JP6183771B2 - Workflow system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a workflow system that causes a computer terminal to execute a series of processes in accordance with a workflow in which a server determines the contents and order of each process.

  In recent years, for example, in a company or the like, a workflow system that efficiently performs business processing by transferring data to each person in charge in a predetermined order has been put into practical use. Such a workflow system includes a server and a plurality of computer terminals connected to the server via a network. In the workflow system, the contents of processing to be executed by each person in charge and the order of transferring data to each person are defined in advance as a workflow. The server delivers data to the computer terminal of each person in charge according to the workflow.

  In such a workflow system, it is often the case that a route for transferring data to each person in charge is branched in the middle, and processing of the same content is executed concurrently. For example, one task is examined by three work teams, and when an action plan for each task team is prepared, the approver selects one of the three action plans. There is a case. In such a case, in general, in a workflow, a branch node that delivers data transferred according to one route to each person in charge according to a plurality of routes, and data that is transferred according to a plurality of routes are awaited. A meeting node is defined. Here, the node represents a unit of processing and is also called an activity. FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of workflow definition in a conventional workflow system. In this example, one route branches into three at a branch node, and then data is transferred according to each branched route. Specifically, each of the three work teams “activity 2a” → “activity 3a” → “activity 4a”, “activity 2b” → “activity 3b” → “activity 4b”, “activity 2c” → “activity 3c” In accordance with the route “→ activity 4c”, a process of creating a corresponding plan for the examination subject is performed.

  Some workflow systems have various functions. For example, a workflow system having a function of copying a branched route has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). If this copy function is used, in the example of FIG. 19, one work team can be added and four work teams can be examined. In addition, a workflow system having a function of stopping processing when a predetermined condition is satisfied has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 2). In the example of FIG. 19, if the time for causing each work team to create a response plan for an examination task is set within 24 hours, if the work team cannot create a response plan within 24 hours, Processing by the work team will be cancelled.

JP 2003-44637 A JP 2006-215713 A

  By the way, during the execution of the workflow, there is often a situation in which it is desired to change the contents, order, etc. of each process for reasons that were not originally scheduled. For example, in the above example, there are cases where all three work teams are busy, and this time only another three work teams want to examine the problem. In addition, the time for each work team to create a response plan for the examination task is set to be within 24 hours, but there is a case where it is desired to quickly reduce to 12 hours. In addition, since the creation of a response plan by a certain work team was completed early, there is a case where it is desired that this work team consider the same problem again. Furthermore, there is a case where it is desired to stop all processing by each work team and continue the subsequent processing according to the workflow.

  However, in the conventional workflow system, even when the copy function or the cancel function is used, when the above situation occurs, the situation cannot be easily dealt with. Specifically, in the conventional workflow system, the process cannot be stopped until a preset condition is reached or a predetermined activity is reached. In particular, after branching a route at a branching node, if the meeting node does not satisfy the waiting condition for receiving all the data transferred according to each branched route, the transition from the waiting node to the next activity is performed. I can't. For this reason, when all the processing by each work team is stopped, the subsequent processing cannot be continued according to the workflow.

  The present invention has been made based on the above circumstances, and an object of the present invention is to provide a workflow system that can easily and quickly change the contents of processing during execution of a workflow.

  To achieve the above object, the present invention comprises a plurality of computer terminals and a server connected to the plurality of computer terminals via a network, and the server determines the contents and order of each process according to the workflow. In the workflow system that causes each computer terminal related to the system to execute a series of processes, there are two types of workflows, a first hierarchy workflow and a second hierarchy workflow. Selects one or more second-level workflow definitions from the definition of the hierarchical workflow, and includes the contents of the selection process that instructs execution of the selected second-level workflow. A first storage means for storing a definition of a plurality of workflows and a plurality of second-level workflow definitions; Second storage means for storing management information for specifying and managing the workflow in the server, and when the computer terminal instructs the execution of the first hierarchy workflow, the server Management information about the one-level workflow is generated and stored in the second storage means, and the definition of the first hierarchy workflow instructed to be executed is read from the first storage means, and the first hierarchy workflow is read according to the read first-level workflow. Each of the computer terminals related to the hierarchical workflow has a management unit that executes a series of processes. When the management unit causes the predetermined computer terminal to execute the selection process in the first hierarchical workflow, the computer terminal includes a plurality of computer terminals. When you select the desired second-tier workflow definition from the second-tier workflow definition, The management information for the selected second hierarchy workflow is generated, stored in the second storage means in association with the management information for the first hierarchy workflow, and the computer terminal selects the one or more selected second hierarchy workflows. When the execution of the hierarchical workflow is instructed, the definition of the second hierarchical workflow instructed to execute is read from the first storage means, and a series of information is sent to each computer terminal related to the second hierarchical workflow according to the read second hierarchical workflow. This process is characterized in that the process is executed.

  With such a configuration, in the workflow system of the present invention, one or more second hierarchy workflow definitions are selected from the plurality of second hierarchy workflow definitions as the first hierarchy workflow definition, and the selected second hierarchy The contents about the selection process instructing execution of the workflow are included. For this reason, when the person in charge who performs the selection process in the first hierarchy workflow selects a desired one or more second hierarchy workflow definitions from a plurality of second hierarchy workflow definitions, each selected second hierarchy workflow is selected. Will be executed concurrently with the process according to the first hierarchy workflow. In addition, since the person in charge who performs selection processing in the first hierarchy workflow can freely select the second hierarchy workflow according to the situation at that time, the degree of freedom of selection of the second hierarchy workflow with respect to the first hierarchy workflow Is very big. Therefore, in the workflow system of the present invention, the second hierarchy workflow can be selected during the execution of the first hierarchy workflow, and the contents of the processing can be easily and quickly changed according to the selection.

  Further, in the workflow system of the present invention, the definition of the first hierarchy workflow includes the contents of the monitoring process for monitoring the progress status of the second hierarchy workflow being executed, and the server stores the contents in the second storage means. For the running workflow specified by the stored management information, it generates progress information of each process in the workflow, stores it in the second storage means in association with the management information about the workflow, and A monitoring unit that monitors the status of the process and updates the progress information of the process based on the monitoring result, and the management unit causes the monitoring process in the first hierarchy workflow to be executed by a predetermined computer terminal. Is the second hierarchy workflow associated with the management information for the first hierarchy workflow. The management information for the second hierarchy workflow is generated based on the progress information of each process in the second hierarchy workflow associated with the identified management information, and the computer terminal It is desirable to send to.

  Thereby, in the workflow system of the present invention, a series of processes according to the second hierarchy workflow is executed under the monitoring process in the first hierarchy workflow, and the management means displays information indicating the progress status of the second hierarchy workflow. Since it is generated and sent to the computer terminal of the person in charge of monitoring processing, the person in charge looks at the content of the information displayed on the screen of his computer terminal and displays the progress status of the second-tier workflow. It is easy to know.

  In the workflow system of the present invention, the contents of the monitoring process in the first hierarchy workflow can instruct the execution of the second hierarchy workflow additionally selected from the definitions of the plurality of second hierarchy workflows. It is desirable to include functions. Specifically, when the management unit causes a predetermined computer terminal to execute the monitoring process in the first hierarchy workflow, the computer terminal defines a desired second hierarchy workflow from a plurality of second hierarchy workflow definitions. When the execution of the selected second hierarchy workflow is instructed, management information about the second hierarchy workflow instructed to be generated is generated, and management information about the first hierarchy workflow is generated. In association with the second storage means, the definition of the second hierarchy workflow instructed to be executed is read from the first storage means, and each computer terminal related to the second hierarchy workflow is read according to the read second hierarchy workflow. A series of processing is executed. As a result, the person in charge of the monitoring process in the first hierarchy workflow additionally selects the second hierarchy workflow at any time during the execution of the monitoring process, and follows the selected second hierarchy workflow. Processing can be executed by each computer terminal. For example, if you select a new second-level workflow and let the person in charge who was not originally scheduled execute the process, or if the processing according to a certain second-level workflow is completed in a short time, the same second-level workflow And the same person in charge can execute the same process again.

  In the workflow system of the present invention, it is desirable that the contents of the monitoring process in the first hierarchy workflow include a function that can forcibly stop the execution of the second hierarchy workflow that is the subject of the monitoring. . Specifically, when the monitoring means in the first hierarchy workflow is executed by a predetermined computer terminal, the management means compulsorily executes the second hierarchy workflow that is the target of the computer terminal. When an instruction to cancel is sent to the computer terminal, a notification that the execution of the second hierarchy workflow has been stopped is sent to the computer terminal that is currently processing according to the second hierarchy workflow for which the cancellation instruction has been issued. , Information indicating that the execution of the second layer workflow has been stopped is included in the progress information regarding the process currently being executed in the second layer workflow for which the stop instruction has been issued. When the progress information includes information indicating that the execution of the second hierarchy workflow has been stopped, the monitoring means monitors the second hierarchy workflow specified by the management information associated with the progress information. Do not do. Thereby, the person in charge who performs the monitoring process in the first hierarchy workflow can forcibly stop the execution of the second hierarchy workflow at any timing during the execution of the monitoring process.

  Further, in the workflow system of the present invention, the definition of the first hierarchy workflow receives notification from each computer terminal that a series of processes has been completed for any second hierarchy workflow that is the monitoring target in the monitoring process. If there is a waiting process that ends the monitoring process and proceeds to the next process according to the first hierarchy workflow, the management means causes the predetermined computer terminal to execute the monitoring process in the first hierarchy workflow. If it is determined that the execution of the second-level workflow that is the monitoring target has been canceled based on the progress information stored in the second storage means, the monitoring target is the monitoring target. Any second-tier workflow is considered to have received notification that a series of processing has been completed. It is desirable to terminate the management. As a result, even if the person in charge of monitoring processing in the first layer workflow instructs to forcibly stop the execution of all second layer workflows, the processing according to the first layer workflow can leave the monitoring processing. Therefore, it is possible to avoid a situation where the user does not proceed and to continue the subsequent processing according to the first hierarchy workflow.

  In the workflow system according to the present invention, the person in charge who performs the selection process in the first hierarchy workflow selects a desired one or more second hierarchy workflows from the plurality of second hierarchy workflows. Processing according to the two-tier workflow can be executed concurrently with processing according to the first-tier workflow. In addition, since the person in charge who performs selection processing in the first hierarchy workflow can freely select the second hierarchy workflow according to the situation at that time, the degree of freedom of selection of the second hierarchy workflow with respect to the first hierarchy workflow Is very big. Therefore, in the workflow system of the present invention, the second hierarchy workflow can be selected during the execution of the first hierarchy workflow, and the contents of the processing can be easily and quickly changed according to the selection.

FIG. 1 is a schematic system configuration diagram of a workflow system according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of the server of the workflow system. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the contents of the product design work. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of a workflow definition stored in the first storage unit. FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of process management information stored in the second storage unit. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of activity progress information stored in the second storage unit. FIG. 7 is a flowchart for explaining a procedure of processing performed by the server when a series of processing according to the first hierarchy workflow is performed in the workflow system of this embodiment. FIG. 8 is a flowchart for explaining a procedure of processing performed by the server when a series of processing according to the first hierarchy workflow is performed in the workflow system of this embodiment. FIG. 9 is a flowchart for explaining a procedure of processing performed by the server when a series of processing according to the first hierarchy workflow is performed in the workflow system of the present embodiment. FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a job selection screen. FIG. 11 shows an example of the approver screen. FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining a procedure for selecting a work team. FIG. 13 is a diagram for explaining a procedure for selecting a work team. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operator screen. FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of the approver screen during execution of the monitoring activity. FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of an approver screen on which a comment input screen is displayed. FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operator screen on which a comment reception screen is displayed. FIG. 18 is a diagram for explaining an example of a monitoring activity end mode in the first hierarchy workflow. FIG. 19 is a diagram showing an example of workflow definition in a conventional workflow system.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic system configuration diagram of a workflow system according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of a server of the workflow system.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the workflow system of the present embodiment includes a plurality of computer terminals 10, 10, 10,..., A server 20, a first storage unit 30, a second storage unit 40, and a third unit. And a storage unit 50. The server 20 is connected to a plurality of computer terminals 10, 10, 10,... Via a network. Here, LAN, WAN, the Internet, etc. can be used as a network.

  The server 20 is an application server having a workflow function that causes each of the computer terminals 10, 10, 10,... To execute a series of processes in accordance with a workflow that defines the contents and order of the processes. The server 20 is also a database server that manages data stored in the first storage unit 30, the second storage unit 40, and the third storage unit 50. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the server 20 includes a registration unit 21, a management unit 22, and a monitoring unit 23.

  In particular, in this embodiment, a workflow system is built in a certain company, and by using this workflow system, data is transferred between a plurality of persons in charge in the company, product design work, purchasing work, personnel work, etc. Consider the case of executing the business process. In this case, each of the plurality of computer terminals 10, 10, 10,... Is arranged on the desk of the person in charge. The plurality of computer terminals 10, 10, 10,... And the server 20 are connected by a LAN. When each person in charge logs in to the workflow system by inputting a user name and password using his / her computer terminal 10 and the person in charge is authenticated by the server 20, the server 20 uses the computer terminal used by that person in charge. 10 is incorporated into the workflow system as a management target. The computer terminal 10 that is the management target operates under the control of the server 20 and can display data transmitted from the server 20 or transmit data to the server 20.

  As an example, the contents of product design work among the business processes performed in this company will be described in detail. FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the contents of the product design work. This product design work is carried out in the design department of the company, and there are one approver and a plurality of work teams A, B, C,... Shall. Here, a plurality of workers belong to each work team. For example, three workers a1, a2, and a3 belong to the work team A, four workers b1, b2, b3, and b4 belong to the work team B, and 5 to the work team C. Human workers c1, c2, c3, c4, and c5 belong. That is, these approver and worker are persons in charge of product design work. When the approver decides to develop a certain product, he selects a desired work team from a plurality of work teams, presents design issues to the selected work team, and requests the creation of a design plan. . The number of work teams selected is different each time. FIG. 3 shows a case where three work teams A, B, and C are selected. The approver monitors the progress of the design work while the work team is performing the design work. Here, the approver may cause another work team to perform the design work during the monitoring, and conversely, the design work currently being executed may be interrupted. For example, the design work is so slow that the work team is instructed to stop the work. Each work team reports to the approver when the design work is completed, and the approver selects and approves one design proposal from the design proposals created by each work team.

  On the other hand, in a work team that has been requested to create a design plan by an approver, each worker shares the work and creates a design plan for the design problem presented by the approver. For example, as shown in FIG. 3, in the work team A, a worker a1 creates a design draft, a worker a2 creates a detailed design draft based on the design draft, and a worker a3 creates the created design. Check the contents of the proposal. In the work team B, the worker b1 creates a design draft, the worker b2 checks the design draft, the worker b3 creates a detailed design draft based on the design draft, and the worker b4 Check the contents of the created design plan. In work team C, worker c1 creates a design draft, worker c2 checks the design draft, worker c3 creates a detailed design draft based on the design draft, and worker c4 creates the draft. The designed design is checked, and the worker c5 checks the design plan again. In the workflow system of the present embodiment, a workflow definition for executing business processing such as product design work is registered in advance.

  In the present embodiment, there are a first hierarchy workflow and a second hierarchy workflow as workflow types. Both the first hierarchy workflow and the second hierarchy workflow define the content and order of each process according to the flow of the work for a predetermined work. However, the second hierarchy workflow is selected by the process according to the first hierarchy workflow during the execution of the first hierarchy workflow, and the process according to the selected second hierarchy workflow is the process according to the first hierarchy workflow. The second hierarchy workflow is different from the first hierarchy workflow in that it is executed in parallel. A plurality of first hierarchy workflow definitions and a plurality of second hierarchy workflow definitions are stored in the first storage unit 30. Here, definition identification information (definition ID) is given to the definition of each workflow. This definition ID is for identifying a workflow and identifying whether the workflow is a first hierarchy workflow or a second hierarchy workflow. The definition of each first hierarchy workflow is associated with a plurality of second hierarchy workflow definitions that can be selected during execution in advance, and definition association information indicating the contents of this association is also stored in the first storage unit 30. ing. In the present specification, when the term “workflow” is simply used, it means both “first hierarchy workflow” and “second hierarchy workflow”.

  Now, the workflow definition will be described in detail. FIG. 4 is a diagram illustrating an example of the workflow definition stored in the first storage unit 30. In this example, the first storage unit 30 stores definitions for a plurality of first hierarchy workflows D01, D02, D03 and definitions for a plurality of second hierarchy workflows d001, d002, d003,. Yes. Here, “D01”, “d001”, and the like are definition IDs. In this example, the definition ID is composed of a leading “D” or “d” character followed by a number. A capital letter “D” at the beginning means that the workflow is the first hierarchy workflow, and a letter “d” at the beginning letter means that the workflow is the second hierarchy workflow. Means.

  In general, the definition of the first hierarchy workflow includes contents of a selection activity (selection process), a start activity (start process), a monitoring activity (monitoring process), and a waiting activity (waiting process). . Here, the activity represents a unit of processing and is also called a node. The selected activity selects one or a plurality of second hierarchy workflow definitions from a plurality of second hierarchy workflow definitions associated with the first hierarchy workflow definition, and executes the selected second hierarchy workflow. This is an instruction process. Such selection is performed by a predetermined person in charge. The start activity is a process for starting a process according to the second hierarchy workflow instructed to be executed by the selected activity. The monitoring activity is a process for monitoring the progress status of the second-tier workflow being executed. This monitoring is performed by a predetermined person in charge. The meeting activity terminates the monitoring process when receiving notification from each computer terminal that a series of processes has been completed for any second-level workflow that is the monitoring target in the monitoring activity, This is a process for shifting to the next process according to the first hierarchy workflow. Further, the definition of the second hierarchy workflow includes contents about a plurality of activities for realizing the work by the second hierarchy workflow.

  In the example of FIG. 4, the first hierarchy workflow D01 defines a processing flow of “selection ACT” → “start ACT” → “monitoring ACT” → “waiting ACT” → “ACT-1”. In the first hierarchy workflow D02, a process flow of “select ACT” → “start ACT” → “monitoring ACT” → “waiting ACT” → “ACT-1” → “ACT-2” is defined. In the first hierarchy workflow D03, processing of “select ACT” → “start ACT” → “monitoring ACT” → “waiting ACT” → “ACT-1” → “ACT-2” → “ACT-3” The flow is defined. Here, “ACT” is an abbreviation for activity. For each activity of “ACT-1”, “ACT-2”, and “ACT-3”, predetermined processing contents are defined in the definition of the first hierarchy workflow including the activities. Further, the flow of processing “act-1” → “act-2” → “act-3” is defined in the second hierarchy workflow d001, and “act-1” → “act” is defined in the second hierarchy workflow d002. The process flow of “act-2” → “act-3” → “act-4” is defined. In the second hierarchy workflow d003, a process flow of “act-1” → “act-2” → “act-3” → “act-4” → “act-5” is defined. Here, “act” is an abbreviation for activity. For each activity of “act-1”, “act-2”,..., Predetermined processing contents are defined in the definition of the second hierarchy workflow including the activities.

  In particular, in the present embodiment, the first hierarchy workflow D01 is a workflow for product design work, the first hierarchy workflow D02 is a workflow for purchase work, and the first hierarchy workflow D03 is a workflow for personnel work. Suppose there is. Also, it is assumed that the definitions of the second hierarchy workflows d001, d002, and d003 are all associated with the definition of the first hierarchy workflow D01. Specifically, the second hierarchy workflow d001 is a workflow for creating a design plan by work team A, the second hierarchy workflow d002 is a workflow for creating a design plan by work team B, and It is assumed that the two-level workflow d003 is a workflow for creating a design plan by the work team C. The information (correspondence information) indicating the correspondence between the workflow definition ID and the work content such that D01 corresponds to the product design work and d001 corresponds to the work of creating the design plan by the work team A is the first. It is stored in the storage unit 30.

  In this case, in the second hierarchy workflow d001, a design draft creation process by the worker a1 is defined as “act-1”, and a detailed design draft creation process by the worker a2 is defined as “act-2”. As “act-3”, the confirmation process of the contents of the design plan by the worker a3 is defined. This corresponds to the work content of work team A in FIG. In the second hierarchy workflow d002, a design draft creation process by the worker b1 is defined as “act-1”, and a design draft confirmation process by the worker b2 is defined as “act-2”. “-3” defines a process for creating a detailed design plan by the worker b3, and “act-4” defines a process for confirming the contents of the design plan by the worker b4. This corresponds to the work content of work team B in FIG. In the second hierarchy workflow d003, a design draft creation process by the worker c1 is defined as “act-1”, and a design draft confirmation process by the worker c2 is defined as “act-2”. -3 ”is defined as a detailed design plan creation process by the worker c3,“ act-4 ”is defined as the design plan confirmation process by the worker c4, and“ act-5 ”is defined as the work. A process for confirming the design plan by the person c5 is defined. This corresponds to the work content of work team C in FIG. When the server 20 causes the worker to execute an activity in the second-level workflow, the computer terminal 10 that uses the notification of requesting the processing defined by the activity and a list of data necessary for the processing are used by the worker. Send to. When the processing requested by each worker is completed, a notification to that effect and data created by the processing are sent from the computer terminal 10 used by the worker to the server 20. In the following, for a computer terminal used by an operator, the code indicating the operator is enclosed in parentheses after the code “10” indicating the computer terminal, if necessary. The terminal will be clearly distinguished from other computer terminals. For example, a code “10 (a1)” is attached to the computer terminal used by the worker a1.

  On the other hand, in the first hierarchy workflow D01, as the “selection ACT”, the approver selects the definition of the second hierarchy workflow for the work team that he / she wants to create the design plan, and executes the selected second hierarchy workflow. A process for starting the process according to the second hierarchy workflow instructed to be executed by the approver is defined as “start ACT”. As the “monitoring ACT”, a process for monitoring the progress status of the second hierarchy workflow being executed by the approver is defined. That is, the selection in “Select ACT” and the monitoring in “Monitoring ACT” are performed by the same person. In addition, as a “waiting ACT”, when a series of processing is completed for any second-level workflow that is the subject of monitoring, the monitoring processing is terminated, and the processing proceeds to the next processing according to the first-level workflow. The process is defined, and “ACT-1” is defined as a process (approval activity) in which the approver selects and approves one design plan from the design plans created by the process according to each second-level workflow. It has been. Therefore, when the approver of the design department executes the first hierarchy workflow D01 and selects the three second hierarchy workflows d001, d002, and d003 in the “selection ACT”, the workflow system of this embodiment is shown in FIG. Product design work can be realized. In the first hierarchy workflow D01, the main body that performs selection in “Select ACT” and the main body that performs monitoring in “Monitoring ACT” are both approvers, but in general, the main body that performs selection in “Select ACT” It may be different from the subject performing the monitoring in “Monitoring ACT”.

  As described above, in the workflow system of the present embodiment, the second hierarchy workflow is not executed unless the first hierarchy workflow is being executed. Therefore, the former is mainly used between the first hierarchy workflow and the second hierarchy workflow. A hierarchical structure is established in which the former is the upper hierarchy and the latter is the lower hierarchy. A series of processes according to the second hierarchy workflow is executed under the monitoring activity in the first hierarchy workflow. In particular, in the present embodiment, the contents of the monitoring activity in the first hierarchy workflow include a function for performing various controls on the second hierarchy workflow in addition to the monitoring function for the second hierarchy workflow.

  For example, in the workflow system of the present embodiment, the contents of the monitoring activity in the first hierarchy workflow may instruct execution of the second hierarchy workflow additionally selected from the definitions of the plurality of second hierarchy workflows. Includes possible functions. As a result, the person in charge of the monitoring activity in the first hierarchy workflow additionally selects the second hierarchy workflow at any timing during the execution of the monitoring activity, and follows the selected second hierarchy workflow. Processing can be executed by each computer terminal. For example, if you select a new second-level workflow and let the person in charge who was not originally scheduled execute the process, or if the processing according to a certain second-level workflow is completed in a short time, the same second-level workflow And the same person in charge can execute the process again. In the workflow system of this embodiment, the contents of the monitoring activity in the first hierarchy workflow include a function that can forcibly stop the execution of the second hierarchy workflow that is the subject of monitoring. . Thereby, the person in charge who performs the monitoring activity in the first hierarchy workflow can forcibly stop the execution of the second hierarchy workflow at an arbitrary timing during the execution of the monitoring activity.

  In the second storage unit 40, process management information for identifying and managing a series of processes (processes) according to the workflow being executed, and each process in the workflow associated with the process management information ( Activity progress information on (activity) is stored. In the present embodiment, the process management information includes process identification information (process ID) for identifying a series of processes according to the workflow being executed, a definition ID for the workflow being executed, and an executor of the workflow. Information (executor information) and other information. Here, in order to distinguish the process ID included in the process management information for the second hierarchy workflow from the process ID included in the process management information for the first hierarchy workflow, it is also referred to as “process sub identification information (process sub ID)”. I will call it. Further, as other information, for example, in the case of the first hierarchy workflow, there are information on a process name, information on a process completion deadline, and the like.

  FIG. 5 is a diagram illustrating an example of process management information stored in the second storage unit 40. FIG. 5 shows an example of process management information for each of the workflows D01, d001, d002, and d003 when the three second hierarchy workflows d001, d002, and d003 are executed during the execution of the first hierarchy workflow D01. Has been. Specifically, the process management information for the first hierarchy workflow D01 includes “Design-001” as the process ID, “D01” as the definition ID, and “Taro Yamada” as the executor information. ing. The process management information for the second hierarchy workflow d001 includes “Design-001-01” as the process sub ID, “d001” as the definition ID, and “Work Team A” as the executor information. include. The process management information for the second hierarchy workflow d002 includes “Design-001-02” as a process sub ID, “d002” as a definition ID, and “work team B” as performer information. The process management information for the second hierarchy workflow d003 includes “Design-001-03” as the process sub ID, “d003” as the definition ID, and “Work Team C” as the executor information. It is included. Here, the process management information for the second hierarchy workflow is associated with the process management information for the first hierarchy workflow instructed to execute the second hierarchy workflow. In the example of FIG. 5, for each of the second hierarchy workflows d001, d002, and d003, which are instructed to be executed during the execution of the first hierarchy workflow D01, below the process ID included in the process management information for the first hierarchy workflow D01. By arranging the process management information, the association between the process management information is expressed. Note that the right side of FIG. 5 schematically shows the overall processing flow realized by the first hierarchy workflow D01 and the second hierarchy workflow d001, d002, and d003. Further, in FIG. 5, the above-described other information included in the process management information is omitted.

  FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating an example of activity progress information stored in the second storage unit 40. The activity progress information shown in FIG. 6A is for the activity act-1 in the second hierarchy workflow d001 specified by the process management information Design-001-01 shown in FIG. The activity progress information shown is for the activity act-2 in the second hierarchy workflow d001 specified by the process management information Design-001-01 shown in FIG. Specifically, each activity progress information includes the “process ID” of the process management information for the workflow in which this activity is executed (if the workflow is a second hierarchy workflow, the “process sub ID” and its second “Process ID” of workflow management information for the first hierarchy workflow instructed to execute the hierarchy workflow), “activity number”, “executor”, “activity content”, “start date / time”, “end date / time”, “ Each piece of information includes “activity status”, “data storage location”, and the like. Each activity progress information includes “process ID” (“process sub ID”) because the activity progress information is associated with the process management information to which the “process ID” (“process sub ID”) is assigned. Because. The “activity number” is information for identifying the activity in the workflow including the activity. The “executor” is information about a person in charge who executes the activity. “Activity content” is information indicating the content of the activity. “Start date and time” is information about the date and time when the execution of the activity is started, and “End date and time” is information about the date and time when the execution of the activity is ended. Specifically, for example, the date and time when the server 20 sends a notification to request processing to the computer terminal 10 used by the person executing the activity is the start date and time. For example, the end date / time is the date / time at which the notification of the end of the process is received from the computer terminal 10 used by the person executing the activity. The “activity status” represents the current status of the activity. For example, when the activity is being executed, the “activity status” is “working”, and when the activity is completed, the “activity status” is “finished”. The “data storage location” is information indicating a storage location of data created by the activity.

  The third storage unit 50 stores data created by each activity in the workflow. For example, in the activity act-1 in the second hierarchy activity d002, drawing data about the design draft and data about the rough estimated cost are created. When such data is sent from the computer terminal 10 (b1) of the worker b1, the server 20 stores the data in the third storage unit 50, and stores information indicating the storage location of the activity for the activity. Write in the “data storage location” in the progress information.

  Next, each part of the server 20 will be described. The registration unit 21 of the server 20 registers the definition of the first hierarchy workflow and the definition of the second hierarchy workflow created by the system administrator of the workflow system in the first storage unit 30. Here, when registering a workflow definition, the registration unit 21 assigns a definition ID to the workflow definition.

  When a certain computer terminal 10 instructs execution of the first hierarchy workflow, the management unit 22 of the server 20 generates process management information for the first hierarchy workflow instructed to be executed and stores the process management information in the second storage unit 40. In addition, the definition of the first hierarchy workflow instructed to be executed is read from the first storage unit 30, and each computer terminal related to the first hierarchy workflow is caused to execute a series of processes according to the read first hierarchy workflow. It is. Note that the actual processing in each activity includes those executed by a computer terminal and those processed by a user using the computer terminal. For example, some instruction may be displayed on the screen of the computer terminal, and the user may process based on the instruction and input the completion of the process via the computer terminal. In the present embodiment, in order to simplify the description, the description will be made in the form that the computer terminal executes without distinguishing between them. The monitoring unit 23 of the server 20 generates activity progress information of each activity in the workflow for the workflow specified by the process management information stored in the second storage unit 40 and stores the activity progress information in the second storage unit 40. At the same time, the status of each activity in the workflow is monitored, and the activity progress information of the activity is updated based on the monitoring result. The management unit 22 can grasp the current progress status of the workflow being executed based on the activity progress information of each activity stored in the second storage unit 40.

  In particular, in the present embodiment, when the management unit 22 causes a predetermined computer terminal 10 to execute a selected activity in the first hierarchy workflow, the computer terminal 10 selects a desired one from a plurality of second hierarchy workflow definitions. When the definition of the second hierarchy workflow is selected, process management information for the selected second hierarchy workflow is generated and stored in the second storage unit 40 in association with the process management information for the first hierarchy workflow. To do. When the management unit 22 causes the predetermined computer terminal 10 to execute the selected activity in the first hierarchy workflow, the computer terminal 10 instructs the execution of the selected one or more second hierarchy workflows. Then, the definition of the second hierarchy workflow instructed to be executed is read from the first storage unit 30, and each computer terminal related to the second hierarchy workflow is caused to execute a series of processes according to the read second hierarchy workflow.

  In addition, when the monitoring activity in the first hierarchy workflow is executed by a predetermined computer terminal 10, the management unit 22 manages the process for the second hierarchy workflow associated with the process management information for the first hierarchy workflow. Information is specified, and information indicating the progress status of the second hierarchy workflow is generated based on the activity progress information of each activity in the second hierarchy workflow associated with the specified process management information. Such information generation is performed, for example, every time a certain time elapses after the monitoring activity is started. Then, the management unit 22 sends information indicating the generated progress status of the second hierarchy workflow to the computer terminal 10. As a result, the sent information is displayed on the screen of the computer terminal 10, so that the person in charge of the monitoring activity looks at the content of the information displayed on the screen and You can easily know the progress.

  In addition, when the management unit 22 causes the predetermined computer terminal 10 to execute the monitoring activity in the first hierarchy workflow, the computer terminal 10 selects a desired second hierarchy workflow from a plurality of second hierarchy workflow definitions. When a definition is additionally selected and execution of the selected second hierarchy workflow is instructed, process management information for the second hierarchy workflow instructed to be generated is generated, and a process for the first hierarchy workflow is generated. The management information is stored in the second storage unit 40 in association with the management information, and the definition of the second hierarchy workflow instructed to be executed is read from the first storage unit 30 and related to the second hierarchy workflow according to the read second hierarchy workflow. Each computer terminal to be executed executes a series of processes. Thereby, the person in charge who performs the monitoring activity can add the second hierarchy workflow at an arbitrary timing during the execution of the monitoring activity.

  Furthermore, when the monitoring activity in the first hierarchy workflow is executed by the predetermined computer terminal 10, the management unit 22 forces the computer terminal 10 to execute the one second hierarchy workflow that is the monitoring target. When a stop instruction is issued, a notification that execution of the second hierarchy workflow has been stopped is sent to the computer terminal 10 that is currently processing according to the second hierarchy workflow for which the stop instruction has been issued. To do. Then, information indicating that the execution of the second hierarchy workflow has been canceled is included in the activity progress information for the activity currently being executed in the second hierarchy workflow for which the cancellation instruction has been issued. For example, in this case, the management unit 22 sets “activity status” included in the activity progress information of the activity to “forced cancellation”. On the other hand, when the activity progress information includes information indicating that the execution of the second hierarchy workflow has been stopped, the monitoring unit 23 specifies the second hierarchy specified by the process management information associated with the activity progress information. Do not monitor the workflow. Thereby, the person in charge who performs the monitoring activity can forcibly stop the execution of the second hierarchy workflow at an arbitrary timing during the execution of the monitoring activity.

  In addition, when the monitoring activity in the first hierarchy workflow is executed by the predetermined computer terminal 10, the management unit 22 becomes a monitoring target based on the activity progress information stored in the second storage unit 40. When it is determined that all executions of the second-level workflow are canceled, it is considered that a notification indicating that a series of processing has been completed for any of the second-level workflows subject to monitoring is received The monitoring activity ends. As a result, even if the person in charge of the monitoring activity in the first layer workflow instructs to forcibly stop the execution of all the second layer workflows, the processing according to the first layer workflow can be removed from the monitoring activity. It is possible to avoid the situation that does not progress without.

  Next, a processing procedure in the workflow system of this embodiment will be described. 7, 8, and 9 are flowcharts for explaining a procedure of processing performed by the server 20 when a series of processing according to the first hierarchy workflow is performed in the workflow system of the present embodiment. Here, a case will be described in which an approver of the design department makes a plan for designing a liquid crystal television and performs a product design work as shown in FIG. 3 based on the plan.

  First, the approver starts up his / her computer terminal 10 and inputs a user name and password to log in to the workflow system. Then, the management unit 22 of the server 20 creates a predetermined job selection screen based on the correspondence relationship between the definition ID of the first hierarchy workflow stored in the first storage unit 30 and the work content, and the computer terminal 10 (S11). FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a job selection screen. As shown in FIG. 10, the work selection screen 100 includes a selection column for “design work (D01)”, a selection column for “purchase work (D02)”, and a selection column for “HR task (D03)”. include. Since the approver performs the product design work this time, click the “design work (D01)” with the mouse and check the selection column. As a result, an instruction to execute the first hierarchy workflow corresponding to the selected work, that is, the first hierarchy workflow D01 for the product design work is sent to the server 20.

  When receiving the execution instruction, the management unit 22 generates process management information for the first hierarchy workflow D01 for which the execution instruction has been issued, and stores it in the second storage unit 40 (S12). Specifically, after setting, for example, “Design-001” as a new process ID, the management unit 22 sets the process ID, “D01”, which is the definition ID of the first hierarchy workflow, and the execution information. Process management information including the name of the approver “Taro Yamada” is generated (see FIG. 5). Further, the management unit 22 reads the definition of the first hierarchy workflow D01 instructed to be executed from the first storage unit 30, and starts processing according to the read first hierarchy workflow D01 (S13). The first process in the first hierarchy workflow D01 is a selection activity as shown in FIG. In order for the approver to execute the selected activity, the management unit 22 creates a predetermined approver screen based on the process management information created in step S12 and displays it on the computer terminal 10 of the approver.

  FIG. 11 shows an example of the approver screen. As shown in FIG. 11, the approver screen 200 includes a work ID display field, an approver name display field, a design subject input field, a design approval deadline input field, and an “add work team” button. 210, a work team display unit 220, a “work start” button 230, and an “update” button 240. The process ID “Design-001” included in the process management information is automatically displayed in the work ID display field, and the executor information “Yamada” included in the process management information is displayed in the approver name display field. "Taro" is automatically displayed. As described above, in the example of FIG. 11, the process ID is displayed as the work ID on the approver screen 200. When the approver screen 200 is displayed, the design subject name input field and the design approval time limit input field are blank. The design subject input field is for inputting the name (process name) to be assigned to the current product design work, and the design approval deadline is for entering the product design work completion deadline (process completion deadline). Is.

  When the approver screen 200 is displayed, the approver must first determine the design subject and design approval deadline, and enter them in the design subject input field and the design approval deadline input field, respectively. For example, the approver inputs “Liquid Crystal Television Design” in the design subject input field and “September 20, 2012, 15:00” in the design approval deadline input field. The input content is sent to the server 20, and the management unit 22 includes the input content in the process management information and stores it in the second storage unit 40 (S14).

  Next, the approver selects a work team that wants to perform the current product design work. This selection is performed using the “work team addition” button 210 and the work team display section 220. Here, immediately after the approver screen 200 is displayed, nothing is displayed on the work team display unit 220 as shown in FIG. 12 and 13 are diagrams for explaining a procedure for selecting a work team. When the approver clicks the “add work team” button 210 with the mouse, the management unit 22 causes the work team display unit 220 to newly display a display column for one line, as shown in FIG. Here, this display column is composed of columns of “No.”, “Team name”, “Work status”, “Report date”, “Cancel”, and “Selection”. The “No.” column displays a number indicating what number the display column is displayed on the work team display unit 220. The “team name” column displays the name of the selected work team. Here, the right end of the “team name” column is a button for displaying a pull-down menu showing a list of work teams. The “work status” column is used to display the progress status of the second hierarchy workflow for the work performed by the work team. The “report date” column displays the date when the work according to the second hierarchy workflow by the work team is completed. The “Cancel” column is a check box for instructing to forcibly stop the execution of the second hierarchy workflow by the work team, and the “Selection” column is a second hierarchy workflow by the work team. This is a check box for instructing to select a design plan created in accordance with the work.

  As shown in FIG. 12A, when a new display column is displayed on the work team display unit 220, a predetermined number is displayed in the “No.” column, and “team name”, “work status” "And" Report Date "fields are blank. The “Cancel” and “Selection” columns are not checked. In fact, nothing is displayed in the “Work Status” and “Report Date” columns during execution of the selected activity, and “Work Status” and “Report Date” are displayed during the execution of the monitoring activity and subsequent activities. The contents are displayed in each column. The “Cancel” column can be checked only during the execution of the monitoring activity, and the “Cancel” column cannot be checked during the execution of the selected activity. The “selection” column can be checked only during the execution of the monitoring activity and the approval activity, and the “selection” column cannot be checked during the execution of the selection activity.

  When selecting a work team, the approver first clicks the right end of the “team name” column with the mouse. When the management unit 22 recognizes that the operation has been performed, each management unit 22 associates each definition associated with the definition of the first hierarchy workflow D01 based on the definition association information and the correspondence relationship information stored in the first storage unit 30. The name of the work team corresponding to the definition of the second hierarchy workflow is recognized, and a pull-down menu indicating the list of recognized work teams is displayed on the computer terminal 10 of the approver as shown in FIG. At this time, the management unit 22 determines whether a work team is selected from the pull-down menu (S15). If the determination in step S15 is negative, the process proceeds to step S17.

  Next, the approver selects, from the pull-down menu, a work team that wants to perform product design work with the mouse. Here, it is assumed that work team A is selected. As a result, as shown in FIG. 13A, the name “work team A” of the selected work team is displayed in the “team name” column. At this time, the determination in step S15 becomes affirmative, and the management unit 22 generates process management information for the second hierarchy workflow d001 corresponding to the selected work team A, and the first hierarchy workflow The process information associated with D01 is stored in the second storage unit 40 (S16). Specifically, after setting, for example, “Design-001-01” as a new process sub ID, the management unit 22 executes the process sub ID and “d001” that is the definition ID of the second hierarchy workflow. Process management information including the name “work team A” of the work team as person information is generated (see FIG. 5). Thereafter, the management unit 22 determines whether the “work start” button 230 has been pressed (S17). If the determination in step S17 is negative, the process proceeds to step S15.

  In addition, when an approver wants another work team to perform the product design work this time, the approver presses the “work team addition” button 210 again, and then selects a desired work team from the pull-down menu. Will do. Here, it is assumed that the approver selects work team B and work team C in addition to work team A. As a result, the work team display unit 220 displays three display columns for the work team A, the work team B, and the work team C, as shown in FIG. At this time, the process management information Design-001 for the first hierarchy workflow D01 includes the process management information Design-001-01 for the second hierarchy workflow d001 and the second hierarchy workflow d002 as shown in FIG. The process management information Design-001-02 and the process management information Design-001-03 for the second hierarchy workflow d003 are associated with each other.

  When the approver finishes selecting the work team, the approver clicks the “work start” button 230 with the mouse. Thereby, determination of step S17 becomes affirmative. When the management unit 22 determines that the “work start” button 230 has been pressed, the management unit 22 recognizes that an instruction to execute the second hierarchy workflow corresponding to each work team selected by the approver is received, and the first hierarchy The execution of the selected activity in the workflow D01 is terminated, and the start activity is executed. That is, the management unit 22 reads the definition of each of the second hierarchy workflows d001, d002, and d003 that are instructed to be executed from the first storage unit 30, and executes the first activity execution request in the read second hierarchy workflow. Is sent to the computer terminal 10 of a predetermined worker to start processing according to the second hierarchy workflow (S18). Specifically, an execution request for the first activity act-1 in the second hierarchy workflow d001 is sent to the computer terminal 10 (a1) of the worker a1, and an execution request for the first activity act-1 in the second hierarchy workflow d002 is sent. An execution request for the first activity act-1 in the second hierarchy workflow d003 is sent to the computer terminal 10 (c1) of the worker c1.

  Here, when the management unit 22 causes a predetermined worker to execute each activity in the second hierarchy workflow, the definition of the second hierarchy workflow, process management information about the second hierarchy workflow, and the first associated with the definition. A predetermined worker screen is created based on the process management information and the like regarding the hierarchical workflow and displayed on the computer terminal 10 of the worker who performs the activity. FIG. 14 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operator screen. The worker screen 300 shown in FIG. 14 is for the worker b3 in the work team B. The worker screen 300 includes a work ID display field, an approver name display field, a design subject display field, a design approval deadline display field, a worker display field, and a work content display unit 310. And a related data display unit 320. The work ID display field, the approver name display field, the design subject name display field, and the design approval deadline display field are displayed in the corresponding fields in the approver screen 200 shown in FIG. The same content is displayed. In the worker display column, the team name and name “work team B: Ichiro Tanaka” of the worker b3 who performs the activity act-3 in the second hierarchy workflow d002 are displayed. The work content display unit 310 displays the content of the execution request of the activity act-3 for the worker b3 from the management unit 22. In this example, the content “Perform detailed design based on design draft” is displayed. The related data display unit 320 displays a list of data necessary for the worker b3 to perform processing. Here, the list of data is displayed in a tabular format including data contents, file names, and creator items. For example, as data necessary for the worker b3 to perform processing, data relating to a product to be designed, data relating to a design draft created by the worker b1 in the work team B, and data relating to a rough estimated cost Etc. When worker b3 clicks a desired file name in the data list with the mouse, management unit 22 reads the data of the file name from third storage unit 50 and transmits it to computer terminal 10 (b3) of worker b3. Although not shown in FIG. 14, the worker screen 300 is also provided with an interface for uploading data to the server 20.

  After the process of step S18, the management unit 22 ends the start activity, and causes the approver's computer terminal 10 to execute the monitoring activity that is the next process of the start activity in the first hierarchy workflow D01. As a result, the monitoring activity in the first hierarchy workflow D01 and the activities in the second hierarchy workflows d001, d002, and d003 are executed concurrently. Note that, as described above, the monitoring unit 23 specifies the workflow specified by the process management information stored in the second storage unit 40 (in the current example, the first hierarchy workflow D01 and the second hierarchy workflow d001, d002, d003). ), The status of each activity in the workflow is monitored, and the activity progress information of the activity is updated based on the monitoring result.

  The management unit 22 identifies the process management information for the second hierarchy workflow associated with the process management information for the first hierarchy workflow D01, for example, every time a certain period of time elapses during execution of the monitoring activity. Based on the activity progress information of each activity in the second hierarchy workflows d001, d002, and d003 associated with the process management information, information indicating the progress status of each of the second hierarchy workflows d001, d002, and d003 is generated. Then, the management unit 22 sends the information indicating the progress status of each of the generated second-level workflows d001, d002, and d003 to the approver's computer terminal 10, and the “work” on the work team display unit 220 on the approver screen 200 is displayed. Display in the “Status” column. FIG. 15 is a diagram illustrating an example of the approver screen 200 during execution of the monitoring activity. In FIG. 15, the “work status” column is “reported” for the work team A (second-level workflow d001). Here, “reported” means that a series of processing has been completed for the second-layer workflow d001, and notification to that effect and data about the created design plan have already been sent to the server 20. For both work teams B and C (second-level workflows d002 and d003), the “work status” column is “under design”. This “under design” means that processing according to the second-layer workflow is currently in progress. In this way, the approver can monitor the progress status of each second-level workflow d001, d002, and d003 by looking at the approver screen 200.

  By the way, in the workflow system of the present embodiment, a predetermined computer in a work team performing processing according to each second hierarchy workflow from the computer terminal 10 of the approver during execution of the monitoring activity in the first hierarchy workflow D01. A comment can be sent to the terminal 10. Now, the comment transmission function will be described. FIG. 16 is a diagram illustrating an example of an approver screen 200 on which a comment input screen is displayed, and FIG. 17 is a diagram illustrating an example of an operator screen 300 on which a comment reception screen is displayed.

  When the approver sends a comment to a desired work team, the “No.” field in the display field of the work team is selected with the mouse on the approver screen 200. For example, when sending a comment to the work team B, the “No.” column with “2” is selected with the mouse. Then, the management unit 22 displays a comment input screen 250 for the work team B at the bottom of the approver screen 200 as shown in FIG. Here, the comment input screen 250 includes an input field 251 for inputting a comment and a “save” button 252. The approver inputs a comment in the input field 251 of the comment input screen 250. In the example of FIG. 16, a comment “Please hurry up the design work” is input. When the input of the comment is completed, the approver clicks the “Save” button 252 with a mask. When the management unit 22 recognizes that the “save” button 252 has been pressed, the contents of the comment input to the input field 251 of the comment input screen 250 for the work team B are changed to each worker b1, which belongs to the work team B. The information is displayed on the computer terminals 10 (b1), 10 (b2), 10 (b3), and 10 (b4) of b2, b3, and b4. As a result, for example, at the computer terminal 10 (b3) of the worker b3, the comment reception screen 350 is displayed in the worker screen 300 as shown in FIG. The comment reception screen 350 displays the content of the comment input by the approver. When the worker b3 reads the content of the comment, the worker b3 executes his / her work in a hurry.

  Further, in the workflow system of the present embodiment, the completion time limit of the current product design work can be changed during the execution of the monitoring activity in the first hierarchy workflow D01. In this case, the approver may input the changed time limit in the design approval time limit input field on the design approver screen 200 and then press the “update” button 240. Then, the management unit 22 rewrites the contents of the process completion deadline in the process management information for the first hierarchy workflow D01 with the deadline after the change, and updates the information about the deadline after the change to each worker of each work team. The information is sent to the computer terminal 10 and displayed in the display column for the design approval deadline on the operator screen 300. In this way, when the design approval deadline is changed, the changed deadline can be immediately communicated to the workers of each work team.

  It is also possible to set a design plan creation deadline for each work team. In this case, for example, a “completion deadline” field may be provided in the display field displayed on the work team display unit on the approver screen. When the approver selects a work team, the approver inputs the design plan creation deadline for the work team in the “completion deadline” field. When the management unit 22 starts processing in accordance with the second-tier workflow corresponding to the work team, the management unit 22 sends information about the creation deadline entered in the “completion deadline” field to the computer terminal 10 of the worker of the work team. Information is transmitted and displayed on the operator screen 300. Thereby, the worker of the work team performs the work in time for the completion deadline. Further, the information regarding the input design plan creation deadline is stored in the second storage unit 40 by being included in the process management information for the second hierarchy workflow corresponding to the work team.

  In the present embodiment, when the monitoring activity in the first hierarchy workflow D01 is executed by the approver's computer terminal 10, the approver displays the “work team addition” button 210, the work team display unit 220, and the “update” button. The operation team 240 can be operated to additionally select a work team for executing the current product design work. The process procedure for selecting a work team in this monitoring activity is substantially the same as the process procedure for selecting a work team in the above-described selection activity.

  Specifically, when adding a work team, the approver first clicks the “add work team” button 210 on the approver screen 200 with the mouse. Thereby, the management unit 22 causes the work team display unit 220 to newly display a display column for one line. Thereafter, when the approver clicks the right end portion of the “team name” field in the newly displayed display field with the mouse, the management unit 22 causes each second hierarchy workflow associated with the definition of the first hierarchy workflow D01 to be displayed. A pull-down menu showing a list of work teams corresponding to the definition of is displayed. At this time, the management unit 22 determines whether a work team has been selected from the pull-down menu (S19). If the determination in step S19 is negative, the process proceeds to step S21.

  Next, when the approver selects from the pull-down menu a work team that the product design work is desired to be performed with the mouse, the name of the selected work team is displayed in the “team name” column. At this time, the determination in step S19 becomes affirmative, and the management unit 22 generates process management information for the second hierarchy workflow corresponding to the selected work team, and the first hierarchy workflow D01 is generated. The process management information is stored in the second storage unit 40 (S20). Thereafter, the management unit 22 determines whether the “update” button 240 is pressed (S21). If the determination in step S21 is negative, the process proceeds to step S23. On the other hand, when the approver clicks the “update” button 240 with a mouse and the determination in step S21 becomes affirmative, the management unit 22 selects a second hierarchy workflow corresponding to the work team additionally selected by the approver. Recognizing that an instruction to execute is received, the definition of the second hierarchy workflow instructed to execute is read from the first storage unit 30, and the execution request of the first activity in the read second hierarchy workflow is a predetermined worker Is sent to the computer terminal 10 to start processing according to the second hierarchy workflow (S22). Thereafter, the process proceeds to step S23.

  Further, in this embodiment, when the monitoring activity in the first hierarchy workflow D01 is executed by the approver's computer terminal 10, the approver executes any second hierarchy workflow that is monitoring the work status. Can be forcibly canceled.

  Specifically, when the product design work by the work team is to be stopped, the approver checks the “Cancel” column in the display column of the work team to be stopped. Then, the management unit 22 determines whether or not the “update” button 240 is pressed after the “stop” column is checked in the display column of each work team (S23). If the determination in step S23 is negative, the process proceeds to step S25. On the other hand, if the approver clicks “update” button 240 with a mouse, the determination in step S23 becomes affirmative, and management unit 22 selects the second hierarchy corresponding to the work team whose “Cancel” column is checked. A notification to the effect that the execution of the second hierarchy workflow has been stopped is sent to the computer terminal 10 that is currently processing according to the workflow (S24). This notification is displayed on the screen of the computer terminal 10. Then, when the worker who uses the computer terminal 10 sees the notification, the worker stops his / her work. At this time, the management unit 22 sets “end date and time” to the date and time when the “update” button 240 is pressed in the activity progress information on the activity currently being executed in the second hierarchy workflow. Rewrite “Situation” with the content “Forced Cancel”. Then, the management unit 22 changes the content of the “work status” column to “forced cancellation” in the display column of the work team on the approver screen 200. After the process of step S24, the process proceeds to step S25. If the “activity status” in the activity progress information stored in the second storage unit 40 is “forced cancellation”, the monitoring unit 23 is identified by the process management information associated with the activity progress information. The monitoring of the second hierarchy workflow to be performed is not performed thereafter.

  Furthermore, in this embodiment, when the monitoring activity in the first hierarchy workflow is executed by the approver's computer terminal 10 and the design work by at least one work team has been completed, the approver has already One design plan can be selected from the created design plans.

  Specifically, when selecting a design plan during execution of a monitoring activity, the approver checks the “Selection” column in the display column of the work team that created the design plan to be selected. Here, the “selection” column can be checked only in the “selection” column for work teams whose “work status” column is “reported”. The management unit 22 determines whether or not the “update” button 240 is pressed after the “selection” column is checked in the display column of each work team (S25). If the determination in step S25 is negative, the process proceeds to step S27. On the other hand, when the approver clicks on the “update” button 240 with the mouse and the determination in step S25 becomes affirmative, the management unit 22 still has work teams other than the work teams checked in the “selection” column. A notification that a design plan created by another work team has been selected is sent to the computer terminal 10 that is currently processing according to the second hierarchy workflow corresponding to the work team that has not completed the work ( S26). This notification is displayed on the screen of the computer terminal 10. Then, when the worker who uses the computer terminal 10 sees the notification, the worker stops his / her work.

  Further, at this time, the management unit 22 includes the content “selection” in the activity progress information about the last activity in the second hierarchy workflow corresponding to the work team whose “selection” column is checked. Rewrite to Then, the management unit 22 changes the content of the “work status” field to “select” in the work team display field in which the “selection” field is checked on the approver screen 200. On the other hand, in the activity progress information for the activity that was being executed at the time of the notification in the second-tier workflow corresponding to the work team to which the notification was sent, the “update” button 240 is pressed for “end date and time”. The date and time are set, and the “activity status” is rewritten to the content of “forced cancellation”. Then, the management unit 22 changes the content of the “work status” column to “forced cancellation” in the display column of the work team to which the notification is sent on the approver screen 200. Therefore, at this point, the progress status of each second-level workflow is “completed”, “selected”, or “forced cancellation”. In addition, after the process of step S26, the process proceeds to step S28.

  In step S27, the management unit 22 determines whether or not execution of all the second hierarchy workflows specified by the process management information associated with the process management information of the first hierarchy workflow D01 has been completed. This determination is made by examining the contents of the activity progress information of each activity stored in the second storage unit 40 for each second hierarchy workflow. For example, if the “Activity Status” for all activities is “Completed” or the “Activity Status” for the last activity is “Selected”, execute the second-tier workflow. Is determined to be complete. In addition, when the “activity status” for one activity is “forced cancellation”, it is determined that the execution of the second layer workflow has been forcibly canceled, and the “activity status” for at least one activity is If it is “working”, it is determined that the second hierarchy workflow is currently being executed. However, in this embodiment, the management unit 22 has received a notification that a series of processing has been completed for the second hierarchy workflow for the second hierarchy workflow whose execution has been forcibly stopped at the time of determination in step S27. It is considered that the execution has been completed. The reason for this treatment is that the forced suspension was decided by the approver's will regardless of the circumstances of the work team. If the determination in step S27 is negative, the process proceeds to step S19.

  If the determination in step S27 is affirmative, the management unit 22 executes a waiting activity. In other words, the management unit 22 recognizes that a notification indicating that a series of processing has been completed is received from each computer terminal for any second-level workflow that is a monitoring target in the monitoring activity, and ends the monitoring activity. Then, it is determined to perform the process of step S28.

  Here, the end mode of the monitoring activity in the first hierarchy workflow D01 will be described. FIG. 18 is a diagram for explaining an example of the end aspect of the monitoring activity in the first hierarchy workflow D01. Normally, the monitoring activity ends when execution of the three second hierarchy workflows d001, d002, and d003 is completed. Further, as shown in FIG. 18A, when both the execution of the second hierarchy workflow d002 by the work team B and the execution of the second hierarchy workflow d003 by the work team C are forcibly stopped by the approver, the work team When the execution of the second hierarchy workflow d001 by A is completed, the monitoring activity ends. Furthermore, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 18B, the monitoring activity is ended when the execution of the three second-level workflows d001, d002, and d003 is all forcibly stopped.

  In step S28, the management unit 22 causes each computer terminal to continuously execute a series of processes in accordance with the first hierarchy workflow D01. For example, if the approver has not selected the design plan during the execution of the monitoring activity, the management unit 22 causes the approver to execute the approval activity (ACT-1). The process procedure for selecting a design plan in the approval activity is substantially the same as the process procedure for selecting a design plan during the execution of the monitoring activity described above.

  In the workflow system according to the present embodiment, one or more second hierarchy workflow definitions are selected from the plurality of second hierarchy workflow definitions as the first hierarchy workflow definition, and the selected second hierarchy workflow is executed. Contains content about the selected activity that indicates For this reason, when the person in charge who performs the selected activity in the first hierarchy workflow selects the desired one or more second hierarchy workflow definitions from the plurality of second hierarchy workflow definitions, each selected second hierarchy workflow is selected. Will be executed concurrently with the process according to the first hierarchy workflow. In addition, since the person in charge who performs the selection activity in the first hierarchy workflow can freely select the second hierarchy workflow according to the situation at that time, the degree of freedom of selection of the second hierarchy workflow with respect to the first hierarchy workflow Is very big. Therefore, in the workflow system of the present embodiment, the second hierarchy workflow can be selected during the execution of the first hierarchy workflow, so that the processing content can be easily and quickly changed according to the selection.

  In the workflow system of the present embodiment, the definition of the first hierarchy workflow includes the contents of the monitoring process for monitoring the progress status of the second hierarchy workflow being executed. Thus, a series of processes according to the second hierarchy workflow is executed under the monitoring activity in the first hierarchy workflow, and the management unit generates information indicating the progress status of the second hierarchy workflow, and executes the monitoring activity. Since the information is sent to the computer terminal of the person in charge, the person in charge can easily know the progress status of the second hierarchy workflow by looking at the contents of the information displayed on the screen of his computer terminal.

  Further, in the workflow system of the present embodiment, it is possible to instruct the contents of the monitoring activity in the first hierarchy workflow to execute the second hierarchy workflow additionally selected from a plurality of second hierarchy workflow definitions. Includes functionality. As a result, the person in charge of the monitoring activity in the first hierarchy workflow additionally selects the second hierarchy workflow at any timing during the execution of the monitoring activity, and follows the selected second hierarchy workflow. Processing can be executed by each computer terminal. For example, if you select a new second-level workflow and let the person in charge who was not originally scheduled execute the process, or if the processing according to a certain second-level workflow is completed in a short time, the same second-level workflow And the same person in charge can execute the same process again. Furthermore, the content of the monitoring activity in the first hierarchy workflow includes a function that can forcibly stop the execution of the second hierarchy workflow that is the subject of the monitoring. Thereby, the person in charge who performs the monitoring activity in the first hierarchy workflow can forcibly stop the execution of the second hierarchy workflow at an arbitrary timing during the execution of the monitoring activity.

  In particular, in the workflow system of the present embodiment, when the management unit causes a predetermined computer terminal to execute the monitoring activity in the first hierarchy workflow, the monitoring unit performs the monitoring based on the activity progress information stored in the second storage unit. When it is determined that the execution of the second-tier workflow that is the target of all of the second-tier workflows has been canceled, a notification that a series of processing has been completed for any second-tier workflow that is subject to monitoring is received. The monitoring activity is terminated as if it were a thing. As a result, even if the person in charge of the monitoring activity in the first layer workflow instructs to forcibly stop the execution of all the second layer workflows, the processing according to the first layer workflow can be removed from the monitoring activity. Therefore, it is possible to avoid a situation where the user does not proceed and to continue the subsequent processing according to the first hierarchy workflow.

  In addition, this invention is not limited to said embodiment, A various deformation | transformation is possible within the range of the summary.

  For example, in the above embodiment, for the definition of the second hierarchy workflow, one or more third hierarchy workflow definitions are selected from the plurality of third hierarchy workflow definitions in the same manner as the first hierarchy workflow definition. Monitoring the selected activity for instructing the execution of the selected third-level workflow, the start activity for starting processing according to the instructed third-level workflow, and the progress status of the third-level workflow being executed. You may make it include the content about the monitoring activity to perform. As a result, a series of processes according to the third hierarchy workflow can be executed under the monitoring activity in the second hierarchy workflow. In general, a workflow may have a plurality of hierarchies. That is, when n is a natural number, one or a plurality of n + 1-th layer workflow definitions are selected from a plurality of n + 1-th layer workflow definitions, and the selected n + 1-th layer workflow is executed. , A start activity for starting processing according to the n + 1 hierarchy workflow instructed to execute, and a monitoring activity for monitoring the progress status of the n + 1 hierarchy workflow being executed are included. Also good.

  Further, in the workflow system of the above embodiment, a case where a series of processing is executed according to a workflow in one company has been described, but a series of processing may be executed according to workflow in a plurality of companies.

  As described above, in the workflow system of the present invention, the person in charge who performs the selection process in the first hierarchy workflow selects a desired one or more second hierarchy workflows from the plurality of second hierarchy workflows, The process according to each selected second hierarchy workflow can be executed concurrently with the process according to the first hierarchy workflow. In addition, since the person in charge who performs selection processing in the first hierarchy workflow can freely select the second hierarchy workflow according to the situation at that time, the degree of freedom of selection of the second hierarchy workflow with respect to the first hierarchy workflow Is big. Therefore, the present invention can be applied to a workflow system that performs business processing such that a plurality of work teams execute processing in parallel during a series of processing.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Computer terminal 20 Server 21 Registration part 22 Management part 23 Monitoring part 30 1st memory | storage part 40 2nd memory | storage part 50 3rd memory | storage part 100 Work selection screen 200 Approver screen 210 "Work team addition" button 220 Work team display part 230 “Work start” button 240 “Update” button 250 Comment input screen 251 Input field 252 Save button 300 Worker screen 310 Work content display section 320 Related data display section 350 Comment reception screen

Claims (7)

A plurality of computer terminals, and a server connected to the plurality of computer terminals via a network, wherein the server is connected to each of the computer terminals related to the workflow according to a workflow that defines the content and order of each process. In a workflow system that executes processing,
The workflow includes two types: a first hierarchy workflow and a second hierarchy workflow that is selected during the execution of the first hierarchy workflow and is executed in parallel with the process according to the first hierarchy workflow. In the definition of the first hierarchy workflow, one or more second hierarchy workflow definitions are selected from the plurality of second hierarchy workflow definitions, and the selected second hierarchy workflow is executed. A first storage means for storing a plurality of definitions of the first hierarchy workflow and a plurality of definitions of the second hierarchy workflow;
Second storage means for storing management information for identifying and managing the workflow being executed;
Comprising
When the computer terminal instructs the execution of the first hierarchy workflow, the server generates the management information for the first hierarchy workflow instructed to be executed and stores the management information in the second storage unit. Management for reading the definition of the first hierarchy workflow instructed to be executed from the first storage means and causing each computer terminal related to the first hierarchy workflow to execute a series of processes in accordance with the read first hierarchy workflow Having means,
In the case where the management unit causes the predetermined computer terminal to execute the selection process in the first hierarchy workflow, the computer terminal selects a desired second hierarchy workflow from a plurality of definitions of the second hierarchy workflow. When the definition is selected, the management information for the selected second hierarchy workflow is generated and stored in the second storage means in association with the management information for the first hierarchy workflow. When the computer terminal instructs the execution of the selected one or more second hierarchy workflows, the definition of the second hierarchy workflow instructed to execute is read from the first storage means, and then the first hierarchy processed concurrently with in accordance with the workflow, according to the second hierarchical workflow thus read out The workflow system, characterized in that the series of processing is executed on each computer terminal associated with said second hierarchy workflow. The definition of the first hierarchy workflow includes the contents of the monitoring process for monitoring the progress status of the second hierarchy workflow being executed,
The server generates progress information of each process in the workflow for the running workflow specified by the management information stored in the second storage unit, and associates the progress information with the management information for the workflow Storing the second storage means, monitoring the status of each process in the workflow, and monitoring means for updating the progress information of the process based on the monitoring result;
In the case where the monitoring process in the first hierarchy workflow is executed by a predetermined computer terminal, the management unit is configured to execute the monitoring process for the second hierarchy workflow associated with the management information for the first hierarchy workflow. Identifying the management information, generating information indicating a progress status of the second hierarchy workflow based on the progress information of each process in the second hierarchy workflow associated with the identified management information, and The workflow system according to claim 1, wherein the workflow system is sent to a terminal. The contents of the monitoring process in the first hierarchy workflow include a function that can instruct execution of the second hierarchy workflow that is additionally selected from a plurality of definitions of the second hierarchy workflow. And
In the case where the management unit causes the predetermined computer terminal to execute the monitoring process in the first hierarchy workflow, the computer terminal may select a desired second hierarchy workflow from a plurality of definitions of the second hierarchy workflow. And when the execution of the selected second hierarchy workflow is instructed, the management information for the second hierarchy workflow instructed to be generated is generated, and the first hierarchy workflow is generated. Is stored in the second storage means in association with the management information for the second, and the definition of the second hierarchy workflow instructed to be executed is read from the first storage means, and the second hierarchy workflow is read according to the read second hierarchy workflow. A series of processes can be executed by each of the computer terminals related to the two-level workflow. Workflow system according to claim 2, wherein. The content of the monitoring process in the first hierarchy workflow includes a function that can forcibly stop the execution of the second hierarchy workflow that is the subject of the monitoring,
In the case where the monitoring process in the first hierarchy workflow is executed by a predetermined computer terminal, the management means forcibly executes execution of the one second hierarchy workflow that is the target of the monitoring. When the instruction to stop the operation is issued, a notification that the execution of the second layer workflow has been stopped is sent to the computer terminal that is currently performing processing according to the second layer workflow for which the stop instruction has been issued. Sending and including information indicating that the execution of the second hierarchy workflow has been stopped in the progress information about the process currently being executed in the second hierarchy workflow for which the cancellation instruction has been given,
When the progress information includes information indicating that the execution of the second hierarchy workflow has been stopped, the monitoring unit specifies the second hierarchy workflow specified by the management information associated with the progress information. 4. The workflow system according to claim 2, wherein monitoring is not performed. In the definition of the first hierarchy workflow, when a notification that a series of processes has been completed is received from each computer terminal for any of the second hierarchy workflows to be monitored in the monitoring process, It includes a waiting process that ends the monitoring process and moves to the next process according to the first hierarchy workflow.
The management means becomes a monitoring target based on the progress information stored in the second storage means when the monitoring processing in the first hierarchy workflow is executed by a predetermined computer terminal. When it is determined that the execution of the second hierarchy workflow has been canceled, it is considered that a notification indicating that a series of processing has been completed for any of the second hierarchy workflows to be monitored is received. The workflow system according to claim 4, wherein the monitoring process is terminated. The contents of the monitoring process in the first hierarchy workflow include a function that can send a comment to each computer terminal related to the second hierarchy workflow that is the subject of the monitoring. ,
When the management unit causes the computer terminal to execute the monitoring process in the first hierarchy workflow, the computer terminal selects the second hierarchy workflow to be monitored, 3. When instructed to transmit an input comment, the content of the input comment is transmitted to each of the computer terminals related to the selected second hierarchy workflow. The workflow system according to 3, 4 or 5. In the case where the management unit causes the predetermined computer terminal to execute the selection process in the first hierarchy workflow, the computer terminal may select a desired plurality of the second hierarchy workflows from a plurality of second hierarchy workflow definitions. When the definition of the hierarchical workflow is selected, the management information for the selected plurality of second hierarchy workflows is generated and associated with the management information for the first hierarchy workflow in the second storage means And when the computer terminal instructs execution of the selected plurality of second hierarchy workflows, the definition of each second hierarchy workflow instructed to execute is read from the first storage means, and then The processing according to each second hierarchy workflow instructed to execute is executed according to the first hierarchy workflow. Workflow system according to claim 1, wherein the to be processed simultaneously and in parallel with execution.

Images