the effect that work can be easily ended using the rule display screen.
This has the effect of updating the progress in real time.

[0043]

According to the present invention, a rule object formed by arranging defined basic objects in accordance with a business procedure is converted into a format that can be handled by a workflow engine and held as rule contents, and the workflow engine executes the rule contents. In addition, since the workflow processing method and the workflow processing system display a graphic corresponding to a rule object as a rule display screen, the user can easily visually recognize the workflow.

Further, according to the present invention, the rule display screen is the above-mentioned workflow processing method and the above-mentioned workflow processing system displayed in association with the workflow engine, so that the user can easily perform the business using the rule display screen. There are effects that can be achieved.

Further, according to the present invention, the rule display screen is the workflow processing method and the workflow processing system for displaying the progress of the business, so that the progress of the business can be easily understood by referring to the rule display screen. There is an effect that can be grasped.

Further, according to the present invention, when an authorized person accesses a specific work location on the rule display screen, the screen is changed to a work processing screen, and the work can be performed on the screen. In addition, since the above-described workflow processing system is used, there is an effect that the work can be easily ended using the rule display screen, and an effect that the progress can be updated in real time.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram showing an outline of a workflow processing system according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram showing an outline of a process at a specific job location on a rule display screen.

FIG. 3 is a diagram of an example of a display screen showing a workflow of a part.

FIG. 4 is a diagram of an example of a display screen displaying the actual work progress of the small part test in FIG. 3;

FIG. 5 is a diagram showing a workflow state to be designed.

FIG. 6 is a diagram showing an example of a workflow of a rule object on a screen 10 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a display example of a rule display screen of a display screen 40 in FIG. 1;

FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a screen for issuing an order form.

FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a screen for receipt / confirmation of a contract.

FIG. 10 is a diagram showing a screen for issuing a shipping request form.

[Explanation of symbols]

10: Screen, 11: Basic object part, 12: Rule object part, 20: Server, 21: Converter, 22: Workflow engine, 23: XML-related program, 24: Converter, 30: Database, 40: Display screen

 ──────────────────────────────────────────────────続 き Continued on the front page F term (reference) 5B049 AA01 AA06 BB00 CC21 CC32 DD01 EE07 FF03 FF09 5E501 AA13 AC13 BA03 DA02 EA06 EA13 EB05 FA08 FA14 FA46

Claims (8)

[Claims] A rule object formed by arranging defined basic objects in accordance with a business procedure is converted into a format that can be handled by a workflow engine and held as rule contents. A workflow processing method characterized by displaying a figure corresponding to an object as a rule display screen. 2. The workflow processing method according to claim 1, wherein the rule display screen is displayed in association with a workflow engine. 3. The workflow processing method according to claim 2, wherein the rule display screen displays the progress of a task. 4. The system according to claim 2, wherein when an authorized person accesses a specific business place on the rule display screen, the screen is changed to a business processing screen, and the business can be performed on the screen. Item 6. The workflow processing method according to Item 3. 5. A workflow engine for supporting business execution, wherein a rule object formed by arranging defined basic objects in accordance with a business procedure is converted into a format that can be handled by the workflow engine, and output as rule contents. A server for executing a rule content by a workflow engine and reconstructing a graphic corresponding to the rule object, and storing the rule content converted by the server,
A workflow processing system comprising: a database that outputs stored rule contents to the workflow engine; and a display unit that displays a figure reconstructed by the server as a rule display screen. 6. The workflow processing system according to claim 5, wherein the rule display screen is associated with a workflow engine. 7. The workflow processing system according to claim 6, wherein a task progress status is displayed on the rule display screen. 8. When an authorized person accesses a specific business place on the rule display screen, the server provides a screen for the business processing to the display means, and when the business is performed on the screen, 8. The workflow processing system according to claim 6, wherein the workflow processing system is a server that updates a progress status.