Dynamically optimized distributed cloud computing-based business process management (bpm) system

A computer program product comprising a computer readable storage medium having computer usable program code embodied therewith, the computer usable program code comprising:

• computer usable program code stored in a tangible storage medium operable to receive, at a workflow server 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 tasks with interdependencies among the tasks, which by the interdependencies some of the tasks are able to be executed in parallel and others must be executed in series upon completion of other ones of the tasks;
• computer usable program code stored in a tangible storage medium operable to responsive to the request, assign, at the workflow server, a plurality of different software services provided by a plurality of different service providers, where each task has a corresponding one of the different software services that completes the corresponding one of the different tasks;
• computer usable program code stored in a tangible storage medium operable to establishing, at the workflow server, a workflow document defining the plurality of 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 tasks;
• computer usable program code stored in a tangible storage medium operable to provide 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 to that service provider by the workflow server;
• computer usable program code stored in a tangible storage medium operable to bid, at the service providers, on tasks that were not initially assigned to the bidding service providers;
• computer usable program code stored in a tangible storage medium operable to responsive to the bidding, determine that at least one of the service providers has won a bid to provide an uncompleted one of the different tasks more efficiently than indicated in the workflow document, wherein more efficiently means that the uncompleted one of the task will be performed in a shorter time frame, a lower cost, or both a shorter time frame and a lower cost than indicated in the workflow document;
• computer usable program code stored in a tangible storage medium operable to update the workflow document to reflect the uncompleted one of the different tasks is to be completed in accordance with the bid of the service provider that won the bid;
• and
• computer usable program code stored in a tangible storage medium operable to complete the workflow in accordance with the workflow document as updated.

A system for handling business process flows in a cloud computing environment comprising:

• a workflow server comprising computer program products stored on a tangible medium that are operable to run on hardware, wherein said workflow server is operable to receive requests, each for a business process workflow conforming to a business process model, wherein the business process workflow comprises a plurality of tasks with interdependencies among the tasks, which by the interdependencies some of the tasks are able to be executed in parallel and others must be executed in series upon completion of other ones of the tasks, wherein the business process workflows are hardware and platform independent, wherein the workflow server is operable to satisfy received requests by assigning tasks to a plurality of different service providers that provide software services, wherein each of the tasks are assigned to corresponding ones of the software services, wherein for each task the workflow server also defines an allocated cost per software service, and a time allocation per software service for completing the corresponding one of the tasks;
• and
• the plurality of different service providers, each comprising computer program products stored on a tangible medium that are operable to run on hardware, wherein each of the different service providers is operable to provide at least one of the software services, wherein each of the different service providers is operable to receive ones of the tasks not directly assigned to them by the workflow server and to bid on the tasks that are not directly assigned to them, wherein when bids are won, tasks for a business process flow are reassigned based on winning bids.

A software method for running business processes conforming to a business process model comprising:

• identifying, at a workflow server comprising software running on hardware, a business process flow comprising a plurality of tasks, wherein said business process flow conforms to a business processing modeling language;
• determining at the workflow server, a plurality of software services for handling the plurality of tasks of the business process flow, wherein for each of the tasks a corresponding service is identified, along with a time frame for performing the task and a cost for performing the task, and wherein each of the software services corresponds to one of a plurality of different service providers;
• sending from the workflow server to each of the different service providers, a plurality of service requests, one for each of the software services, wherein each of the different service providers is also provided with information for the plurality of tasks of the business process flow, which includes tasks assigned by the workflow server to other ones of the different service providers, wherein each of the service providers comprises software running on hardware;
• at least a portion of the service providers providing the software services for the tasks assigned to that service provider by the workflow server;
• at least a portion of the service providers determining an ability of a service provider other than the one assigned by the workflow server to perform at least one of the tasks of the business process flow in a more efficient manner than the service provider which was assigned that task by the workflow server, wherein the more efficient manner means that the task will be performed in either a shorter time frame or lower cost than that determined by the workflow server;
• responsive to determining the ability to perform at least one of the tasks, modifying the business process flow to substitute at least one of the plurality of tasks with a more efficient task as determined by at least one of the service providers;
• and
• executing at the 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.

A software method for dynamically optimizing and distributing performance of a cloud workflow comprising:

• in response to a workflow instantiation request, registering of a cloud workflow with a cloud workflow registry by a cloud-enabled workflow engine of a distributed cloud computing business process management (BPM) system, wherein the cloud workflow is written in a standardized format of a business process execution language (BPEL), wherein the cloud workflow comprises a plurality of tasks;
• for each of the tasks of the cloud workflow, the cloud-enabled workflow engine determining of a cloud service provider registered with the cloud workflow registry that provides a cloud service able to satisfy the task, wherein the determining involves specifying at least a cost for providing the service and a time of completion for the task satisfied by the service, wherein after the determining, the cloud workflow engine has created an initial plan for completing the cloud workflow, wherein said initial plan is recorded in the cloud workflow registry and made available to service providers registered with the cloud workflow registry;
• after the initial plan is created, at least a portion of the cloud service providers providing a bid to complete tasks more efficiently than indicated by the initial plan, wherein more efficiently means that at least one of the tasks will be performed in a shorter time frame, a lower cost, or both a shorter time frame and a lower cost than indicated in the initial plan;
• responsive to receiving the bids, modifying the initial plan to perform at least one of the tasks more efficiently than specified by the initial plan in accordance with the bids;
• and
• utilizing the modified plan and the cloud service providers and cloud services indicated therein to complete the tasks of the cloud workflow.