Scenario suggestion device, scenario suggestion method, and scenario suggestion program

Abstract

In one embodiment of the present invention, a scenario proposing device comprises an operation log collection unit, a classification unit, a scenario collection unit, and a proposing unit. The operation log collection unit collects, via the network, operation logs of operations on computers from computers at a plurality of locations, each computer performing (a) task(s) using a scenario describing a task procedure and / or (a) task(s) not using a scenario. The classification unit divides and classifies the operation logs collected by the operation log collection unit to generate task operation logs, which are operation logs in units of tasks. The scenario collection unit collects, from the computers at a plurality of locations via the network, scenarios adopted at each location. The proposing unit transmits, via the network, a scenario adoption proposal to a computer at a location that executes the tasks of task operation logs for which the degree of matching with a scenario collected by the scenario collection unit is a certain value or greater from among the task operation logs generated by the classification unit.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] One aspect of this invention relates to a scenario proposal device, a scenario proposal method, and a scenario proposal program.

Background Art

[0002] As methods for reducing operation in companies and the like, there are introductions of RPA (Robotic Process Automation) and UI expansion. In particular, citizen development in which employees in the work department conduct development according to their own needs without relying on vendors has been in the spotlight. However, in an organization of a certain scale, unique measures and RPA scenarios are created and operated at work bases such as departments and branches, and the opportunity for horizontal deployment of this RPA scenario to other work bases has been limited.

[0003] Here, if sufficient horizontal deployment of the RPA scenario is carried out, it becomes unnecessary to create duplicate RPA scenarios for similar operations at different work bases, and the creation and operation of the RAP scenario can be reduced. Therefore, the following methods have been tried.

[0004] The first method is to identify the work to which each RPA scenario applies from the work at each work base by analyzing the work log of the work performed at each work base using a work classification technique as disclosed in Non-Patent Document 1, for example.

[0005] The second method is to install a portal site that can be browsed within the organization and register the RPA scenarios of each work base on this portal site to perform horizontal deployment between work bases.

[0006] The third method is to install a specialized department within the organization and perform matching between measures, issues, and RPA scenarios in the specialized department by bringing in measures and issues from each work base to the specialized department, thereby deploying the RPA scenario.

Prior Art Documents

[0007] [Non-Patent Document 1] Y. Urabe, S. Yagi, K. Tsuchikawa, and H. Oishi, "Task Clustering Method Using User Interaction Log to Plan RPA Introduction", In Business Process Management - 19th International Conference (BPM 2021), Aug. 2021. [Overview of the Initiative] [Problems that the invention aims to solve]

[0008] However, task classification technology can only perform task classification and visualization. In the first method, the selection of tasks to which the RPA scenario should be applied must be done by a human interpreter, making it highly dependent on individual expertise.

[0009] Furthermore, the second method has the problem of incurring costs for setting up a portal site. In addition, the uploader must include explanatory information about the RPA scenario on the portal site, and the user must understand their own work and interpret whether the uploaded RPA scenario matches their work. Therefore, both the uploader and the user have a high degree of personal responsibility.

[0010] Furthermore, the third method requires the establishment of a specialized department. This specialized department must understand the tasks to which each RPA scenario applies and interpret whether the RPA scenario matches the tasks performed at the work site, making it highly dependent on individual expertise.

[0011] Thus, the selection of tasks to which RPA can be applied and the selection of RPA scenarios that can be used for those tasks are highly dependent on individual expertise. Therefore, even if RPA scenarios are available at other work locations, their use can be difficult, resulting in the challenge of high workload for creating and operating RPA scenarios.

[0012] This invention was made in view of the above circumstances, and its purpose is to provide a technology that enables a reduction in the creation and operation of RPA scenarios. [Means for solving the problem]

[0013] In one embodiment of this invention, the scenario suggestion device comprises an operation log collection unit, a classification unit, a scenario collection unit, and a suggestion unit. The operation log collection unit collects operation logs of operations performed on computers at multiple locations via a network, each performing at least one task that uses a scenario describing a work procedure and at least one task that does not use a scenario. The classification unit divides and classifies the operation logs collected by the operation log collection unit to generate work operation logs, which are operation logs for each task. The scenario collection unit collects scenarios installed at each location from computers at multiple locations via a network. The suggestion unit selects scenarios from among the work operation logs generated by the classification unit that were collected by the scenario collection unit. Work operation logs and scenarios based on identical operation locations and identical strings between the operations shown. To the computer at the location where the work operation log is executed, if the degree of matching exceeds a certain value. 、 Proposal for introducing the scenario via the network Send. [Effects of the Invention]

[0014] According to one aspect of this invention, personality but This reduces costs and allows the use of RPA scenarios from other locations, thus reducing the time and effort required to create and operate RPA scenarios. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0015] [Figure 1]FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of each electronic device included in the scenario proposal system according to the first embodiment. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the software configuration of a server as a scenario proposal device according to the first embodiment, which is arranged in the headquarters constituting the scenario proposal system. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of the content of an operation information record for each base for storing operation information for each base in the RAM included in the control unit of the server. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the software configuration of a computer arranged at the base constituting the scenario proposal system. [Figure 5] FIG. 12 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure and processing content of the server in the first embodiment. [Figure 6] FIG. 15 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure and processing content of the operation log collection / RPA scenario proposal processing of the server in the first embodiment. [Figure 7] FIG. 18 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure and processing content of the operation log classification processing of the server in the first embodiment. [Figure 8] FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure and processing content of the RPA scenario collection processing of the server in the first embodiment. [Figure 9] FIG. 24 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure and processing content of the proposed RPA scenario determination processing of the server in the first embodiment. [Figure 10] FIG. 27 is a diagram showing an example of the correspondence between the operations in the operation log and the operations in the RPA scenario. [Figure 11] FIG. 30 is a diagram showing an example of items that can be acquired as an operation log. [Figure 12] FIG. 33 is a diagram showing an example of the vector of each operation included in one work unit. [Figure 13] FIG. 36 is a diagram showing an example of the comparison between each work log and each RPA scenario in the proposed RPA scenario determination processing. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing an example of comparison between each work log and each RPA scenario in the proposed RPA scenario determination process. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of comparison between each work log and each RPA scenario in the proposed RPA scenario determination process. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of comparison between each work log and each RPA scenario in the proposed RPA scenario determination process. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a block diagram showing an example of the software configuration of a server as a scenario proposal device according to the second embodiment. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a block diagram showing an example of the software configuration of a computer arranged at a base in the second embodiment. [Figure 19] FIG. 19 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure and processing content of a server in the second embodiment. [Figure 20] FIG. 20 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure and processing content of the server operation log collection process in the second embodiment. [Figure 21] FIG. 21 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure and processing content of the RPA scenario proposal process of a server in the second embodiment. [Figure 22] FIG. 22 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure and processing content of the RPA scenario transmission process of a server in the second embodiment. [Figure 23] FIG. 23 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure and processing content of the proposed RPA scenario determination process of a server in the third embodiment. [Embodiments for Carrying Out the Invention]

[0016] Hereinafter, several embodiments of this invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

[0017] [First Embodiment] (Configuration Example) Figure 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of each electronic device included in the scenario suggestion system S in the first embodiment. The scenario suggestion system S includes multiple electronic devices included in headquarters H and multiple electronic devices included in each of the multiple (three in the example of Figure 1) base stations B. Headquarters H includes a server 1, an input device 101, and an output device 102 as electronic devices. Base station B includes a computer 2, an input device 201, and an output device 202 as electronic devices.

[0018] Server 1 at headquarters H and computers 2 at each branch B can communicate with each other via a network NW. Branch B is a work site where work is actually performed. For example, if headquarters H is the company's head office, then branch B can be a remote branch of the company. In this case, the network NW can be a dedicated network such as a VPN (Virtual Private Network), or a network using public lines such as the internet or a mobile communication network. Also, if headquarters H is, for example, a company's administrative department, then branch B can be various work departments within the company. In this case, the network NW can be a company LAN (Local Area Network), etc.

[0019] Server 1 at headquarters H is a scenario suggestion device according to the first embodiment. Server 1 comprises a control unit 11, a program storage unit 12, a data storage unit 13, a communication interface 14, and an input / output interface 15. Each element of Server 1 is connected to the others via a bus.

[0020] The control unit 11 corresponds to the central part of server 1. The control unit 11 is equipped with a processor such as a Central Processing Unit (CPU). The processor may be multi-core / multi-threaded and capable of executing multiple processes in parallel. The control unit 11 is equipped with ROM (Read Only Memory) as a non-volatile memory area. The control unit 11 is equipped with RAM (Random Access Memory) as a volatile memory area. The processor loads the program stored in ROM or program storage unit 12 into RAM. By executing the program loaded into RAM, the control unit 11 realizes the various functional units described later. The control unit 11 constitutes a computer.

[0021] The program storage unit 12 is composed of a non-volatile memory, such as an HDD (Hard Disk Drive) or SSD (Solid State Drive), that allows for writing and reading at any time. The program storage unit 12 stores programs necessary for executing various control processes. For example, the program storage unit 12 stores programs that cause the server 1 to execute processes performed by the various functional units described later, which are implemented in the control unit 11. The program storage unit 12 is an example of storage.

[0022] The data storage unit 13 is composed of a non-volatile memory such as an HDD or SSD that allows for on-demand writing and reading as a storage medium. The data storage unit 13 is an example of a storage or memory unit.

[0023] The communication interface 14 includes various interfaces that enable server 1 to communicate with other electronic devices using communication protocols defined by the network NW.

[0024] The input / output interface 15 is an interface that enables communication between the server 1 and the input device 101 and output device 102, respectively. The input / output interface 15 may have a wired communication interface or a wireless communication interface.

[0025] Note that the hardware configuration of Server 1 is not limited to the configuration described above. Server 1 may, as appropriate, omit or change the above-mentioned components and add new components.

[0026] The input device 101 is an electronic device for inputting information to be provided to the control unit 11, such as a keyboard, a pointing device like a mouse, or a microphone.

[0027] The output device 102 is an electronic device for outputting information from the control unit 11, such as a display, printer, or speaker.

[0028] Computer 2 at each site B is an example of a computer that performs at least one task, either using an RPA scenario that describes the work procedure or not using an RPA scenario. Computer 2 comprises a control unit 21, a program storage unit 22, a data storage unit 23, a communication interface 24, and an input / output interface 25. Each element of computer 2 is connected to one another via a bus.

[0029] The control unit 21, like the control unit 11 in the server 1 of headquarters H, may be equipped with a processor, ROM, and RAM. The processor may be multi-core / multi-threaded and capable of executing multiple processes in parallel. The processor loads the programs stored in the ROM or program storage unit 22 into the RAM. By executing the programs loaded into the RAM, the control unit 21 realizes the various functional units described later.

[0030] The program storage unit 22 may be configured similarly to the program storage unit 12 in the server 1 of headquarters H.

[0031] The data storage unit 23 may be configured similarly to the data storage unit 13 in the server 1 of headquarters H.

[0032] The communication interface 24 may be configured similarly to the communication interface 14 in the server 1 of headquarters H. The communication interface 24 includes various interfaces that enable communication between the computer 2 and other electronic devices.

[0033] The input / output interface 25 may be configured similarly to the input / output interface 15 in the server 1 of headquarters H. The input / output interface 25 enables communication between the computer 2 and the input device 201 and the output device 202, respectively.

[0034] Note that the hardware configuration of Computer 2 is not limited to the configuration described above. Computer 2 may, as appropriate, omit or change the above-mentioned components and add new components.

[0035] The input device 201 is an electronic device for inputting information to be provided to the control unit 21, such as a keyboard, a pointing device like a mouse, or a microphone.

[0036] The output device 202 is an electronic device for outputting information from the control unit 21, such as a display, printer, or speaker.

[0037] Figure 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the software configuration of Server 1 as a scenario proposal device according to the first embodiment, located at Headquarters H, which constitutes the scenario proposal system S. Server 1 at Headquarters H includes an operation log collection unit 111, a log classification unit 112, a scenario collection unit 113, a degree of agreement calculation unit 114, a combination extraction unit 115, and a scenario proposal unit 116. Each functional unit is realized by the execution of a program by the control unit 11. It can also be said that each functional unit is provided by the control unit 11 or a processor. Each functional unit is interchangeable with the control unit 11 or a processor. Each functional unit may also be realized in various other forms, including integrated circuits such as ASICs (Application Specific Integrated Circuits), DSPs (Digital Signal Processors), FPGAs (field-programmable gate arrays), and GPUs (Graphics Processing Units). Furthermore, Server 1 includes an operation log storage unit 131, a classification result storage unit 132, a scenario storage unit 133, and a proposal storage unit 134. These operation log storage unit 131, classification result storage unit 132, scenario storage unit 133, and proposal storage unit 134 are implemented by the data storage unit 13.

[0038] The operation log collection unit 111 receives data from the computer 2 at each location B via the network NW using the communication interface 14. toIn contrast, the operation log collection unit 111 collects operation information transmitted each time an operation is performed by the input device 201 and generates an operation log for each site B. Figure 3 is a diagram showing an example of the contents of a site-specific operation information record 111R for storing site-specific operation information in the RAM provided by the control unit 11 of the server 1. When the operation log collection unit 111 receives operation information from the computer 2 at site B, it temporarily stores the operation information, along with the time of reception, in an operation information record 111R with the site ID of the site B stored in the RAM. The site ID is an example of site information for uniquely identifying each site B. The operation log collection unit 111 then adds the operation information and time of reception temporarily stored in this operation information record 111R to the operation log of the site B stored in the operation log storage unit 131. In this way, the operation log collection unit 111 collects an operation log for each site B. The operation log collection unit 111 is an example of an operation log collection unit that collects operation logs of operations performed on the computers 2 of multiple site B locations via a network NW.

[0039] Furthermore, the operation log collection unit 111 determines, based on the received operation information, whether work has been completed on computer 2 at all locations B. If it determines that work has been completed, it transmits this to the log classification unit 112. For example, when it receives operation information indicating that an operation to turn off the power to computer 2 has been performed, the operation log collection unit 111 can determine that work on that computer 2 has been completed. However, there may be locations B that do not turn off the power to computer 2 even after the end of the day's work. Therefore, the operation log collection unit 111 may be configured to determine that work on that computer 2 has been completed if no operation information is received for a specified period of time, such as 3 hours. Whether or not this specified period has elapsed can be easily determined by comparing the reception time of the operation information record 111R with the current time. When the operation log collection unit 111 transmits the completion of work to the log classification unit 112, it clears the operation information record 111R for the location B.

[0040] Furthermore, the operation log collection unit 111 determines, based on the received operation information, whether work on each computer 2 has been completed and whether work on each computer 2 has started again. For example, when it receives operation information indicating that the operation to power on computer 2 has been performed, the operation log collection unit 111 can determine that work on that computer 2 has started. If it determines that work has started, the operation log collection unit 111 determines whether or not it has sent the RPA scenario implementation proposal to the computer 2 at site B where the work started, via the network NW using the communication interface 14. As shown in Figure 3, the operation information record 111R is configured to temporarily store a sent flag in addition to the operation information and reception time. The operation log collection unit 111 checks the sent flag in the operation information record 111R at the relevant site, and if the flag is cleared, it can determine that the RPA scenario implementation proposal has not been sent. If the operation log collection unit 111 determines that the RPA scenario implementation proposal has not yet been sent, it instructs the scenario proposal unit 116 to send the RPA scenario implementation proposal to the computer 2 at site B via the network NW using the communication interface 14.

[0041] When the log classification unit 112 receives notification from the operation log collection unit 111 that work has been completed at all locations B using computers 2, it divides and classifies the operation logs stored in the operation log storage unit 131 for each location B into units of work, using work classification technology such as that disclosed in Non-Patent Literature 1, and generates work operation logs, which are operation logs for each unit of work. The log classification unit 112 then stores the generated work operation logs for each location B in the classification result storage unit 132. The log classification unit 112 is an example of a classification unit that divides and classifies the operation logs collected by the operation log collection unit to generate work operation logs, which are operation logs for each unit of work.

[0042] The scenario collection unit 113 collects RPA scenarios installed on computers 2 at each site B via the network NW using the communication interface 14, and records the collected RPA scenarios and site information pairs in the scenario storage unit 133. Specifically, for example, the scenario collection unit 113 sends a scenario request to each site B's computer 2 via the network NW using the communication interface 14, requesting that the computer 2 send the RPA scenarios installed on it. The scenario collection unit 113 then receives the RPA scenarios sent back from each site B's computer 2 via the network NW in response to this scenario request using the communication interface 14. The scenario collection unit 113 is an example of a scenario collection unit that collects scenarios installed at each site B from computers 2 at multiple site B locations via the network NW.

[0043] The matching degree calculation unit 114, the combination extraction unit 115, and the scenario proposal unit 116 are examples of a proposal unit that, from among the work operation logs generated by the classification unit, transmits a scenario introduction proposal via the network NW to the computer 2 at base B which performs the work operation logs whose matching degree with the scenarios collected by the scenario collection unit is above a certain value.

[0044] Specifically, the degree of agreement calculation unit 114 calculates the degree of agreement between the work operation logs for each task at each site B stored in the classification result storage unit 132 and the RPA scenarios stored in the scenario storage unit 133 for all possible combinations. The degree of agreement calculation unit 114 then transmits the calculated degree of agreement for each combination to the combination extraction unit 115. The degree of agreement calculation unit 114 is an example of a degree of agreement calculation unit that calculates the degree of agreement between the work operation logs generated by the classification unit and the scenarios collected by the scenario collection unit for all possible combinations.

[0045] The combination extraction unit 115 extracts combinations of work operation logs and RPA scenarios transmitted from the matching degree calculation unit 114 that have a matching degree of a certain value or higher. The combination extraction unit 115 then records the work operation log and RPA scenario pair in the extracted combination in the suggestion storage unit 134. In this case, if the combination extraction unit 115 determines, based on the RPA scenario and location information pair stored in the scenario storage unit 133, that the RPA scenario pair has already been implemented for that work, it excludes that work and RPA scenario pair from being recorded in the suggestion storage unit 134. Note that the suggestion storage unit 134 may not record the RPA scenario itself, but rather RPA scenario information to identify the RPA scenario stored in the scenario storage unit 133. The combination extraction unit 115 is an example of a combination extraction unit that extracts combinations with a matching degree of a certain value or higher calculated by the matching degree calculation unit.

[0046] When the Scenario Proposal Unit 116 receives instructions from the Operation Log Collection Unit 111 to send an RPA scenario implementation proposal to computer 2 at site B, which initiated the work, it sends an implementation proposal via the communication interface 14 over the network NW, proposing an RPA scenario suitable for executing the work, based on the work and RPA scenario pair stored in the Proposal Storage Unit 134. The Scenario Proposal Unit 116 then sets the "Sent" flag in the operation information record 111R corresponding to site B from which the implementation proposal was sent, i.e., records "1". Subsequently, when the Scenario Proposal Unit 116 receives an acceptance of the implementation proposal via the communication interface 14 from computer 2 at site B, which received the proposal, it sends the RPA scenario stored in the Scenario Storage Unit 133 to computer 2 at site B via the communication interface 14 over the network NW.

[0047] The scenario proposal unit 116 is an example of a scenario proposal unit that sends an introduction proposal via the network NW to computer 2 at site B, which executes the work for the combination extracted by the combination extraction unit, proposing the introduction of a scenario for the extracted combination. Furthermore, when the scenario proposal unit 116 receives acceptance of the proposal via the network NW from computer 2 at site B, which has received the scenario introduction proposal, it sends the proposed scenario to computer 2 via the network NW.

[0048] Figure 4 is a block diagram showing an example of the software configuration of a computer 2 located at site B, which constitutes the scenario proposal system S according to the first embodiment.

[0049] Computer 2 at site B comprises a work execution unit 211, an operation information transmission unit 212, a scenario output unit 213, and a proposal acquisition unit 214. Each functional unit is realized by the execution of a program by the control unit 21. Each functional unit can also be said to be comprised of the control unit 21 or a processor. Each functional unit is interchangeable with the control unit 21 or a processor. Each functional unit may also be realized in various other forms, including integrated circuits such as ASICs, DSPs, FPGAs, and GPUs. Furthermore, computer 2 comprises a scenario storage unit 231. The scenario storage unit 231 is realized by the data storage unit 23.

[0050] The task execution unit 211 executes various tasks according to the task programs for various tasks stored in the program storage unit 22. At this time, if an RPA scenario describing the work procedure for the task is stored in the scenario storage unit 231, the task execution unit 211 can use it to execute the task. If no corresponding RPA scenario is stored in the scenario storage unit 231, the task execution unit 211 will, of course, execute the task according to the task program without using an RPA scenario. In the execution of tasks with or without using an RPA scenario, the task execution unit 211 receives operations from the input device 201 and outputs the work content via the output device 202. The task execution unit 211 transmits operation information indicating the operations received during the execution of the task to the operation information transmission unit 212.

[0051] The operation information transmission unit 212 transmits the operation information received from the work execution unit 211 to the server 1 at headquarters H via the network NW using the communication interface 24.

[0052] When the scenario output unit 213 receives a scenario request from the server 1 at headquarters H via the network NW through the communication interface 24, it reads the RPA scenario stored in the scenario storage unit 231. The scenario output unit 213 then sends the read RPA scenario to the server 1 at headquarters H via the network NW through the communication interface 24 as the RPA scenario installed at the site B.

[0053] When the proposal acquisition unit 214 receives an implementation proposal from the server 1 at headquarters H via the communication interface 24, which proposes the introduction of an RPA scenario suitable for the work to be performed at the site B, it outputs the implementation proposal using the output device 202. When the proposal acquisition unit 214 receives an operation to accept the implementation proposal via the input device 201, it sends the proposal acceptance to the server 1 at headquarters H via the communication interface 24. When the server 1 at headquarters H receives this proposal acceptance and sends an RPA scenario via the network NW, the proposal acquisition unit 214 receives it via the communication interface 24 and registers it in the scenario storage unit 231.

[0054] (Example of operation) Figure 5 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure and processing content of Server 1 as a scenario proposal device according to the first embodiment. In this first embodiment, Server 1 collects operation logs each time an operation is performed at each site B, creates an implementation proposal at the end of work at site B, for example, at the end of the day, and presents the implementation proposal at the start of work at each site B the following day.

[0055] The control unit 11 of server 1 executes an operation log collection and RPA scenario proposal process (step S11) to collect operation logs of operations performed on computers 2 at multiple locations B via the network NW. A typical example of this operation log collection and RPA scenario proposal process will be described later.

[0056] Next, the control unit 11 of server 1 performs an operation log classification process to divide and classify the collected operation logs and generate work operation logs, which are operation logs for each work unit (step S12). A typical example of this operation log classification process will be described later.

[0057] Next, the control unit 11 of server 1 executes a PA scenario collection process to collect RPA scenarios installed at each of the multiple location B computers 2 via the network NW (step S13). A typical example of this RPA scenario collection process will be described later.

[0058] Next, the control unit 11 of server 1 executes a proposed RPA scenario determination process (step S14) to determine the proposed scenarios to be sent via the network NW to the computer at site B that performs the work for the work operation logs that have a certain degree of agreement with the collected scenarios among the generated work operation logs. A typical example of this proposed RPA scenario determination process will be described later.

[0059] Then, the control unit 11 of server 1 proceeds to the operation log collection and RPA scenario proposal process of step S11, and in this operation log collection and RPA scenario proposal process, it sends the proposed implementation of the determined scenario to computer 2 at the corresponding site B via the network NW.

[0060] Figure 6 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure and content of the operation log collection and RPA scenario proposal process for Server 1. Figure 6 shows a typical example of the process in step S11. Here, the control unit 11 of Server 1 operates as the operation log collection unit 111 and the scenario proposal unit 116. First, we will explain the process related to the operation log collection unit 111.

[0061] The control unit 11 determines, via the communication interface 14, whether or not it has received operation information from the computer 2 at any of the base B locations via the network NW (step S111). As described above, the computer 2 at each base B location transmits operation information, including power-on operation information when the power is turned on, and other operation information received from the input device 201, to the server 1 at headquarters H via the network NW using the communication interface 24, using the operation information transmission unit 212.

[0062] If the control unit 11 determines that it has not received any operation information, it determines whether the work at all of the computers 2 at site B has been completed (step S112). As mentioned above, the completion of work at the computers 2 at site B can include when it receives operation information indicating that a power-off operation has been performed from the computers 2 at site B, and when no operation information is received from the computers 2 at site B for a specified period of time. If the control unit 11 determines that the work at all of the computers 2 at site B has not yet been completed, it proceeds to the process in step S111.

[0063] In step S111 above, if the control unit 11 determines that it has received operation information from computer 2 at any of the locations B, it temporarily stores the received operation information in the operation information record 111R of the source location B that sent the operation information (step S113). Specifically, the control unit 11 overwrites the operation information record 111R with the received operation information and its reception time. Therefore, the transmitted flag in the operation information record 111R maintains its value.

[0064] Subsequently, the control unit 11 checks the transmitted flag of the operation information record 111R of the corresponding base B and determines whether or not it has sent the RPA scenario implementation proposal to the source base that sent the operation information (step S114).

[0065] If the control unit 11 determines that an RPA scenario implementation proposal has already been sent to the sending site, it determines whether the received operation information indicates that an operation to accept the implementation proposal has been performed (step S115).

[0066] If the control unit 11 determines that the received operation information is not an operation to accept the implementation proposal, it adds the operation information and reception time temporarily stored in the operation information record 111R to the operation log of computer 2 at site B, which is among the operation logs for each site stored in the operation log storage unit 131 (step S116). After that, the control unit 11 proceeds to the process in step S112.

[0067] Then, in step S112, if it is determined that the work at computer 2 at all locations B has been completed, the control unit 11 clears the operation information and transmitted flag temporarily stored in the operation information record 111R for all locations B (step S117). That is, the control unit 11 resets the transmitted flag of the corresponding operation information record 111R to "0" and deletes the operation information and the value of the received time.

[0068] Subsequently, the control unit 11 proceeds to the operation log classification process described in step S12. This transition to the operation log classification process is an example of the operation log collection unit 111 informing the log classification unit 112 that work has been completed at all locations B's computers 2.

[0069] Figure 7 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure and processing content of the operation log classification process of Server 1 in the first embodiment. Figure 7 shows a typical example of the processing in step S12. Here, the control unit 11 of Server 1 operates as a log classification unit 112.

[0070] The control unit 11 refers to the operation log storage unit 131 to determine whether or not there are any unclassified operation logs (step S121).

[0071] If the control unit 11 determines that there is an unclassified operation log, it reads one unclassified operation log from the operation log storage unit 131 (step S122).

[0072] Next, the control unit 11 divides and classifies the read operation log into units of work and generates work operation logs, which are operation logs for each unit of work (step S123).

[0073] Then, the control unit 11 saves the generated work operation log to the classification result storage unit 132 (step S124). After that, the control unit 11 proceeds to the process of step S121.

[0074] Then, in step S121, if the control unit 11 determines that there are no unclassified operation logs, that is, that all operation logs for each location B stored in the operation log storage unit 131 have been classified, the control unit 11 proceeds to the RPA scenario collection process in step S13.

[0075] Figure 8 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure and content of the RPA scenario collection process of Server 1 in the first embodiment. Figure 8 shows a typical example of the process in step S13. Here, the control unit 11 of Server 1 operates as a scenario collection unit 113.

[0076] First, the control unit 11 clears the collected scenarios stored in the scenario storage unit 133, that is, the pairs of RPA scenarios and site information recorded during the previous processing operation (step S131).

[0077] Subsequently, the control unit 11 refers to the scenario storage unit 133 to determine whether or not there are any locations B from which RPA scenarios have not yet been collected (step S132).

[0078] If the control unit 11 determines that there is a site B from which RPA scenarios have not yet been collected, it sends a scenario request to one of the unclassified site B sites via the network NW using the communication interface 14, requesting that the RPA scenario installed on the computer 2 at that site B be sent (step S133).

[0079] Then, the control unit 11 determines whether or not it has received the RPA scenario sent back from computer 2 at site B via the network NW in response to this scenario request via the communication interface 14 (step S134). If it determines that it has not received the RPA scenario, the control unit 11 repeats the process in step S134 again. In this way, the control unit 11 waits for the RPA scenario to be received.

[0080] At computer 2 in site B, when the scenario output unit 213 receives a scenario request sent via the network NW, the scenario output unit 213 reads an installed RPA scenario stored in the scenario storage unit 231 and sends it to server 1 via the network NW. If there are no installed RPA scenarios, the scenario output unit 213 can reply with "No scenarios available".

[0081] When the control unit 11 determines that it has received an RPA scenario sent from computer 2 at site B, it records the received RPA scenario and site information indicating the source in the scenario storage unit 133 (step S135). As mentioned above, the site information can be a site ID uniquely assigned to each of the sites at site B. If no scenario is received, the control unit 11 can record the source site information and the information indicating no RPA scenario in the scenario storage unit 133. After that, the control unit 11 proceeds to the process in step S132.

[0082] Then, in step S132, if the control unit 11 determines that there are no locations B from which RPA scenarios have not yet been collected, it proceeds to the proposed RPA scenario determination process in step S14.

[0083] Figure 9 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure and content of the proposed RPA scenario determination process of Server 1 in the first embodiment. Figure 9 shows a typical example of the processing in step S14. Here, the control unit 11 of Server 1 operates as a matching degree calculation unit 114 and a combination extraction unit 115.

[0084] The control unit 11 refers to the classification result storage unit 132 to determine whether there are any uncompared work operation logs whose degree of agreement with the RPA scenario has not been compared (step S141).

[0085] If the control unit 11 determines that there are uncompared work operation logs, it reads one uncompared work operation log from the classification result storage unit 132 (step S142).

[0086] Here, the control unit 11 refers to the scenario storage unit 133 to determine whether there are any uncompared RPA scenarios whose degree of agreement with the read work operation log has not been compared (step S143).

[0087] If the control unit 11 determines that there are uncompared RPA scenarios, it reads one uncompared RPA scenario from the scenario storage unit 133 (step S144).

[0088] The control unit 11 then compares the read operation logs with the read RPA scenarios (step S145). The method of this comparison is not particularly limited. For example, cosine similarity can be used for comparison.

[0089] For example, when calculating the degree of similarity between a work operation log and an RPA scenario using cosine similarity, the control unit 11 identifies identical operations in the operation log (each row) and in the RPA scenario (each node), then creates a vector for each operation and calculates the similarity.

[0090] Here, one method for determining identical operations between the operation log and the scenario is to consider operations that are identical if the operation location in the scenario and the operation location in the log are the same, and the input strings are also the same. Figure 10 shows an example of the correspondence between operations in the operation log and operations in the RPA scenario. The control unit 11 can determine identity from, for example, the "win_title" item in the operation log and the window title of the target of the operation in the node details screen NDS of the RPA scenario (double-headed arrow AR1). Figure 11 shows an example of items that can be obtained as an operation log. The control unit 11 can also determine identity from, for example, the attribute name of the GUI component of the target of the operation (double-headed arrow AR2).

[0091] Thus, the same operation is determined difference If so, the control unit 11 creates a vector for each operation and calculates the similarity, for example, as follows: (1) The control unit 11 uses a Bag of Word (BoW) to create vectors for each operation (row) in the work operation log and for each operation (node) in the RPA scenario. Figure 12 shows an example of the vectors for each operation included in the work operation log or RPA scenario of a single work unit. The control unit 11 can store these created vectors in its own RAM. (2) The control unit 11 calculates the cosine similarity. Operation log t n Vectors and RPA scenarios m The cosine similarity of two vectors is expressed by the following formula.

[0092]

number

[0093] The control unit 11 determines whether the degree of agreement between the work operation log and the RPA scenario, for example, the cosine similarity, is above a predetermined value (step S146). If it determines that the degree of agreement is not above a predetermined value, the control unit 11 proceeds to the process in step S143. In this way, the work operation log read in step S142 is compared with each RPA scenario stored in the scenario storage unit 133. After all RPA scenarios have been compared, the control unit 11 determines in step S143 that there are no uncompared RPA scenarios and proceeds to the process in step S141. As a result, the control unit 11 can proceed to the comparison process with the next uncompared work operation log stored in the classification result storage unit 132.

[0094] In step S146 above, if the control unit 11 determines that the degree of agreement between the work operation log and the RPA scenario is above a certain value, it determines whether the work at site B in the work operation log is a work for which the RPA scenario has already been implemented (step S147). As mentioned above, the scenario storage unit 133 stores pairs of RPA scenarios and site information. Therefore, the control unit 11 can refer to the classification result storage unit 132 to confirm which site B the work operation log belongs to, and from the scenario storage unit 133, it can determine whether the RPA scenario for which the degree of agreement is determined to be above a certain value has already been implemented at that site B. If it is determined that the work is for which the RPA scenario has already been implemented, the control unit 11 proceeds to the process in step S143 above.

[0095] If the control unit 11 determines that the task is not one for which an RPA scenario has already been implemented, it records the combination of the task in the task log and the RPA scenario in the suggestion storage unit 134 as a suggestion for site B (step S148). In this way, the control unit 11 can extract combinations of task logs and RPA scenarios with a matching degree of a certain value or higher. After that, the control unit 11 proceeds to the process in step S143.

[0096] As described above, the control unit 11 can determine which RPA scenarios can be proposed for implementation based on the work operation logs of each classified task stored in the classification result storage unit 132. Then, if it determines in step S141 that there are no uncompared work operation logs, the control unit 11 proceeds to the operation log collection and RPA scenario proposal process of step S11.

[0097] Let's return to the explanation of Figure 6. Here, we will explain the processing related to the scenario proposal unit 116. When the process transitions from the proposed RPA scenario determination process to this operation log collection / RPA scenario proposal process, it is after the work on computers 2 at all locations B has been completed, and the transmitted flag of the operation information record 111R for each location B has been reset to "0". Therefore, the operation information that is determined to have been received in step S111 may be operation information indicating a power-on operation on computer 2 at any of the locations B. In this case, because the transmitted flag of the operation information record 111R of the source location B has been reset to "0", the control unit 11 determines in step S114 that the RPA scenario introduction proposal has not been sent to the source location B.

[0098] If the control unit 11 determines that it has not yet sent the RPA scenario implementation proposal to the source site B, it determines whether or not there is a proposal for that source site B (step S118). Specifically, the control unit 11 determines whether or not a set of tasks and an RPA scenario is stored in the proposal storage unit 134 as a proposal for that source site B.

[0099] If the control unit 11 determines that there is a proposal for source site B, it sends the RPA scenario implementation proposal to source site B via the network NW using the communication interface 14 (step S119). That is, the control unit 11 creates an implementation proposal that proposes the implementation of an RPA scenario suitable for performing the task, based on the task and RPA scenario combination stored in the proposal storage unit 134 as a proposal for source site B, and sends it to source site B.

[0100] Then, the control unit 11 sets the transmitted flag of the operation information record 111R corresponding to the site B that sent the introduction proposal, that is, records "1" (step S1110). After that, the control unit 11 moves on to the process in step S116, and adds operation information indicating the power-on operation and the reception time to the operation log of the computer 2 of the site B in the operation log storage unit 131.

[0101] Furthermore, if in step S118 it is determined that there is no proposal for the source site B, the control unit 11 proceeds to the process in step S1110 and implements the solution. proposal Although the proposal has not been sent, the "sent" flag for operation information record 111R corresponding to site B is set, i.e., "1" is recorded.

[0102] At computer 2 in site B, when the proposal acquisition unit 214 receives an implementation proposal sent via the network NW, the proposal acquisition unit 214 uses the output device 202 to present the proposed task and the RPA scenarios that can be implemented for that task. When the input device 201 performs an operation to accept the proposal in response to this presentation, the operation information transmission unit 212 transmits the operation information of the operation to accept the implementation proposal to server 1 via the network NW.

[0103] If the control unit 11 determines in step S115 that the received operation information is an operation to accept the implementation proposal, it reads the proposed RPA scenario from the scenario storage unit 133 and transmits it to the computer 2 at site B via the network NW using the communication interface 14 (step S1111). Subsequently, the control unit 11 proceeds to the process in step S116, and adds operation information indicating the operation to accept the proposal and the time of receipt to the operation log of the computer 2 at site B in the operation log storage unit 131.

[0104] At computer 2 in site B, when the proposal acquisition unit 214 receives an RPA scenario sent via the network NW, the proposal acquisition unit 214 stores the RPA scenario in the scenario storage unit 231. Then, when performing subsequent tasks that can use RPA scenarios, the RPA scenario is used to perform those tasks.

[0105] As described above, by determining the degree of agreement between the RPA scenarios and work operation logs used at each site B, matching can be performed. For tasks at site B where RPA scenarios have not yet been implemented, among the combinations with a high degree of agreement, the RPA from site B where RPA scenarios have already been implemented for similar tasks can be proposed to site B where RPA scenarios have not yet been implemented, thereby supporting horizontal deployment.

[0106] A specific example is given below. Figures 13 to 16 show an example of comparing each work log and each RPA scenario in the proposed RPA scenario determination process. In this example, there are three locations B: Branch A, B, and C. Here, for Branch A, the operation log collection, RPA scenario proposal process and operation log classification process store the operation log t1 for work w1, operation log t2 for work w2, and operation log t3 for work w3 as work operation logs for Branch A in the classification result storage unit 132, and the RPA scenario collection process stores the pair of Branch A and RPA scenario s1 in the scenario storage unit 133. Furthermore, for branch B, through operation log collection, RPA scenario proposal processing, and operation log classification processing, the classification result storage unit 132 stores the operation log t4 for task w4, the operation log t5 for task w5, and the operation log t6 for task w6 as work operation logs for branch B, and through RPA scenario collection processing, the scenario storage unit 133 stores the pair of branch B and RPA scenario s2 and the pair of branch B and RPA scenario s3. Then, for branch C, through operation log collection, RPA scenario proposal processing, and operation log classification processing, the classification result storage unit 132 stores the operation log t7 for task w7, the operation log t8 for task w8, and the operation log t9 for task w9 as work operation logs for branch C.

[0107] In this case, the proposed RPA scenario determination process calculates the degree of agreement between the nine work operation logs t1, t2, ..., t9 for tasks w1, w2, ..., w9 performed at branches A, B, and C, and each of the RPA scenarios s1, s2, and s3, and extracts the combinations with a high degree of agreement (above a certain value).

[0108] As shown in Figure 13, first, the degree of agreement between the work operation log t1 and RPA scenario s1 is determined. If the degree of agreement is deemed low, it is then compared with RPA scenarios s2 and s3. If the degree of agreement is low in all of them, the work operation log t2 is then compared with RPA scenarios s1, s2, and s3. If the degree of agreement is also deemed low in all of these, the next comparison is made with work operation log t3.

[0109] Then, as shown in Figure 14, it is determined that the degree of agreement between the work operation log t3 and the RPA scenario s1 is high. For example, if RPA scenario s1 has been implemented for work w3 in work operation log t3 at branch A, then this high degree of agreement is inevitable. In this case, in step S147 above, it is determined that RPA scenario s1, which has been determined to have a degree of agreement above a certain value, has already been implemented at the relevant location B (branch A), so no proposal to implement RPA scenario s1 will be made to branch A. Therefore, the process proceeds to compare work operation log t3 with the next RPA scenario s2.

[0110] That is, as shown in Figure 15, the process continues in the same manner, comparing work operation log t3 with RPA scenarios s2 and s3, comparing branch B's work operation log t4 with RPA scenarios s1, s2 and s3, and comparing work operation log t5 with RPA scenarios s1, s2 and s3. In this case, it is determined that work operation log t4 and RPA scenario s2 and work operation log t5 and RPA scenario s3 have a high degree of agreement, but since RPA scenarios s2 and s3 have already been implemented at branch B, no implementation proposal is made.

[0111] Here, let's assume that when comparing the work operation log t6 and the RPA scenario s1, a high degree of similarity is determined. In this case, in step S147 above, it is determined that the RPA scenario s1, which was determined to have a similarity of a certain value or higher, has not been implemented at the location B (branch B). Therefore, in order to propose to branch B that the RPA scenario s1 be implemented for work w6, which is the work in work operation log t6, the pair of work w6 and RPA scenario s1 is stored in the proposal storage unit 134.

[0112] Subsequently, as shown in Figure 16, a comparison is made between the work operation log t6 and RPA scenarios s2 and s3, and between the work operation log t7 of branch C and RPA scenarios s1, s2, and s3, and this proposed RPA scenario determination process is completed. In the example in Figure 16, it is determined that the degree of agreement between the work operation log t8 and RPA scenario s3 is high, so the pair of work w8 and RPA scenario s3 is stored in the proposal storage unit 134 in order to propose to branch C that RPA scenario s3 be introduced to work w8, which is the work in work operation log t8.

[0113] Then, in the operation log collection and RPA scenario proposal process, if a proposed RPA scenario is stored in the proposal storage unit 134 for location B of computer 2 that has been powered on, it will be proposed.

[0114] (effect) As described above, in the first embodiment, Server 1 collects operation logs of operations performed on computers 2 at multiple locations B via a network NW from computers 2 at each of the locations B, each performing at least one task that uses an RPA scenario describing the work procedure or a task that does not use an RPA scenario. Server 1 divides and classifies the collected operation logs to generate work operation logs, which are operation logs for each task. At the same time, Server 1 collects RPA scenarios installed at each location B via a network NW from computers 2 at multiple locations B. Server 1 then sends an RPA scenario introduction proposal via the network NW to the computer 2 at location B that performs the task for which the generated work operation logs have a degree of matching with the collected RPA scenarios that exceeds a certain value. In this way, Server 1 proposes the introduction of an RPA scenario to the computer 2 at location B that performs the task for which an RPA scenario has not yet been introduced by matching the collected RPA scenarios with the work operation logs of the tasks at each location B. Therefore, at each location B, it can find out if a similar RPA scenario exists at another location B and consider whether to use the RPA scenario at the other location B. Thus, the reliance on individual expertise but This reduces costs and allows the use of RPA scenarios from other locations, thus reducing the time and effort required to create and operate RPA scenarios.

[0115] Here, Server 1 calculates the degree of agreement between the generated work operation logs and the collected RPA scenarios for all combinations, extracts combinations with an agreement degree of a certain value or higher, and sends an implementation proposal via the network NW to Computer 2 at Site B, which is executing the work in the extracted combination, suggesting the introduction of the RPA scenario for the extracted combination. Therefore, by using the agreement degree, it is possible to easily and comprehensively determine whether or not an RPA scenario can be introduced for each task being performed at each Site B.

[0116] Furthermore, Server 1 sends RPA scenario implementation proposals only to Computer 2 at Site B, which is not currently performing tasks using an RPA scenario with a matching score above a certain value. This prevents wasted communication resources on Computer 2, which has already implemented an RPA scenario.

[0117] Server 1 generates operation logs from operation information transmitted from computer 2 at site B via the network NW. Based on the operation information, it detects the completion of work by computer 2 at site B and initiates operations after classifying the collected operation logs. It also detects the start of work by computer 2 at site B based on the operation information and sends an RPA scenario implementation proposal. In this way, Server 1 collects operation logs each time an operation is performed at each site B, creates an implementation proposal at the end of work at site B (for example, at the end of the day), and sends the implementation proposal at the start of work at each site B the following day. Therefore, it is possible to prevent the implementation proposal from being presented while work is being performed at site B.

[0118] Then, when Server 1 receives acceptance of the proposal via the network NW from Computer 2 at site B, which received the RPA scenario implementation proposal, it sends the proposed RPA scenario to Computer 2 via the network NW. Therefore, Computer 2 that accepted the proposal to By immediately sending the RPA scenario, the implementation of the RPA scenario on the computer at site B can be carried out quickly.

[0119] [Second Embodiment] Next, a second embodiment will be described. Configurations and processes similar to those in the first embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals as in the first embodiment, and their descriptions will be omitted. Only the parts that differ from the first embodiment will be described.

[0120] (Example configuration) Figure 17 is a block diagram showing an example of the software configuration of Server 1 as a scenario suggestion device according to the second embodiment. In this embodiment, the control unit 11 of Server 1 at Headquarters H includes an operation log collection unit 117 and a scenario suggestion unit 118 as functional units, instead of the operation log collection unit 111 and scenario suggestion unit 116. Also, the data storage unit 13 does not have a suggestion storage unit 134.

[0121] The operation log collection unit 117 sends a log request to the computer 2 at each location B via the network NW through the communication interface 14 at any arbitrary timing, receives the operation log sent from the computer 2 in response to this log request, and stores it in the operation log storage unit 131. The arbitrary timing may be a pre-set timing such as midnight, or it may be the timing of the operation log collection instruction from the user via the input device 101. The operation log collection unit 117 is an example of an operation log collection unit that collects operation logs of operations performed on the computer 2 from the computers 2 at multiple locations B via the network NW.

[0122] In this embodiment, the log classification unit 112, independently of the operation of the operation log collection unit 117, starts the operation of dividing and classifying the operation logs of each site B stored in the operation log storage unit 131 into units of work, and generating work operation logs, which are operation logs for each unit of work, at any arbitrary timing. This arbitrary timing may be a pre-set time, such as 1 AM, or it may be the timing of a work operation log generation instruction from the user via the input device 101.

[0123] Furthermore, the combination extraction unit 115 transmits the combination of the work operation log and the RPA scenario for the extracted combination to the scenario proposal unit 118.

[0124] When the scenario proposal unit 118 receives a combination of a task and an RPA scenario from the combination extraction unit 115, it sends an implementation proposal via the communication interface 14 to the computer 2 at site B, which will execute the task, suggesting the introduction of an RPA scenario suitable for executing the task, based on that combination of task and RPA scenario. When the scenario proposal unit 118 receives an acceptance of the proposal via the communication interface 14 from the computer 2 at site B, which has received the implementation proposal, it sends the RPA scenario stored in the scenario storage unit 133 to the computer 2 at site B via the communication interface 14. The scenario proposal unit 118 is an example of a scenario proposal unit that sends an implementation proposal via the network to the computer 2 at site B, which will execute the task in the combination extracted by the combination extraction unit, suggesting the introduction of a scenario for the extracted combination. Furthermore, the scenario proposal unit 118 is an example of a proposal unit that, upon receiving acceptance of the proposal via the network NW from computer 2 at site B which received the scenario introduction proposal, transmits the proposed scenario to computer 2 via the network NW.

[0125] Figure 18 is a block diagram showing an example of the software configuration of computer 2 located at site B in the second embodiment. In this embodiment, computer 2 at site B includes an operation log recording unit 215 and a log output unit 216 as functional units, instead of an operation information transmission unit 212. Furthermore, the data storage unit 23 has an operation log storage unit 232.

[0126] The operation log recording unit 215 updates the operation log by adding the operation information transmitted from the work execution unit 211 to the operation log stored in the operation log storage unit 232. The operation log may also include the time of operation of the operation information.

[0127] When the log output unit 216 receives a log request from the server 1 via the network NW, it sends the operation log stored in the operation log storage unit 232 to the server 1 via the network NW.

[0128] (Example of operation) Figure 19 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure and processing content of Server 1 in the second embodiment. In this second embodiment, each location B records a log each time an operation is performed, and Server 1 operates to collect logs from each location B at any time and create a proposal.

[0129] The control unit 11 of server 1 executes an operation log collection process at any time to collect operation logs of operations performed on computers 2 at multiple locations B via the network NW (step S15). A typical example of this operation log collection process will be described later.

[0130] Next, the control unit 11 of server 1 determines whether or not to implement the proposed RPA scenario (step S16). For example, the control unit 11 can make this determination based on whether or not a pre-set time has arrived, or whether or not a user has issued an instruction to generate a work operation log via the input device 101. If it is determined that the proposed RPA scenario should not be implemented, the control unit 11 proceeds to the process in step S15.

[0131] If the control unit 11 decides to propose an RPA scenario, it executes the operation log classification process in step S12 and the PA scenario collection process in step S13, similar to the first embodiment.

[0132] Subsequently, the control unit 11 of server 1 executes an RPA scenario proposal process (step S17) which sends an RPA scenario introduction proposal via the network NW to the computer at site B that performs the work for the work operation log whose degree of matching with the collected scenario is above a certain value among the generated work operation logs. A typical example of this RPA scenario proposal process will be described later. Then, the control unit 11 of server 1 moves on to the operation log collection process of step S15.

[0133] Furthermore, in parallel with the processing in steps S15, S16, S12, S13, and S17, the server 1 control unit 11 executes an RPA scenario transmission process (step S18) to send the RPA scenario to the computer 2 at site B that accepted the proposal via the network NW. A typical example of this RPA scenario transmission process will be described later. Then, the server 1 control unit 11 moves on to the operation log collection process in step S15.

[0134] Figure 20 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure and processing content of the operation log collection process of Server 1 in the second embodiment. Figure 20 shows a typical example of the processing in step S15. Here, the control unit 11 of Server 1 operates as the operation log collection unit 117.

[0135] The control unit 11 determines whether or not it is the timing to collect the operation log, which is an arbitrary timing (step S151). If it determines that it is not the timing to collect the log, the control unit 11 proceeds to the process in step S16.

[0136] In response to this, if it determines that it is time to collect the data, the control unit 11 refers to the operation log storage unit 131 to determine whether or not there are any bases B from which operation logs have not yet been collected (step S152).

[0137] If the control unit 11 determines that there is a location B from which operation logs have not been collected, it sends a log request to one of the locations B from which logs have not been collected, via the network NW using the communication interface 14, requesting that the computer 2 at that location B send the operation logs it has stored (step S153).

[0138] At computer 2 in site B, when the log output unit 216 receives a log request sent via the network NW, the log output unit 216 reads the operation log stored in the operation log storage unit 232 and sends it to server 1 via the network NW.

[0139] The control unit 11 receives the operation log, which is sent back from the computer 2 at site B via the network NW in response to this log request, through the communication interface 14 (step S154).

[0140] Then, the control unit 11 records the received operation log and the location information indicating the source in the operation log storage unit 131 (step S155). As mentioned above, the location information can be a location ID uniquely assigned to each of the locations B. After that, the control unit 11 proceeds to the process in step S152.

[0141] Then, in step S152, if the control unit 11 determines that there are no base stations B from which operation logs have not been collected, it proceeds to the process in step S16.

[0142] Figure 21 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure and content of the RPA scenario proposal process of Server 1 in the second embodiment. Figure 21 shows a typical example of the process in step S17. Here, the control unit 11 of Server 1 operates as a matching degree calculation unit 114, a combination extraction unit 115, and a scenario proposal unit 118.

[0143] The control unit 11, similar to step S141 in the first embodiment, refers to the classification result storage unit 132 to determine whether or not there are any uncompared work operation logs whose degree of agreement with the RPA scenario has not been compared (step S171).

[0144] If the control unit 11 determines that there are uncompared work operation logs, it reads one uncompared work operation log from the classification result storage unit 132, similar to step S142 in the first embodiment (step S172).

[0145] Here, the control unit 11, similar to step S143 in the first embodiment, refers to the scenario storage unit 133 to determine whether or not there are any uncompared RPA scenarios whose degree of agreement with the read work operation log has not been compared (step S173).

[0146] If the control unit 11 determines that there are uncompared RPA scenarios, it reads one uncompared RPA scenario from the scenario storage unit 133, similar to step S144 in the first embodiment (step S174).

[0147] Then, the control unit 11 compares the read work operation logs with the read RPA scenarios, similar to step S145 in the first embodiment (step S175).

[0148] Here, the control unit 11 determines, similar to step S146 in the first embodiment, whether the degree of agreement between the work operation log and the RPA scenario, for example, the cosine similarity, is above a predetermined value (step S176). If it determines that the degree of agreement is not above a predetermined value, the control unit 11 proceeds to the process in step S173.

[0149] In response to this, if in step S176 the control unit determines that the degree of agreement between the work operation log and the RPA scenario is above a certain value, the control unit 11 determines, similar to step S147 in the first embodiment, whether the work at site B in the work operation log is a work for which the RPA scenario has already been implemented (step S177). If it determines that the work is for which the RPA scenario has already been implemented, the control unit 11 proceeds to the process in step S173.

[0150] If the control unit 11 determines that the task is not one for which an RPA scenario has already been implemented, it creates a proposal for implementing an RPA scenario based on the combination of the task in the work operation log and the RPA scenario, and sends it via the communication interface 14 to the computer 2 at site B where the task will be performed (step S178). After that, the control unit 11 proceeds to the process in step S173.

[0151] As described above, in this second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, matching is performed by determining the degree of agreement between the RPA scenarios and work operation logs being operated at each site B. Among the combinations with a high degree of agreement, for tasks at site B where RPA scenarios have not yet been introduced, horizontal deployment can be supported by proposing the RPA from site B where RPA scenarios have already been introduced for similar tasks to site B where they have not yet been introduced.

[0152] Figure 22 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure and content of the RPA scenario transmission process of Server 1 in the second embodiment. Figure 22 shows a typical example of the processing in step S18. Here, the control unit 11 of Server 1 operates as a scenario proposal unit 118.

[0153] The control unit 11 determines whether or not it has received an acceptance of the proposal transmitted from the computer 2 at any of the locations B via the network NW (step S181). If it determines that it has not received an acceptance of the proposal, the control unit 11 returns to the process in step S18.

[0154] At computer 2 in site B, when the proposal acquisition unit 214 receives the implementation proposal transmitted via the network NW in step S178 of the RPA scenario proposal processing, the proposal acquisition unit 214 presents the proposed task and the RPA scenario that can be implemented for that task using the output device 202. When the input device 201 performs an operation to accept the proposal in response to this presentation, the operation information transmission unit 212 sends a proposal acceptance message to server 1 via the network NW, indicating that the implementation proposal has been accepted.

[0155] If the control unit 11 determines in step S181 that it has received acceptance of the proposal from the computer 2 of any of the locations B, it reads the RPA scenario that was proposed for implementation to that location B in step S178 from the scenario storage unit 133 and transmits it to the computer 2 of that location B via the network NW using the communication interface 14 (step S182). After that, the control unit 11 proceeds back to the process in step S18.

[0156] At computer 2 in site B, when the proposal acquisition unit 214 receives an RPA scenario sent via the network NW, the proposal acquisition unit 214 stores the RPA scenario in the scenario storage unit 231. Then, when the task execution unit 211 executes a task that can use the RPA scenario, the task execution unit 211 uses the RPA scenario to execute the task.

[0157] (effect) As described above, in the second embodiment as well, Server 1 collects operation logs of operations performed on computers 2 at multiple locations B via the network NW, divides and classifies the collected operation logs at any time to generate work operation logs, which are operation logs for each task, and also collects RPA scenarios installed at each location B via the network NW from computers 2 at multiple locations B. Then, Server 1 sends an RPA scenario installation proposal via the network NW to the computer 2 at location B that performs the task for which the work operation log has a degree of agreement with the collected RPA scenario that exceeds a certain value.Therefore, in the second embodiment as well as in the first embodiment, but This reduces costs and allows the use of RPA scenarios from other locations, thus reducing the time and effort required to create and operate RPA scenarios.

[0158] Furthermore, Server 1 receives operation logs transmitted from Computer 2 at Site B via the network NW, and classifies the operation logs, collects scenarios, and proposes scenarios at pre-set timings or in response to user instructions. Therefore, it is not necessary to constantly acquire operation information from Computer 2 at each Site B, and operation logs can be collected and maintained at any time, preventing continuous consumption of communication resources. In addition, the start timing of the processing for scenario proposals based on the collected operation logs can also be adjusted.

[0159] [Third Embodiment] Next, a third embodiment will be described. Below, only the parts that differ from the first embodiment will be described. In the first embodiment, the degree of agreement between the work operation log and the RPA scenario is calculated one by one, and a decision is made each time whether or not to propose an RPA scenario. In contrast, in this third embodiment, the degree of agreement between the work operation log and the RPA scenario is calculated for all of them, and a decision is made on whether or not to propose an RPA scenario for the combination with the highest degree of agreement among all of them.

[0160] Figure 23 is a flowchart showing the processing procedure and content of the server's proposed extended UI determination process in the third embodiment. In this third embodiment, if the work operation log and the RPA scenario are compared in step S145, the control unit 11 stores the degree of agreement obtained from the comparison in its own RAM (step S149). Of course, it is also possible to reserve a degree of agreement storage in the data storage unit 23 and store it there. After that, the control unit 11 proceeds to the processing in step S143. In this way, the work operation log read in step S142 is compared with the RPA scenario read in step S144. Once all RPA scenarios have been compared with the work operation log, the control unit 11 determines in step S143 that there are no uncompared RPA scenarios and proceeds to the processing in step S141. As a result, the control unit 11 can proceed to the comparison processing of each RPA scenario with the next uncompared work operation log stored in the classification result storage unit 132. In this way, the control unit 11 can save the degree of agreement between the work operation log and the RPA scenario.

[0161] Then, in step S141, if the control unit 11 determines that there are no uncompared work operation logs, it extracts pairs of work operation logs and RPA scenarios from the saved total match scores that have a match score of a certain value or higher (step S1410).

[0162] Furthermore, the control unit 11 excludes from the extracted pairs of work operation logs and RPA scenarios whose matching degree is above a certain value any pairs of work operation logs and RPA scenarios in which the RPA scenario has already been implemented for work at site B (step S1411).

[0163] Then, the control unit 11 proceeds to the process in step S148, and based on each of the extracted remaining work operation logs and RPA scenario pairs, it records the proposed RPA scenario for the corresponding site B in the proposal storage unit 134. After that, the control unit 11 proceeds to the operation log collection and extended UI proposal process in step S11.

[0164] Thus, even if the degree of agreement between all work operation logs and RPA scenarios is calculated, and a decision is made on whether or not to propose an RPA scenario based on the combination with the highest degree of agreement, the same effect as in the first embodiment described above can be achieved.

[0165] Furthermore, in the second embodiment, it is also possible to calculate the degree of agreement between all work operation logs and RPA scenarios, and then determine whether or not to propose an RPA scenario based on the combinations with the highest degree of agreement among all of them.

[0166] [Other embodiments] In each embodiment, the proposal for introducing an RPA scenario and the transmission of the actual RPA scenario are separate processes, but the RPA scenario itself may also be included in the introduction proposal. When the proposal acquisition unit 214 of computer 2 at site B receives such an introduction proposal, it should register the RPA scenario in the scenario storage unit 231 only if it accepts the proposal, and discard the received RPA scenario if it does not accept it.

[0167] Furthermore, the flow of each process described with reference to the flowchart is not limited to the described processing procedure. For example, the processes in steps S114 and S115 may be performed in a different order, or they may be performed simultaneously. In this way, the order of some steps may be changed, and some steps may be performed simultaneously. Moreover, the processing content of some steps may be modified.

[0168] The scenario proposal device may be implemented as a single device, as explained in the example above, or it may be implemented as multiple devices with distributed functions.

[0169] The program may be transferred while stored on an electronic device, or it may be transferred without being stored on an electronic device. In the latter case, the program may be transferred via a network, or it may be transferred while recorded on a recording medium. The recording medium is a non-temporary, tangible medium. The recording medium is a computer-readable medium. The recording medium can be any medium that is capable of storing a program and is readable by a computer, such as a CD-ROM or memory card, and its form is not restricted.

[0170] Although embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the above description is merely illustrative in all respects of the present invention. Needless to say, various improvements and modifications can be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. In other words, when implementing the present invention, specific configurations may be adopted as appropriate depending on the embodiment.

[0171] In short, this invention is not limited to the embodiments described above, and in the implementation stage, the components can be modified and materialized without departing from the gist of the invention. Furthermore, various inventions can be formed by appropriately combining the multiple components disclosed in the embodiments. For example, some components may be deleted from all the components shown in the embodiments. Moreover, components from different embodiments may be appropriately combined. [Explanation of Symbols]

[0172] 1…Server 2… Computer 11,21…Control Unit 12,22…Program memory 13,23…Data storage unit 14,24…Communication Interface 15, 25… Input / Output Interfaces 101,201… Input devices 102,202… Output devices 111,117... Operation log collection unit 111R... Operation Information Record 112...Log Classification Department 113...Scenario Collection Department 114…Concordance calculation unit 115...Combination extraction unit 116,118…Scenario Proposal Department 131,232... Operation log storage unit 132...Classification result storage unit 133,231…Scenario Memory Unit 134...Proposal storage section 211...Work Execution Department 212... Operation Information Transmission Unit 213...Scenario Output Unit 214…Proposal acquisition department 215... Operation log recording unit 216...Log output section B...Base H...Headquarters LOG... Operation log NDS...Node Details Screen NW...Network S...Scenario Proposal System

Claims

1. Each computer at multiple locations performs at least one task, either using a scenario describing the work procedure or not using the said scenario, and the operation log collection unit collects operation logs of operations performed on the computer via a network. The operation log collection unit divides and classifies the operation logs collected by the operation log collection unit to generate operation logs that are operation logs for each work unit, and the classification unit A scenario collection unit collects the scenarios installed at each location from the computers of the multiple locations via the network, A proposal unit transmits a proposal for the introduction of the scenario to the computer at the location where the work is performed, via the network, based on the same operation locations and identical strings between the work operation log generated by the classification unit and the operations indicated in the scenario collected by the scenario collection unit, and the degree of agreement between the work operation log and the scenario is above a certain value. A scenario proposal device equipped with the following features.

2. The aforementioned proposal section is, A degree of agreement calculation unit calculates the degree of agreement between the work operation logs generated by the classification unit and the scenarios collected by the scenario collection unit for all combinations, A combination extraction unit extracts combinations in which the degree of agreement calculated by the degree of agreement calculation unit is equal to or greater than the predetermined value, A scenario proposal unit transmits, via the network, an introduction proposal proposing the introduction of the scenario for the extracted combination to the computer at the base where the work for the extracted combination is performed, including, The scenario proposal device according to claim 1.

3. The proposal unit transmits the proposal for the introduction of the scenario only to the computers at locations that have not performed the work using the scenario whose degree of agreement is above a certain value. A scenario suggestion device according to claim 1 or 2.

4. The aforementioned operation log collection unit, The operation log is generated from the operation information transmitted from the computer at the aforementioned location via the network, In response to the detection of the completion of the work by the computer at the base based on the operation information, the operation of the classification unit is started. In response to the detection of the start of the work by the computer at the base based on the operation information, the proposal unit is instructed to transmit the proposed introduction of the scenario. The scenario suggestion device according to claim 3.

5. The operation log collection unit receives the operation log transmitted from the computer at the base via the network, The classification unit, the scenario collection unit, and the proposal unit start operating at a predetermined timing or in response to user instructions. The scenario suggestion device according to claim 3.

6. When the proposal unit receives acceptance of the proposal via the network from the computer at the location that received the proposal for the scenario, it transmits the proposed scenario to that computer via the network. The scenario suggestion device according to claim 3.

7. A scenario proposal method performed by a scenario proposal device that proposes the introduction of a scenario used on a computer at any of multiple locations to computers at multiple locations, each of which performs at least one of two tasks via a network: a task using a scenario describing a work procedure and a task that does not use the said scenario, the device comprising a processor and memory, The processor collects operation logs of operations performed on the computers at the multiple locations via the network, and stores the collected operation logs in the memory. The processor divides and classifies the operation log stored in the memory to generate operation logs that are operation logs for each work unit, and stores the generated operation logs in the memory. The processor collects the scenarios installed at each of the multiple locations from computers at those locations via the network, and stores the collected scenarios in the memory. The processor transmits a proposal to introduce the scenario via the network to the computer at the location where the work in the work operation log stored in the memory is performed, based on the identical operation locations and identical strings between the work operation log and the scenario stored in the memory, where the degree of agreement between the work operation log and the scenario is above a certain value. A scenario proposal method that includes this.

8. A scenario proposal program that causes a processor in the scenario proposal device to execute the processing performed by each part of the scenario proposal device described in claim 1.

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