Patent Publication Number: US-2011055108-A1

Title: Refining processes using virtual-worlds to capture process data and replaying for analysis and review

Description:
FIELD OF THE INVENTION 
     This invention relates to using virtual worlds to model and refine business processes, and more particularly to apparatus and methods for simulating, iteratively improving, and replaying updated business processes using virtual worlds. 
     BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     A business process is a collection of related, structured activities or tasks that produce a service or product for one or more customers. Business process modeling (BPM), on the other hand, is the activity of simulating and representing business processes so that they can be analyzed and improved. Various tools have been developed to model business processes. These tools provide business analysts and managers the ability to model their business processes, implement and execute business process models, and refine business process models. 
     One of the difficulties of modeling real-life business processes is that almost every modeling tool requires a user to simplify complex business processes into what are essentially flow charts. Creating these flow charts often originates with one person, a process analyst, tracing the business process through the organization by conducting interviews with participants involved in executing the business process. The process analyst may then refine the business process to improve efficiency, save money, or provide other benefits to the organization. 
     Once the business process has been captured and refined to achieve desired improvements, the business process may be simulated either on paper or by feeding data into a simulation engine to generate a report. The report may be presented to upper-level management which may ultimately decide whether the improvement suggestions should be implemented. By this point, a significant amount of time and money has been spent at various levels of the organization. This time and money will be lost if the changes are not implemented or the process fails upon implementation. 
     SUMMARY 
     Consistent with the foregoing, one aspect of the present invention is a method, apparatus and computer program product for using virtual worlds to model business processes is disclosed herein. In one embodiment, such a method may include providing a virtual-world work environment corresponding to a real-world work environment. The method may further include enabling multiple users to log into the virtual-world work environment and act as participants in the virtual-world work environment. Once logged in, the participants may act out a real-world business process in the virtual-world work environment. The actions and communications of the participants may be captured while the participants act out the real-world business process. These actions and communications may be recorded in a computer file that may be exported into a business process modeling application. The business process modeling application may be used by a process analyst to analyze and/or refine the business process. 
     One advantage of the present invention is it can enable the business to save both time and money when refining and simulating business processes. In particular, some embodiments of the invention are desirable because they save both time and money for the process analyst, the enterprise, and the participants involved in modeling a business process. Further, embodiments of the present invention are useful to effectively educate upper-level management as well as participants in the business process about improvements or refinements to the process. These and other features and advantages of the invention will become more fully apparent from the following description and appended claims. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
       In order that the advantages of the invention will be readily understood, a more particular description of the invention briefly described above will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments illustrated in the appended drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are not therefore to be considered limiting of its scope, the embodiments of the invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through use of the accompanying drawings, in which: 
         FIG. 1  is a high-level block diagram showing one example of a system using a virtual world to capture a real-world business process; 
         FIG. 2  is a high-level block diagram showing how the system of  FIG. 1  can be used to simulate a refined business process; 
         FIG. 3  shows one example of a business process as it might be represented inside a business process modeling application; 
         FIG. 4  shows the business process of  FIG. 3  after it has been refined by a process analyst; and 
         FIG. 5  is a high-level block diagram showing various modules that may be used to implement the methods of  FIGS. 1 and 2 . 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION 
     It will be readily understood that the components of the present invention, as generally described and illustrated in the Figures herein, could be arranged and designed in a wide variety of different configurations. Thus, the following more detailed description of the embodiments of the invention, as represented in the Figures, is not intended to limit the scope of the invention, as claimed, but is merely representative of certain examples of presently contemplated embodiments in accordance with the invention. The presently described embodiments will be best understood by reference to the drawings, wherein like parts are designated by like numerals throughout. 
     As will be appreciated by one skilled in the art, the present invention may be embodied as an apparatus, system, method, or computer program product. Furthermore, certain aspects of the invention may take the form of a hardware embodiment, a software embodiment (including firmware, resident software, micro-code, etc.) configured to operate hardware, or an embodiment combining software and hardware aspects that may all generally be referred to herein as a “module” or “system.” Furthermore, certain aspects of the invention may take the form of a computer program product embodied in any tangible medium of expression having computer-usable program code stored in the medium. 
     Any combination of one or more computer-usable or computer-readable medium(s) may be utilized. The computer-usable or computer-readable medium may be, for example but not limited to, an electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device. More specific examples (a non-exhaustive list) of the computer-readable medium may include the following: an electrical connection having one or more wires, a portable computer diskette, a hard disk, a random access memory (RAM), a read-only memory (ROM), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM or Flash memory), an optical fiber, a portable compact disc read-only memory (CDROM), an optical storage device, or a magnetic storage device. In the context of this document, a computer-usable or computer-readable medium may be any medium that can contain, store, or transport the program for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. 
     Computer program code for carrying out operations of the present invention may be written in any combination of one or more programming languages, including an object-oriented programming language such as Java, Smalltalk, C++, or the like, and conventional procedural programming languages, such as the “C” programming language or similar programming languages. The program code may execute entirely on a user&#39;s computer, partly on a user&#39;s computer, as a stand-alone software package, partly on a user&#39;s computer and partly on a remote computer, or entirely on a remote computer or server. In the latter scenario, the remote computer may be connected to the user&#39;s computer through any type of network, including a local area network (LAN) or a wide area network (WAN), or the connection may be made to an external computer (for example, through the Internet using an Internet Service Provider). 
     Embodiments of the present invention are described below with reference to flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams of processes, apparatus, systems, and computer program products according to embodiments of the invention. It will be understood that each block of the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, and combinations of blocks in the flowchart illustrations and/or block diagrams, can be implemented by computer program instructions or code. These computer program instructions may be provided to a processor of a general-purpose computer, special-purpose computer, or other programmable data processing apparatus to produce a machine, such that the instructions, which execute via the processor of the computer or other programmable data processing apparatus, create means for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. 
     These computer program instructions may also be stored in a computer-readable medium that can direct a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to function in a particular manner, such that the instructions stored in the computer-readable medium produce an article of manufacture including instructions which implement the function/act specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. The computer program instructions may also be loaded onto a computer or other programmable data processing apparatus to cause a series of operational steps to be performed on the computer or other programmable apparatus to produce a computer implemented process such that the instructions which execute on the computer or other programmable apparatus provide processes for implementing the functions/acts specified in the flowchart and/or block diagram block or blocks. 
     Embodiments of the present invention may also be delivered as part of a service engagement with a client corporation, nonprofit organization, government entity, internal organizational structure, or the like. Aspects of these embodiments may include configuring a computer system to perform, and deploying software, hardware, and web services that implement, some or all of the methods described herein. Aspects of these embodiments may also include analyzing the client&#39;s operations, creating recommendations responsive to the analysis, building systems that implement portions of the recommendations, integrating the systems into existing processes and infrastructure, metering use of the systems, allocating expenses to users of the systems, and billing for use of the systems. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , one example of a system  100  using a virtual world to capture a real-world business process is illustrated. In this example, the system  100  includes a server  102  to provide access to a virtual world. The virtual world server  102  may enable a process analyst  106  to create a virtual environment within the virtual world roughly corresponding to a real-world work environment. The process analyst may establish a role-playing exercise in the virtual world environment that mimics a real-life business process. The process analyst may then invite one or more real-world participants to participate in the exercise. In this example, the role-playing exercise is that of processing an insurance claim and the participants are a claims officer  104   a , claims supervisor  104   b , lawyer  104   c , and finance department officer  104   d , although these participants are only provided as examples. Indeed, the system  100  may be configured to create role-playing exercises for a wide variety of different business processes and with a wide variety of different participants. 
     Once the participants are invited to participate in the role-playing exercise, the participants are allowed to log into the virtual world server  102  from client machines  104  and assume avatars in the virtual world. The participants are then asked to act out the real-world business process in the virtual world. When acting out the real-world business process, the participants will try to navigate through the virtual environment and interact with other participants in much the same way they would act in a real-world environment in order to complete the assignment or goal of the role-playing exercise. 
     As the participants act out the real-world business process, the virtual world server  102  tracks and captures each of the actions (e.g., notations, movements, handoffs, interactions, etc.) and communications (e.g., chats, emails, letters, phone calls, etc.) of the participants in order to document the business process. The virtual world server  102  may also capture information such as the identities of the participants involved in the actions or communications, the time and/or date the actions or communications occurred, and the locations and order in which the actions or communications occurred. All of this information may be recorded in a computer file  108 , such as an XML file, that may be exported from the virtual world server  102  once the role-playing exercise is complete. In certain embodiments, the computer file  108  may be imported into a business process modeling application  110  (e.g., the IBM Websphere Business Modeler Advanced business process modeling and analysis tool, available from IBM Corporation of Armonk, N.Y., or other analogous or comparable application  110 ) where the business process may be displayed (as flow charts and/or other diagrams), as well as further analyzed and/or refined. 
     By using a virtual world (as opposed to observations in the real world) to capture the activities and tasks of a business process, the process analyst may be able to reduce the time, cost, and intrusiveness associated with documenting a business process. The process analyst may also be better able to capture and document virtual events, such as emails or other computing-based actions or processes, that are increasingly prevalent in today&#39;s organizations. Thus, a virtual world may be an effective tool for capturing real-world business processes. 
     Referring to  FIG. 2 , the virtual world server  102 , in addition to capturing real-world business processes, may also be used to simulate a refined business process. For example, once changes have been made to a business process in a business process modeling application  110 , the refined business process may be exported from the application  110  to the virtual world server  102 . In certain embodiments, the refined business process may include a series of modified actions and/or communications that are stored in a computer file  200 , such as an XML file  200 . This computer file  200  may be imported into the virtual world server  102 . 
     Once imported, the virtual world server  102  may perform the actions and communications in the refined business process in the order they are presented in the computer file  200 . In certain embodiments, the virtual world server  102  may control the avatars of the various participants in the business process to show their refined actions and/or communications. If desired, the participants may log into the virtual world server  102  from their respective client machines  104  to observe the refined actions and/or communications. The virtual world server  102  may also provide an effective tool for upper-level management to observe the refined business process so that it can determine if the process should be implemented. Thus, the virtual world server  102  may provide an effective tool for educating participants about a refined business process as well as educate upper-level management about the features and benefits of a refined business process. 
     Referring to  FIG. 3 , one example of a business process  300  as it might appear inside a business process modeling application  110  is illustrated. This business process  300  shows one example of what may have occurred during the role-playing exercise described above. In this example, the captured business process  300  includes a series of steps for processing an insurance claim. Each step was performed by a participant (e.g., a claim officer, claim supervisor, lawyer, and finance department officer) within the organization. As shown in step 1, the claim officer initially received and evaluated the claim  302 . In this example, the claim officer transferred the claim  302  to a claim supervisor because the claim officer was not authorized to process claims exceeding $50,000. A dialog box  304   a  documents the communication between the claim officer and the claim supervisor upon transferring the claim. 
     Upon receiving the claim, the claim supervisor evaluated the claim (step 2) and, as a result of the evaluation, transferred the claim to a lawyer to determine if the insurance company was legally required to pay the claim. A dialog box  304   b  documents the communication that occurred between the claim supervisor and the lawyer when this handoff occurred. After examining the applicable law, the insurance contract, and/or the facts of the case (step 3), the lawyer determined that the claim needed to be paid. The lawyer then transferred the claim back to the claim supervisor and notified the claim supervisor that the claim needed to be paid. A dialog box  304   c  documents the communication between the lawyer and the claim supervisor when the claim is handed back. The claim supervisor then reevaluated the claim (step 2) and passed the claim to the finance department officer. The finance department officer then paid the claim (step 4). A dialog box  304   d  documents the communication between the claim supervisor and the finance department officer. 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , once the business process shown in  FIG. 3  is generated, the process analyst may analyze and refine the process.  FIG. 4  shows one example of the business process  300  after it has been refined, referred to herein as a “refined business process”  400 . Like the original business process  300 , the refined business process  400  includes a series of steps and documents the participants that perform each of the steps. As shown, the refined business process  400  includes a decision node  402  that indicates that the process can take one of several paths depending on the outcome of the decision. In this example, the decision node  402  decides whether the claim amount is greater than $50,000. The claim officer will process the claim if the claim amount is equal to or less than $50,000. The claim supervisor will process the claim if the claim amount is more than $50,000. Where a decision node  402  is present, each path that extends from the decision node  402  may include the probability that the path will be followed when traversing the decision node  402 . These probabilities are important when trying to simulate the process  400  and determine where bottlenecks exist in the process  400 . 
     The refined business process  400  is also different from the original business process  300  because it eliminates a step. As shown in  FIG. 3 , the lawyer passed the claim back to the claim supervisor once he or she performed his legal evaluation. The claim supervisor then passed the claim to the finance department officer for payment. In the refined business process  400 , a step is eliminated by allowing the lawyer to pass the claim directly to the finance department officer once the legal analysis has been performed. This may improve the process  300  and make it more efficient. 
     Once the business process  300  has been analyzed and refined, the refined business process  400  may be imported into the virtual world server  102  and simulated thereon. In certain embodiments, the virtual world server  102  may control the avatars associated with the various participants to show their refined actions and/or communications. This simulation may be used to educate the participants or upper-level management about the refined business process. 
     Referring to  FIG. 5 , at a very high level, a virtual world server  102  may include one or more modules to implement the functionality described in  FIGS. 1 and 2 . These modules may be embodied in hardware, software configured to operate hardware, firmware configured to operate hardware, or a combination thereof. In selected embodiments, these modules may include one or more of a virtual world module  500 , a setup module  502 , an invitation module  504 , an assignment module  506 , a capture module  508 , a file generation module  510 , an export module  512 , an import module  514 , and a simulation module  516 . 
     A virtual world module  500  may be used to provide access to a virtual world, and more specifically a virtual work environment. To provide this access, the virtual world module  500  may generate and/or store a model  518 , such as a 2D or 3D model  518 , of the real-life work environment. Among other definitions, the model  518  may define or describe the avatars that can inhabit and navigate the virtual work environment. The virtual world module  500  may also include rules  520  to govern the virtual work environment. These rules  520  may define what actions  522  are possible within the virtual work environment as well as methods for communicating (e.g., text, voice, sounds, etc.) within the virtual work environment. The virtual world module  500  may include any other features needed to successfully generate the virtual work environment. 
     An assignment module  502  may allow a process analyst to establish a virtual work environment and set up a role-playing exercise within the virtual work environment. When creating this role-playing exercise, the process analyst may, much like a real-world supervisor, establish a project in the virtual work environment that corresponds to an assignment in a real-world work environment. For example, if the organization is an insurance company, the project may be to process an insurance claim. An invitation module  504  may be used to invite one or more real-world users to participate in the simulation. For example, the invitation module  504  may send an email or other communication to each of the potential participants and ask them to join. 
     Once the participants receive an invitation, a participation module  506  may assign one or more participants to complete the project and otherwise participate in the virtual work environment. In certain embodiments, a participant may join the project by logging into the virtual world server  102  and choosing an avatar that represents him or her. The participant may then act out a real-world business process in the virtual world in an attempt to complete the project. As the participants act out the real-world business process, a capture module  508  may capture the participants&#39; actions  526  and communications  528 . 
     Once a project has been completed (either successfully or unsuccessfully), a file generation module  510  may generate a computer file that records the actions and communications. This computer file may be exported into a business process modeling application where the business process may be analyzed and/or refined. The business process modeling application may then generate a computer file containing the refined business process or modify an existing computer file such that it contains the refined business process. This computer file may be imported into the virtual world server  102  using an import module  514 . 
     Once the computer filed has been imported, a simulation module  516  may simulate the refined business process in the virtual world. In certain embodiments, the simulation module  516  may include a control module  530  to control the avatars of the various participants (e.g., by making them chat and/or interact) in order to show the refined actions and communications. These refined actions and communications may be used to educate participants in the business process or upper-level management as to how the refined business process would play out in real life without actually having to put the refined business process into practice. In this way, business processes can be iterative created, simulated, analyzed, and improved at low cost and without significant impact on the real word operations of the business. 
     The flowchart and block diagrams in the Figures illustrate the architecture, functionality, and operation of possible implementations of systems, processes, and computer program products according to various embodiments of the present invention. In this regard, each block in the flowchart or block diagrams may represent a module, segment, or portion of code, which comprises one or more executable instructions for implementing the specified logical function(s). It should also be noted that, in some alternative implementations, the functions noted in the block may occur out of the order noted in the Figures. For example, two blocks shown in succession may, in fact, be executed substantially concurrently, or the blocks may sometimes be executed in the reverse order, depending upon the functionality involved. It will also be noted that each block of the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustrations, and combinations of blocks in the block diagrams and/or flowchart illustrations, may be implemented by special purpose hardware-based systems that perform the specified functions or acts, or combinations of special purpose hardware and computer instructions.