Patent ID: 8504400
Filing Date: 2013-08-06
Classification: G06F,G06Q

Abstract:
1. A software method for dealing with service provider competition within business process flows comprising: receiving, at a workflow server comprising software running on hardware, a request from an originator for a business process workflow conforming to a business process model, wherein the business process workflow comprises a plurality of different tasks with interdependencies among the different tasks, which by the interdependencies some of the different tasks are able to be executed in parallel and others must be executed in series upon completion of other ones of the different tasks, wherein the originator comprises software running on hardware and wherein the originator is remotely located from the workflow server; responsive to the request, the workflow server assigning the plurality of different tasks to a plurality of different software services provided by different service providers, where each task has a corresponding one of the different software services that completes the corresponding one of the different tasks, wherein each of the different service providers comprises software running on hardware; the workflow server establishing a workflow document defining the plurality of different tasks, the corresponding ones of the software services, an allocated cost per software service, and a time allocation per software service for completing the corresponding one of the different tasks; providing at least a portion of the workflow document to the different service providers, wherein each of the different service providers is provided with details for at least one of the different tasks that was not initially assigned by the workflow server; the different service providers bidding on at least a one of the different tasks that were not initially assigned to them; wherein at least a portion of the different service providers determines an ability to perform at least one of the different tasks of the business process flows in a more efficient manner than a service provider of the different service providers which was initially assigned that task by the workflow server, wherein the more efficient manner means that the one of the different tasks will be performed in either a shorter time frame or lower cost than that determined by the workflow server; responsive to the bidding, at least one of the different service providers winning a bid to provide an uncompleted one of the different tasks; responsive to determining the ability to perform at least one of the different tasks, modifying the business process flow to substitute at least one of the plurality of different tasks with a more efficient task as determined by at least one of the different service providers; updating the workflow document to reflect the uncompleted one of the different tasks is to be completed in accordance with the bid of a winning service provider of the different service providers that won the bid when the originator approves the change to the workflow document; executing at the different service providers the business process flow in accordance with the modifications that include at least one substituted and more efficient task than that originally determined by the workflow server or executing at the different service providers the business process flow in accordance with the unmodified workflow when the originator does not approve the changes to the workflow document; and completing the workflow in accordance with the workflow document as updated.