Dynamic process-based enterprise computing system and method

#The present invention relates to the field of enterprise work flow management tools, and more particularly, to computer tools for designing and implementing integrated enterprise processes on computer systems using standardized screens.

#Using enterprise software to accomplish a business process can be an extremely complicated undertaking today, given the plethora of different systems and complex interfaces that people must manipulate. The tremendous information technology advancements that have occurred over the past twenty-five years have changed virtually every aspect of business. Enormous business value has been generated by the investments that companies have made in enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems, databases, desktop applications, best-of-breed solutions, legacy systems, and other technologies. Unfortunately, most firms are unable to realize the full benefits of these investments because the usability of their systems has lagged behind the improvements in hardware, infrastructure, and applications. Consequently, it is crucial that these companies find ways to make their computer systems easier to use. The computer usability problem is being driven by several trends that are changing today's business environment. More and more business functions across the enterprise are beginning to employ computer applications. At the same time the number and types of software applications used to accomplish business processes are proliferating. Also, software has continued to increase in complexity and become rich with unnecessary, extraneous features. Moreover, due to diminishing computer hardware costs, software products have been able to avoid using computer resources efficiently. Compounding the problem, the integration of systems within an enterprise has caused those systems to become more complex.

#It is common to find many, if not all, of these trends working together within an organization to drive up information system complexity. This interaction adversely affects usability at multiple levels within the enterprise, due to the simultaneous contributions of software applications, business processes and functions, and system integration. A key difficulty has been the way in which information systems have been defined as merely a group of applications that automate tasks to improve the efficiency and/or accuracy of specific work activities. This application-centric view of systems is commonly referred to as the application model. This model was a much better fit with the way that people used to work within companies, rather than the broader process orientation that many companies have today.

#A better understanding of the present invention can be obtained when the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment is considered in conjunction with the following drawings, in which:

#FIG. 1 illustrates traditional application-based computing employed by businesses today;

#FIG. 2 illustrates process-based computing using a universal client to lead a user through a business process;

#While the invention is susceptible to various modifications and alternative forms specific embodiments are shown by way of example in the drawings and will herein be described in detail. It should be understood however, that drawings and detailed descriptions thereto are not intended to limit the invention to the particular form disclosed. But on the contrary the invention is to cover all modifications, equivalents and alternatives following within the spirit and scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

#Turning to the drawings, FIG. 2 illustrates how the same process 10 illustrated in FIG. 1 may be accomplished using a universal client 50. The universal client 50 may introduce a single process thread between the process steps 12-24 and the various applications 32-44 used to do the work. When using the universal client 50, the user does not have to be familiar with the applications, databases, or infrastructure that are involved in the various process steps. For example, the universal client 50 may lead a salesperson through all of the process activities to generate a quote, meaning that the salesperson only needs to know how to launch the “Generate Quote” process. Once initiated, the universal client 50 will guide the user through a series of steps to accomplish the desired process. The steps or tasks may be presented by the universal client 50 using a limited number of standardized screens in a common navigational framework. Once a user has learned the set of screens and navigational framework, the user may accomplish any process with almost no additional training.

#The universal client may provide a single business process interface for ERP systems, database applications, best-of-breed solutions, desktop applications, legacy systems, and even existing enterprise application integration solutions. The universal client serves as a common user interface for all of these disparate systems and liberates the user from having to deal with multiple complex interfaces and confusing process flows. The standardized screens and navigational framework of the universal client allows users to experience the same look and feel throughout all of their business processes, regardless of which applications the process steps may involve. The universal client provides a process framework that essentially “holds the user's hand” as he carries out his business process. The universal client also logically separates the backend systems from the user interface, so that the impact on end users is minimized should a company need to make changes or additions to the underlying systems.