Method and system for specifying and implementing automation of business processes

A machine readable medium containing code to implement a particular business process, the code implementing the steps of:

• identifying one or more pieces of paper used in a business process and containing information, and representing each said piece of paper as an instance of an information container, said information container having a blank type compatible with any information in said business process, all information in said business process being contained in, and being a content of, one or more of said instances;
• identifying one or more tasks in said business process and providing representations for each, each said task being connected to an instance of an information container by an input from a person in a business domain based on examination by said person of a content of the piece of paper being represented by said instance of said information container, said content determining a business category of said instance of said information container, said task optionally modifying said content, and optionally sending said instance of said information container to another task;
• and
• defining a path from task to task for each said instance of said typeless information container, said path being a topology determined by said business category,
• wherein said system is implemented by a technical domain, and wherein said content, said business category and said paths are determinable by a business domain without reference to consequent modification of said system by said technical domain.

An apparatus for constructing a representation of a single shared model suitable for understanding and execution in both the business and technical domains, comprising:

• means for identifying one or more pieces of paper used in a business process and containing information, and means for representing each said piece of paper as an instance of an information container, said information container having a blank type compatible with any information in said business process, all information in said business process being contained in and being a content of, one or more of said instances;
• means for identifying one or more tasks in said business process and providing representations for each, each said task being connected to an instance of an information container by an input from a person in a business domain based on examination by said person of a content of the piece of paper being represented by said instance of said information container, said content determining a business category of said instance of said information container, said task optionally modifying said content and optionally sending said instance of said information container to another task;
• and
• means for defining a path from task to task for each said instance of said typeless information container, said path being a topology determined by said business category,
• wherein said system is implemented by a technical domain, and wherein said content, said business category and said paths are determinable by a business domain without reference to consequent modification of said system by said technical domain.