# US 2014/0195293 A1 · Workflow system and method with skip function > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 2014/0195293 A1 - Document ID: US20140195293A1 - Status: Published application - Kind: A1 - Application number: 14/197,191 - Filed: 2014-03-04 - Published: 2014-07-10 - Earliest claimed: 2001-01-29 - Assignees: International Business Machines Corporation - Applicants: International Business Machines Corporation - Inventors: Kazuyuki Tsuda; Hiroyasu Ohsaki; Ryohichi Yoshimura - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US20140195293A1 ## CPC - G06Q 10/06316: {Sequencing of tasks or work} - G06Q 10/04: Forecasting or optimisation specially adapted for administrative or management purposes, e.g. linear programming or "cutting stock problem" (market predictions or forecasting for commercial activities G06Q30/0202) - G06Q 10/10: Office automation; Time management - G06Q: INFORMATION AND COMMUNICATION TECHNOLOGY [ICT] SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES; SYSTEMS OR METHODS SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR ADMINISTRATIVE, COMMERCIAL, FINANCIAL, MANAGERIAL OR SUPERVISORY PURPOSES, NOT OTHERWISE PROVIDED FOR ## Abstract Delay in a workflow is avoided by introducing a skip operation upon execution of the workflow. Additionally, a person in charge of the workflow eventually participates in the workflow process even if he/she has been skipped. The workflow design defines skippable activities, in advance, as well as re-execution points in order to reassign the skipped activities. ## Claims ### Claim 1 A workflow system, comprising: design computer terminals for designing a workflow; operation computer terminals for executing said workflow; and a workflow server for managing said workflow connected to said design computer terminals and operation computer terminals via a network, wherein said design computer terminals design the workflow by defining in advance skippable activities and re-execution points to perform reassignment to the skipped activities, and wherein said workflow server performs skip processing and reassignment processing for said operation computer terminals based on said workflow designed by said design computer terminals. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The workflow system of claim 1, wherein said design computer terminals design the workflow using a plurality of nodes serving as activities that perform transactions, at least one recovery node serving as said re-execution point, and paths connecting the nodes and recovery node. ### Claim 3 A workflow system, comprising: computer terminals for executing a workflow; and a workflow server for managing said workflow connected to said computer terminals via a network, wherein said workflow server comprises: means for assigning transactions to predetermined operators, who operate said computer terminals, based on a workflow definition defining a process flow; means for performing skip processing automatically or manually according to directions from said computer terminals, for one of said operators to whom the transaction is assigned; and means for reassigning the skipped transaction to said one of said operators skipped by said means for performing skip processing. ### Claim 4 (depends on 3) The workflow system of claim 3, wherein said computer terminals send out completion of the transaction to the workflow server after performing the transaction assigned by said workflow server, wherein said transaction assigning means of the workflow server assigns a next transactor in response to the completion of said transaction from said computer terminals. ### Claim 5 A workflow server for managing a workflow connected to a plurality of computer terminals, comprising: means for assigning to a predetermined person a transaction performed as a business process transaction; means for performing skip processing to skip the transaction assigned to said person; and means for assigning re-execution of the transaction to the skipped persons at predetermined timing in said workflow. ### Claim 6 (depends on 5) The workflow server of claim 5, wherein said skip processing is performed when a skip request is received from a predetermined computer terminal connected to a network or when predefined conditions are satisfied. ### Claim at position 7 7-9. (canceled) ### Claim 10 An information processing apparatus for defining a workflow to be executed by a plurality of computer terminals connected to a network, comprising: a plurality of nodes corresponding to business processes assigned to persons in charge of execution of the workflow; means for establishing a flow using paths to connect the plurality of nodes; means for establishing at least one skippable node among said plurality of nodes; and means for establishing at least one recovery node in said flow to define points on the workflow where transactions are to be re-executed for said least one skippable node. ### Claim 11 (depends on 10) The information processing apparatus of claim 10, wherein said means for establishing a flow displays said plurality of nodes with predetermined flow icons and connects said flow icons using said paths, while said means for establishing at least one recovery node displays said at least one recovery node with at least one predetermined recovery icon and connects said at least one recovery node with predetermined nodes using said paths. ### Claim at position 10 12-15. (canceled) ### Claim 16 A method for executing a workflow executed at a plurality of computer terminals connected to a network, the method comprising the steps of: assigning activities that are performed as transactions of business processes in the workflow to predetermined persons who operate the computer terminals; performing skip processing to skip at least one activity assigned to said persons; and assigning re-execution of the at least one activity skipped to said persons whose assigned activities have been skipped, at a predetermined time in said workflow. ### Claim 17 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, wherein a list of said activities assigned to each person is stored as a wordlist, and wherein a transaction is performed by retrieving a transaction request from said work list. ### Claim 18 (depends on 16) The method of claim 16, wherein information about any of said persons whose assigned activities have been skipped is stored as a skip list, and wherein re-execution of the skipped activities is performed in sequence based on the information stored in said skip list. ### Claim 19 A computer-readable storage medium for storing a program code executable by a computer, the program code comprising the steps of: establishing nodes serving as business processes that are assigned to persons in charge of execution of a workflow; determining whether said nodes established are skippable; and establishing at least one recovery node where the persons in charge of the nodes determined to be skippable can re-execute the business processes, if skipped. ### Claim 20 A computer-readable storage medium for storing a program code executable by a computer, the program code comprising the steps of: assigning activities that are performed as a transaction of business processes in a workflow to predetermined persons in charge; performing skip processing to skip one or more activities assigned to said persons; and assigning re-execution of the skipped activities to said persons whose assigned activities have been skipped, at a predetermined time in said workflow.