Process control system utilizing a database system to monitor a project's progress and enforce a workflow of activities within the project
View Patent ↗A process control system that automatically monitors processes and performs activities based on conditions detected during monitoring. The information needed to do the monitoring and perform activities is contained in tables in a database system. The process control system may be configured by configuring entries in the tables. A parallel state machine permits activities to be performed for the process in parallel. The parallel state machine employs a task that is represented in the database tables. The task defines a set of activities that must all be performed in order for a state transition to occur and the parallel state machine causes a process's state to change only when the activities defined in the task have all been performed. In addition, a graphical user interface is disclosed for defining tasks.
1. A process control system utilizing a database system to monitor progress of a project and enforce a workflow of activities within the project, comprising:
a server that has access to a database system and executes program code for the process control system;
tables in the database system that define a hierarchical representation of a project being controlled by the system, including a status of the project and a workflow of activities to be performed during the project, the database tables including:
a field representing a process record associated with the project, the process record comprising a task set and having a task set field;
a representation of the task set having a task set state field and defining a plurality of tasks to be performed for the associated process record;
a representation of each of the plurality tasks of the task set, each of the plurality of tasks having a current task state field, a transition state field defining a next state to which a transition from the current state will take place upon completion of the task, and a definition of a set of activities which must be performed in the current task state, the activities in the set being performed substantially in parallel or in any order, wherein (i) the task does not define an order of performance for the activities in the set; (ii) the representation of the task specifies that the activity belongs to the set when the activity became a pending activity during the current state; and (iii) the transition from the current state will take place only when all of the activities in the set have been performed in the current state;
a representation of each of the activities having a state field; and
a state history table maintaining a history of the states for the process and including a field indicating a time that the process entered the current state; and
a portion of the program code which is executed in conjunction with performance of an activity belonging to the task, wherein the portion of program code (i) queries the database tables to determine the state of each of the activities belonging to a task; (ii) queries the state history table to confirm that the activities were performed after the process entered the current state; and (iii) causes the transition to the next state to occur when performance of the activity completes performance of all of the activities in the set during the current task state, whereby the program code uses the hierarchical representation of the tables in the database system to enforce the workflow of the project.
2. The process control system set forth in claim 1 wherein:
the program code further includes a portion that, when executed for a user of the process control system, permits the user to configure at least the representation of each of the plurality of tasks.
3. The process control system set forth in claim 2 wherein:
the program code further includes a portion that, when executed for a user of the process control system, permits the user to configure the representation of each of the activities.
4. The process control system set forth in claim 1 wherein:
the program code further includes a portion that, when executed for a user of the process control system, permits the user to configure the next state and the current task state field in the representation of each of the plurality of tasks.
5. The process control system set forth in claim 1 wherein:
the program code further includes a portion that, when executed for a user of the process control system, permits the user to configure the representation of the task to specify that the activity belongs to the set only if the activity becomes a pending activity during the current state.
6. The process control system set forth in claim 1 wherein:
the representation of the task specifies that the activity always belongs to the set.
7. The process control system set forth in claim 1 wherein:
the program code further includes a portion that, when executed for a user of the process control system, permits the user to configure the representation of the task to specify that the activity always belongs to the set.