Method for managing workflow based on electronic mail system

Abstract

In a workflow management system, a mail instance can be easily registered as a workflow instance and workflow definitions, and a workflow instance can be replaced at any process stage by other workflow definitions including present workflow definitions. A mail flow pattern is extracted from a mail transmission audit data storage unit, and a flow definition comparison part compares the mail flow pattern with the flow definitions stored in a workflow definition storage unit. A definition registration part and an instance registration part register the mail flow pattern information as instance information of designated workflow definitions and as new workflow definitions. In accordance with predefined workflow definitions, intersectional workflow definitions and extended workflow definitions corresponding to a mail flow are selected and displayed. The mail flow pattern is registered in the workflow definition storage unit as flow definitions based upon the flow definitions selected from among the displayed workflow definitions.

1 . A workflow management method for managing mail transmission/reception and a flow of works in accordance with workflow definition information for defining a flow of works, the method comprising the steps of: 
 a) storing mail transmission audit data;    b) comparing pattern information of a mail flow derived from the mail transmission audit data with preloaded workflow definition information, to obtain an extended workflow or an intersectional workflow of the mail flow; and    c) registering the mail flow pattern information including the extended workflow or the intersectional workflow in the workflow definition information as new workflow definition information.    
     
     
         2 . A workflow management method for managing a flow of works in accordance with workflow definition information for defining a flow of works, the method comprising the steps of: 
 deriving an extended workflow or an intersectional workflow of workflow definitions of an already circulated workflow instance from workflow definition information stored in storage means; and    recreating the workflow instance as instance information of the workflow definitions derived from the storage means.    
     
     
         3 . A workflow management method according to  claim 1 , wherein said step c) comprises the subsidiary steps of: 
 c1) displaying a mail flow selected from the mail transmission audit data;    c2) displaying intersectional workflow definitions or extended workflow definitions in predefined workflow definitions matching the mail flow; and    c3) registering the mail flow as new flow definitions based upon the flow definition selected from the displayed flow definitions.    
     
     
         4 . A workflow management method according to  claim 1 , wherein said step b) comprises the subsidiary steps of: 
 b1) judging whether there is a reference message which refers to a selected mail, when the mail flow is derived from the mail transmission audit data;    b2) if there is audit data having the reference message, selecting a mail corresponding to the history;    b3) if there is no audit data having the reference message, setting a sender activity of the audit data of the selected mail as a start activity of the mail flow to be derived;    b4) searching audit data containing a message identifier of the selected audit data as an identifier of the reference message, from the mail transmission audit data;    b5) if there is such audit data, adding an arrow between the sender activity of the selected audit data and the sender activity of the searched audit data;    b6) replacing the selected audit data by the searched audit data and repeating said steps b4) and b5);    b7) if there is no audit data containing a message identifier of the selected audit data as an identifier of the reference message, searching from another graph branch mail audit data having a sender activity same as the sender activity of the selected audit data and a later date and time; and    b8) if a search result indicates that there is such audit data, adding an arrow between the sender activity of the selected audit data and the sender activity of the searched audit data.    
     
     
         5 . A workflow management method according to  claim 1 , wherein said step c) comprises the subsidiary steps of: 
 c1) judging whether the workflow definition information selected from storage means is an extended workflow or an intersectional workflow;    c2) if the intersectional workflow, comparing the intersectional workflow definitions with the mail flow derived from the stored mail transmission audit data, and generating flow definitions by adding definitions not present in the mail flow from the intersectional workflow definitions;    c3) if the extended workflow, comparing extended workflow definitions with the mail flow derived from the stored mail transmission audit data, and generating flow definitions by deleting definitions not present in the mail flow from the extended workflow definitions; and    c4) registering the flow definitions generated at said step c2) or c3) as new workflow definitions.    
     
     
         6 . A workflow management method using a processing apparatus, comprising the steps of: 
 deriving a mail flow from stored mail transmission audit data or from contents of mails;    selecting workflow definitions from storage means and checking whether the workflow definitions have a split condition;    if there is a split condition, reading the split condition selected by the mail flow and setting workflow relevant data of an instance satisfying the split condition;    setting a state of the instance corresponding to a last activity of the mail flow and a definition identifier of the selected workflow definitions; and    registering the selected mail flow as an instance of the selected workflow definitions.    
     
     
         7 . A storage medium storing a program for a processing apparatus to execute a workflow management method for managing mail transmission/reception and a flow of works in accordance with workflow definition information for defining a flow of works, the method comprising the steps of: 
 a) storing mail transmission audit data;    b) comparing pattern information of a mail flow derived from the mail transmission audit data with preloaded workflow definition information, to obtain an extended workflow or an intersectional workflow of the mail flow; and    c) registering the mail flow pattern information including the extended workflow or the intersectional workflow in the workflow definition information as new workflow definition information.    
     
     
         8 . A workflow management method using a processing apparatus comprising the steps of: 
 a) comparing flow pattern information of electronic mails derived from mail transmission audit data with preloaded workflow definition information; and    b) in accordance with a comparison result, registering the flow pattern information to the workflow definition information as new workflow definitions.    
     
     
         9 . A workflow management method using a processing apparatus comprising the steps of: 
 a) comparing flow definitions in flow pattern information of electronic mails derived from mail transmission audit data with flow definitions in preloaded workflow definition information; and    b) if the flow definitions are coincident, registering the flow pattern information to the workflow definition information as new workflow definitions.    
     
     
         10 . A workflow management system for managing mail transmission/reception and a flow of works in accordance with workflow definition information for defining a flow of works, comprising: 
 a) means for storing mail transmission audit data;    b) means for comparing pattern information of a mail flow derived from the mail transmission audit data with preloaded workflow definition information, to obtain an extended workflow or an intersectional workflow of the mail flow; and    c) means for registering the mail flow pattern information including the extended workflow or the, intersectional workflow in the workflow definition information as new workflow definition information.    
     
     
         11 . A workflow management method for managing mail transmission/reception and a flow of works in accordance with workflow definition information for defining a flow of works, the method comprising the steps of: 
 displaying a mail flow of a selected mail;    deriving at least one of intersectional workflow definitions and extended workflow definitions matching the mail flow, of predefined workflow definitions, and displaying the derived flow definitions;    selecting one of the displayed flow definitions; and    registering the mail flow as flow definitions based upon the selected flow definition.    
     
     
         12 . A workflow management method for managing mail transmission/reception and a flow of works in accordance with workflow definition information for defining a flow of works, the method comprising the steps of: 
 displaying a mail flow;    displaying extended workflow definitions and intersectional workflow definitions of the displayed mail flow in accordance with preloaded workflow definitions; and    recreating a workflow instance as an instance of the workflow definitions containing the displayed flow definitions.