Dynamic workflow architectures for loan processing
View Patent ↗Systems and methods are provided for processing loan applications in dynamic workflows. In a preferred embodiment, a system calls an activity engine with a top-level activity for processing a work-item, e.g., a loan application. The activity engine decomposes the top-level activity into child activities and lower-level child activities, and recursively calls itself to process the child activities until all constituent child activities have been preformed, thus performing the original top-level activity. In the preferred embodiment, each activity, work-item, user, event and role has associated rules, wherein an event represents a change in state of an activity and a role represents a class of users of the system having shared attributes. The evaluation of the associated rules dynamically creates the flow of activities, thereby creating a dynamic workflow.
1. A computer-implemented method for processing a loan application, comprising:
launching a top-level activity for processing the loan application on an activity engine implemented on a computer;
associating a conductor implemented on the computer with the top-level activity, wherein the conductor maintains the current state of the top-level activity and manages an event queue;
decomposing the top-level activity into a plurality of child activities, wherein each of the child activities represents a task to be completed in processing the loan application;
launching the plurality of child activities on the activity engine;
associating an activity manager and an activity performer implemented on the computer with each of the child activities, wherein each of the activity managers manages the respective child activity and each of the activity performers performs the respective child activity by calling at least one service;
each activity manager determining the current state of its respective child activity,
the conductor receiving the current state of a child activity from its respective activity manager,
the conductor calling the activity engine to perform the plurality of child activities unless the current state of each of the child activities is complete,
the activity manager causing the activity performer to perform the child activity unless current state of child activity is complete,
the activity performer of a child activity having one or more lower-level child activities calling the activity engine to perform the one or more lower-level child activities unless the current state of each of the one or more lower level child activities is complete, wherein the plurality of child activities and one or more lower-level child activities are performed using one or more inputs specific to each activity at the time of performance based on a set of constraints specific to each activity,
the conductor receiving an event signaling a change in state of a dependent child or lower-level child activity that is dependent upon one or more other child or lower-level child activities,
each activity manager of the one or more child or lower-level child activities from which the dependent child or lower-level child activity depends receiving from the conductor the event signaling a change in state of the dependent child or lower-level child activity, wherein the change of state of the dependent child or lower-level child activity indicates that one or more child or lower-level child activities from which the dependent child or lower-level child activity depends is no longer valid with each activity manager of the one or more child or lower-level child activities that are no longer valid causing the respective activity performer to perform the respective child or lower-level child activity until it is complete, and
presenting a user having a role with a user interface (UI) implemented on the computer, wherein the UI includes a list of child activities and lower level child activities comprising a subset of the plurality of child activities and one or more lower level child activities that is a function of the user's role and the state of each of the plurality of child activities and one or more lower level child activities, and wherein the UI includes visual state indicators associated with and corresponding to the current state of each of the listed child and lower level child activities.
2. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one service is a local service residing on the same system as the activity engine.
3. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one service is an external Web service.
4. The method of claim 1 , wherein at least one service is a local service residing on the same system as the activity engine and at least one service is an external Web service.
5. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
launching the plurality of lower-level child activities on the activity engine,
associating an activity manager and an activity performer with each of the lower-level child activities, wherein each of the activity managers manages the respective lower-level child activity and each of the activity performers performs the respective lower-level child activity by calling at least one service.
6. The method of claim 1 , further comprising:
the user to enter information for at least one of the activities through the user interface.
7. The method of claim 6 , further comprising:
displaying a main queue to the user on the user interface, wherein the main queue provides the user with a link to at least one of the activities; and
displaying an activity plan to the user on the user interface, wherein the activity plan shows the user the subset of the activities and a status for at least one of the subset of the activities, and wherein the activity plan indicates to the user which of the subset of the activities are assigned to the user.
8. The method of claim 6 , further comprising alerting the user through the user interface to perform one of the subset of the activities when an event occurs.
9. The method of claim 8 , wherein the event is triggered by completion of another activity.
10. The method of claim 8 , wherein the user is a loan processor and the event is triggered by an indication from another user to submit the loan application for processing.
11. The method of claim 10 , wherein the other user is an originator.
12. The method of claim 8 , wherein the user is a manager and the event is triggered by an indication from another user that assistance is needed on the loan application.
13. The method of claim 12 , wherein the other user is a subordinate of the manager.
14. The method of claim 8 , wherein the user is an underwriter and the event is triggered by an indication from another user to submit the loan application to underwriting.
15. The method of claim 8 , wherein the user is a closer and the event is triggered by an indication from another user that the loan application is complete and ready for closing.
16. The method of claim 1 , further comprising associating a set of constraints with each of the activities.
17. The method of claim 16 , wherein the set of constraints for at least one of the activities includes a dependency rule specifying that a user cannot enter information for the respective activity until the occurrence of an event.
18. The method of claim 17 , wherein the event is triggered by completion of another activity.
19. The method of claim 17 , wherein the event is triggered by submission of the loan application to processing.
20. The method of claim 17 , wherein the event is triggered by locking a loan product.
21. The method of claim 17 , wherein the event is triggered by completion of a title insurance, a flood certificate or an appraisal.
22. The method of claim 17 , wherein the event is triggered by an underwriting decision.
23. The method of claim 17 , wherein the event is triggered by the clearing of one, some or all underwriting conditions.
24. The method of claim 17 , wherein the event is triggered by the completion of closing.
25. The method of claim 17 , wherein the event is triggered by the completion of loan funding.
26. The method of claim 17 , further comprising:
maintaining the event in an event queue; and having the activity that is dependent on the event listen for the event in the event queue.
27. The method of claim 16 , wherein the set of constraints for at least one of the activities includes a display rule specifying whether the activity is to be displayed to a user based on a role of the user.
28. The method of claim 16 , wherein the set of constraints for at least one of the activities includes a status rule specifying the status of the respective activity.
29. The method of claim 16 , wherein the set of constraints for at least one of the activities includes a dependency rule specifying whether the respective activity can be performed based on the status of another activity.
30. The method of claim 16 , wherein the set of constraints for at least one of the activities includes a rule specifying whether the respective activity launches a lower-level child activity based on the occurrence of an event.
31. The method of claim 17 , further comprising evaluating additional rules only after the dependency rule has been satisfied.
32. The method of claim 31 , wherein the additional rules comprise display rules, status rules, other dependency rules, or a combination thereof.