Patent ID: 6832201
Filing Date: 2004-12-14
Classification: G06Q

Abstract:
A method, in a workflow management system (WFMS), for optimizing sending of WFMS activity execution requests within a plurality of distributed networked computer systems,said WFMS comprising an owning WFMS administrating execution of a business process by interpretation of a corresponding WFMS process model, said WFMS process model comprising a plurality of WFMS activities, said WFMS process model defining potential control flow within said WFMS process model, wherein said WFMS process model separates processing of said potential control flow by said WFMS from implementation of said WFMS activities, said owning WFMS being responsive to its decision to pass control to a next WFMS activity by performing steps of, determining a multitude of users allowed to potentially perform said next WFMS activity, determining a multitude of remote WFMS administrating execution of said next WFMS activity by said users, sending WFMS activity execution requests for said next WFMS activity to said remote WFMS to trigger said remote WFMS to include WFMS work items in work lists of said users, said WFMS work item, when selected by a particular one of said users, starting execution of said next WFMS activity, said WFMS performing steps of, gathering (110) optimization data influencing costs of said sending WFMS activity execution requests, the step of gathering (110) optimization data comprising, determining (112) the number of WFMS activities being executed for said business process, determining (113) the set of users receiving WFMS activity execution requests during execution of said business process, determining (114) the number of remote WFMS receiving remote WFMS activity execution requests, determining (115) for which activities remote WFMS activity execution requests are generated applying (120) an overall optimization function including said optimization data, and re-assigning (130) users to a differentWFMS, such that said costs are optimized.