Workflow management device, workflow management method, and program

Abstract

To allow an approver to efficiently process a plurality of collected applications.SOLUTION: In the present embodiment, a workflow management device is a workflow management device comprising a control unit, and the control unit comprises: acquisition unit that acquires data representing an item set in which a plurality of application items is collected; display control means that controls screen display of the plurality of application items included in the item set represented by the data; and application processing means that collectively approves or rejects the plurality of displayed application items.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a workflow management device, a workflow management method, and a program.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 describes that a plurality of various applications are grouped into predetermined event units, an applicant selects applications to be performed according to an event from the various applications, and the selected plurality of applications are performed collectively. Patent Document 1 also describes that a plurality of applications applied from an applicant in event units are displayed to an approver, and the approver individually approves the displayed plurality of applications.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] In the invention disclosed in Patent Document 1, since a plurality of applications are individually displayed and approved, the approval work becomes complicated and burdensome for an approver who performs many approvals.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above, and an object thereof is to provide a workflow management device, a workflow management method, and a program that enable an approver to efficiently process a plurality of grouped applications.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] To solve the above-mentioned problems and achieve the objective, the workflow management device according to the present invention is a workflow management device comprising a control unit, wherein the control unit comprises acquisition means for acquiring data representing a case set that combines multiple application cases, display control means for controlling the screen display of multiple application cases included in the case set represented by the data, application processing means for approving or rejecting the displayed multiple application cases at once, and setting means for setting the application cases to be included in the case set, wherein the application processing means proceeds to the next approver only after all of the application cases to be approved at once have been approved.

[0007] Furthermore, in the workflow management device according to the present invention, the acquisition means acquires data of the case set which includes at least one application case with a different approval route, the display control means controls the display of each approval route of the application cases included in the case set, the application processing means approves or rejects the application cases included in the case set, and the setting means sets the case set to include at least one application case with a different approval route.

[0008] Furthermore, in the workflow management device according to the present invention, the setting means is characterized by setting an approver who approves or rejects multiple application cases included in the case set all at once.

[0009] Furthermore, in the workflow management device according to the present invention, the setting means is characterized by setting whether to start the approval workflow each time an application is submitted for a plurality of application cases included in the case set, or to start the approval workflow only after all applications have been received.

[0010] Furthermore, in the workflow management device according to the present invention, the application processing means is characterized in that it can modify the application content of the application until the workflow for approving the application is initiated.

[0011] Furthermore, in the workflow management device according to the present invention, when the application processing means proceeds with the approval workflow to an approver who approves multiple applications to be approved together, each of the applications to be approved together is approved by an approver who approves the applications before the approver who approves the applications together, and only then is the approval workflow proceeded to the approver who approves the applications together.

[0012] Furthermore, in the workflow management device according to the present invention, the display control means is characterized in that it controls the display of the approval status for each of the plurality of application cases.

[0013] Furthermore, in the workflow management device according to the present invention, the application processing means is characterized in that, if the application is rejected or withdrawn, it changes the approval status of other application cases according to the rejected or withdrawn application.

[0014] Furthermore, in the workflow management device according to the present invention, when the application processing means reverses the workflow of an application from the approver currently approving it due to the rejection or withdrawal of the application, if the application has been submitted or approved in a batch while reversing to the applicant or approver to which it is to be reversed, the means changes the scope to which the approval status of the application that is not to be reversed is changed according to the application included in the batched application or batched approval.

[0015] Furthermore, the workflow management method according to the present invention is a workflow management method executed by an information processing device equipped with a control unit, comprising: an acquisition step executed by the control unit to acquire data representing a case set that groups together multiple application cases; a display control step that controls the screen display of multiple application cases included in the case set represented by the data; an application processing step that approves or rejects the displayed multiple application cases all at once; and a setting step that sets the application cases to be included in the case set, wherein the application processing step is characterized in that the approval workflow proceeds to the next approver only after all of the application cases to be approved all at once have been approved.

[0016] Furthermore, the present invention is a program to be executed by an information processing device equipped with a control unit, and is characterized in that it is executed by the control unit, which includes an acquisition step of acquiring data representing a case set that groups together multiple application cases, a display control step of controlling the screen display of multiple application cases included in the case set represented by the data, an application processing step of approving or rejecting the displayed multiple application cases all at once, and a setting step of setting the application cases to be included in the case set, wherein the application processing step proceeds to the next approver only after all of the application cases to be approved all at once have been approved. [Effects of the Invention]

[0017] According to the present invention, approvers can efficiently process multiple bundled applications. [Brief explanation of the drawing]

[0018] [Figure 1] Figure 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of a workflow management device according to an embodiment. [Figure 2] Figure 2 shows an example of the structure of a master according to the embodiment. [Figure 3] Figure 3 shows an example of the data structure according to the present invention. [Figure 4] Figure 4 shows a maintenance screen displayed by the workflow management device according to the embodiment, and an example of a master that has been maintained on the maintenance screen. [Figure 5] Figure 5 shows an example of the screen for creating an application set in the embodiment, as well as an example of the application type master, application set master, and application set member master. [Figure 6] Figure 6 shows the screen related to the allocation of approval routes in the embodiment, as well as the application type master, application set master, approval route master, approval route allocation master, and application set approval route allocation master. [Figure 7]FIG. 7 is a diagram showing an example of an application type master, an application set master, and an application set member master. [Figure 8] FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a screen related to a budget application and an example of data created by the budget application. [Figure 9] FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a screen related to an order registration and an example of data created by the order registration. [Figure 10] FIG. 10 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed at the time of approval. [Figure 11] FIG. 11 is a diagram showing an example of project data, project step data, project step approver data, and a route display. [Figure 12] FIG. 12 is a diagram showing an example of project data, project step data, project step approver data, and a route display. [Figure 13] FIG. 13 is a diagram showing an example of an application type master, an application set master, and an application set member master. [Figure 14] FIG. 14 is a diagram showing a screen related to an order registration and an example of data created by the order registration. [Figure 15] FIG. 15 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed when an order registration application is made. [Figure 16] FIG. 16 is a diagram showing an example of data created by the order registration. [Figure 17] FIG. 17 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed at the time of approval. [Figure 18] FIG. 18 is a diagram showing an example of an application type master, an application set master, and an application set member master. [Figure 19] FIG. 19 is a diagram showing a screen related to a dispatch registration and an example of data created by the dispatch registration. [Figure 20] FIG. 20 is a diagram showing a screen related to an account registration and an example of data created by the account registration. [Figure 21] FIG. 21 is a diagram showing an example of a screen displayed at the time of approval. [Figure 22]Figure 22 shows an example of an application type master, an application set master, and an application set member master. [Figure 23] Figure 23 shows a screen related to address changes and an example of the data created when an address change is made. [Figure 24] Figure 24 shows an example of a screen displayed when submitting an application that includes a change of address. [Figure 25] Figure 25 shows an example of case data, case step data, case step approver data, case set data, and case set member data. [Figure 26] Figure 26 shows an example of case data, case step data, case step approver data, case set data, and case set member data. [Figure 27] Figure 27 shows an example of a screen displayed during the approval process. [Figure 28] Figure 28 shows an example of a screen displayed during the approval process. [Figure 29] Figure 29 shows an example of an application type master, an application set master, and an application set member master. [Figure 30] Figure 30 shows a screen related to budget applications and an example of the data created during the budget application process. [Figure 31] Figure 31 shows a screen related to purchase requests and an example of the data created in budget requests. [Figure 32] Figure 32 shows an example of a screen displayed during the approval process. [Figure 33] Figure 33 is a diagram illustrating the process when an application is rejected. [Figure 34] Figure 34 is a diagram illustrating the process when an application is rejected. [Figure 35] Figure 35 is a diagram illustrating the process when an application is withdrawn. [Figure 36] Figure 36 is a diagram illustrating the process when an application is withdrawn. [Modes for carrying out the invention]

[0019] Embodiments of the workflow management device, workflow management method, and program according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to these embodiments.

[0020] [1. Overview] In organizations such as companies, workflow systems are used to support application processing, where applications are received, and approval processing, where applications are approved. In such workflow systems, workflows including applications and approval / rejection are executed. In this workflow, an applicant may submit not only the application itself but also other applications related to it, and when an approver decides to approve an application, they may decide to approve not only the application itself but also other applications related to it.

[0021] For example, when a company's sales department secures a project, an application for the project is submitted, along with a budget application for the project. Similarly, when an employee moves, an application for a change of address and an application for a change of commuter pass route are submitted. When an approver decides to approve a project application, they must not only verify the details of the project but also the budget application related to it before making a decision. Furthermore, when an approver decides to approve an application for a change of commuter pass route, they must not only verify the commuter pass route but also check whether the address change application corresponds to the change of commuter pass route before making a decision.

[0022] Thus, when the same approver judges related applications, the process becomes cumbersome if approval decisions are made individually for each application, which becomes a burden for approvers in large organizations who handle many approvals. Therefore, this embodiment provides a workflow management device, workflow management method, and program that enable approvers to efficiently process multiple applications in a consolidated manner. The specific configuration and operation will be described below.

[0023] [2. Structure] An example of the configuration of the workflow management device 100 according to this embodiment will be described with reference to Figure 1. Figure 1 is a block diagram showing an example of the configuration of the workflow management device 100 according to this embodiment.

[0024] The workflow management device 100 is, for example, a commercially available desktop personal computer. However, the workflow management device 100 is not limited to stationary information processing devices such as desktop personal computers, but may also be portable information processing devices such as commercially available notebook personal computers, PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants), smartphones, and tablet personal computers. Furthermore, the workflow management device 100 may be a server device such as a tower type, rack-mount type, or blade type that receives requests and instructions from clients and provides information and processing results to the clients.

[0025] The workflow management device 100 comprises a control unit 102, a communication interface unit 104, a storage unit 106, and an input / output interface unit 108. Each part of the workflow management device 100 is connected to communicate via any communication path.

[0026] The communication interface unit 104 connects the workflow management device 100 to the network 300 via communication devices such as routers and wired or wireless communication lines such as dedicated lines. The communication interface unit 104 has the function of communicating data with other devices via communication lines. Here, the network 300 is, for example, the Internet or a LAN (Local Area Network), and has the function of connecting the workflow management device 100 and the server 200 so that they can communicate with each other, and connecting the workflow management device 100 and terminal devices 400A and 400B so that they can communicate with each other. Note that the data stored in the storage unit 106 may be stored in, for example, the server 200, and the data processed by the control unit 102 may be obtained from the server 200.

[0027] The input / output interface unit 108 is connected to an input device 112 and an output device 114. The output device 114 can be a monitor (including a home television), a speaker, or a printer. The input device 112 can be a keyboard, a mouse, a microphone, or a monitor that works in conjunction with a mouse to provide pointing device functionality. In the following, the output device 114 may be referred to as the monitor 114, and the input device 112 may be referred to as the keyboard 112 or mouse 112.

[0028] The memory unit 106 stores various databases, tables, and files. The memory unit 106 also stores computer programs that work in cooperation with the OS (Operating System) to give instructions to the CPU (Central Processing Unit) to perform various processes. As the memory unit 106, for example, memory devices such as RAM (Random Access Memory) and ROM (Read Only Memory), fixed disk devices such as hard disks, flexible disks, and optical disks can be used. The memory unit 106 stores, for example, application set master 106a, application set member master 106b, application type master 106c, application set approval route assignment master 106d, approval route master 106e, approval route assignment master 106f, and approval route step master 106g. In addition, the memory unit 106 stores, for example, case set data 106h, case set member data 106i, case data 106j, case step data 106k, and case step approver data 106l. These data represent case sets, which are collections of multiple application cases. Details of each master and data will be explained later in [3. Specific Examples of Processing].

[0029] The control unit 102 is a CPU or the like that comprehensively controls the workflow management device 100. The control unit 102 has internal memory for storing control programs such as the OS, programs that define various processing procedures, and required data, and executes various information processing based on these stored programs. Functionally, the control unit 102 comprises an acquisition unit 102a, a display control unit 102b, an application processing unit 102c, and a setting unit 102d.

[0030] The acquisition unit 102a, acting as an acquisition means, acquires the aforementioned master data related to the processing performed by the control unit 102. The display control unit 102b, acting as a display control means, controls the screens displayed on the output device 114 and terminal devices 400A and 400B based on the master data acquired by the acquisition unit 102a. The display control unit 102b then displays various screens, described later, on the output device 114 and terminal devices 400A and 400B. The application processing unit 102c, acting as an application processing means, approves or rejects multiple grouped application cases in a batch according to the operations performed on the terminal devices 400A and 400B. The setting unit 102d, acting as a setting means, performs various settings for the grouped applications according to the operations performed on the input device 112 and terminal devices 400A and 400B.

[0031] Terminal devices 400A and 400B are, for example, commercially available desktop personal computers. However, the workflow management device 100 is not limited to stationary information processing devices such as desktop personal computers, but may also be portable information processing devices such as commercially available notebook personal computers, PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants), smartphones, and tablet personal computers. Terminal devices 400A and 400B are, for example, information processing devices used by applicants who submit various applications and approvers who approve various applications within a company.

[0032] [3. Specific examples of processing] Here, specific examples of processes executed by the workflow management device 100 will be explained with reference to Figures 2 to 36.

[0033] (Data structure) Figure 2 shows an example of the structure of the master stored by the memory unit 106. The application set master 106a is a master that stores information related to an application set that combines multiple application cases. The application set master 106a includes set CD, set name, description, whether or not a combined application is used, whether or not an automatic application is used, and rejection destination type. Whether or not a combined application is used indicates whether, for multiple applications, the approval workflow will start after all applications have been submitted, or whether or not an approval workflow will start for each application. Whether or not an automatic application is used indicates whether or not an application will be automatically submitted when all applications are ready, if the option for combined application is used. If the option for combined application is used and the option for automatic application is not used, each application included in the application set will proceed to the approval process each time an application is submitted. If the option for combined application is used and the option for automatic application is not used, after all applications have been submitted, when the set is confirmed on the set application screen described later, the applications included in the application set will proceed to the approval process. If both "Bulk application" and "Automatic application" are enabled, once all applications are submitted, the applications included in the application set will automatically proceed to the approval process. The rejection destination type specifies the action taken when an approver rejects an application, indicating whether to return to the applicant or to the previous step of the rejecting approver.

[0034] The application set member master 106b is a master that stores information related to the application types of multiple applications included in an application set. The application set member master 106b includes the set code, application type code, display order, required flag, priority during route determination, and whether multiple applications can be created. The priority during route determination is information that determines the priority of multiple applications that can be included in an application set. For example, consider a case where the approval route for application case (1) is in the order of A, B, C, and the approval route for application case (2) is C, B, A, and the first and third steps of the approval route are group approvals where the approver approves the cases together. In this case, if the priority of the route for case (1) is 1 and the priority of the route for case (2) is 2, the third step of case (1) and the first step of case (2) will be approved together. If the priority of the route for case (2) is 1 and the priority of the route for case (1) is 2, the third step of case (2) and the first step of case (1) will be approved together. The option to allow multiple applications is used when multiple applications of the same type are included in an application set. Multiple applications cannot be approved if automatic combined applications are enabled. Application set member master 106b contains the same set CD as application set master 106a. This links application set master 106a and application set member master 106b.

[0035] The application type master 106c is a master that stores information related to the types of applications included in an application set. The application type master 106c includes the application type code, application type name, application type group, and rejection destination type. The application type master 106c includes the same application type code as the application set member master 106b. This associates the application set member master 106b with the application type master 106c.

[0036] The Application Set Approval Route Assignment Master 106d is a master that maps which approval route to be used when an application set is created by a particular person. It stores information related to the applicant's affiliation in the application set and the approval route information. The Application Set Approval Route Assignment Master 106d includes the set CD, applicant affiliation, and approval route CD. The Application Set Approval Route Assignment Master 106d includes the same set CD as the Application Set Master 106a. This links the Application Set Master 106a and the Application Set Approval Route Assignment Master 106d.

[0037] The approval route master 106e is a master that stores the approval route names of the application set. The approval route master 106e includes the approval route CD and the approval route name. The approval route master 106e includes the same approval route CD as the application set approval route assignment master 106d. This associates the application set approval route assignment master 106d with the approval route master 106e.

[0038] The approval route assignment master 106f is a master that maps which approval route to be used when a document is created, on a per-application-type basis. It stores information related to the applicant's affiliation for each application type and the approval route information. The approval route assignment master 106f includes the application type CD, applicant affiliation, and approval route CD. The approval route assignment master 106f includes the same application type CD as the application type master 106c. This links the application type master 106c and the approval route assignment master 106f. In addition, the approval route assignment master 106f includes the same approval route CD as the approval route master 106e. This links the approval route master 106e and the approval route assignment master 106f.

[0039] The Approval Route Step Master 106g is a master that stores information related to each step of the approval route of the applications included in the application set. The Approval Route Step Master 106g includes the approval route CD, step order, employee list, whether or not group approval is available, the group approval step name, and conditional expressions. For multiple applications, if the steps are set to allow group approval and the approver is the same, then group approval will occur. Also, if a group approval step name is set, group approval will only occur if the group approval step name is the same. The Approval Route Step Master 106g includes the same approval route CD as the Approval Route Master 106e. This links the Approval Route Master 106e and the Approval Route Step Master 106g. The Approval Route Step Master 106g may also include conditional expressions so that different routes are used depending on the conditions of the application content. For example, by setting a conditional expression such as when the application type CD at the time of application is equal to a specific value, different approval routes can be set depending on the application type, even for the same application set.

[0040] Figure 3 shows an example of the data structure stored in the memory unit 106. The case set data 106h is data that includes information related to a case set that combines multiple application cases. The case set data 106h includes the set key, case set name, and set CD.

[0041] Case set member data 106i is data containing information related to the applications included in the case set. Case set member data 106i includes the set key, case key, display order, application type CD, and status. Case set member data 106i contains the same set key as case set data 106h. This links case set data 106h and case set member data 106i.

[0042] Case data 106j is data containing information related to the application included in the case set. Case data 106j includes the case key, application date, applicant, document number, case information summary, case image, and status. Case data 106j contains the same case key as the case set member data 106i. This links case set member data 106i and case data 106j.

[0043] Case step data 106k is data containing information related to the step order of approval for applications included in a case set. Case step data 106k includes the case key, step order, whether or not there is a group approval, and the name of the group approval step. Case step data 106k contains the same case key as case data 106j. This links case data 106j and case step data 106k.

[0044] Case step approver data 106l is data that includes information about the approvers at each step of the application route and the approval status at each step for the applications included in the case set. Case step approver data 1061 includes the case key, step order, employee code, and approval status. Case step approver data 106l includes the same case key as the case step data 106k. This links case step data 106k and case step approver data 106l.

[0045] (Maintenance of approval routes) Figure 4 shows an example of the application approval route maintenance screen displayed on the workflow management device 100, and an example of the approval route master 106e and approval route step master 106g created by the approval route maintenance screen. As shown in Figure 4, the approval route maintenance screen 501 includes an arrow indicating the direction of approval and boxes indicating the approvers at each step of the approval route. The approval route setting screen also includes text boxes for setting the approval route CD, approval route name, approver name, and group approval step name, and radio buttons for setting whether or not to perform group approval.

[0046] When an operator enters the approval route CD and approval route name on the maintenance screen 501 and clicks the registration button on the maintenance screen 501, the entered approval route CD and approval route name are stored in the approval route master 106e, as shown in Figure 4. Furthermore, when an operator enters the approver name, whether or not group approval is possible, and the group approval step name for each approval step indicated by a box on the maintenance screen 501 and clicks the registration button on the maintenance screen 501, the approval route CD, step order, employee name, whether or not group approval is possible, and group approval step name for each step are stored in the approval route step master 106g, as shown in Figure 4. The entered approver name is stored in the employee list column of the approval route step master 106g.

[0047] Note that for group approval, if there are cases in the application set that have a step that allows group approval and have the same approver, then group approval will occur. Also, if a group approval stage name is specified, group approval will only occur if the group approval stage name is the same.

[0048] (Create application set) Figure 5 shows an example of the screen related to the creation of an application set, and an example of the application type master 106c, application set master 106a, and application set member master 106b. The application type master 106c is pre-configured prior to the creation of an application set. In the workflow management device 100, the application set creation screen 502 displays a list of already created application sets associated with set CDs. Clicking one of the buttons, for example, "New," "Modify," or "Copy," will transition to the application set editing screen 503.

[0049] On the application set editing screen 503, the set CD of the application set is entered in the CD text box, the set name of the application set is entered in the name text box, and the description of the application set is entered by the operator in the description text box. Also on the application set editing screen 503, radio buttons are used to set whether to combine multiple applications into one application or to submit applications one by one.

[0050] By entering the set CD, set name, application set description, and radio button selection, and then clicking the register button, the settings configured on the application set editing screen 503 will be stored in the application set master 106a, as shown in Figure 5. If "Apply Each Time" is selected using the radio button, the "Bulk Application" option will be set to "None," and the "Automatic Application" option will be left blank. Similarly, if "Bulk Application (Manual)" is selected using the radio button, the "Bulk Application" option will be set to "None," and the "Automatic Application" option will be set to "None." If "Bulk Application (Automatic)" is selected using the radio button, the "Bulk Application" option will be set to "Yes," and the "Automatic Application" option will be set to "Yes."

[0051] By selecting applications to include in an application set from a list of application types, manipulating the Group, Application Type, Required, Multiple Applications Allowed, and Priority columns for the selected applications, and clicking the Register button, the configured information is stored in the Application Set Member Master 106b, as shown in Figure 5. The list of application types is displayed based on, for example, the Application Type Master 106c exemplified in Figure 5. The Application Type CD included in the Application Set Member Master 106b is the Application Type CD corresponding to the Application Type name selected from the list.

[0052] (Application type route / Application set route allocation) Figure 6 shows an example of the application approval route assignment screen displayed on the workflow management device 100, and an example of the application type master 106c, application set master 106a, approval route master 106e, approval route assignment master 106f, and application set approval route assignment master 106d.

[0053] As shown in Figure 6, the approval route assignment screen 504 includes a "Applicant Department" field for selecting the department to which the applicant belongs, an "Application Type / Application Set" field for selecting the application type or application set to which a route is to be set, and an "Approval Route" field for selecting the approval route to be assigned to the application type or application set. This screen is displayed based, for example, on the application type master 106c, application set master 106a, and approval route master 106e shown in Figure 6.

[0054] When an operator assigns an approval route to an application type or application set, they first select the department to which the applicant belongs in the "Applicant's Department" field on the approval route assignment screen 504. Next, the operator selects the application type or application set to which the approval route should be assigned in the "Application Type / Application Set" field, and then selects the approval route to which to assign the selected application type or application set in the "Approval Route" field.

[0055] When an operator assigns an approval route to an application type, the approval route assignment master 106f is set. When an operator assigns an approval route to an application set, the application set approval route assignment master 106d is set. If the applicant of an application case submits a single application without submitting a set application, the approval route for each application type is determined by referring to the approval route assignment master 106f. If the applicant of an application case submits a set application, the system first refers to the application set approval route assignment master 106d. If an approval route is set for each application set that is being submitted as a set application, this set approval route is adopted. If no route is set, the system refers to the approval route assignment master 106f and adopts the approval route for each application type included in the application set that is being submitted. This allows the system to handle situations where different approval routes are used depending on the application content, even when an approval route for each application type included in an application set is adopted.

[0056] For example, as shown in Figure 6, if you select "General Affairs Department" in the "Applicant Department" field, "Budget + Order" in the "Application Type / Application Set" field, and "Business Department Route" in the "Approval Route" field, and then click the "↑ Assign" section on the settings screen, the Application Set Approval Route Assignment Master 106d will have the contents shown in Figure 6. In this Application Set Approval Route Assignment Master 106d, the "Set CD" column stores "S01", the set CD associated with the "Budget + Order" application set in Application Set Master 106a; the "Applicant Department" column stores "General Affairs Department", which was selected in the "Applicant Department" field; and the "Approval Route CD" column stores "R02", the approval route CD associated with the "Business Department Route" in Approval Route Master 106e.

[0057] (Pattern (1)) Next, we will explain an example of processing when an applicant combines a budget request and an order registration request, and an approver approves the request as a group. In this example, it is assumed that the contents of the request type master 106c, request set master 106a, and request set member master 106b are as shown in Figure 7 before the request is submitted. Furthermore, the approval route for the budget request is assumed to be: Applicant → Employee with Employee CD "100001" (group approval available) → Employee with Employee CD "100002" (group approval available) → Employee with Employee CD "100003" (group approval available). The approval route for the order registration request is assumed to be: Applicant → Employee with Employee CD "100001" (group approval available) → Employee with Employee CD "100003" (group approval available). Note that in Figure 7, the illustration of records and columns not used in the explanation of the processing example is omitted.

[0058] Figure 8 shows an example of the screen displayed when submitting a budget request and the data created based on that screen. When an applicant operates the terminal device 400A to access the workflow management device 100 and performs the operation for budget request, the terminal device 400A displays the budget request screen 505 shown in Figure 8, which is provided by the workflow management device 100. The applicant enters each item related to the budget request on this budget request screen 505. If the applicant submits a budget request together with order registration, the applicant checks the "Make it a set request" checkbox and clicks the "Register" button. When the applicant clicks the "Register" button, the terminal device 400A displays a set selection screen 506 in which the applicant selects an application set that includes the budget request to be submitted as the application type, as shown in Figure 8.

[0059] Here, when the applicant selects "Budget + Order" on the set selection screen 506 and clicks the "Apply" button, the workflow management device 100 creates the case data 106j, case step data 106k, case step approver data 106l, case set data 106h, and case set member data 106i shown in Figure 8 as data related to this application. Note that in the application set master 106a in Figure 7, the automatic application status is "Yes" and the bundled application status is "Yes," so at this point, the order registration has not been applied for, and therefore the approval workflow is not started.

[0060] In case data 106j, the case key, which uniquely identifies the submitted budget request, is stored in the case key column. The status column in case data 106j will store "Pending Application" because the order registration application has not yet been submitted.

[0061] In the 106k case step data, the budget application approval route involves three approvers, so the column for step order stores 1 to 3. Furthermore, as mentioned above, there is a group approval option for each approver, so the column for group approval stores "yes".

[0062] In the case step approver data 106l, the step order and the employee ID of the employee who approves at each step are stored for each step in the budget application approval route. Note that at this point, the order registration application, which is an application that will be bundled into the budget application, has not been submitted and the budget application workflow has not started, so "Unprocessed" is stored in the "Approval Status" column.

[0063] In case set data 106h, a set key that uniquely identifies the application set is stored in the set key column, the case set name entered on the set selection screen 506 is stored in the case set name column, and the application set CD corresponding to "budget + order" is stored in the set CD column.

[0064] In the case set member data 106i, the set key of the application set, the case key of the budget application included in the application set, and the case key of the order registration are stored. In addition, the "Display Order" and "Application Type CD" columns of the case set member data 106i are copied from the contents of the application set member master 106b corresponding to the application set. Note that in the case set member data 106i, the "Status" column will be "Pending Application" for budget application case records because the order registration case in the set has not been applied for at this point, and "Not Created" for order registration case records because the order registration case has not been applied for at this point. Note that in the case set member data 106i, the "Status" column will be "Applied" if there is no collective approval, "Pending Application" if there is collective approval and there are unapplied cases, "Pending Application" if there is collective approval and there are no unapplied cases and no automatic application, and "Applied" if there is collective approval and there are no unapplied cases and there is an automatic application.

[0065] Figure 9 shows an example of the screen displayed when submitting an order registration application in conjunction with a budget application, and the data created based on that screen. When an applicant operates the terminal device 400A to access the workflow management device 100 and performs the operation to submit an order registration application, the terminal device 400A displays the order registration screen 507 shown in Figure 9, which is provided by the workflow management device 100. The applicant enters each item related to order registration on this order registration screen 507. When submitting an order registration application in conjunction with a budget application, the applicant checks the "Make it a set application" checkbox and clicks the "Register" button. When the applicant clicks the "Register" button, the terminal device 400A displays an application set list screen 508, which allows the applicant to select an application set that includes the order registration case to be submitted as the application type, as shown in Figure 9.

[0066] Furthermore, until the approval workflow begins, you can modify the application without having to withdraw it.

[0067] Here, when the applicant selects the "Budget + Order" application set on the application set list screen 508 and clicks the "Apply" button, the order registration application is completed. At this point, both the budget application and order registration are complete, and in the application set master 106a in Figure 7, the automatic application status is "Yes" and the combined application status is "Yes," so the workflow management device 100 automatically starts the approval workflow. Furthermore, once the order registration application is completed, the workflow management device 100 updates the case data 106j, case step data 106k, case step approver data 106l, case set data 106h, and case set member data 106i as shown in Figure 9.

[0068] Regarding the status, if the "Bulk Application" option is "Yes" and the "Automatic Application" option is "No," the status column of the second record in case data 106j will be updated to "Before Application," and the status column of the second record in case set member data 106i will be updated to "Before Application." In this case, the approval workflow will not start automatically, and the approver in step 1 will be unable to perform approval. If the "Bulk Application" option is "Yes," the "Submit for Approval" button will be displayed on the application set list screen 508 shown in Figure 9. When the applicant selects an application set and clicks the "Submit for Approval" button, the status column of the second record in case data 106j will be updated to "In Progress," and the status column of the second record in case set member data 106i will be updated to "Submitted," the approval workflow will start, and the approver in step 1 will be able to perform approval. Regarding the status column, "Pending" indicates that an application has been submitted and the approval workflow is currently progressing for the individual case, while "Submitted" indicates that each application process for the grouped applications has been completed.

[0069] When an approver operates terminal device 100B to log in to workflow management device 100 and performs an operation to display the list of applications they are responsible for, for example, the unapproved list screen 509, which is a list of unapproved applications provided by the workflow management device 100 as shown in Figure 10, is displayed. If the approver checks the checkboxes for the budget application and order registration records grouped together on the unapproved list screen 509 and clicks the "Approve" button, the budget application and order registration will be approved together. If the approver clicks the "Reject" button, the budget application and order registration will be rejected together.

[0070] Furthermore, until all applications subject to group approval have been approved by the approver in the previous step, those applications will not be displayed to the next approver on the unapproved list screen 509. Also, in case step data 106k, if the record with step order 1 has no group approval option, the first approver can approve the individual cases as soon as they are sent for approval. Also, in case step data 106k, if the record with step order 2 or later has no group approval option, approvers with step order 2 or later can approve the cases after the approver in the previous step has approved them.

[0071] Furthermore, when an approver clicks the "Details" button for a budget application or order registration record on the unapproved list screen 509, the application details screen 510 is displayed, as shown in Figure 10, showing the details of the application related to the clicked record. On this application details screen 510, clicking the text "Budget Application" displays the details of the budget application, and clicking the text "Order Registration" displays the details of the order registration. On the application details screen 510, clicking the "Approve" section approves both the budget application and the order registration application together, and clicking the "Reject" button rejects both the budget application and the order registration application together.

[0072] Furthermore, when the approver performs an operation to display the approval route of the application, for example, the route inquiry screen 511, which shows the approval route and the approval status as illustrated in Figure 10, will be displayed.

[0073] On the Route Inquiry Screen 511, all "Start" steps have been completed, and since the approval process for "Budget Request" and "Order Registration" is pending for all approvers, it is displayed as a batch approval step, and the current step in the approval process is indicated at position "(1)" where the step order is 1. It is also indicated that the employee with employee code "100001" is performing the approval. The Route Inquiry Screen 511 allows approvers to see the approval route and approval status for the budget request and order registration requests.

[0074] In the case step data 106k, records with step order "1" have a "Yes" status for whether or not a group approval is required. Therefore, on the route inquiry screen 511, at position "(1)" where step order is 1, the background of the "Budget Application" status and the "Order Registration" status is displayed as a group step with group approval.

[0075] In case step approver data 106l, case key "Y-9A78123F" has employee code "100002" and step order "2". In case step data 106k, the status of whether a summary approval is available is "yes". However, in case step approver data 106l, there is no record with the same employee code under a different case key. Therefore, at position "(2)" where the step order is 2, the background status is exceptionally not displayed as a summary step.

[0076] On the route inquiry screen 511, for an employee whose approver ID is "100003", the approval step order for "Order Registration" is 2, but the approval step order for "Budget Request" is 3. Since the approvals for "Budget Request" and "Order Registration" are combined, the approval status for "Order Registration" is displayed at position "(3)", which corresponds to step order 3, in line with the step order for "Budget Request".

[0077] Furthermore, in the case step approver data 106l, the employee code is "100003" and the step order is "3" for case key "Y-9A78123F". In the case step data 106k, the status of whether or not a summary approval is available is "yes". Therefore, at the position of "(3)" which is displayed together with the case key "J-B34D662C" whose step order is 2, the background of the status is displayed as a summary step.

[0078] Furthermore, since "Bulk Application Status" is "Yes" in the application set master 106a, and all columns in the case set member data 106i are "Submitted" in the "Status" column, the "Previous" step and the "Start" step are displayed as processed.

[0079] Additionally, since "Bulk Application Status" is set to "Yes" in application set master 106a, the background of the "Start" step is displayed as a bulk step.

[0080] For example, if the application set master 106a has "Yes" for "Bulk Application" and the case set member data 106i has "Not Created" in the "Status" column, then for submitted applications, the "Previous" step will be displayed as processed, and the "Current" step will be displayed as unprocessed. For applications that have not yet been created, the status will not be displayed in either the "Previous" or "Current" step.

[0081] When the budget request and order registration are approved together by the approver in the first step of the approval route, the case data 106j, case step data 106k, and case step approver data 106l will be as shown in Figure 11. Also, if the approver performs the operation to display the approval route at this point, the status display of each step on the route inquiry screen will be the route display 512 shown in Figure 11. The route display 512 shown in Figure 11 indicates that the budget request is awaiting the decision of the second approver, and the order registration is stopped before the third step because the budget request has not been approved by the second approver.

[0082] Specifically, in the approval step where step order is 1, the approver with employee code "100001" approves both the "budget request" and the "order registration," causing the status column in case data 106j to change to "Approving," and in the case step approver data 106l, the approval status column for the two records where step order is 1 and employee code is "100001" also changes to "Approved." Since both the "budget request" and the "order registration" are approved in the approval step where step order is 1, the status at position "(1)" where step order is 1 is displayed as processed.

[0083] In the case step approver data 106l, for the record containing the budget application case key "Y-9A78123F", the record with step order "2" has "100002" stored as the employee code. However, for the record containing the order registration case key "J-B34D662C", there is no record with employee code "100002". Therefore, the "budget application" is processed as not requiring a batch approval, and the approval of the "budget application" is displayed as being at step order 2, "(2)", indicating that it is currently at that step.

[0084] In the case step data 106k, the record containing the order registration case key "J-B34D662C" and having step order "2" has a combined approval status of "Yes". However, in the case step approver data 106l, the record containing the budget application case key "Y-9A78123F" has employee code "100003" and step order 2, and its approval status is "Unprocessed". Therefore, it is determined that combined approval for step 3 of the budget application and step 2 of the order registration is not possible, and the order registration status is displayed as the current step at the position of the arrow to the left of step order "(3)".

[0085] When the budget application is approved by the approver at the second step of the approval route, the project data 106j, project step data 106k, and project step approver data 106l will be as shown in Figure 12. Also, if the approver performs the operation to display the approval route at this point, the status display of each step on the route inquiry screen will become the route display 513 shown in Figure 12. The route display 513 in Figure 12 indicates that the budget application and order registration are awaiting the final approver's decision.

[0086] Specifically, in an approval step where the step order is 2, if an approver with employee code "100002" approves the "budget request," then in the case step approver data 106l, the approval status column for the record where the step order is 2 and employee code is "100002" will be linked to "Approved."

[0087] In the approval step, which is step 2 in the step order, specifically step (2) on the route inquiry screen, the "budget request" has been approved, so at position "(2)", the status is displayed as processed.

[0088] In the case step approver data 106l, the approval status for all records in the step immediately preceding the record with employee code "100003" is "Approved," and the approval status for the record with employee code "100003" is "Not Processed." Therefore, the route inquiry screen displays "(3)" as the current step.

[0089] (Pattern (2)) Next, we will explain an example of processing when an applicant submits similar applications and an approver approves them all at once. In this example, it is assumed that the contents of the application type master 106c, application set master 106a, and application set member master 106b are as shown in Figure 13 before the application is submitted. Furthermore, the approval route for the order registration application is assumed to be: Applicant → Employee with Employee Code "100001" (with bulk approval) → Employee with Employee Code 100002 (with bulk approval). Note that in Figure 13, the illustration of records and columns not used in the explanation of the processing example has been omitted.

[0090] Figure 14 shows an example of the screen displayed when submitting an order registration application and the data created based on that screen. When an applicant operates the terminal device 400A to access the workflow management device 100 and performs the operation to submit an order registration application, the terminal device 400A displays the order registration screen 514 shown in Figure 14, which is provided by the workflow management device 100. The applicant enters each item related to the order registration on this order registration screen 514. If the applicant is submitting an order registration as a set with another order registration, the applicant checks the "Submit as a set application" checkbox and clicks the "Register" button. When the applicant clicks the "Register" button, as shown in Figure 14, the terminal device 400A displays a set selection screen 515 in which the applicant selects an application set name that includes the order registration to be submitted as the application type.

[0091] Here, when the applicant selects "Set Sale" on the set selection screen 515 and clicks the "Apply" button, the workflow management device 100 creates the case data 106j, case step data 106k, case step approver data 106l, case set data 106h, and case set member data 106i shown in Figure 14 as data related to this application.

[0092] In case data 106j, the case key that uniquely identifies the submitted order registration is stored in the case key column. The status column in case data 106j stores the information "Application in progress" because the status of the combined application in application set master 106a is "none".

[0093] In the 106k case step data, the budget application approval route involves two approvers, so the column for step order stores "1" and "2". Furthermore, as mentioned above, there is a group approval process for the approvers, so the column for group approval stores "yes".

[0094] In the case step approver data 106l, the step order and the employee code of the employee performing the approval at each step are stored for each step in the order registration approval route. At this point, the "Consolidated Application Status" column stores "Not Approved" because the "Consolidated Application Status" in the application set master 106a is "None" and the workflow for the first order registration has not yet started.

[0095] In case set data 106h, the set key that uniquely identifies the submitted application set is stored in the set key column, the case set name entered on the set selection screen 515 is stored in the case set name column, and the application set CD corresponding to "set sales" is stored in the set CD column.

[0096] In the case set member data 106i, the set key of the application set and the case key of the submitted order registration included in the application set are stored. In addition, the "Display Order" and "Application Type CD" columns of the case set member data 106i are copied from the contents of the application set member master 106b corresponding to the application set. Note that the "Status" column of the case set member data 106i will be "Applied" because the status of the combined application in the application set master 106a is "None".

[0097] Figure 15 shows an example of a screen displayed when submitting an order registration application that is a set with a previously submitted order registration. When the applicant operates the terminal device 400A to access the workflow management device 100 and performs an operation to display the application menu, the application menu screen 516 provided by the workflow management device 100 is displayed on the terminal device 400A. When the applicant clicks the string "Set Application" on this application menu screen 516, the application set list screen 517 shown in Figure 15 is displayed. When the applicant clicks "Set Sales" on this application set list screen 517, the set application screen 518 shown in Figure 15 is displayed. The set application screen 518 displays the approval route and approval status of the previously submitted order registration application. If there are no unsubmitted applications, the pending applications are progressing through the approval step. When "Order Registration" is selected on the set application screen 518 and the "Add" button is clicked, a new "Order Registration" is added, and the set application screen 519 shown in Figure 15 is displayed. If there are any unsubmitted applications, the pending applications are temporarily reset to the approval step. Clicking the newly added "Order Registration" button displays the Order Registration screen 507. Entering the required information for order registration on the displayed Order Registration screen 507 and clicking the "Register" button displays the Set Application screen 520 shown in Figure 15. Once there are no more unsubmitted applications, the pending applications proceed to the approval step.

[0098] Furthermore, even if you do not click "Add" on the set application screen 518 in Figure 15 immediately after submitting an application where the "Multiple Document Creation Allowed" status in the application set member master 106b is set to "Possible," you can have data of the same application type with a status of "Not Created" automatically added, as shown in the second row of the set application screen 519. This makes it possible to keep the workflow from passing to the approver in the summary approval step until the necessary order registration is completed and the set contents are finalized. This is preferable when the cases to be approved by the approver in the summary approval step are not determined until all set contents are finalized.

[0099] On the set application screen 520, since the status of the application set master 106a is "none," the "Confirm Set" button is displayed as shown in Figure 15. Clicking the "Confirm Set" button on the set application screen 520 completes the order registration application. At this point, the case data 106j, case step data 106k, case step approver data 106l, case set data 106h, and case set member data 106i are as shown in Figure 16.

[0100] Furthermore, if the case set member data 106i contains data where the required Flag of the application set member master 106b is "optional" and the status is "not created," the status of that data may be automatically changed to "discard" when the "Confirm Set" button is clicked. Alternatively, a confirmation message such as "There is data that has not been created, do you want to discard it and confirm the set?" may be displayed to the applicant, and if "yes" is selected, the status of that data may be automatically changed to "discard." In this way, if there is no bulk application, the status of the case data 106j will only be "in application," and once there is no more data with the status "not created" in the case set member data 106i, the set contents will be considered confirmed, the workflow will be sent to the approvers in the bulk approval step, and the data will be displayed as an item to be approved. In the set application screen 519 of Figure 15, there is still data with the status "not created," and for the order registration in the first row, the current step is indicated by the "→" before the step "(1)" which is the bulk approval step, indicating that it is being held up before the bulk approval approvers.

[0101] When an approver operates terminal device 100B to log in to workflow management device 100 and performs an operation to display the list of applications they are responsible for, for example, the unapproved list screen 521 shown in Figure 17, provided by workflow management device 100, is displayed. If the approver checks the checkboxes for the two order registration records grouped together on the unapproved list screen 521 and clicks the "Approve" button, the two order registration applications are approved together. If the approver clicks the "Reject" button, the two order registration applications are rejected together.

[0102] Furthermore, when an approver clicks the "Details" button for a sales order registration record on the unapproved list screen 521, the application details screen 522, which displays the details of the application related to the clicked record, is displayed, as shown in Figure 17. On this application details screen 522, clicking the "Sales Order Registration" text at the top displays the details of the sales order registration submitted earlier, and clicking the "Sales Order Registration" text at the bottom displays the details of the sales order registration submitted later. On the application details screen 522, clicking the "Approve" section approves both "Sales Order Registrations" together, and clicking the "Reject" button rejects both "Sales Order Registrations" together. In addition, when an approver performs an operation to display the approval route of an application, the route inquiry screen 523, exemplified in Figure 17, which shows the approval route and the approval status, is displayed. The route inquiry screen 523 allows the approver to know the approval route and the approval status of the two sales order registration applications.

[0103] (Pattern (3)) Next, we will explain an example of processing when an applicant submits both a dispatch registration application and an account registration application associated with a new dispatch registration, and the routes for the combined applications diverge midway. In this example, it is assumed that the contents of the application type master 106c, application set master 106a, and application set member master 106b are as shown in Figure 18 before the application set is submitted. Furthermore, the approval route for dispatch registration is assumed to be: Applicant → Employee with Employee CD "100001" (with combined approval) → Employee with Employee CD "100002" (with combined approval) → Employee with Employee CD "100003" (without combined approval), and the approval route for account registration is assumed to be: Applicant → Employee with Employee CD "100001" (with combined approval) → Employee with Employee CD "100002" (with combined approval) → Employee with Employee CD "100004" (without combined approval). Note that in each master shown in Figure 18, the illustration of records and columns not used in the explanation of the processing example has been omitted.

[0104] Figure 19 shows an example of the screen displayed when applying for dispatch registration and the data created based on that screen. When an applicant operates the terminal device 400A to access the workflow management device 100 and performs the operation to apply for dispatch registration, the terminal device 400A displays the dispatch registration screen 524 shown in Figure 19, which is provided by the workflow management device 100. The applicant enters each item related to dispatch registration on this dispatch registration screen 524. If the applicant is applying for dispatch registration together with account registration, the applicant checks the "Make it a set application" checkbox and clicks the "Register" button. When the applicant clicks the "Register" button, as shown in Figure 19, the terminal device 400A displays a set selection screen 525 in which the applicant selects an application set name that includes the dispatch registration to be applied for as the application type.

[0105] Here, when the applicant selects "Temporary Employment" on the set selection screen 525 and clicks the "Apply" button, the workflow management device 100 creates the following data related to this application: case data 106j, case step data 106k, case step approver data 106l, case set data 106h, and case set member data 106i, as shown in Figure 19.

[0106] In case data 106j, the case key, which uniquely identifies the submitted dispatch registration, is stored in the case key column. The status column in case data 106j will store "Pending Application" because no account registration application has been submitted at this stage.

[0107] In the 106k case step data, the approval route for dispatch registration involves three approvers, so the column for step order stores 1 to 3. Also, since the first two approval steps involve group approval, "yes" is stored in the group approval column, and for the third step, "no" is stored in the group approval column.

[0108] In the case step approver data 106l, the step order and the employee code of the employee who approves at each step are stored for each step in the approval route of dispatch registration. At this point, the account registration, which is the application to be consolidated, has not been submitted and the dispatch registration workflow has not started, so "Unprocessed" is stored in the "Approval Status" column.

[0109] In case set data 106h, the set key that uniquely identifies the submitted application set is stored in the set key column, the case set name entered on the set selection screen 525 is stored in the "Case Set Name" column, and the application set CD corresponding to "Temporary Employment" is stored in the set CD column.

[0110] In the case set member data 106i, the set key of the application set, the case key for dispatch registration included in the application set, and the case key for account registration are stored. In addition, the "Display Order" and "Application Type CD" columns of the case set member data 106i are copied from the contents of the application set member master 106b corresponding to the application set. Note that in the case set member data 106i, the "Status" column will be "Pending Application" for a "Dispatch Registration" case record because the account registration case in the set has not yet been applied for at this point, and "Not Created" for an account registration case record because the account registration case has not yet been applied for at this point.

[0111] Figure 20 shows an example of the screen displayed when applying for account registration in conjunction with dispatch registration, and the data created based on that screen. When an applicant operates terminal device 400A to access workflow management device 100 and performs the operation for applying for account registration, terminal device 400A displays the account registration screen 526 shown in Figure 20, which is provided by workflow management device 100. The applicant enters each item related to account registration on this account registration screen 526. If the applicant is applying for account registration in conjunction with dispatch registration, the applicant checks the "Make it a set application" checkbox and clicks the "Register" button. When the applicant clicks the "Register" button, as shown in Figure 20, the application set list screen 527, which includes the account registration case to be registered, is displayed on terminal device 400A.

[0112] At this point, when the applicant selects the "Temporary Employment" application set on the application set list screen 527, the account registration application is completed. Once the "Account Registration" application is completed, the workflow management device 100 updates the case data 106j, case step data 106k, case step approver data 106l, case set data 106h, and case set member data 106i as shown in Figure 20.

[0113] At this point, with both dispatch registration and account registration complete, and with automatic application enabled and group application enabled in the application set master 106a in Figure 18, the status column of case data 106j becomes "Applied" and the status column of case set member data 106i becomes "Applied". Since the status column of case set member data 106i becomes "Applied" and the approval status column of case step approver data 106l becomes "Not processed", the workflow management device 100 automatically starts the approval workflow and passes the workflow to the approver of step (1), which is the first step of group approval.

[0114] When an approver operates terminal device 100B to log in to workflow management device 100 and performs an operation to display the list of applications they are responsible for, for example, the unapproved list screen 528, which is a list of unapproved applications provided by the workflow management device 100 as shown in Figure 21, is displayed. If the approver checks the checkboxes for the dispatch registration and account registration records grouped together on the unapproved list screen 528 and clicks the "Approve" button, the dispatch registration and account registration applications are approved together. If the approver clicks the "Reject" button, the dispatch registration and account registration applications are rejected together.

[0115] Furthermore, when an approver clicks the "Details" button for a dispatch registration or account registration record on the unapproved list screen 528, the application details screen 529 is displayed, as shown in Figure 21, showing the application details related to the clicked record. On this application details screen 529, clicking the "Dispatch Registration" text displays the application details for dispatch registration, and clicking the "Account Registration" text displays the application details for account registration. On the application details screen 529, clicking the "Approve" section approves both the dispatch registration and account registration applications together, and clicking the "Reject" button rejects both the dispatch registration and account registration applications together.

[0116] Furthermore, when the approver performs an operation to display the approval route of an application, a route inquiry screen 530, as exemplified in Figure 21, which shows the approval route and the approval status, will be displayed. The route inquiry screen 530 allows the approver to know the approval route and the approval status of the dispatch registration and account registration applications.

[0117] On the route inquiry screen 530, all columns in the status of the case set member data 106i are "Applied," and all columns in the approval status of the case step approver data 106l are "Not processed." Therefore, step "(1)" is displayed as the current step, and the approver information for the current step "(1)" is displayed, which includes the approver's employee name and employee code "100001."

[0118] Furthermore, on the route inquiry screen 530, in the case step data 106k, records with step order "1" and "2" have a "group approval" status of "yes," and in the case step approver data 106l, the employee code of the approver is the same for the record with step order "1" and the employee code of the approver is the same for the record with step order "2." Therefore, the status display for steps "(1)" and "(2)" is shown as a group step. Also, in the case step data 106k, record with step order "3" has a "group approval" status of "no," so the status display for step "(3)" is not shown as a group step.

[0119] (Pattern (4)) Next, we will explain an example of processing when an applicant submits multiple applications sequentially and approval is granted only after all applications have been submitted. In this example, it is assumed that the contents of the application type master 106c, application set master 106a, and application set member master 106b are as shown in Figure 22 before the submission of multiple applications. Furthermore, the approval route for the address change application in this example is as follows: Applicant → Employee with Employee CD "100001" (with group approval) → Employee 100002 (with group approval); the approval route for the commuter pass section change application is as follows: Applicant → Employee with Employee CD "100001" (with group approval); the approval route for the dormitory move-in application is as follows: Applicant → Employee with Employee CD "100002" (with group approval); and the approval route for the dormitory move-out application is as follows: Applicant → Employee with Employee CD "100002" (with group approval).

[0120] Figure 23 shows an example of the screen displayed when applying for a change of address and the data created based on that screen. When an applicant operates the terminal device 400A to access the workflow management device 100 and performs the operation to apply for a change of address, the terminal device 400A displays the address change screen 531 shown in Figure 23, which is provided by the workflow management device 100. The applicant enters each item related to the change of address on this address change screen 531. If the applicant is applying for a change of address as a set with other applications, the applicant checks the "Make it a set application" checkbox and clicks the "Register" button. When the applicant clicks the "Register" button, as shown in Figure 23, the terminal device 400A displays a set selection screen 532 in which the applicant selects the name of the application set that includes the address change to be applied for as the application type.

[0121] Here, when the applicant selects "Change of Address" on the set selection screen 532 and clicks the "Apply" button, the workflow management device 100 creates the case data 106j, case step data 106k, case step approver data 106l, case set data 106h, and case set member data 106i shown in Figure 23 as data related to this application.

[0122] In case data 106j, a case key that uniquely identifies the submitted address change is stored in the case key column. The status column in case data 106j stores the information "Application in progress" because, for application sets including an address change, the "Bulk application status" in application set master 106a is "None".

[0123] In case step data 106k, the approval route for address change involves two approvers, so the step order column stores 1 and 2. Additionally, since the first two approval steps involve group approval, the group approval column stores "yes".

[0124] In the case step approver data 106l, the step order and the employee ID of the employee who approves at each step are stored for each step in the address change approval route. At this point, since no other applications to be grouped have been submitted and the workflows for those applications have not yet started, the "Approval Status" column will store "Pending".

[0125] In case set data 106h, the set key that uniquely identifies the submitted application set is stored in the set key column, the case set name entered on the set selection screen 532 is stored in the "Case Set Name" column, and the application set CD corresponding to "Address Change" is stored in the set CD column.

[0126] In the case set member data 106i, the set key of the application set, the case key for the regular route change included in the application set, the case key for the dormitory move-in application included in the application set, and the case key for the dormitory move-out application included in the application set are stored. In addition, the "Display Order" and "Application Type CD" columns of the case set member data 106i are copied from the contents of the application set member master 106b corresponding to the application set. Note that the "Status" column of the case set member data 106i will be "Applied" for records of "Address Change" cases, and "Not Created" for records of other cases because the other cases have not yet been applied for.

[0127] Figure 24 shows an example of a screen displayed when submitting an application that is a set application with a previously submitted address change application. When the applicant operates the terminal device 400A to access the workflow management device 100 and performs an operation to display the application menu, the application menu screen 516 provided by the workflow management device 100 is displayed on the terminal device 400A. When the applicant clicks the string "Set Application" on this application menu screen 516, the application set list screen 533 shown in Figure 24 is displayed. When the applicant clicks "Address Change" on this application set list screen 533, the set application screen 534 shown in Figure 24 is displayed. The set application screen 534 displays the approval route and approval status of the previously submitted address change application. Also, on the set application screen 534, since the set application master 106a does not have a set application, the "Confirm Set" button is displayed. When "Dormitory Application" is selected on the set application screen 534 and the "Discard" button is clicked, "Dormitory Application" is discarded from the set application, as shown on the set application screen 535. Furthermore, on the set application screen 535, since the application set master 106a indicates "None" for the bundled application, the "Confirm Set" button is displayed. Also, on the set application screen 535, selecting "Change Regular Route" and clicking the "Create Ticket" button displays a screen for submitting an application for "Change Regular Route" (not shown in the diagram). After entering the items related to "Change Regular Route" on the displayed screen and clicking the "Register" button, the case data 106j, case step data 106k, case step approver data 106l, case set data 106h, and case set member data 106i will be as shown in Figure 25.

[0128] Furthermore, in set application screens 534 and 535, since there are still applications with the status "Not Created," the current step display for the address change application is shown at the position indicated by the "→" just before the "(1)" step, which is the batch approval step, indicating that the workflow is stopped before the batch approval approver.

[0129] Similarly, selecting "Dormitory Withdrawal Application" on the set application screen 535 and clicking the "Create Application" button will display a screen for submitting a "Dormitory Withdrawal Application" (not shown in the diagram). After entering the required information for the "Dormitory Withdrawal Application" on the displayed screen and clicking the "Register" button, the case data 106j, case step data 106k, case step approver data 106l, case set data 106h, and case set member data 106i will be as shown in Figure 26.

[0130] At this point, all columns in the status of case data 106j become "Pending," and the columns in the status of case set member data 106i become either "Submitted" or "Discarded," with no "Not Created" entries remaining. In this way, all approvers for the group approval step have been determined, and the approval workflow that was stopped for the approvers of step 1, which is the group approval step, is released, and the approval workflow is now routed to the group approval approvers.

[0131] Furthermore, if the case set member data 106i contains an application set member master 106b where the required Flag is "Optional" and the status is "Not Created," the status of that data may be automatically changed to "Discard" when the "Confirm Set" button is clicked. Alternatively, a confirmation message such as "There is data that has not been created. Do you want to discard it and confirm the set?" may be displayed to the applicant, and if "Yes" is selected, the status of that data may be automatically changed to "Discard." In this way, if there is no bundled application, the status of the case data 106j will only be "Application in Progress," and once there is no more data in the case set member data 106i with the status "Not Created," the set contents will be considered confirmed, and the workflow will be routed to the approvers in the bundled approval step, and the items will be displayed as items to be approved. This makes it possible to stop the workflow from being routed to the approvers in the bundled approval step until the necessary applications in the set contents are confirmed, which is suitable when the applications that the approvers in the bundled approval step should approve are not determined until the set contents are confirmed.

[0132] Furthermore, if the case set member data 106i contains an application set member master 106b where the required flag is "required" and the status is "not created," an error message indicating that the required application has not been submitted may be displayed when the "Confirm Set" button is clicked.

[0133] Furthermore, by selecting the application type on the set application screen 535 and clicking the "Edit" button, you can modify the details of the selected application type. For example, if you select "Address Change" on the set application screen 535 and click the "Edit" button, the address change screen 531 will be displayed, where you can modify the details of the address change application.

[0134] If an employee with the ID "100001" is an approver who approves "address change" and "regular route change," and operates terminal device 100B to log in to workflow management device 100 and performs an operation to display the list of applications they are in charge of, for example, the unapproved list screen 536 shown in Figure 27, provided by workflow management device 100, is displayed. If the approver checks the checkboxes for the combined address change and regular route change application records on the unapproved list screen 536 and clicks the "Approve" button, the two applications are approved together. If the approver clicks the "Reject" button, the two applications are rejected together.

[0135] Furthermore, if an approver whose employee code is "100001" clicks the "Details" button for the address change record on the unapproved list screen 536, the application details screen 537, which displays the details of the application related to the clicked record, will be displayed as shown in Figure 27. On the application details screen 537, clicking the "Regular Route Change" text will display the details of the regular route change application, and clicking the "Dormitory Leave Application" text will display the details of the dormitory leave application. On the application details screen 537, clicking the "Approve" section will approve both the address change and regular route change applications together, and clicking the "Reject" button will reject both the address change and regular route change applications together. In addition, if the approver performs an operation to display the approval route of the application, the route inquiry screen 538, exemplified in Figure 27, which shows the approval route and the approval status, will be displayed. The route inquiry screen 538 allows the approver to know the approval route of the application and the approval status.

[0136] On the route inquiry screen 538, for the bundled approvals "Address Change" and "Regular Route Change," the status background at position "(1)" indicates that it is a bundled approval and that it is the current step. Also, for the bundled approvals "Address Change" and "Dormitory Leave Application," at position "(2)," the approver with employee code "100002" is the approver in step 2 for the address change, but the approver in step 1 for the dormitory leave application. For the address change, the approver in step 1 is currently approving, so for the dormitory leave application, the current step is indicated at the "→" position before step "(2)." Furthermore, the approval status of the dormitory leave application is displayed at step "(2)" in line with the bundled approval for the address change.

[0137] After an approver with employee code "100001" approves an application for address change and commuter route change, the next approver for the "address change" application, with employee code "100002", operates terminal device 100B to log in to workflow management device 100 and performs an operation to display the list of applications to be handled. For example, the unapproved list screen 539 shown in Figure 28, provided by workflow management device 100, is displayed. If the approver checks the checkboxes for the combined address change application and dormitory departure application records on the unapproved list screen 539 and clicks the "Approve" button, the two applications are approved together. If the approver clicks the "Reject" button, the two applications are rejected together.

[0138] Furthermore, when an approver clicks the "Details" button for the address change record on the unapproved list screen 539, the application details screen 540, which displays the application details related to the clicked record, is displayed as shown in Figure 28. On the application details screen 540, clicking the "Dormitory Leave Application" text displays the details of the "Dormitory Leave Application," and clicking the "Regular Route Change" text text displays the details of the "Regular Route Change" application. On the application details screen 540, clicking the "Approve" section approves both the address change application and the dormitory leave application together, and clicking the "Reject" button rejects both the address change application and the dormitory leave application together. In addition, when an approver performs an operation to display the approval route of an application, the route inquiry screen 541, exemplified in Figure 28, which shows the approval route and the approval status, is displayed. The route inquiry screen 541 allows the approver to know the approval route of an application and the approval status.

[0139] On the route inquiry screen 541, the approver for the combined approval of "Address Change" and "Dormitory Move-Out Application" for employee CD "100002" is the approver in step 2 for the address change, but the approver in step 1 for the dormitory move-out application. Since the approver in step 1 approved the address change, the current step for both the address change and dormitory move-out application is displayed as "(2)".

[0140] (Pattern (5)) Next, we will explain an example of processing when the routes for multiple combined applications differ up to a certain point, but the same approver makes the final decision on approval. In this example, it is assumed that the contents of the application type master 106c, application set master 106a, and application set member master 106b are as shown in Figure 29 before the application set is submitted. Furthermore, the approval route for the budget application in this example is assumed to be: Applicant → Employee with Employee CD "100001" (no combined approval) → Employee with Employee CD "100002" (no combined approval) → Employee with Employee CD "100003" (with combined approval), and the approval route for the purchase application is assumed to be: Applicant → Employee with Employee CD "100004" (no combined approval) → Employee with Employee CD "100003" (with combined approval). Note that in Figure 29, the illustration of records and columns not used in the explanation of the processing example is omitted.

[0141] Figure 30 shows an example of the screen displayed when submitting a budget request and the data created based on that screen. When an applicant operates the terminal device 400A to access the workflow management device 100 and performs the operation for submitting a budget request, the terminal device 400A displays the budget request screen 542 shown in Figure 30, which is provided by the workflow management device 100. The applicant enters each item related to the budget request on this budget request screen 542. If the applicant submits a budget request together with a purchase request, the applicant checks the "Make it a set request" checkbox and clicks the "Register" button. When the applicant clicks the "Register" button, as shown in Figure 30, the terminal device 400A displays a set selection screen 543 in which the applicant selects the name of the application set that includes the budget request as the application type.

[0142] Here, when the applicant selects "Budget + Purchase" on the set selection screen 543 and clicks the "Apply" button, the workflow management device 100 creates the case data 106j, case step data 106k, case step approver data 106l, case set data 106h, and case set member data 106i shown in Figure 30 as data related to this application. Here, since the presence or absence of a combined application in the application set master 106a is "none", the "Status" column of the record corresponding to the budget application in the case set member data 106i becomes "Applied". In the case set data 106h, the set key that uniquely identifies the application set is stored in the set key column, the case set name entered on the set selection screen 543 is stored in the "Case Set Name" column, and the application set CD corresponding to "Budget + Purchase" is stored in the set CD column.

[0143] Figure 31 shows an example of the screen displayed when submitting a purchase request in conjunction with a budget request, and the data created based on that screen. When an applicant operates the terminal device 400A to access the workflow management device 100 and performs the operation for submitting a purchase request, the terminal device 400A displays the purchase request screen 544 shown in Figure 31, which is provided by the workflow management device 100. The applicant enters each item related to the purchase request on this purchase request screen 544. If the applicant submits a purchase request in conjunction with a budget request, the applicant checks the "Make it a set request" checkbox and clicks the "Register" button. When the applicant clicks the "Register" button, the application set list screen 545, which includes the purchase request to be registered, is displayed on the terminal device 400A, as shown in Figure 31.

[0144] At this point, if the applicant selects the "Budget + Purchase" application set on the application set list screen 545, the purchase application is completed. With both the budget application and the purchase application now complete, the workflow management device 100 also starts the workflow for the purchase application. Furthermore, once the purchase application is completed, the workflow management device 100 updates the case data 106j, case step data 106k, case step approver data 106l, case set data 106h, and case set member data 106i as shown in Figure 31.

[0145] When an approver with employee code "100001" operates terminal device 100B to log in to workflow management device 100 and performs an operation to display the list of applications they are responsible for, for example, the unapproved list screen 546, which is a list of unapproved applications provided by workflow management device 100 as shown in Figure 32, is displayed. If the approver checks the checkbox for the budget application record and clicks the "Approve" button, the budget application is approved, and if they click the "Reject" button, the budget application is rejected.

[0146] Furthermore, if an approver whose employee code is "100001" clicks the "Details" button for a budget application record on the unapproved list screen 546, the application details screen 547, which displays the details of the application related to the clicked record, will be displayed as shown in Figure 32. On this application details screen 547, clicking the "Purchase Application" text will display the details of the purchase application. On the application details screen 547, clicking the "Approve" section will approve the budget application, and clicking the "Reject" button will reject the budget application.

[0147] Furthermore, when the approver performs an operation to display the approval route of the application, a route inquiry screen 548, exemplified in Figure 32, which shows the approval route and the approval status, will be displayed. The route inquiry screen 548 allows the approver to know the approval route of the application and the approval status.

[0148] On the route inquiry screen 548, the step order of "Budget Request" and the step order of "Purchase Request" are not combined for approval. The approver for step 1 in "Budget Request" has an employee code of "100001," while the approver for step 1 in "Purchase Request" has an employee code of "100004." Therefore, at step position "(1)," the current step is displayed separately for "Budget Request" and "Purchase Request."

[0149] Furthermore, if an approver whose employee code is "100001" approves a budget request and then performs the operation to display the approval route, for example, the route inquiry screen 549 shown in Figure 32 will be displayed. According to the route inquiry screen 549, it can be seen that the budget request is the second step and the purchase request is the first step.

[0150] On the route inquiry screen 549, the step order of "Budget Request" (step 2) and the step order of "Purchase Request" (step 1) are not combined approvals. The approver in step 2 of the "Budget Request" has the employee code "100002," while the approver in step 1 of the "Purchase Request" has the employee code "100004." Therefore, for the "Budget Request," the current step is displayed at step position "(2)," but the approval status for step 2 of the "Purchase Request" is not displayed at position "(2)." On the other hand, the final approval step for both the "Budget Request" and the "Purchase Request" is combined approval, and the approvers' employee codes are the same at "100003." Therefore, the approval status for step 2 of the "Purchase Request" is displayed at position "(3)."

[0151] (Conditions for the workflow to proceed to the approver) To elaborate on the conditions under which the workflow proceeds to the approver of the application, if the summary approval status in case step data 106k is "none," the workflow proceeds only if the status of the "start" step of the application is met as described above, and if the approval status of all case step approver data 106l for the steps prior to the approver's step is "approved."

[0152] Furthermore, if the summary approval status in case step data 106k is "yes," the workflow proceeds if all applications within the case set meet the conditions for the "Start" step status to be processed as described above, the application set is finalized, and all applications included in case set member data 106i that are in the "Submitted" status have the approval status of all case step approver data 206l for steps prior to the summary approval step set to "Approved."

[0153] (Conditions under which the "Confirm Set" and "Submit for Approval" buttons are clickable) To clarify the conditions under which the "Confirm Set" and "Submit for Approval" buttons displayed on the screen are clickable, these buttons become clickable when the status of all case set member data 106i, where the required flag in application set member master 106b is "Required," is "Submitted" or "Pending Submission," and before the application set is confirmed. Furthermore, if the "Bulk Application" status in application set master 106a is "Yes," the button text will be "Submit for Approval" regardless of whether an automatic application is submitted or not. Otherwise, the button text will be "Confirm Set."

[0154] (Conditions for the application set to be finalized) To elaborate on the conditions under which an application set is finalized, an application set is finalized in any of the following cases. Specifically, an application set is finalized when the application set master 106a has "Yes" for group application, "Yes" for automatic application, and all application set member master 106b have "No" for multiple entry permission, and all case set member data 106i are in the "Submitted" state. An application set is also finalized when the aforementioned "Finalize Set" button or "Submit for Approval" button is clicked.

[0155] After an application set is finalized, if any application is withdrawn by the applicant or rejected by the approver, the finalized application set is cleared. When an application set is finalized, the status column in case data 106j is updated from "Pending" to "In Progress". Also, when an application set is finalized, the status column in the case set member data is updated from "Pending" to "Submitted" and from "Unprocessed" to "Discarded".

[0156] (Supplementary explanation of status display) To elaborate on the approval route and the display of approval status, in the "previous" step of the approval route, the status display will show as "processed" only if the "pre-application" status in the application set master 106a is "yes" and the "status" in the case set member data 106i is "before application" or "applied".

[0157] In the "Start" step of the approval route, the status display will be unprocessed if the "Presence of Summary Application" in the application set master 106a is "Yes" and the application set has not been finalized after the application is registered, or if the "Status" of the case data 106j is "Before Application" and the "Status" of the case set member data 106i is "Applied".

[0158] In the "Start" step of the approval route, the status display becomes "Processed" when the "Presence of Bulk Application" in application set master 106a is "None" and the application is registered, when the application set is finalized after the application is registered with "Presence of Bulk Application" in application set master 106a, or when the "Status" of case data 106j is "Pending Application" and the "Status" of case set member data 106i is "Submitted".

[0159] Whether an application set has been finalized can be determined by the "Status" column in the case set member data 106i. If all entries in the "Status" column are "Submitted," the application set is considered finalized.

[0160] (Reference between application set master and application set member master) When referring to the application set master 106a, the application set master 106a is referenced using the set CD contained in the case set data 106h as a condition, and the set name, whether a group application exists, whether an automatic application exists, etc., are referenced as needed. Similarly, when referring to the application set member master 106b, the application set member master 106b is referenced using the set CD contained in the case set data 106h as a condition, and the required flag, whether multiple entries are allowed, etc., are referenced.

[0161] (Application rejected) Next, we will explain an example of how to handle the situation when an application is rejected. Figure 33 is a diagram illustrating the process when an application is rejected. In Figure 33, A to F represent approvers. Figure 33(a) shows the state of a set of cases (1) to (5) before approver E rejects cases (1) to (3), which are the subject of the combined approval.

[0162] If approver E rejects applications for cases (1) to (3), and the rejection destination type in the application set master 106a is "previous approval", the workflow management device 100 sets the approval status to the state shown in Figure 33(b). Specifically, the approval steps for cases (1) to (3) return to the step immediately preceding the rejector's step. If the return destination is a group approval, the cases included in that group approval also return to the group approval step. For example, since case (2) returns to approver B, case (3) also returns to approver B.

[0163] Furthermore, for case (4), which Approver E does not approve in a batch, the approval process returns to Approver B during the batch approval process for cases (2) and (3), which are included with case (4), is handled by Approver B. Therefore, since Approver B is the same for cases (2) and (3), and has already been processed by Approver B, case (4) will also be affected by the rejection of cases (2) and (3), and the approver will return from Approver F to Approver B.

[0164] If approver E rejects applications for cases (1) to (3), and the rejection destination type in the application set master 106a is the applicant, the workflow management device 100 sets the approval status to the state shown in Figure 33(c), and for cases included in the case set that have not yet received final approval, all workflow steps return to the applicant. However, for case (5) that has been approved by the final approver, it does not return to the applicant. If the applicant resubmits an application that has been returned, the route inquiry screen displayed by the approver's operation in the summary approval step will show the final approved case as a related case.

[0165] Furthermore, if the rejection destination type in application set master 106a is "rejection destination selection," the approver who rejected the application can choose whether to return to the step before the rejecter's step or return to the applicant's step in the approval workflow.

[0166] Figure 34 is a diagram illustrating the process when a subsequent approver, acting on behalf of the current approver, rejects an item during the approval process. In Figure 34, A to G represent approvers. Figure 34(a) shows the state of a set of items (1) to (5) before subsequent approvers G reject items (2) to (4), which are subject to combined approval, by the subsequent approvers G, who are the approvers of the current step.

[0167] If approver G rejects an application and the rejection destination type in the application set master 106a is "previous approval", the workflow management device 100 sets the approval status to the state shown in Figure 34(b). Specifically, the workflows for cases (2) to (4) all return to the step before approver D, approver E, and approver F, rather than to approver G who rejected them. If the destination to which the workflows return is a group approval, the cases included in that group approval also return to the group approval step. For example, since case (4) returns to approver A, the workflows for cases (1) to (3) also return to approver A's step.

[0168] If approver G rejects an application and the rejection destination type in the application set master 106a is the applicant, the workflow management device 100 sets the approval status to the state shown in Figure 34(c), and all workflow steps for cases included in the case set that are not yet finalized are returned to the applicant. However, for cases approved by the final approver, the workflow steps are not returned to the applicant. If the applicant resubmits a returned application, the route inquiry screen displayed by the approver's operation in the batch approval step will show the finalized approved case as a related case.

[0169] (Return to applicant) Next, we will explain an example of the process when an application is returned to the applicant. Figure 35 is a diagram illustrating the process when an applicant returns an application. In Figure 35, A to E represent approvers. Figure 35(a) shows the state of a case set consisting of cases (1) to (4) before the applicant returns the application. When the applicant returns an application, the workflow management device 100 returns the workflow step for cases (1) to (3), which were under approval by approver D, to the applicant, and either resubmits or discards them. Case (4), which had already been approved by the final approver A, will not be returned to the applicant as it has already been approved.

[0170] (Return to the approver) Next, we will explain an example of processing when an approver withdraws an application. Figure 36 is a diagram illustrating the processing when an approver withdraws an application. In Figure 36, A to E represent approvers. Figure 36(a) shows the state of a case set that combines cases (1) to (4) before approvers A to C withdraw the application. If approver C withdraws an application for case (1), which is currently being approved by approver D, the workflow management device 100 will return the workflow steps of case (1) to approver C, as shown in Figure 36(b). In addition, the workflow of case (2) of approver D, which is combined with case (1) in the combined approval step during the return to the withdrawal destination, will be placed in a waiting state for approval by approver C as case (1) has been withdrawn, and will be in a waiting state at the position indicated by the "→" before approver D. Furthermore, if approver B withdraws the application for case (2) or (3), the workflow management device 100 will return the workflow steps for cases (2) and (3) to approver B, as shown in Figure 36(c). Also, for the workflow for case (1), since case (2), which is grouped with case (1) during the group approval step while returning to the withdrawal destination, has been withdrawn, it will be placed in a waiting state for approval by approver B, and will be in a waiting state at the position indicated by the "→" before approver D. Furthermore, if approver A withdraws the application for cases (1) to (3), the workflow management device 100 will return the workflow steps for cases (1) to (3) to approver A, as shown in Figure 36(d).

[0171] Furthermore, for applications where the status of the combined application in the application set master 106a is "yes" and the status column in the case set member data 106i is "before application", it is possible to modify the application without reverting the application.

[0172] [4. Effects of the Embodiment] According to the workflow management device 100 of this embodiment, multiple grouped applications are displayed to the approver, and the approver can approve or reject them all at once. This allows the approver to efficiently process multiple grouped applications and reduces the burden on human resources.

[0173] Furthermore, the workflow management device 100 allows users to set which cases to group together and which approvers will approve them together, enabling efficient approval workflows in response to applications.

[0174] Furthermore, in the case of multiple combined applications, the approval route may differ depending on the application. However, with the workflow management device 100, multiple applications are combined, and the approver can approve or reject them only after all the approval steps are complete, thus enabling an efficient approval workflow.

[0175] Furthermore, according to the workflow management device 100, the approver can check the approval status of multiple grouped application cases on the route inquiry screen.

[0176] Furthermore, if multiple related applications with different content but the same approver are not grouped together, and each application is forwarded to the approver through a separate workflow, the approver may not know which applications are related, potentially preventing them from making a correct decision on the applications. However, with the workflow management device 100, the workflows for multiple related applications with different content but the same approver are grouped together and sent to the approver, enabling the approver to make a correct decision on the applications.

[0177] Furthermore, if multiple related applications with different content but the same approver are not grouped together, withdrawing some applications may result in other related applications not being withdrawn. However, if an application is withdrawn, the other applications will also be withdrawn, allowing the approver to correctly evaluate the withdrawn applications.

[0178] [5. Contribution to the United Nations-led Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)] This embodiment can contribute to improving operational efficiency and promoting appropriate management decisions within companies, thereby enabling contributions to SDGs Goals 8 and 9.

[0179] Furthermore, this embodiment can contribute to reducing waste and promoting paperless and digital processes, thereby contributing to SDGs Goals 12, 13, and 15.

[0180] Furthermore, this embodiment can contribute to strengthening control and governance, thereby enabling contributions to SDG Goal 16.

[0181] [6. Other Embodiments] In addition to the embodiments described above, the present invention may be implemented in various different embodiments within the scope of the technical idea described in the claims.

[0182] For example, among the processes described in the embodiments, all or part of the processes described as being performed automatically can be performed manually, or all or part of the processes described as being performed manually can be performed automatically by known methods.

[0183] Furthermore, the processing procedures, control procedures, specific names, information including parameters such as registration data and search conditions for each process, screen examples, and database configuration shown in this specification and in the drawings may be changed at will unless otherwise specified.

[0184] Furthermore, with respect to the workflow management device 100, each component shown in the diagram is a functional concept and does not necessarily need to be physically configured as shown.

[0185] For example, the processing functions of the workflow management device 100, particularly those performed by the control unit 102, may be implemented in whole or in part by a CPU and a program interpreted and executed by the CPU, or they may be implemented as wired logic hardware. The program is recorded on a non-temporary computer-readable recording medium containing programmed instructions for the workflow management device 100 to execute the processing described in this embodiment, and is mechanically read by the workflow management device 100 as needed. That is, a storage unit such as ROM or HDD (Hard Disk Drive) records a computer program that works in cooperation with the OS to give instructions to the CPU and perform various processing tasks. This computer program is executed by being loaded into RAM and works in cooperation with the CPU to constitute the control unit 102.

[0186] Furthermore, this computer program may be stored on an application program server connected to the workflow management device 100 via any network, and it is possible to download all or part of it as needed.

[0187] Furthermore, the program for executing the processing described in this embodiment may be stored on a non-temporary computer-readable recording medium, or it may be configured as a program product. Here, "recording medium" includes any "portable physical medium" such as memory cards, USB (Universal Serial Bus) memory, SD (Secure Digital) cards, flexible disks, magneto-optical disks, ROMs, EPROMs (Erasable Programmable Read Only Memory), EEPROMs (Registered Trademark) (Electrically Erasable and Programmable Read Only Memory), CD-ROMs (Compact Disk Read Only Memory), MOs (Magneto-Optical disks), DVDs (Digital Versatile Disks), and Blu-ray (Registered Trademark) Discs.

[0188] Furthermore, "program" refers to a data processing method described in any language or writing method, regardless of its format, such as source code or binary code. Note that "program" is not necessarily limited to a single, monolithic structure; it also includes distributed structures consisting of multiple modules or libraries, and those that work in cooperation with other programs, such as an operating system, to achieve their functions. Regarding the specific configuration and reading procedures for reading the recording medium in each device shown in the embodiments, as well as the installation procedures after reading, well-known configurations and procedures can be used.

[0189] The various databases stored in the memory unit 106 include memory devices such as RAM and ROM, fixed disk devices such as hard disks, flexible disks, and optical disks, and store various programs, tables, databases, and web page files used for various processes and website provision.

[0190] Furthermore, the workflow management device 100 may be configured as a known personal computer or workstation or other information processing device, or as an information processing device to which any peripheral devices are connected. Alternatively, the workflow management device 100 may be implemented by installing software (including programs or data, etc.) that realizes the processing described in this embodiment on the information processing device.

[0191] Furthermore, the specific forms of distribution and integration of the devices are not limited to those shown in the illustration, and all or part of them can be configured by functionally or physically distributing and integrating them in any unit according to various additions or functional additions. In other words, the embodiments described above may be implemented in any combination, or the embodiments may be implemented selectively. [Industrial applicability]

[0192] This invention is useful in workflow systems used within organizations such as companies. [Explanation of symbols]

[0193] 100 Workflow Management Devices 102 Control Unit 102a Acquisition Department 102b Display Control Unit 102c Application Processing Unit 102d Settings section 104 Communication Interface Section 106 Storage section 106a Application Set Master 106b Application Set Member Master 106c Application Type Master 106d Application Set Approval Route Assignment Master 106e Approval Route Master 106f Approval Route Assignment Master 106g Approval Route Step Master 106h Project Set Data 106i Project Set Member Data 106j Project Data 106k project step data 106l Project Step Approver Data 108 Input / Output Interface Section 112 Input device (keyboard) 114 Output device (monitor) 200 servers 300 Networks 400A, 400B terminal equipment 501 Maintenance screen 502 Application Set Creation Screen 503 Application Set Editing Screen 504 Approval Route Assignment Screen 505, 542 Budget application screen Set selection screen for 506, 515, 525, 532, and 543. 507, 514 Order Registration Screen Application set list screen for 508, 517, 527, 533, and 545. 509, 521, 528, 536, 539, 546 Unapproved List Screen 510, 522, 529, 537, 540, 547 Application details screen Route Inquiry Screen for Routes 511, 523, 530, 538, 541, 548, and 549 Route display for 512 and 513. 516 Application Menu Screen Application screens for sets 518, 519, 520, 534, and 535. 524 Temporary Staffing Registration Screen 526 Account Registration Screen 531 Address Change Screen 544 Purchase request screen

Claims

1. A workflow management device comprising a control unit, The control unit, A means of obtaining data representing a case set that combines multiple application cases, A display control means for controlling the screen display of multiple application cases included in the case set represented by the aforementioned data, An application processing means for approving or rejecting multiple displayed applications at once, A setting means for setting application cases to be included in the aforementioned case set, Equipped with, The aforementioned application processing means is a workflow management device characterized in that it proceeds to the next approver only after all of the aforementioned applications to be approved in a batch have been approved.

2. The acquisition means acquires data from the set of cases, which includes at least one application case with a different approval route. The display control means controls the display of each approval route for the application cases included in the case set. The aforementioned application processing means approves or rejects the application cases included in the case set. The setting means configures the set of cases to include at least one application case with a different approval route. The workflow management device according to claim 1.

3. The setting means sets an approver who will approve or reject multiple application cases included in the case set all at once. A workflow management device according to claim 1 or claim 2.

4. The setting means configures whether to start the approval workflow for each application submitted for each application included in the case set, or to start the approval workflow only after all applications have been submitted. A workflow management device according to any one of claims 1 to 3.

5. The application processing means allows the application details to be modified until the workflow for approving the application is initiated. A workflow management device according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

6. When the application processing means proceeds with the approval workflow to the approver who approves multiple applications to be approved together, each of the applications to be approved together must be approved by an approver who approves the application before the approval workflow is proceeded to the approver who approves the application together. A workflow management device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. The display control means controls the display of the approval status for each of the multiple application cases. A workflow management device according to any one of claims 1 to 6.

8. If an application is rejected or withdrawn, the application processing means changes the approval status of other applications according to the rejected or withdrawn application. A workflow management device according to any one of claims 1 to 7.

9. When the application processing means reverses the application workflow from the approver currently approving the application due to rejection or withdrawal of the application, if the application has been submitted or approved in a batch while reversing to the applicant or approver to which it is to be reversed, it changes the scope to which the approval status of the application that is not included in the batch changes, depending on the application included in the batched application or batched approval. The workflow management device according to claim 8.

10. A workflow management method performed on an information processing device equipped with a control unit, The control unit executes the following: A data acquisition step to obtain data representing a case set that combines multiple application cases, A display control step that controls the screen display of multiple application cases included in the case set represented by the aforementioned data, An application processing step that allows for the simultaneous approval or rejection of multiple displayed applications, A setting step to set the application cases to be included in the aforementioned case set, Equipped with, The aforementioned application processing step is a workflow management method characterized in that the approval workflow proceeds to the next approver only after all of the aforementioned applications to be approved together have been approved.

11. A program to be executed by an information processing device equipped with a control unit, For execution by the control unit, A data acquisition step to obtain data representing a case set that combines multiple application cases, A display control step that controls the screen display of multiple application cases included in the case set represented by the aforementioned data, An application processing step that allows for the simultaneous approval or rejection of multiple displayed applications, A setting step to set the application cases to be included in the aforementioned case set, Includes, The aforementioned application processing step is a program that proceeds to the next approver's approval workflow only after all of the aforementioned applications, which are to be approved together, have been approved.

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