Workflow Platform Integrating Human and Robotic Tasks
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Robotic Process Automation (RPA) systems face inefficiencies and complications when attempting to automate tasks across multiple users and departments, as software robots are typically used in isolation and not easily combined, leading to challenges in interdepartmental and interuser automation processes.
Innovation Solution
A workflow process platform is developed to interrelate human tasks and robotic tasks, allowing for the creation and management of automation workflows that can span multiple users and computing machines, enabling organized and controlled automation of business processes by integrating human and robotic tasks within a network-based system.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If software robots are used in isolation for particular users, then each robot can be simple and easy to manage, but the system cannot efficiently automate processes across multiple users and departments
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple isolated software robots into a unified workflow automation system. The workflow engine combines robotic tasks with human tasks, allowing robots to operate across multiple users and departments while maintaining manageable integration through a centralized coordination platform.
Solution Approach 2:
The workflow engine serves as an intermediary between individual software robots and the broader organizational system. It mediates task coordination, data exchange, and synchronization between robots operating in different departments, reducing direct integration complexity while enabling cross-user automation.
2Productivity
If software robots are combined for interdepartmental processes, then automation coverage increases, but coordination and management become more difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The workflow engine implements feedback mechanisms to track the status of robotic tasks across departments. It receives completion signals from robots, manages task dependencies, and coordinates subsequent actions, making complex interdepartmental automation easier to manage through continuous status awareness and automated coordination.
Solution Approach 2:
The system segments complex interdepartmental workflows into discrete, manageable tasks that can be assigned to different robots. Each robot executes specific segments independently while the workflow engine coordinates between segments, reducing the operational burden on individual robots and simplifying overall management.
3Extent of automation
If multiple software robots are integrated into a single workflow, then comprehensive automation is achieved, but system complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The workflow engine provides universal functionality to manage diverse robotic tasks across different departments. It handles various task types, data formats, and robot implementations through a unified interface, achieving comprehensive automation coverage without proportionally increasing integration complexity.
Data Source
AI summary
Improved techniques for combining human tasks and robotic tasks in an organized manner to define an automation workflow process. A workflow process platform can assist a developer in creating an automation workflow process, and/or manage performance of an automation workflow process. The improved techniques enable a Robotic Process Automation (RPA) system to support programmatically combining various robotic tasks with human actions to provide an interrelated relationship of both human tasks and automated tasks.