Information management device, information management system, information management method, and program

Abstract

A storage unit (11) stores management information, which relates to two or more different tasks each including a plurality of work steps and obtained by using a cyclic task improvement process such as a PDCA cycle, for each task and work step. A communication unit (106) receives, from a terminal belonging to one work step of a first task, application information including data access to or a request for management information relating to a designated work step belonging to a second task different from the first task. An access right management unit (124) determines whether or not the terminal that has transmitted the application information has a right of access to the designated work step belonging to the second task. If the access right management unit (124) determines that the terminal has the access right, a management information sharing unit (121) executes data access to or request processing for the management information relating to the designated work step on the basis of the application information.

Description

Information management device, information management system, information management method and program

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an information management device, an information management system, an information management method, and a program.

[0002] In various business processes, a method is used to improve the quality of business or products or services related to the business by circulating a cyclical business improvement process (for example, Patent Literature 1). As a cyclical business improvement process, for example, a PDCA cycle having four steps of planning (Plan), execution (Do), evaluation (Check), and improvement (Action) is known.

[0003] The business management system described in Patent Document 1 monitors the status of abnormalities and the status of countermeasures against the abnormalities, and changes the way alarm information is displayed depending on the length of time the abnormality has continued and the progress of the countermeasures, which is said to enable an efficient PDCA cycle.

[0004] Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2021-71945

[0005] Although the business management system described in Patent Document 1 manages the PDCA cycles of multiple departments, improvements in the PDCA cycle of one department are limited to improvements within that PDCA cycle and are independent of improvements in the PDCA cycles of other departments. As a result, it is not possible to achieve improvements that are coordinated between the first PDCA cycle and the second PDCA cycle.

[0006] However, business improvement processes for different business processes, such as actual design and operation, can affect each other, so cooperation between business improvement processes is desired.

[0007] The present disclosure has been made in consideration of the circumstances described above, and aims to provide an information management device, an information management system, an information management method, and a program that enable information related to two or more business operations to be linked and improve each other's business operations.

[0008] To achieve the above object, an information management device disclosed herein includes a memory unit that stores, for each task and task step, management information related to two or more different tasks, each of which includes a plurality of task steps, and a communication unit that receives, from a terminal that belongs to one task step of a first task, application information including a data access or request for management information of a specified task step that belongs to a second task different from the first task. The information management device determines whether the terminal that submitted the application information has access authority to the specified task step that belongs to the second task, and if it determines that the terminal has access authority, executes data access or request processing for the management information of the task step that belongs to the second task based on the application information.

[0009] According to the present disclosure, by applying from a work step of a first business to a work step of a second business, data access or request processing is executed for the specified work step, so that information related to two or more businesses is linked, making it possible to improve each other's businesses.

[0010] Block diagram showing an example of the configuration of an information management system according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of an information management device. Block diagram showing an example of the functional configuration of an information management device. Flowchart of data access processing. Flowchart of request processing. Diagram showing a step list of a PDCA cycle. Diagram showing a request between PDCA cycles.

[0011] DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which the same or corresponding parts are designated by the same reference numerals.

[0012] FIG. 1 is a block diagram showing an example configuration of an information management system 1 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The information management system 1 is a system that aggregates and manages management information held or used by one or more companies or business departments in each work step of a cyclical business improvement process. Here, the business improvement process is any method for improving the quality of a business or a product or service related to the business by cycling through multiple work steps and reflecting the results of each work step in the next step. The business improvement process is, for example, a PDCA cycle, an OODA loop, or an STPD cycle.

[0013] The PDCA cycle includes four work steps: plan (Plan), do (Do), check (Check), and improve (Action). The OODA loop includes four steps: observe (Observe), judge the situation (Orient), make a decision (Decide), and take action (Act). The STPD cycle includes four steps: see (See), think (Think), plan (Plan), and do (Do). In this embodiment, a case where the PDCA cycle is adopted as a business improvement process will be described. In the following description, the PDCA cycle may be simply referred to as the cycle, and the plan step may be referred to as the P step, the do step as the D step, the check step as the C step, and the improve step as the A step.

[0014] As shown in Fig. 1, the information management system 1 includes an information management device 10 and information terminals owned by one or more companies or business departments that are connected to the information management device 10 via a network 20. The example in Fig. 1 shows a state in which the information management device 10 is communicably connected to company A 31, which is an end user, company B 32, which is an equipment manufacturer, and company C's design department 33 and operations department 34. Note that each company or business department may have two or more terminals, and each terminal may be directly or indirectly connected to the information management device 10.

[0015] The information management device 10 has a function of accumulating and managing management information including information input by an operator to each terminal connected to the information management device 10, information obtained by the arithmetic processing of each terminal, information obtained from the equipment managed by each terminal, etc. The information management device 10 is any computer on which an information management program is installed. The information management device 10 may also be a virtual server built on the cloud.

[0016] Fig. 2 is a block diagram showing an example of the hardware configuration of the information management device 10. In the example of Fig. 2, the information management device 10 includes a processor 101, a primary storage device 102, a secondary storage device 103, an input unit 104, an output unit 105, and a communication unit 106, which are connected to each other via a bus 110.

[0017] The processor 101 includes, for example, a CPU (Central Processing Unit). The processor 101 loads a program stored in the secondary storage device 103 into the primary storage device 102 and executes the program.

[0018] The primary storage device 102 includes, for example, a RAM (Random Access Memory), functions as a work memory for the processor 101 , and temporarily stores programs that the processor 101 reads from the secondary storage device 103 .

[0019] The secondary storage device 103 includes, for example, an EEPROM (Electrically Erasable and Programmable Read Only Memory), a flash memory, etc. The secondary storage device 103 stores data acquired from each terminal, programs executed by the processor 101, parameters used in the information management process by the processor 101, etc.

[0020] The input unit 104 includes, for example, a keyboard or a pointing device, receives input from an operator, and passes the input signal to the processor 101. The output unit 105 outputs signals such as characters, images, and sounds to an arbitrary output device.

[0021] The communication unit 106 is an interface of any communication method for transmitting and receiving data to and from terminals owned by each company or each business department, and includes a communication device such as Ethernet (registered trademark) or wireless LAN.

[0022] For example, the processor 101 and primary storage device 102 of the information management device 10 work together to realize the functions shown in FIG. 3 . That is, the information management device 10 functions as a management information linking unit 121 that links management information for each task step in the PDCA cycle of each company or each business. The management information linking unit 121 has a function for sharing management information between a task step of any PDCA cycle and a task step of another PDCA cycle, or for reflecting each other's management information. The management information linking unit 121 includes a data access unit 122 that controls access from a terminal of a task step of any PDCA cycle to its own data or data of other task steps, and a request processing unit 123 that processes requests from a task step of any PDCA cycle to other task steps.

[0023] The information management device 10 further functions as an access authority management unit 124 that manages access authority to data for each work step of the PDCA cycle of each company or each business, and a ticket management unit 125 that manages tickets that indicate information related to requests processed by the request processing unit 123.

[0024] In addition, either or both of the primary storage device 102 and the secondary storage device 103 function as the storage unit 11 of the information management device 10. The storage unit 11 stores management information, including information input by an operator to each terminal, information obtained by the calculation processing of each terminal, information obtained from the equipment managed by each terminal, etc., in association with the PDCA cycle and identification information of the work steps, and constructs a database of management information.

[0025] 3, the database of the storage unit 11 stores management information for each of the P steps, D steps, C steps, and A steps of cycle I, which is the PDCA cycle for the first task, as P information 1101, D information 1102, C information 1103, and A information 1104. The database of the storage unit 11 also stores management information for each of the P steps, D steps, C steps, and A steps of cycle II, which is the PDCA cycle for the second task, as P information 1111, D information 1112, C information 1113, and A information 1114.

[0026] For example, if cycle I is a PDCA cycle for design work, P information 1101 includes a development schedule, D information 1102 includes information indicating the development status or development results or the development deliverables, C information 1103 includes information related to the test results of the development deliverables, and A information 1104 includes information indicating specification improvement proposals for defects.As another example, if cycle II is a PDCA cycle for operations work, P information 1111 includes an operations management schedule, D information 1112 includes information indicating the operations status, C information 1113 includes information related to the operations monitoring results, and A information 1114 includes information indicating operations improvement proposals for defects.

[0027] Furthermore, the memory unit 11 stores a step list 1201 showing the flow of work steps belonging to one PDCA cycle or multiple PDCA cycles, an access authority list 1202 showing access authority to management information, a program executed by the processor (not shown), and various other setting information.

[0028] The operation of the information management system 1 having the above-described configuration will now be described in detail. When a data access or request is made to the information management device 10 from a terminal that can communicate with the information management device 10, the information management device 10 executes the data access process shown in Figure 4 or executes the request process shown in Figure 5. Figure 4 is a flowchart of the data access process, and Figure 5 is a flowchart of the request process. Note that in the following description and drawings, the PDCA cycle may be simply referred to as a cycle, and the work steps may be simply referred to as steps.

[0029] Here, the terminal that applies for data access or a request to the information management device 10 is a terminal used in any work step of any PDCA cycle, and is a terminal that is managed by the information management device 10.

[0030] An application corresponding to the information management function of the information management device 10 is installed on the terminal, and an operator can apply for data access or a request by operating the application on the terminal. Alternatively, if there is management information that is predetermined as the management target of the information management device 10, the terminal may send a registration request to the information management device 10 when the management information is generated. For example, if specifications, simulation results, measurement results, etc. are predetermined as the management targets of the information management device 10, the terminal may send a data access request to the information management device 10 when the specifications, simulation results, measurement results, etc. are generated and saved in the terminal, or periodically.

[0031] When a data access request is received from a terminal, the data access unit 122 of the information management device 10 starts the data access process shown in the flowchart of FIG.

[0032] First, the data access unit 122 identifies, from the application information sent from the terminal, the cycle and step to which the requesting terminal belongs and the cycle and step that holds the management information specified in the application information (process S101).

[0033] Next, based on the cycle and step identified in step S101, the access authority management unit 124 determines whether the requester has access authority to the management information of the cycle and step related to the request (step S102). The determination is made by referring to an access authority list 1202 that is set in advance and stored in the storage unit 11. If the access authority management unit 124 determines that the requester does not have access authority to the management information related to the request (step S102: No), the process proceeds to step S108.

[0034] If the access authority management unit 124 determines that the requesting terminal has the authority to access the management information related to the request (Process S102: Yes), the data access unit 122 accesses the management information related to the cycle and step identified in Process S101 (Process S103). Here, the PDCA cycle to which the requesting terminal belongs may be different from the PDCA cycle related to the accessed management information. That is, the PDCA cycle to which the requesting terminal belongs may be related to a first task, and the PDCA cycle related to the accessed management information may be related to a second task different from the first task.

[0035] The access authority may be set for each requesting terminal, or for each step or cycle. The access authority may also be set for each management information to be accessed, or for each step or cycle to be accessed.

[0036] After the data access unit 122 accesses the management information (step S103), if the content of the data processing included in the application information is writing (step S104: writing), the data access unit 122 writes the data to the database (DB) (step S105). At this time, the written data is stored together with the cycle and step identification information.

[0037] If the content of the data processing included in the application information is read (process S104: read), the data access unit 122 reads the management information specified in the application information from the database (DB) (process S106). The content of the read data or the identification information is output from the output unit 105 (process S107) or transmitted from the communication unit 106.

[0038] If the content of the data processing is neither write nor read, but other (process S104: Other), the process proceeds to process S108. In process S108, it is determined whether or not the application information includes processing for the next step, and if there is no processing for the next step (process S108: No), the process ends. If the application information includes processing for the next step (process S108: Yes), the data access unit 122 selects the next step (process S109).

[0039] In process S109, the next step is selected by referring to step list 1201 stored in storage unit 11. Step list 1201 shows the flow order of steps P, D, C, and A. It includes not only the conventional flow shown in FIG. 6A in which steps P, D, C, and A are followed by a loop back to step P, but also the flow shown in FIG. 6B in which two or more steps of a PDCA cycle are consecutively performed. That is, as shown in FIG. 6B, steps P, D, C, and A of cycle I may be followed by steps P, D, C, and A of cycle II, which may then be followed by steps P, D, C, and A of cycle I. Step list 1201 may be preset or may be changed based on a request from a terminal.

[0040] In step S109, after the next step is selected by referring to step list 1201, the process returns to step S102 and continues. In this way, based on the application information, the data access unit 122 reads and writes data from the management information database in the storage unit 11. This allows information related to each work step of the PDCA cycle to be shared even between different companies or businesses.

[0041] Next, a description will be given of the request processing executed by the request processing unit 123 of the information management device 10. When a request is submitted from a terminal, the request processing unit 123 of the information management device 10 executes the request processing shown in the flowchart of FIG.

[0042] An example of a request submitted by a terminal will now be described with reference to Fig. 7. The example in Fig. 7 shows a request when there is a PDCA cycle in the product design department and a PDCA cycle in the product operations department. In this example, if a defect is discovered during operation in step C of the operations department, the defect is analyzed and maintenance is performed in step A. If, as a result of performing maintenance, it is determined that all or part of the defect is caused by a defect in the product itself, then in step P of the design department, a design plan including product modification must be drawn up.

[0043] In such a case, the terminal of step A in the operations department submits a request for modification to step P in the design department to the information management device 10. For example, on the terminal of step A in the operations department, an operator performs an operation to display an arrow extending from the requester to the request recipient, as shown in FIG. 7, on the screen when the application is running. Furthermore, if there is specific processing content to be requested, the operator inputs the processing content. Based on the information input by the operator, the terminal generates request application information and transmits it to the information management device 10. In other words, the request here is from one task step in the PDCA cycle of a first task to a specified task step in the PDCA cycle of a second task that is different from the first task.

[0044] When the information management device 10 receives a request sent from a terminal, the request process shown in the flowchart of FIG. 5 is executed.

[0045] First, the ticket management unit 125 identifies the cycle and step of the requester and the cycle and step of the requested party from the request application information sent from the terminal (process S201). Next, the ticket management unit 125 generates a request ticket including the identified cycle and step of the requester and the cycle and step of the requested party (process S202). Here, if there is specific request content, the request ticket further includes the request content.

[0046] Here, the request content included in the request ticket includes work to be performed by the request recipient, a response to an inquiry from the user, a request from the user, etc. The request ticket may also be assigned a ticket number. In this case, the ticket management unit 125 may assign the same ticket number to tickets with the same request content and manage them as a series of requested items to be implemented.

[0047] Furthermore, the request ticket generated by the ticket management unit 125 is not limited to one that specifies only the cycle and step of the requester and the cycle and step of the requested destination, but may also specify one or more cycles or steps along the way. In this case, the request ticket may include the request content for the cycles or steps along the way.

[0048] Next, based on the cycle and step included in the request ticket, the access authority management unit 124 determines whether the requester's cycle and step have access authority to the requested destination cycle and step (process S203). The determination is made by referring to an access authority list 1202 that is set in advance and stored in the storage unit 11. If the access authority management unit 124 determines that the requester does not have access authority to the requested destination (process S203: No), the process ends.

[0049] On the other hand, if the access authority management unit 124 determines that the requester has access authority to the request destination (process S203: Yes), the request processing unit 123 updates the step list 1201 based on the cycle and step of the requester and the cycle and step of the request destination included in the request ticket (process S204). Specifically, if the requester is step A of cycle I shown in Figure 6A and the request destination is step P of cycle II, the step list 1201 is updated to indicate a workflow in which step A of cycle I is followed by step P of cycle II, as shown in Figure 6B. In this example, to reflect the improvement of step A of cycle II in cycle I, a workflow in which step P of cycle I is followed by step A of cycle II may be simultaneously added.

[0050] After updating the step list 1201 (process S204), if the request ticket includes specific request content (process S205: Yes), the request processing unit 123 writes information indicating the request content included in the request ticket into a database (DB). More specifically, the request processing unit 123 adds specific processing content to the management information of the requesting cycle and step identified in process S201 and the requested cycle and step (process S206). When the request content is written into the database of the storage unit 11, the requested cycle and step may be notified of the request and the request content.

[0051] On the other hand, if the request ticket does not include specific processing content (step S205: No), the processing ends. At this time, only the step list 1201 is updated, but the updated step list 1201 is used for other processing of the management information linking unit 121, including steps S108 and S109 of the data access processing shown in FIG.

[0052] In this way, the request processing unit 123 can use the request ticket to connect work steps between different cycles or to request processing for improvement.

[0053] As described above, in the information management system 1 according to this embodiment, the data access unit 122 of the information management device 10 reads or writes information about a specified task step of its own or another PDCA cycle from or to the database in response to an application from a terminal that belongs to any task step of any PDCA cycle, if the terminal has access authority. This allows information about each task step to be shared between two or more PDCA cycles, thereby enabling mutual improvements in business operations.

[0054] Furthermore, in response to a request from a terminal belonging to any task step of any PDCA cycle, if the request processing unit 123 of the information management device 10 has access authority, it can make a request to link a task step of the PDCA cycle to a specified task step of another PDCA cycle, or make a request including the content of a request for the specified task step. This makes it possible to request linking or processing between two or more PDCA cycles, thereby improving each other's operations.

[0055] In addition, the information management system 1 according to this embodiment includes multiple PDCA cycles, which are circular business improvement processes, and one PDCA cycle collaborates with the other PDCA cycles, including sharing information or requesting processing. Since each PDCA cycle is improved independently and also collaborates with the other PDCA cycles, the results of an improvement made by one PDCA cycle can be re-improved from a different perspective in another PDCA cycle, and the re-improved results can be returned to the original PDCA cycle for further improvement. In other words, multiple PDCA cycles can collaborate to improve business operations. Furthermore, since the other PDCA cycles re-improve from different perspectives, the improvement efficiency of the original PDCA cycle can be increased.

[0056] In the above embodiment, a case has been described in which a PDCA cycle is used as a cyclical business improvement process. However, the present disclosure can be similarly applied to cases in which any other type of business improvement process, such as an OODA loop or an STPD cycle, is used. For example, the information management system 1 may share information about each work step between two or more OODA loops or two or more STPD cycles, or may request the integration or processing of each work step. The present disclosure can also be applied to business improvement processes of different types. For example, the information management system 1 may share information between work steps of a PDCA cycle and work steps of an OODA loop, or may request the integration or processing of each work step.

[0057] In the above embodiment, a case has been described in which, after one PDCA cycle has completed one cycle, the PDCA cycle collaborates with another PDCA cycle, including sharing information or requesting processing. However, this is not limited to this, and collaboration with another PDCA cycle may occur after one PDCA cycle has completed multiple cycles. Since completing a PDCA cycle multiple times can improve the accuracy of information provided to other PDCA cycles, the number of cycles of the PDCA cycle may be determined depending on the accuracy of information required by the other PDCA cycles.

[0058] Furthermore, the hardware configuration and flowcharts shown in the above embodiment are merely examples and can be modified and applied as desired. For example, in the above embodiment, the information management system 1 includes a single information management device 10, but there may be two or more information management devices 10. Two or more information management devices 10 may cooperate or share functions to realize the functions of the management information linking unit 121.

[0059] In the above embodiment, the request processing unit 123 executes the request processing based on the request ticket, which includes the requester's cycle and task steps, the request recipient's cycle and task steps, and the request content. However, this is not limited to this. For example, the information management device 10 may have AI (artificial intelligence), and the AI ​​may identify the request recipient's cycle and task steps or the processing content based on the requester's malfunction or the like, and generate the request ticket. In this case, the request processing unit 123 executes the request processing based on the request ticket generated by the AI.

[0060] Furthermore, a computer capable of realizing each function may be configured by distributing a program for executing the operations of the above-described embodiments on a computer-readable recording medium such as a CD-ROM (Compact Disc Read-Only Memory), a DVD (Digital Versatile Disc), an MO (Magneto Optical Disc), or a memory card, and installing the program on the computer. When each function is realized by sharing the work between an OS (Operating System) and an application, or by cooperation between the OS and an application, only the parts other than the OS may be stored on the recording medium.

[0061] The present disclosure allows various embodiments and modifications without departing from the broad spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Furthermore, the above-described embodiments are intended to explain the present disclosure and do not limit the scope of the present disclosure. That is, the scope of the present disclosure is defined by the claims, not the embodiments. Various modifications made within the scope of the claims and the meaning of equivalent disclosures are considered to be within the scope of the present disclosure.

[0062] 1 Information management system, 10 Information management device, 11 Memory unit, 20 Network, 31 Company A, 32 Company B, 33 Design department, 34 Operation department, 101 Processor, 102 Primary storage device, 103 Secondary storage device, 104 Input unit, 105 Output unit, 106 Communication unit, 110 Bus, 121 Management information linkage unit, 122 Data access unit, 123 Request processing unit, 124 Access authority management unit, 125 Ticket management unit, 1101, 1111 P information, 1102, 1112 D information, 1103, 1113 C information, 1104, 1114 A information, 1201 Step list, 1202 Access authority list.

Claims

1. An information management device comprising: a memory unit that stores management information relating to two or more mutually different tasks, each of which includes a plurality of work steps, for each of the tasks and the work steps; a communication unit that receives application information including data access or a request for the management information of a specified work step belonging to a second task different from the first task, from a terminal that belongs to one work step of a first task; an access authority management unit that determines whether the terminal that is the source of the application information has access authority to the specified work step belonging to the second task; and a management information linking unit that, when the access authority management unit determines that the terminal has access authority, executes processing of the data access or the request for the management information of the work step belonging to the second task based on the application information.

2. The information management device of claim 1, wherein the management information linking unit includes a data access unit, and when the access authority management unit determines that the terminal has access authority, the data access unit writes or reads data to the management information for the work step specified in the application information.

3. The information management device of claim 1 or 2, further comprising a ticket management unit that generates a request ticket including information indicating the work step of the requester and the work step of the requested recipient when the communications unit receives application information including a request for a specified work step belonging to the second task from a terminal belonging to one work step of the first task, the management information linking unit including a request processing unit, the request processing unit generating a step list including a work flow in which the work step of the requester indicated in the request ticket generated by the ticket management unit is followed by the work step of the requested recipient when the access authority management unit determines that the terminal has access authority, and the management information linking unit executes processing using the step list.

4. The information management device of claim 1 or 2, further comprising a ticket management unit that generates a request ticket when the communications unit receives application information including a request for a specified work step belonging to the second task from a terminal belonging to one work step of the first task, the management information linking unit including a request processing unit, and when the access authority management unit determines that the terminal has access authority, the request processing unit adds the request content included in the ticket generated by the ticket management unit to the management information for the work step of the request destination.

5. An information management device according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein the two or more business processes are each business processes that use a cyclical business improvement process technique, and the multiple work steps are work steps included in the business improvement process.

6. An information management system comprising the information management device according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. An information management method comprising: storing management information for two or more mutually different operations, each of which includes a plurality of work steps, for each of the operations and the work steps; when an application including data access or a request is made from a terminal belonging to one work step of one operation to the management information of a specified work step belonging to another operation, determining whether the terminal from which the application originated has access authority to the specified work step; and, if it is determined that access authority exists, executing the data access or processing of the request to the management information of the specified work step based on the application.

8. A program that causes a computer to function as: a memory unit that stores management information relating to two or more mutually different operations, each of which includes a plurality of work steps, for each of the operations and each of the work steps; an access authority management unit that, when an application including data access or a request is made from a terminal belonging to one work step of one operation, determines whether the terminal that made the application has access authority to the specified work step; and a management information linking unit that, when the access authority management unit determines that access authority exists, executes the data access or processing of the request for the management information of the specified work step based on the application.

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