Workflow Task Assignment via Product Graph Segmentation
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Solution Overview
Problem
Modern workflow management systems face complexity and high maintenance efforts due to dynamic company structures and organizational hierarchies, making it difficult to automatically assign work tasks to responsible personnel or departments efficiently.
Innovation Solution
A computer-assisted method using directed graphs and authorization categories to create a product graph, allowing for automatic assignment of tasks by defining separate responsibilities in categorization areas, reducing the need for manual calculation of combinations and enhancing adaptability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If manual assignment methods are used to determine responsibility in workflow management systems, then flexibility in handling complex organizational structures is maintained, but the complexity and maintenance effort increase enormously
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the organizational structure into hierarchical levels (company, division, department, position) and represents each level as a separate graph. This segmentation allows the system to handle complex organizational structures by breaking them down into manageable components that can be independently configured and maintained.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a graphical dimension to represent organizational structures, transforming the abstract responsibility determination problem into a visual graph-based system. By using graphs with nodes and edges to represent organizational entities and their relationships, the system adds a structural dimension that simplifies the mapping of responsibilities to organizational units.
2Measurement precision
If detailed responsibility catalogues are maintained for users, then precise task assignment is achieved, but the maintenance effort increases enormously when structures change
Solution Approach 1:
The patent performs preliminary actions by automatically generating the responsibility catalogue from the organizational graph structure when changes occur. Instead of manually maintaining detailed responsibility catalogues, the system pre-computes and updates the assignment rules based on the current organizational structure, ensuring precision while reducing maintenance effort.
Solution Approach 2:
The system implements self-service by automatically updating responsibility assignments when organizational structures change. The graphical representation and automated processing allow the system to maintain itself without extensive manual intervention, reducing the maintenance burden while preserving precise task assignment.
3Productivity
If automated assignment methods are implemented, then productivity increases, but the complexity of the system increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces manual mechanical processes of responsibility determination with an automated computer-based system. By using algorithms to process the graphical organizational structure and automatically generate task assignments, the system achieves high productivity while managing complexity through systematic computational approaches.
Data Source
AI summary
A computer-assisted method for automatically assigning work tasks in a workflow management system includes providing at least one first directed graph and at least one second directed graph assigning, with respect to a user, an authorization category to at least one object in the first graph and to at least one object in the second graph in order to respectively obtain at least one assigned object forming the Cartesian product of the first and the second graph to obtain a product graph, identifying the product object of the product graph resulting from the assigned object of the first graph and the assigned object of the second graph and identifying sub-objects of the product object, to which the second authorization category also applies, if applicable, assigning the user to the identified product object and the identified sub-objects of the product graph, obtaining a responsibility request with respect to a requested object of the product graph, determining the user assigned to the requested object, and assigning the request to the user.