Decentralized Workflow Management via Service Agents

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Solution Overview

Problem

Centralized coordination in provider networks for managing complex multi-service workflows leads to operational inefficiencies, performance bottlenecks, and organizational challenges due to unwieldy logic and complex interdependencies among services.

Innovation Solution

A decentralized workflow management approach using workflow descriptors accessible by independent service workflow agents with an optimistic concurrency control mechanism, allowing asynchronous and independent operation to manage and update tasks without centralized lock management or two-phase commit procedures.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Productivity

If a centralized coordinating entity is used to manage complex multi-service workflows, then workflow coordination and service management can be achieved, but operational inefficiencies occur and performance bottlenecks arise

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveworkflow management efficiencyVSAvoidcoordination logic complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments the centralized workflow management system into multiple independent service workflow agents, each responsible for specific services. These agents operate autonomously and communicate through standardized interfaces, eliminating the single point of failure and performance bottleneck inherent in centralized coordination while distributing the coordination logic across multiple independent units.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces workflow descriptors as intermediary objects that encapsulate workflow definition, state, and execution context. These descriptors serve as the communication medium between independent service workflow agents, allowing agents to coordinate their actions without direct inter-agent communication or centralized control, thus reducing coordination complexity.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

2Adaptability or versatility

If centralized coordination is implemented for multi-service workflows, then service interdependencies can be managed, but organizational bottlenecks occur when changes to workflow logic are needed

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveworkflow logic change capabilityVSAvoidengineering team accessibility

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSEase of operation

Solution Approach 1:

The patent enables service workflow agents to autonomously discover, interpret, and execute workflow descriptors without requiring centralized coordination or manual intervention for workflow changes. When workflow logic needs to be updated, the changes are made to the workflow descriptor definitions, and agents automatically pick up and execute the updated logic, eliminating organizational bottlenecks.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #25Self-service

Solution Approach 2:

The patent implements dynamic workflow management where workflow descriptors can be created, modified, and updated independently at runtime. Service workflow agents continuously monitor for workflow descriptor changes and adapt their behavior accordingly, allowing the system to respond flexibly to changing requirements without reconfiguration or centralized control.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #15Dynamics

3Reliability

If centralized coordination is used to manage workflow state, then consistent state management can be achieved, but the coordinator becomes a performance bottleneck

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveworkflow state consistencyVSAvoidworkflow execution speed

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSSpeed

Solution Approach 1:

The patent segments workflow state management into distributed state held by individual service workflow agents and workflow descriptors. Each agent maintains its own state locally and communicates state changes through workflow descriptors, eliminating the need for a centralized state holder and enabling parallel execution without performance bottlenecks while maintaining consistency through standardized state transition rules.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #1Segmentation

4Productivity

If complex multi-service workflows are managed with centralized coordination, then service interdependencies can be handled, but operational inefficiencies arise

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveservice delivery efficiencyVSAvoidcoordination overhead time

Core Design Contradiction:

ProductivityVSLoss of time

Solution Approach 1:

The patent implements preliminary action by pre-defining workflow descriptors that encapsulate complete workflow logic, service dependencies, and execution rules before workflow execution begins. Service workflow agents retrieve and execute these pre-defined descriptors, eliminating the need for runtime coordination negotiations and reducing coordination overhead time while maintaining service interdependency management.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #10Preliminary action

Data Source

PatentUS10698767B1Decentralized management of multi-service workflows

Publication Date: 2020.06.30 AMAZON TECH INC

AI summary

A service workflow agent associated with a particular service of a provider network identifies a repository in which workflow descriptors indicative of tasks to be performed by the service are stored. In response to determining that a modification has been applied at one such repository, the agent examines a particular workflow descriptor stored in the repository. The agent initiates an attempt to implement a first task indicated in the descriptor. Subsequently, the agent updates the descriptor in accordance with an optimistic concurrency control technique to indicate a status of the first task.