Business process management apparatus and business process management method

Abstract

To provide a business process management apparatus and a business process management method capable of effectively utilizing accumulated business processes by specifying parts of the accumulated business processes to be reused on a task-by-task basis.SOLUTION: A business process management apparatus acquires current business process data and new business process information, and identifies similar process candidates from among the accumulated business process data based on the current business process information, the new business process information, and business process information. The business process management apparatus identifies a missing task based on current task information and new task information. The business process management apparatus selects a similar business process to be reused from among similar business process candidates, and identifies a task that can be applied to the missing task of the new business process from among the selected similar business processes to be reused, as the reuse target.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a business process management apparatus and a business process management method.

Background Art

[0002] The management of business processes is performed for the purpose of an organization to achieve its goals and improve efficiency by using a computer to automate processes and effectively utilize information.

[0003] Patent Document 1 discloses a digital solution selection device (hereinafter referred to as the "conventional device") that can quickly and accurately identify an appropriate combination of digital solutions. The conventional device stores, in a storage device, information on a plurality of digital solutions, including the target issues of each digital solution, the digitalization maturity in a plurality of axes required for the introduction of each digital solution, and the realized digitalization maturity in a plurality of axes achieved by each digital solution.

[0004] The conventional device identifies the organization's issues of interest, selects the final digital solution that matches the issues of interest, and sequentially selects one or more digital solutions from the solution information in reverse order of the introduction order from the final digital solution so that the realized digitalization maturity in each of the plurality of axes of the digital solution immediately before in the introduction order is equal to or higher than the digitalization maturity in the plurality of axes of the immediately following digital solution, and includes them in the digital solution set, thereby identifying an appropriate combination of digital solutions.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0005]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0006] Conventionally, even if there are accumulated business processes proposed to realize DX (Digital Transformation) through customer co-creation, they have not been reused and effectively utilized. In the customer's environment, some kind of solution is often operating, regardless of whether it is their own company or another company, and growth and transformation from that baseline are required. Therefore, new business processes are created (constructed) by improving the current business processes. At this time, it is required to effectively utilize (reuse) the accumulated business processes.

[0007] However, since the information on the multiple elements that make up the business process is not arranged to be processed by a computer, the reuse of the accumulated business processes depends on human skills such as the need to find the parts that can be reused manually. Also, since the business processes are not divided and managed into the parts (elements) that make up the individual business processes, it is difficult to identify the reusable parts. The conventional device of Patent Document 1 cannot reuse the provided solution in work units with a finer granularity.

[0008] The present invention has been made to solve the above problems. That is, one of the objects of the present invention is to provide a business process management device and a business process management method that can effectively utilize the accumulated business processes by specifying the parts that can be reused in work units for the accumulated business processes.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0009] To solve the above problems, a business process management apparatus according to the present invention is a business process management apparatus including an information processing apparatus for managing a business process composed of a series of multiple operations, wherein the information processing apparatus has a storage device storing an accumulated business process data group including, for each of a plurality of business processes, business process information explaining the content of the business process, operation information explaining the content of the operations constituting the business process, and data related to the business process; the information processing apparatus acquires current business process data including current business process operation information regarding the current business process and the operations constituting the current business process, and data related to the current business process, and new business process operation information regarding a new business process and the operations constituting the new business process, or business environment and provided value information indicating the business environment and the provided value; based on the current business process operation information and the new business process operation information, or the business environment and provided value information, the information processing apparatus performs a similar business process candidate identification for identifying one or more similar business process candidates that are business processes in which the current business process, the new business process or the business environment and provided value information and the business environment are compatible from among the accumulated business process data group, a reused target similar business process selection for selecting a similar business process to be reused from among the identified one or more similar business process candidates, and a reused target operation identification for identifying at least a part of the operations of the selected similar business process to be reused as a reused target in operation units. It is configured as follows.

[0010] The business process management method of the present invention is a business process management method including an information processing apparatus for managing a business process composed of a series of multiple operations, wherein the information processing apparatus has a storage device storing an accumulated business process data group including, for each of a plurality of business processes, business process information explaining the content of the business process, operation information explaining the content of the operations constituting the business process, and data related to the business process, and the information processing apparatus obtains current business process data including a current business process, current business process operation information regarding the operations constituting the current business process, and data related to the current business process, and a new business process, new business process operation information regarding the operations constituting the new business process, or business environment and offering value information indicating a business environment and offering value, and based on the current business process operation information and the new business process operation information or the business environment and offering value information, specifies one or more candidate similar business processes that are the business processes in which the current business process and the new business process or the business environment and offering value information and the business environment are compatible from among the accumulated business process data group (specification of candidate similar business processes). From among the specified one or more candidate similar business processes, it selects a similar business process to be reused (selection of a similar business process to be reused), and specifies, as a reuse target, at least a part of the operations of the selected similar business process to be reused in units of operations (specification of reuse target operations).

Effects of the Invention

[0011] According to the present invention, by specifying the parts to be reused in units of operations for the accumulated business processes, the accumulated business processes can be effectively utilized. Note that the effects described here are not necessarily limited, and may be any of the effects described in the present disclosure.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0012]

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Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention

[0013] Hereinafter, each embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In all the drawings of the embodiments, the same or corresponding parts may be denoted by the same reference numerals. In the following description, various information may be described using expressions such as "table" and "list", but the various information may be represented by other data structures. Further, when describing identification information, expressions such as "identifier" and "name" are used, but these can be replaced with each other, and other expressions may also be used. Further, in the following description, when describing a process with a functional block as the subject, the subject of the process may be a CPU or a device instead of the functional block.

[0014] <<First Embodiment>> The business process management apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention will be described. FIG. 1 is a diagram showing a configuration example of the business process management apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the business process management apparatus 100 includes a memory 110, a processor 140, an auxiliary storage device 150, a network interface 160, and an external interface 170. These are communicably connected to each other via a bus BS1.

[0015] A device including a memory 110, a processor 140, an auxiliary storage device 150, a network interface 160, an external interface 170, and a bus BS1 may be referred to as an "information processing device". The information processing device may be a plurality of information processing devices or a virtual information processing device constructed on a cloud.

[0016] The memory 110 is, for example, a semiconductor storage device such as a RAM (Random Access Memory), and temporarily stores programs and necessary data loaded from the auxiliary storage device 150 and executed by the processor 140.

[0017] The memory 110 includes a business process management unit 120 as a program. The business process management unit 120 includes a business process registration unit 121, a business process update unit 122, a business process search / evaluation unit 123, a design information registration unit 124, a design information update unit 125, a design information search / evaluation unit 126, a current business process input unit 127, a new business process input unit 128, and an operation screen management unit 129. These programs are loaded from the auxiliary storage device 150 to the memory 110 and executed by the processor 140, thereby realizing these various functions.

[0018] The business process registration unit 121 registers (stores, saves) information related to business processes in various tables and the business process model information group 151. The business process update unit 122 updates and deletes information related to business processes stored in various tables and the business process model information group 151. The business process search and evaluation unit 123 searches for and evaluates business processes. The design information registration unit 124 registers (stores, saves) design information in the design information table 133. Note that the design information table 133 may be referred to as the "design information management information" for convenience. The design information search and evaluation unit 126 searches for and evaluates design information. The current business process input unit 127 acquires information related to the current business process input from the user via the first peripheral device 161 or the second peripheral device 171. The new business process input unit 128 acquires information related to the new business process input from the user via the first peripheral device 161 or the second peripheral device 171. The operation screen management unit 129 controls the display of the operation screen, which is a GUI screen output and displayed on the first peripheral device 161 or the second peripheral device 171.

[0019] Furthermore, the memory 110 includes a business process table 131, a work table 132, a design information table 133, a performance information table 134, and a synonym list 135. The business process table 131, the work table 132, the design information table 133, and the performance information table 134 are used when the program is executed. These tables are stored in the auxiliary storage device 150, for example, and are loaded from the auxiliary storage device 150 into the memory 110 and temporarily stored when the program is executed. Note that the details of the business process table 131, the work table 132, the design information table 133, the performance information table 134, and the synonym list 135 will be described later.

[0020] The processor 140 executes the program stored in the memory 110. The processor 140 loads, for example, the program stored in the auxiliary storage device 150 into the memory 110. The processor 140 realizes each function of the business process management unit 120 by executing the program loaded into the memory 110.

[0021] The auxiliary storage device 150 is a non-volatile storage device capable of reading and writing data. The auxiliary storage device 150 stores (holds, stores) programs executed by the processor 140 and data used by the processor 140.

[0022] The auxiliary storage device 150 stores a business process model information group 151. The business process model information group 151 includes a plurality of business process models related to a plurality of business processes. A business process model is information indicating a plurality of operations constituting a business process, the order of the plurality of operations, and data (e.g., design information) used in the operations. A model information identifier for identifying each of the plurality of business process models is assigned.

[0023] The network interface 160 is an interface for connecting the business process management device 100 to a network (not shown). The business process management device 100 is connected to a first peripheral device 161 via the network. The first peripheral device 161 is a user terminal (e.g., a PC (personal computer), a smartphone, a tablet, etc.) used by a user.

[0024] The external interface 170 is an interface for connecting a second peripheral device 171. The second peripheral device 171 is an operation device such as a keyboard and a mouse, and a display, etc.

[0025] FIG. 2 is a diagram for explaining the business process table 131. As shown in FIG. 2, the business process table 131 includes a business process identifier 131a, a name 131b, a purpose 131c, an explanation 131d, and a model information identifier 131e as columns (columns) for storing information (values). In the business process table 131, information corresponding to each column related to the business process is associated with each other and stored as row unit information (records).

[0026] Specifically, the business process identifier 131a stores an identifier for identifying the business process. The name 131b stores the name of the business process. The purpose 131c stores the purpose of the business process. The description 131d stores the description of the business process (business process description). The model information identifier 131e stores the model information identifier of the business process model corresponding to the business process. For convenience, the business process table 131 may sometimes be referred to as "business process information".

[0027] Figure 3 is a diagram for explaining the work table 132. As shown in Figure 3, the work table 132 includes, as columns (columns) for storing information (values), a business process work table identifier 132a, a work identifier 132b, a name 132c, a purpose 132d, a description 132e, and a design information identifier 132f. In the work table 132, information corresponding to each column related to the work constituting the business process is associated with each other and stored as row unit information (records).

[0028] Specifically, the work table identifier 132a stores the identifier of the corresponding business process. The work identifier 132b stores an identifier for identifying the work constituting the corresponding business process. The name 132c stores the name of the work. The purpose 132d stores the purpose of the work. The description 132e stores the description related to the work (work description). The design information identifier 132f stores an identifier for identifying the design information corresponding to the work. For convenience, the work table 132 may sometimes be referred to as "work information".

[0029] FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the design information table 133. As shown in FIG. 4, the design information table 133 includes, as columns (columns) for storing information (values), a design information identifier 133a, a document identifier 133b, a name 133c, a purpose 133d, an explanation 133e, an information type 133f, and a performance information identifier 133g. In the design information table 133, information corresponding to each column related to design information such as software associated with the work is stored as row unit information (records).

[0030] Specifically, the design information identifier 133a stores an identifier for identifying the design information. The document identifier 133b stores an identifier for identifying the document constituting the corresponding design information. The name 133c stores the name of the corresponding document. The purpose 133d stores the purpose of the corresponding document. The explanation 133e stores the explanation of the corresponding document. The information type 133f stores the type of information of the corresponding document. The performance information identifier 133g stores an identifier for the performance information corresponding to the document.

[0031] FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the performance information table 134. As shown in FIG. 5, the performance information table 134 includes, as columns (columns) for storing information (values), a performance information identifier 134a, a project identifier 134b, an execution environment 134c, a start date of operation 134d, an operation status 134e, a maintenance record 134f, and a failure record 134g. In the performance information table 134, information corresponding to each column related to the execution performance of the software corresponding to the design information is stored. The performance information table 134 may be referred to as "performance management information".

[0032] Specifically speaking, the performance information identifier 134a stores an identifier for identifying performance information. The case identifier 134b stores an identifier for identifying the case in which the software corresponding to the design information was executed. The execution environment 134c stores the execution environment of the corresponding case. The operation start date 134d stores the date when the operation of the corresponding case was started. The operation status 134e stores the operation status of the corresponding case. The maintenance record 134f stores the maintenance record of the corresponding case. The failure record 134g stores the failure record of the corresponding case. The synonym list 135 is a list that groups synonyms, which are words and expressions having substantially the same meaning.

[0033] <Summary> The summary of the present invention will be described. A business process is a series of multiple tasks for achieving a specific purpose or business goal, and can be expressed by multiple tasks, the content of each task, and the structure (flow of tasks) of the multiple tasks. A business is an element that constitutes a business process. The business process is managed by a business process table 131, a task table 132, a design information table 133, a performance information table 134, and a business process model information group 151. In the following description, for convenience, a set of information regarding one business process included in these information (tables) may be referred to as "business process data". The multiple business process data accumulated in the business process management device 100 may be referred to as an "accumulated business process data group". The accumulated business process data group includes business process information (business process table 131) that describes the content of the business process, task information (task table 132) that describes the content of the tasks that constitute the business process, and data related to the business process (design information table 133 and business process model information group 151) for each of the multiple business processes accumulated in the business process management device 100.

[0034] When a user constructs a new business process, the business process management apparatus 100 is used. The business process management apparatus 100 acquires new business process work information regarding the new business process and current business process data regarding the current business process. The new business process work information includes new business process information including the name, purpose, and business process description of the new business process, and new work information including the name, purpose, and work description of the work constituting the new business process. The current business process data includes current business process work information regarding the current business process and the work constituting the current business process, and data related to the current business process. The current business process work information includes current business process information including the name, purpose, and business process description of the current business process, and current work information including the name, purpose, and work description of the work constituting the current business process.

[0035] The business process management apparatus 100 compares the new business process with the current business process using the new work information and the current work information, and identifies one or more works (hereinafter referred to as "deficient works") that are lacking in the current business process among the plurality of works constituting the new business process.

[0036] The business process management apparatus 100 searches for a business process (hereinafter referred to as a "similar business process") in which the new business process and the business environment are compatible (high possibility of compatibility) from among a plurality of business process data (accumulated business process data group) held (stored, stored) in the auxiliary storage device 150. This uses a keyword (which may be referred to as a "first keyword") extracted from the name, purpose, and business process description regarding the current business process, and a keyword (which may be referred to as a "second keyword") extracted from the name, purpose, and business process description regarding the new business process, and from the accumulated business process data group, a business process whose name, purpose, and business process description regarding the business process include the same keyword or a keyword regarded as the same as the first keyword and the second keyword is searched for as a candidate for a similar business process (similar business process candidate) in which the new business process and the business environment are compatible.

[0037] The business process management device 100 searches for a candidate similar business process that includes at least one operation corresponding to the identified insufficient operation from among a plurality of candidate similar business processes found as a result of the search.

[0038] When there is no candidate similar business process that includes at least one operation corresponding to the identified insufficient operation among the plurality of candidate similar business processes found as a result of the search, the business process management device 100 identifies all the operations of the insufficient operations as targets for new development.

[0039] When there is one identified candidate similar business process, the business process management device 100 selects that one candidate similar business process as the similar business process to be reused. When there are a plurality of identified candidate similar business processes, the business process management device 100 selects one from among the plurality of identified candidate similar business processes as the similar business process to be reused based on a predetermined selection criterion. In this example, the predetermined selection criterion is to include the most operations corresponding to the insufficient operations.

[0040] The business process management device 100 evaluates whether the operations corresponding to the insufficient operations among the plurality of operations constituting the similar business process to be reused can actually be used (applied) to the insufficient operations of the new business process. The business process management device 100 identifies, according to the evaluation result, the operations that can be used for the insufficient operations from among the operations corresponding to the insufficient operations constituting the similar business process to be reused.

[0041] As described above, when the user constructs a new business process (for example, a new business process obtained by improving the current business process based on the current business process), the business process management apparatus 100 can identify a business process that conforms to the new business process and the business environment from the business processes stored in the business process management apparatus 100, and can identify, from the identified business processes, operations that can be reused for the lacking operations that are not present in the current business process among the plurality of operations that constitute the new business process. Thereby, the business process management apparatus 100 can assist the user in effectively utilizing the current business process and the stored business processes in units of operations to construct (create) a new business process.

[0042] A specific example of the use of the business process management apparatus 100 will be described with reference to FIGS. 6A to 6D. The new business process #1 shown in FIG. 6A is composed of operations #1, #2, #3, #4, and #5 that are linked and continuously executed. After executing operation #1, the new business process #1 branches into three operations: operation #2, operation #4, and operation #5. When the new business process #1 proceeds to operation #2, after executing operation #2, it proceeds to operation #3, executes operation #3, and ends the business process. When the new business process #1 proceeds to operation #4, it executes operation #4 and ends the business process. When the new business process #1 proceeds to operation #5, after executing operation #5, it proceeds to operation #4, executes operation #4, and ends the business process.

[0043] The current business process #2 shown in FIG. 6B is composed of operations #a and #c that are linked and continuously executed. After executing operation #a, the current business process #2 proceeds to operation #c, executes operation #c, and ends the business process. Comparing the new business process #1 and the current business process #2, operations #2, #3, and #5 of the new business process #1 are lacking in the current business process #2.

[0044] A case where the business process management apparatus 100 is applied to such a new business process #1 and current business process #2 will be described.

[0045] The business process management device 100 acquires the new business process work information of the new business process #1 in FIG. 6A and the current business process data of the current business process #2 in FIG. 6B. By operating as described above, the business process management device 100 identifies operations #2, #3, and #5 of the new business process #1 as the missing operations of the new business process #1.

[0046] As a result of the search, the business process management device 100 finds the similar business process candidate #11 in FIG. 6C (in this example, only one similar business process candidate is found) as the similar business process #11 to be reused, and identifies this as the similar business process #11 to be reused.

[0047] The business process management device 100 compares whether there are operations in the similar business process #11 to be reused that match the identified missing operations (operations #2, #3, and #5). In this case, operations #M and #N that match operations #2 and #3 exist in the similar business process #11 to be reused. The business process management device 100 evaluates whether operations #M and #N can actually be reused, and then identifies operations #2 and #3 as the reuse locations. Since operation #5 among the missing operations does not exist in the similar business process #11, the business process management device 100 identifies operation #5 as the development target.

[0048] The business process management device 100 outputs information indicating a new business process as shown in FIG. 6D that reflects the specified operations. The new business process indicated by this information is composed of operations #a, #M, #N, #c, and #5 that are coordinated and continuously executed. The new business process indicated by this information branches into operations #M, #c, and #5 after operation #a. When proceeding to operation #M, after executing operation #M, it proceeds to operation #N, executes operation #N, and ends the business process. The new business process indicated by this information, when proceeding to operation #c, executes operation #c and ends the business process. The new business process indicated by this information, when proceeding to operation #5, after executing operation #5, proceeds to operation #c, executes operation #c, and ends the business process. In the new business process indicated by this information, operation #a utilizes the current function, operations #M and #N reuse the operations of similar business processes, operation #c utilizes the current function, and operation #5 is the target for development of a new function. The information indicating the new business process includes information indicating that operation #a is an operation that utilizes the current function, operations #M and #N are operations that reuse the operations of similar business processes, operation #c is an operation that utilizes the current function, and operation #5 is an operation that is the target for new function development.

[0049] The business process management device 100 outputs such information to the first peripheral device 161 and / or the second peripheral device 171 and displays it on, for example, a display. By checking the information displayed on the display, the user can understand the reusable operations, the operations that are the target for new function development, and the operations that can utilize the current function. Thereby, the business process management device 100 can assist the user in constructing a new business process (for example, a new business process that improves the current business process) by effectively using the business processes accumulated in the business process management device 100 so far.

[0050] <Specific operation> FIG. 7 is a flowchart showing the processing flow executed by the business process search / evaluation unit 123. The business process search / evaluation unit 123 starts processing from step 700, sequentially executes the processing of steps 705 to 720 described below, and then proceeds to step 725.

[0051] Step 705: The business process search / evaluation unit 123 acquires current business process data by the current business process input unit 127 and stores it in the business process table 131, the work table 132, the design information table 133, and the business process model information group 151. The details of this processing will be described later.

[0052] Step 710: The business process search / evaluation unit 123 acquires information regarding the new business process by the new business process input unit 128 and stores it in the business process table 131, the work table 132, the design information table 133, and the business process model information group 151. The details of this processing will be described later.

[0053] Step 715: The business process search / evaluation unit 123 identifies the deficiencies (deficient operations) of the new business process that are not present in the current business process among the operations of the new business process. The details of this processing will be described later.

[0054] Step 720: The business process search / evaluation unit 123 searches for candidates for business processes equivalent to the new one (i.e., similar business process candidates) and selects existing business processes (i.e., similar business processes to be reused). The details of this processing will be described later.

[0055] When the business process search / evaluation unit 123 proceeds to step 725, it determines whether there is a search result in step 720, i.e., whether there is an existing business process (similar business process to be reused).

[0056] If there is no similar business process (existing business process) to be reused, the Business Process Search and Evaluation Unit 123 determines "NO" in step 725, proceeds to step 730, evaluates all the deficiencies (deficient operations) of the new business process as development targets, identifies those operations as development targets, proceeds to step 795, and temporarily ends this processing flow.

[0057] If there is a similar business process (existing business process) to be reused, the Business Process Search and Evaluation Unit 123 determines "YES" in step 725, proceeds to step 735, and compares the deficiencies (deficient operations) identified in step 715 with the matching parts of the operations that make up the similar business process to be reused.

[0058] If all of the operations of the deficiencies identified in step 715 exist in the similar business process to be reused, the Business Process Search and Evaluation Unit 123 determines "YES" in step 735, sequentially executes the processes of step 740 and step 745 described below, and then proceeds to step 795 to temporarily end this processing flow.

[0059] Step 740: The Business Process Search and Evaluation Unit 123 evaluates the operation candidates with exact matches (i.e., all of the operations of the deficiencies). Specifically, the Business Process Search and Evaluation Unit 123 evaluates whether the operations corresponding to the deficient operations among the operations that make up the similar business process to be reused can actually be reused. This evaluation is performed, for example, by evaluating whether the software applied to the operation can be applied to the system that uses the new business process. Note that this evaluation may also be performed by the user operating the first peripheral device 161 or the second peripheral device 171 to input the evaluation and evaluating based on the input evaluation.

[0060] Step 745: Based on the evaluation results of the work candidates, the Business Process Search and Evaluation Unit 123 makes a decision for the Reuse and Migration Unit. Specifically, if the Business Process Search and Evaluation Unit 123 evaluates in Step 740 that the work can be actually reused, it identifies the evaluated work as the work to be reused (the work to be reused (migrated)), and identifies the other work as the work to be newly developed. Note that the work other than the insufficient work among the new business processes is identified as the work using the current business process.

[0061] If a part of the work for the shortage identified in Step 715 exists in a similar business process to be reused, the Business Process Search and Evaluation Unit 123 determines "NO" in Step 735, executes the processes of Step 750 and Step 755 described below in sequence, and then proceeds to Step 795 to temporarily end this processing flow.

[0062] Step 750: The Business Process Search and Evaluation Unit 123 evaluates the work candidates with partial matches (i.e., a part of the work for the shortage). Specifically, the Business Process Search and Evaluation Unit 123 evaluates whether the work corresponding to a part of the insufficient work among the work constituting the similar business process to be reused can be actually reused.

[0063] Step 755: Based on the evaluation results, the Business Process Search and Evaluation Unit 123 makes a decision for new development and a decision for the Reuse and Migration Unit. Specifically, if there is work evaluated as actually reusable in Step 750, the Business Process Search and Evaluation Unit 123 identifies the evaluated work as the work to be reused, and identifies the other work as the work to be newly developed. The work other than a part of the insufficient work is identified as the work to be newly developed. Note that the work other than the insufficient work among the new business processes is identified as the work using the current business process.

[0064] By executing the above processing flow, the Business Process Search and Evaluation Unit 123 identifies tasks that can be reused among new business processes, tasks for new development, and tasks that utilize the tasks of the current business process. Note that the Business Process Search and Evaluation Unit 123 outputs information on the new business process (for example, information as shown in FIG. 6D) based on the identified information to the First Peripheral Device 161 and / or the Second Peripheral Device 171.

[0065] <Step 705> FIG. 8 is a flowchart showing the processing flow executed by the Current Business Process Input Unit 127. When proceeding to Step 705 in FIG. 7, the Current Business Process Input Unit 127 starts processing from Step 800 in FIG. 8, sequentially executes the processing of Step 805 and Step 810 described below, and then proceeds to Step 815.

[0066] Step 805: Current business process information (name, purpose, and business process description of the current business process) is input to the Current Business Process Input Unit 127.

[0067] Step 810: Based on the input information, the Current Business Process Input Unit 127 refers to the Business Process Table 131 to search for a business process corresponding to the current business process information.

[0068] The Current Business Process Input Unit 127 proceeds to Step 815 and determines whether a business process corresponding to the current business process information has been found as a result of the search.

[0069] If a business process corresponding to the current business process information is found as a result of the search, the Current Business Process Input Unit 127 determines "YES" at Step 815 and proceeds to Step 845.

[0070] If a business process corresponding to the current business process information is not found as a result of the search, the Current Business Process Input Unit 127 determines "NO" at Step 815 and proceeds to Step 820.

[0071] When the current business process input unit 127 proceeds to step 820, information (business process model) in which the connection relationships of all the operations constituting the target business process are drawn is input to the current business process input unit 127. The business process model is created and input, for example, when the user operates the GUI screen displayed on the first peripheral device 161 (user terminal). The current business process input unit 127 assigns a model information identifier to the input business process model and stores it in the business process model information group 151 via the business process registration unit 121.

[0072] Next, the current business process input unit 127 executes a loop process from step 825 to step 840. That is, the current business process input unit 127 repeatedly performs the processes of step 830 and step 835 described below until the processes are completed for all the operations constituting the current business process.

[0073] Step 830: When the description information of the operation is input to the current business process input unit 127, the current business process input unit 127 assigns an identifier to the operation, associates the input description information with the identifier of the operation, and registers (stores) it in the operation table 132 via the business process registration unit 121.

[0074] Step 835: When the definition (name and purpose) of the operation content is input to the current business process input unit 127, the current business process input unit 127 associates the input definition (name and purpose) with the identifier of the operation and registers (stores) it in the operation table 132 via the business process registration unit 121.

[0075] After the current business process input unit 127 executes the loop process from step 825 to step 840, it proceeds to step 845.

[0076] When the current business process input unit 127 proceeds to step 845, it determines whether it is necessary to register design information for the current business process. This determination is made, for example, based on an instruction input by the user via the first peripheral device 161.

[0077] When registration of design information is not required for the current business process, the current business process input unit 127 determines "NO" in step 845, proceeds to step 895, and temporarily ends this processing flow.

[0078] When registration of design information is required for the current business process, the current business process input unit 127 determines "YES" in step 845 and executes the loop processing from step 850 to step 860. That is, the current business process input unit 127 repeatedly performs the processing of step 855 described below until all the operations constituting the current business process are completed.

[0079] Step 855: When design information corresponding to an operation is input to the current business process input unit 127, the current business process input unit 127 assigns an identifier such as an identifier of the design information, associates the input design information with the identifier, and registers (stores) it in the design information table 133 via the design information registration unit 124.

[0080] After the current business process input unit 127 executes the loop processing from step 850 to step 860, it proceeds to step 895, temporarily ends this processing flow, and proceeds to step 710 in FIG. 7.

[0081] <Step 710> FIG. 9 is a flowchart showing the processing flow executed by the new business process input unit 128. When the new business process input unit 128 proceeds to step 710 in FIG. 7, it starts processing from step 900 in FIG. 9, sequentially executes the processing of step 905 and step 910 described below, and then proceeds to step 915.

[0082] Step 905: New business process information (name, purpose, and business process description of the new business process) is input to the new business process input unit 128.

[0083] Step 910: Based on the input information, the new business process input unit 128 searches for the business process corresponding to the new business process information by referring to the business process table 131.

[0084] The new business process input unit 128 proceeds to step 915 and determines whether a business process corresponding to the information of the new business process is found as a result of the search.

[0085] If a business process corresponding to the new business process information is found as a result of the search, the new business process input unit 128 determines "YES" in step 915, proceeds to step 995, temporarily ends this processing flow, and then proceeds to step 715 in FIG. 7. In this case, the found business process is specified as the object to be reused for the new business process, and the processing ends.

[0086] If a new business process corresponding to the new business process information is not found as a result of the search, the new business process input unit 128 determines "NO" in step 915 and proceeds to step 920.

[0087] When the new business process input unit 128 proceeds to step 920, information (business process model) depicting the connection relationships of all the operations constituting the target business process for the new business process input unit 128 is input. The business process model is created and input, for example, by the user operating the GUI screen displayed on the peripheral device 171 (user terminal). The new business process input unit 128 assigns a model information identifier to the input business process model and stores it in the business process model information group 151 via the business process registration unit 121.

[0088] Next, the new business process input unit 128 executes a loop process from step 925 to step 940. That is, the new business process input unit 128 repeatedly performs the processes of step 930 and step 935 described below until the processing for all the operations constituting the new business process is completed.

[0089] Step 930: When the description information of the work is input to the new business process input unit 128, the new business process input unit 128 assigns an identifier to the work, associates the input description information with the identifier of the work, and registers (stores) it in the work table 132 via the business process registration unit 121.

[0090] Step 935: When the definition (name and purpose) of the work content is input to the new business process input unit 128, the new business process input unit 128 associates the input definition (name and purpose) with the identifier of the work and registers (stores) it in the work table 132 via the business process registration unit 121.

[0091] After the new business process input unit 128 executes the loop process from step 925 to step 940, it proceeds to step 995 to end this processing flow once, and then proceeds to step 715 in FIG. 7.

[0092] <Step 715> FIG. 10 is a flowchart showing the processing flow executed by the business process search / evaluation unit 123. When the business process search / evaluation unit 123 proceeds to step 720, it starts processing from step 1000 in FIG. 10, executes the processing of step 1005 and step 1010 described below in sequence, then proceeds to step 1095 to end this processing flow once, and then proceeds to step 720 in FIG. 7.

[0093] Step 1005: The business process search / evaluation unit 123 extracts the difference between the new business process and the current business process in work units using the new work information and the current work information.

[0094] Step 1010: The business process search / evaluation unit 123 records, as a difference (i.e., missing work), the work that is not included in the current business process and is included in the new business process in the memory 110.

[0095] <Step 720> FIG. 11 is a flowchart showing a processing flow executed by the business process search / evaluation unit 123. When proceeding to step 720, the business process search / evaluation unit 123 starts processing from step 1100 in FIG. 11, sequentially executes the processing from step 1105 to step 1130 described below, then proceeds to step 1195 to temporarily end this processing flow, and then proceeds to step 725 in FIG. 7.

[0096] Step 1105: The business process search / evaluation unit 123 extracts keywords from the new business process information. Here, the extracted keywords may be keywords related to the business environment among the name, purpose, and business process description of the new business process (for example, keywords related to industry type, business form, business scale, investment amount, etc.).

[0097] Step 1110: The business process search / evaluation unit 123 extracts keywords from the current business process information. Here, the extracted keywords may be keywords related to the business environment among the name, purpose, and business process description (for example, keywords related to industry type, business form, business scale, investment amount, etc.).

[0098] Step 1115: The business process search and evaluation unit 123 uses the new work information and the current work information to identify the work that does not exist in the current business process (i.e., the lacking work) among the new business processes. In this process, the difference recorded in the memory 110 in step 1010 of FIG. 10 may be identified as the lacking work. The identification of the lacking work is performed in work units, and among the work constituting the new business process, the work whose keyword (extracted keyword) of the new work information is the same as or regarded as the same as the keyword (extracted keyword) of the current work information and does not exist in the current business process is identified as the lacking work. "The keywords are the same" means that the compared keywords contain exactly the same phrases, and "the keywords are regarded as the same" means that the compared words are regarded as the same by the synonym list 135. The synonym list 135 stores information indicating keywords that may be regarded as the same.

[0099] Step 1120: The business process search and evaluation unit 123 searches the business process table 131 for business processes that contain the keywords extracted in step 1105 and words that are the same as or regarded as the same as the keywords extracted in step 1110, and lists up the one or more found business processes (i.e., candidate similar business processes).

[0100] Step 1125: The business process search and evaluation unit 123 identifies one or more business processes (candidate similar business processes) that contain the work corresponding to the identified lacking work among the listed candidate similar business processes. Whether the work corresponding to the identified lacking work is included in the candidate similar business process is determined by comparing, in work units, whether the keyword of the current work information and the keyword of the new work information of the work to be compared are the same as or regarded as the same. If they are the same or regarded as the same, it is determined that the work corresponding to the identified lacking work is included in the candidate similar business process, and if they are not the same or not regarded as the same, it is determined that the work corresponding to the identified lacking work is not included in the candidate similar business process.

[0101] Step 1130: Among the multiple business processes (similar business process candidates) identified in Step 1125, the business process search and evaluation unit 123 selects the similar business process candidate that contains the most operations corresponding to the identified missing operations as the similar business process to be reused. If there is only one identified similar business process candidate, the business process search and evaluation unit 123 selects that one business process as the business process to be reused.

[0102] <Effect> As described above, the business process management apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment can effectively utilize the accumulated business processes by identifying the reusable parts of a new business process in work units, accumulating the business processes, and effectively using them in work units to support the construction of a new business process.

[0103] <<First Variation of the First Embodiment>> The first variation of the first embodiment may be configured to execute Step 1230 in FIG. 12 instead of Step 1130 in FIG. 11.

[0104] Step 1230: Among the multiple identified similar business process candidates, the business process search and evaluation unit 123 selects the similar business process candidate in which the operations corresponding to the identified missing operations are the longest continuous as the similar business process to be reused.

[0105] In this case, the first variation of the first embodiment can select a similar business process candidate in which the operations corresponding to the missing operations are more continuous as the similar business process to be reused.

[0106] <<Second Variation of the First Embodiment>> The second variation of the first embodiment may be configured to execute Step 1330 in FIG. 13 instead of Step 1130 in FIG. 11.

[0107] Step 1330: The business process search and evaluation unit 123 uses the design information search and evaluation unit 126 to select, from among the identified multiple business processes, the business process that corresponds to the identified insufficient operation and has the most design information (the operation associated with design information in the design information table 133) as the business process to be reused.

[0108] In this case, in the second modification example of the first embodiment, a similar business process candidate that has more design information for the operation corresponding to the insufficient operation can be selected as the similar business process to be reused.

[0109] <<Third Modification Example of the First Embodiment>> The third modification example of the first embodiment may be configured to execute step 1430 in FIG. 14 instead of step 1130 in FIG. 11.

[0110] Step 1430: The business process search and evaluation unit 123 uses the design information search and evaluation unit 126 to select, from among the identified multiple business processes, the similar business process candidate that corresponds to the identified insufficient operation, has design information, and has the most design information applied thereto (the similar business process candidate with the most design information applied to cases in the performance information table 134) as the business process to be reused.

[0111] In the third modification example of the first embodiment, a similar business process candidate with more application records of the design information of the operation corresponding to the insufficient operation can be selected as the similar business process to be reused.

[0112] <<Fourth Modification Example of the First Embodiment>> In the fourth modification example of the first embodiment, a column for setting disclosure conditions may be added to the work table 132. Information indicating disclosure conditions (disclosure restrictions) such as being discloseable only in a specific region is stored in this column.

[0113] The fourth modification example of the first embodiment may be configured to execute step 1530 in FIG. 15 instead of step 1130 in FIG. 11.

[0114] Step 1530: Among the plurality of identified business processes, the Business Process Search and Evaluation Unit 123 selects a candidate for a similar business process that corresponds to the identified missing work and does not include work for which a disclosure condition (disclosure restriction) is set as the business process to be reused.

[0115] In the fourth modification of the first embodiment, a candidate for a similar business process without a disclosure condition (disclosure restriction) can be selected as the similar business process to be reused.

[0116] <<Second Embodiment>> The business process management apparatus 100 according to the second embodiment of the present invention will be described. The business process management apparatus 100 according to the second embodiment has differences from the business process management apparatus 100 according to the first embodiment only in the following points.

[0117] The business process management apparatus 100 according to the second embodiment inputs current business process data regarding the current business process and information indicating the business environment and information indicating the provided value (hereinafter, these pieces of information may be referred to as "business environment provided value information"), and finds a similar business process to be reused that is similar to the current business process considering the business environment provided value information from the business processes stored in the business process management apparatus 100 and specifies it as the reuse target.

[0118] Hereinafter, the description will focus on this difference.

[0119] <Specific Operation> FIG. 16 is a flowchart showing the processing flow executed by the Business Process Search and Evaluation Unit 123. The Business Process Search and Evaluation Unit 123 starts processing from Step 1600, sequentially executes the processing of Steps 1605 to 1625 described below, and then proceeds to Step 1695.

[0120] Step 1605: The business process search and evaluation unit 123 obtains information indicating the business environment and the value provided (business environment and value provided information) from a business environment and a value provided input unit (not shown) and stores it in the memory 110. The business environment and value provided information is information that expresses the business environment and the value provided by a business process in sentences, words, or combinations of words.

[0121] Step 1610: The business process search and evaluation unit 123 obtains current business process data from the current business process input unit 127. The details of this process are the same as the process flow of FIG. 8 described above.

[0122] Step 1615: The business process search and evaluation unit 123 searches for similar business processes that provide the business environment and the value provided indicated by the business environment and value provided information indicating the obtained business environment and value provided. The details of this process will be described later.

[0123] Step 1620: The business process search and evaluation unit 123 evaluates the performance of the discovered similar business process candidates and selects a similar business process to be reused. That is, by selecting a similar business process to be reused, the business process search and evaluation unit 123 identifies all the operations that make up the similar business process to be reused as operation candidates to be reused.

[0124] Step 1625: The business process search and evaluation unit 123 evaluates whether the operations that make up the selected similar business process to be reused can actually be reused and transplanted in units of operations, and then determines a reuse and transplantation unit.

[0125] <Step 1615> FIG. 17 is a flowchart showing a process flow executed by the business process search and evaluation unit 123. When the business process search and evaluation unit 123 proceeds to step 1615 in FIG. 16, it starts processing from step 1700 and sequentially executes the processes of steps 1705 to 1730 described below, then proceeds to step 1795 to end this process flow, and then proceeds to step 1620 in FIG. 16.

[0126] Step 1705: The business process search and evaluation unit 123 extracts keywords from the input business environment and information indicating the value provided. Here, the keywords are extracted from the sentences (or words or combinations of words) stored in the information indicating the business environment and the value provided (business environment value-provided information), and the keywords are those related to the business environment and the value provided.

[0127] Step 1710: The business process search and evaluation unit 123 extracts keywords from the current business process information.

[0128] Step 1715: The business process search and evaluation unit 123 searches the business process table 131 for business processes that include the keywords extracted in step 1705 and keywords that are the same as or regarded as the same as the keywords extracted in step 1710, and lists up the one or more found business processes (i.e., candidate similar business processes).

[0129] Step 1720: The business process search and evaluation unit 123 identifies the operations that are not in the current business process among each of the listed candidate similar business processes. Note that the process of step 1720 may be omitted.

[0130] Step 1725: The business process search and evaluation unit 123 identifies the operations corresponding to the operations included in the current business process for each of the listed candidate similar business processes.

[0131] Step 1730: The business process search and evaluation unit 123 selects, from among the multiple listed business processes, the candidate similar business process that contains the most operations identified in step 1725 as the similar business process to be reused.

[0132] <Effect> As described above, the business process management apparatus 100 according to the second embodiment specifies, as reuse targets, the work units of the work of constructing a business process similar to the current business process in consideration of the information indicating the business environment input by the user and the provided value, and effectively utilizes the accumulated business processes in work units to support the construction of a new business process, thereby enabling the effective utilization of the accumulated business processes.

[0133] <<First Variation of the Second Embodiment>> The first variation of the second embodiment may be configured to execute step 1830 in FIG. 18 instead of step 1730 in FIG. 17.

[0134] Step 1830: When there are a plurality of candidate similar business processes that contain the most of the work specified in step 1725 among the plurality of candidate similar business processes listed up by the business process search / evaluation unit 123 (when there are a plurality of candidate similar business processes with the same number of specified work), the business process that contains the most of the work specified in step 1720 is selected as the business process to be reused.

[0135] <<Other Variations>> The present invention is not limited to the above-described embodiments and variations, and various variations can be adopted within the scope of the present invention. Furthermore, the above-described embodiments and variations can be combined with each other as long as they do not deviate from the scope of the present invention.

[0136] In each of the above-described embodiments, the specification of the lacking work of the new business process in step 715 of FIG. 7 (the work in the new business process that is not in the current business process) may be performed based on the operation of the first peripheral device 161 by the user.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0137] 100... Business process management device, 110... Memory, 120... Business process management section, 131... Business process table, 132... Work table, 133... Design information table, 134... Performance information table, 135... Synonym list, 140... Processor, 150... Auxiliary storage device, 151... Business process model information group, 160... Network interface, 170... External interface

Claims

1. A business process management apparatus including an information processing apparatus for managing a business process composed of a series of multiple operations, wherein the information processing apparatus, has a storage device storing an accumulated business process data group including, for each of a plurality of business processes, business process information explaining the content of the business process, work information explaining the content of the operations constituting the business process, and data related to the business process, wherein the information processing apparatus, acquires current business process data including a current business process and current business process work information regarding the operations constituting the current business process, and data related to the current business process, and a new business process and new business process work information regarding the operations constituting the new business process, or business environment and provided value information indicating a business environment and provided value, and based on the current business process work information and the new business process work information, or the business environment and provided value information, performs a similar business process candidate identification for identifying one or more similar business process candidates, which are business processes in which the current business process and the new business process or the business environment and provided value information and the business environment are compatible, from among the accumulated business process data group, a reused target similar business process selection for selecting a similar business process to be reused from among the identified one or more similar business process candidates, and a reused target operation identification for identifying, as a reused target, at least a part of the operations of the selected similar business process to be reused in work units. configured as such, a business process management apparatus.

2. In the business process management apparatus according to Claim 1, the business process information includes the name, purpose, and business process description of the business process, and the work information includes the name, purpose, and work description of the operations constituting the business process, wherein the information processing apparatus, acquires, as the current business process work information, current business process information including the name, purpose, and business process description of the current business process, and current work information including the name, purpose, and work description of the operations constituting the current business process, and acquires, as the new business process work information, new business process information including the name, purpose, and business process description of the new business process, and new work information including the name, purpose, and work description of the operations constituting the new business process. ​ configured as follows, a business process management apparatus.

3. In the business process management apparatus according to claim 2, the information processing apparatus acquires the current business process data and the new business process work information, based on the current business process information, the new business process information, and the business process information, performs identification of candidate similar business processes that are the business processes in which the current business process and the new business process are compatible with the business environment, and identifies one or more of the candidate similar business processes from the accumulated business process data group, based on the current work information and the new work information, performs selection of a similar business process for reuse by performing identification of missing work, which is work that does not exist in the current business process among the work constituting the new business process, and for each of the identified one or more candidate similar business processes, determines whether work corresponding to the identified missing work exists, and based on the result of the determination, selects the similar business process for reuse from among the identified one or more candidate similar business processes, performs identification of work for reuse by identifying, as candidate work for reuse, work that can be applied to the missing work of the new business process from among the selected similar business processes for reuse, evaluates whether the candidate work for reuse is actually reusable, and based on the evaluation result, identifies the candidate work for reuse as the work for reuse, configured as follows, a business process management apparatus.

4. In the business process management apparatus according to claim 3, a synonym list is stored in the storage device, the information processing apparatus performs identification of candidate similar business processes by identifying, as candidate similar business processes, business processes in which keywords extracted from the current business process information and keywords extracted from the new business process information are included in the business process information or are considered to be included in the business process information based on the synonym list, The insufficient operation identification is performed by determining, for each operation unit, whether there is an operation in which the keyword extracted from the new operation information is the same as or regarded as the same as the keyword extracted from the current operation information, and identifying, among the operations constituting the new business process, an operation in which the keyword extracted from the new operation information is not found to be the same as or regarded as the same as the keyword extracted from the current operation information as the insufficient operation. configured as a business process management device.

5. In the business process management device according to claim 3, the information processing device performs the selection of the reusable similar business process by selecting, among the one or more identified similar business process candidates, the similar business process candidate in which the number of operations corresponding to the identified insufficient operation is the largest as the similar business process to be reused. configured as a business process management device.

6. In the business process management device according to claim 3, the information processing device performs the selection of the reusable similar business process by selecting, among the one or more identified similar business process candidates, the similar business process candidate in which the operation corresponding to the identified insufficient operation is the longest continuous as the similar business process to be reused. configured as a business process management device.

7. In the business process management device according to claim 3, the storage device stores design information management information indicating design information associated with each operation constituting the business process, the information processing device determines, based on the design information management information, the number of operations associated with the design information for the one or more identified similar business process candidates, and performs the selection of the reusable similar business process by selecting, among the one or more identified similar business process candidates, the similar business process candidate that corresponds to the identified insufficient operation and has the largest number of operations associated with the design information as the similar business process to be reused. configured as a business process management device.

8. In the business process management device according to claim 3, the storage device stores design information management information indicating design information associated with each operation constituting the business process and performance management information indicating records regarding cases to which the design information has been applied, the information processing device Based on the design information management information and the performance management information, for one or more of the identified similar business process candidates, determine the number of operations associated with the design information and the number of application performance records of the design information of the operations with respect to the business process. The selection of the similar business process for reuse is performed by selecting, from among the one or more identified similar business process candidates, the similar business process candidate that corresponds to the identified insufficient operations, is an operation associated with the design information, and has the largest number of application performance records of the operation with respect to the business process as the similar business process for reuse. configured as a business process management device.

9. In the business process management device according to claim 3, the storage device stores disclosure conditions for operations, the information processing device The selection of the similar business process for reuse is performed by selecting, from among the one or more identified similar business process candidates, the similar business process candidate that corresponds to the identified insufficient operations and has the largest number of operations for which no disclosure restriction is set as the disclosure condition as the similar business process for reuse. configured as a business process management device.

10. In the business process management device according to claim 3, the information processing device The identification of the operation for reuse is performed by evaluating whether the operation of the reuse target candidate can actually be reused, and if the operation of the reuse target candidate is evaluated as reusable, identifying the operation of the reuse target candidate as the reuse target. configured as a business process management device.

11. In the business process management device according to claim 2, the information processing device acquires the current business process data and the business environment provided value information, based on the current business process information and the business environment provided value information, perform the identification of the similar business process candidate to identify one or more of the similar business process candidates that are the business processes in which the current business process and the business environment provided value information are compatible with the business environment from among the accumulated business process data groups. The selection of the similar business process to be reused is performed by identifying the operations included in the current business process for each of the identified one or more similar business process candidates, and based on the identified results, selecting the similar business process to be reused from among the identified one or more similar business process candidates. By using the selected similar business process to be reused as the object to be reused, perform the identification of candidate operations to be reused, which identifies all the operations of the similar business process to be reused as candidates for reuse. Evaluate whether the operations of the candidate for reuse can actually be reused, and perform the identification of the operations to be reused by specifying the operations of the candidate for reuse as the operations to be reused according to the evaluation results. configured as a business process management device.

12. In the business process management device according to claim 11, the information processing device performs the selection of the similar business process to be reused by identifying, for each of the identified one or more similar business process candidates, the operations corresponding to the operations included in the current business process, and selecting, from among the identified one or more similar business process candidates, the similar business process candidate having the most identified operations as the similar business process to be reused. configured as a business process management device.

13. In the business process management device according to claim 11, the information processing device in addition to identifying, for each of the identified one or more similar business process candidates, the operations corresponding to the operations included in the current business process, identifies the operations not included in the current business process. When there is only one similar business process candidate having the most identified operations, perform the selection of the similar business process to be reused by selecting, from among the identified one or more similar business process candidates, the similar business process candidate having the most identified operations included in the current business process as the similar business process to be reused. When there are multiple similar business process candidates having the most identified operations, perform the selection of the similar business process to be reused by selecting, from among the multiple similar business process candidates having the most identified operations, the similar business process candidate having the most identified operations not included in the current business process as the similar business process to be reused. configured as a business process management device.

14. In the business process management apparatus according to claim 1, the information processing apparatus is configured to output information indicating a business process including information indicating the identified work to be reused to a peripheral device. configured as a business process management apparatus.

15. A business process management method including an information processing apparatus for managing a business process composed of a series of multiple operations, wherein the information processing apparatus has a storage device in which a storage business process data group including business process information for explaining the content of the business process, work information for explaining the content of the operations constituting the business process, and data related to the business process for each of a plurality of business processes is stored, by the information processing apparatus acquire current business process data including a current business process, current business process work information regarding the operations constituting the current business process, and data related to the current business process, and a new business process, new business process work information regarding the operations constituting the new business process, or business environment and value provided information indicating a business environment and value provided, based on the current business process work information, the new business process work information, or the business environment and value provided information perform identification of one or more candidate similar business processes that are the business processes in which the current business process, the new business process or the business environment and value provided information, and the business environment are compatible, from among the storage business process data group (similar business process candidate identification), select a similar business process to be reused from among the identified one or more candidate similar business processes (reuse target similar business process selection), identify, as a work unit, at least a part of the operations of the selected similar business process to be reused as a reuse target (reuse target work identification), and perform a business process management method.

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