Social Workflow Engine Embeds Collaboration Into Business Processes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing business process engines lack integrated social context features, requiring additional development effort and expertise to integrate social platforms, resulting in a fractured user experience and low adoption of social collaboration solutions within enterprises.
Innovation Solution
A dynamic social collaboration workflow system that embeds social networking components into business process workflows, allowing for contextual-based collaboration by integrating feedback from social networks into business workflows, and providing a unified interface for workflow management and collaboration.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If social collaboration tools are integrated into business process workflows, then user experience and adoption are improved, but system complexity and development effort increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges social collaboration tools directly into business process workflow definitions by embedding social context specifications within workflow elements. This integration allows users to access both workflow management and social collaboration features through a single unified interface, eliminating the need to switch between separate tools while maintaining manageable system complexity through structured integration patterns.
Solution Approach 2:
The workflow definition language is extended to provide multi-functionality by incorporating social context capabilities alongside traditional workflow control structures. This allows the same workflow definition to handle both process automation and social collaboration requirements, reducing the need for separate specialized tools and simplifying the overall system architecture.
2Productivity
If social collaboration features are embedded into workflow definitions, then real-time collaboration is improved, but workflow definition complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments social context specifications into distinct, standardized elements that can be independently defined and configured within workflow definitions. This segmentation allows collaboration features to be added modularly without requiring complete redesign of workflow definitions, maintaining productivity benefits while managing complexity through structured, reusable components.
Solution Approach 2:
The workflow definition language is designed to pre-establish social context parameters and collaboration rules before workflow execution begins. This preliminary configuration enables real-time collaboration to function automatically during workflow execution without requiring complex runtime decisions, improving productivity while keeping definitions manageable through upfront planning.
3Adaptability or versatility
If separate collaboration tools are used alongside workflow tools, then social collaboration capability is provided, but user adoption suffers due to tool switching requirements
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines social collaboration capabilities directly within the workflow tool interface by embedding social context specifications in workflow definitions. This merging eliminates the need for users to explicitly switch between separate collaboration tools and workflow tools, as both functionalities are accessible through the same unified interface, thereby improving user adoption while maintaining versatile social collaboration capabilities.
Data Source
AI summary
A social collaboration workflow system embeds social collaboration functionality into the workflow process. The system identifies a location of a user device, and identifying a current activity associated with the user device based on the identified location. The system displays instructions for performing the current activity to a user interface on the user device, and displays an activity feed comprising a set of previously submitted activity feed posts that are related to the current activity to the user interface. The system determines whether the current activity has changed to a new current activity. If the current activity has changed, the system displays instructions for performing the new current activity to the user interface, and displays a new set of previously submitted activity feed posts that are related to the new current activity to the user interface.