Workflow Mediator for Inter-Enterprise Collaboration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional workflow systems face challenges in inter-enterprise collaboration due to incompatible nomenclature and semantics, as well as confidentiality concerns, limiting the complexity and quantity of interactions between enterprises.
Innovation Solution
A three-tiered workflow model is introduced, where private workflows are abstracted into virtual workflows, allowing for the creation of a collaboration workflow that maintains confidentiality and enables seamless integration of tasks from different enterprises, using techniques such as generalization, specialization, expansion, and reduction to manage dependencies and state transitions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If enterprises share their private workflows with external parties to enable collaboration, then the complexity and quantity of inter-enterprise interactions can be improved, but confidentiality concerns arise
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments workflows into public and private components. Public workflows contain tasks that can be shared and executed by multiple enterprises, while private workflows remain confidential and are executed locally. This segmentation allows enterprises to collaborate on shared tasks without exposing their internal private workflow details, thus enabling inter-enterprise collaboration while maintaining confidentiality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a workflow mediator that acts as an intermediary between enterprises. The mediator manages public workflows, coordinates task execution across enterprises, and handles the integration of public and private workflows. This intermediary enables collaboration by managing the interaction between enterprises without requiring them to share their private workflow configurations directly, thereby maintaining confidentiality while enabling versatile collaboration.
2Adaptability or versatility
If enterprises use their individual workflows with independent nomenclature and semantics, then each enterprise can maintain its own workflow confidentiality and independence, but compatibility issues arise that limit collaboration
Solution Approach 1:
The patent creates a universal public workflow framework that can accommodate multiple enterprises' private workflows with different nomenclatures and semantics. The public workflow uses a standardized interface and task structure that can integrate with various private workflows regardless of their internal differences. This universality allows enterprises to maintain their independent workflow designs while enabling seamless integration and collaboration through the common public workflow layer.
3Adaptability or versatility
If a new workflow is formulated to describe collaboration tasks between enterprises, then collaboration can be enabled, but the complexity of workflow management increases and existing private workflows must be abandoned or modified
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges public and private workflows into a unified execution model. Rather than creating entirely separate collaboration workflows, the system combines the standardized public workflow framework with enterprises' existing private workflows. The public workflow defines the collaboration structure and interfaces, while private workflows provide the implementation details. This merging approach enables collaboration capability while reusing existing private workflows, avoiding the need to abandon or significantly modify them, and reducing overall workflow management complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
Techniques for making transformations between combined and individual workflows are described. For example, a first party, such as a first enterprise, may have a pre-determined workflow designed to implement a plurality of tasks. Similarly, a second party may have its own pre-determined workflow designed to implement a separate plurality of tasks. All of the tasks associated with the first workflow and the second workflow may be combined into a combined workflow having a task order that, when executed, provides a desired result of a business collaboration between the first party and the second party. Ordering tasks operable to implement the order of the combined workflow also may be added to achieve the desired result. Conversely, a workflow, such as a combined workflow associated with the first party and the second party, may be split into separate workflows that are individually associated with the first party and the second party, to thereby better allocate resources for completion of the combined workflow.