RPA Workflow Suspension and Resumption Mechanism
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional robotic process automation (RPA) systems face inefficiencies due to robots waiting for external events, such as user input, leading to resource wastage and reduced performance, as they cannot perform other tasks during this wait period.
Innovation Solution
Implementing a system where RPA workflows can be suspended by one robot and resumed by another based on triggering conditions, including completion of another workflow or user input, allowing for optimal resource allocation and decentralized execution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a robot executes a workflow and waits for an external event (such as user input or completion of another workflow), then the workflow can be completed accurately, but the robot cannot perform other tasks during the wait period, resulting in resource wastage
Solution Approach 1:
The system performs preliminary actions by suspending the workflow execution at designated suspension points and storing the current state. This allows the robot to prepare for future resumption without actively waiting, enabling other tasks to be performed in the meantime while maintaining the ability to resume accurately when triggered by external events.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a workflow management system that acts as an intermediary between the robot and external events. This mediator manages workflow suspension, state storage, and resumption triggering, allowing the robot to be decoupled from direct waiting for external events while maintaining workflow integrity and accuracy.
2Speed
If a robot continuously monitors for external events to complete a workflow, then the workflow can be completed in a timely manner, but computational resources and power are wasted due to continuous monitoring
Solution Approach 1:
Instead of continuous monitoring, the system uses periodic action through event-driven triggering. The workflow is suspended at specific points and can be resumed only when specific triggering conditions are met (such as user input or completion of another workflow). This eliminates continuous computational overhead while maintaining timely response to external events.
Solution Approach 2:
The workflow management system automatically manages suspension and resumption based on predefined triggering conditions without requiring continuous active monitoring by the robot. The system serves itself by automatically detecting when triggering conditions are met and initiating workflow resumption, reducing the need for continuous robot intervention and resource consumption.
3Productivity
If a robot suspends and resumes workflows based on triggering conditions, then resource utilization is optimized, but the system complexity increases due to state management requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the complex state management functionality from the robot itself and places it in a separate workflow management system. This allows the robot to focus on task execution while the management system handles suspension, state storage, and resumption logic, reducing the complexity burden on individual robots while maintaining optimized resource utilization.
Solution Approach 2:
The workflow management system serves multiple functions: it manages workflow suspension, stores workflow states, triggers resumption based on various conditions (user input, workflow completion, time delays), and coordinates multiple robots. This universal system handles diverse workflow management needs through a unified approach, managing complexity centrally rather than distributing it across multiple robot systems.
Data Source
AI summary
Systems and methods for executing a robotic process automation (RPA) workflow are provided. The RPA workflow is executed by a first robot. The execution of the RPA workflow is suspended by the first robot. A current context of the RPA workflow is serialized at a time of the suspension and the current context of the RPA workflow is stored. The execution of the RPA workflow is resumed by a second robot based on a triggering condition by retrieving the current context of the RPA workflow. The first robot and the second robot may be the same robot or different robots.