JP4292342B2 - Approval route determination method and program in electronic approval system - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to approval flow management using a data processing apparatus.

  In an organization such as a company, various documents that require deliberation are circulated, and a checker or a settlement operator stamps and gives approval or rejects. Documents drafted such as application forms are generally circulated according to a predetermined approval route, and are approved by each approver. From the viewpoint of business efficiency and environmental protection, an electronic approval system for electronically performing approval processing in an organization has recently been used. The electronic approval system is performed by communicating a document as electronic data between computers connected by a network, and a user executing a drafting process or an approval process in each computer.

  FIG. 20 shows an example of the configuration of a conventional electronic approval system. The operation client 251 is an information processing terminal such as a personal computer (PC) and is connected to the DB server 252 via a LAN. When an approval request is made from the operation client 251, the operation client 251 of the user who performs the approval is notified according to the designated approval flow, and the approval process is completed by performing the inspection and settlement processing.

  In the user DB 253 of the DB server 252, as shown in FIG. 21, the user ID of each operation client and the department ID that identifies the department to which the user belongs are registered. The department IDs are different for each department such as the general affairs department and the accounting department, and the users belonging to the same department have the same department ID. In the approval route DB 254, an approval route ID associated with each department and a mapper and a settlement person on each approval route are defined. For example, as shown in FIG. 22, when the department ID is GR001, two approval route IDs are associated with each other, and a different examiner's user ID and an approver's user ID are defined for each approval route.

  The DB management unit 255 performs processing such as data registration, update, and deletion of the DB server 252. The file transfer processing units 256 and 257 of the DB server and operation client execute transfer processing of document data to be approved. The approval processing unit 258 performs an approval process based on the data registered in the data base. An approval route selection / approval flow processing unit 259 of the operation client executes selection of an approval route in drafting, approval processing of a circulation document, and the like.

  The approval flow is performed as follows. First, the drafter operates the operation client 251 to log in to the network, and registers document data for requesting approval in the document DB 260. The department ID is specified by referring to the user DB 253 from the user ID of the drafter authenticated by the system login. One or more approval route IDs are specified from the department ID, and the specified approval routes are presented to the user through the operation client 251. The user selects an appropriate approval route from the presented approval routes. When the approval route ID is determined in this manner, the user IDs of the examiner and the approver are determined based on the approval route ID, and the operation corresponding to the user ID of the examiner or the approver is sequentially performed on the document data. It is transmitted to the client 251. When the approval process is completed, an approval completion notification is sent to the drafter. If rejected in the inspection or settlement, the notice is sent to the drafter, and the drafter rewrites the document again.

  However, in the above-described electronic approval system, when the number of types of approval flows increases as the number of types of documents increases, it becomes difficult for the user of the operation client to select an appropriate approval flow. If the user selects the approval route incorrectly, the document does not flow through the correct approval route, which hinders business. In particular, if it is necessary to change the approval flow according to the contents of the document, the possibility of an incorrect approval route selection by the user increases.

  As another conventional technique, a workflow system that determines a recollection route according to the type of document created has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). The workflow system includes a route table that defines the document circulation order and link data for each of a plurality of types of route codes, and a document type identification code and a route code for identifying each of the plurality of types of documents. There is a route selection table that is associated with each other, an employee identification code that identifies each of a plurality of employees, and an assignment table that associates a department code to which the employee belongs and a position code that identifies its position.

  First, a route code is read from the route selection table according to the type of document to be created. From the read route code, referring to the route table, the department code, the position code, and the order of reconsideration of the approver who performs the approval process are read and determined. In accordance with the read department code and position code, the member who should circulate the document is specified from the assignment table. The approver's department is determined as one according to the department to which the user who created the document belongs or the type of the document.

  According to the above system, since the approval route is determined by the department and the job title, when the personnel change is performed, the recollection route can be made to correspond to the one after the personnel change with a little effort. However, in this system, the document recollection route is determined by the department of the drafter or individually by the document type selected by the drafter, so it can be applied to the affiliations and draft documents of various drafters. Document circulation cannot be performed by the document circulation route. For example, it is not possible to circulate project documents across departments, or to circulate the same document with different routes for the contents. Further, as the number of document types increases, the management of the recollection route becomes complicated.

JP 2003-114967 A

  Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide an electronic approval system that can perform document circulation by an appropriate approval route corresponding to a document, an approval route determination method in the system, and a program thereof. Another object of the present invention is to provide an electronic approval flow capable of performing a document approval flow through a cross-sectional recourse route within an organization. Another object of the present invention is to provide an electronic approval flow that can perform document circulation by an approval route corresponding to the relationship between a user and a document.

  One aspect of the present invention is a method for determining an approval route of an approval document requested for approval in an electronic approval system for executing an approval flow of an electronic document, the document category of the approval document from the drafter system. Obtaining data for identifying a group, a step for obtaining data for identifying a group selected from a plurality of groups to which the drafter belongs, and a pre-registered table from the drafter system, A step of selecting an approval rule corresponding to the document category, and a user belonging to a group specified by the data specifying the group, and corresponding to the authority of the determined approval rule Selecting a user from a pre-registered table. By having this configuration, it is possible to efficiently determine an appropriate approval route according to the user's affiliation.

  In the above method, it is preferable that the drafter system further includes a step of displaying the plurality of groups, and the data specifying the group specifies a group selected from the displayed plurality of groups. A step of determining that the drafter belongs to a plurality of groups from data specifying the drafter acquired from the drafter system; and, if the drafter belongs to a plurality of groups, the group in the drafter system It is preferable to further comprise a step of requesting to display a screen for specifying the Thereby, group selection can be performed effectively.

  Another aspect of the present invention is a program for causing a computer to execute a process for determining an approval route of an approval document requested to be approved in an electronic approval system for executing an approval flow of an electronic document. Obtaining data identifying a document category of the approved document from the author system, obtaining data identifying a group selected from a plurality of groups to which the drafter belongs, from the drafter system, and by authority An approval rule for specifying an approver, the step of determining an approval rule corresponding to the document category, and a user belonging to the group specified by the data for specifying the group, to the authority of the determined approval rule Identifying a corresponding user. By having this configuration, it is possible to efficiently determine an appropriate approval route according to the user's affiliation. Furthermore, it is preferable that the step of requesting display of the plurality of groups in the drafter system is executed, and the data specifying the group specifies a group selected from the plurality of displayed groups. Thereby, group selection can be performed effectively.

  Another aspect of the present invention is a method for determining an approval route of an approval document requested to be approved in an electronic approval system that executes an approval flow of an electronic document, the document category of the approval document from the drafter system. A step of acquiring data for specifying a document, a step of selecting an approval rule corresponding to the document category from an already registered table and specifying an approver by authority, Selecting a user corresponding to the authority of the determined approval rule from a group registered in advance from among users of the group specified by the document category in the group. By having this configuration, it is possible to efficiently determine an appropriate approval route according to the user's affiliation.

  Another aspect of the present invention is a program for causing a computer to execute a process for determining an approval route of an approval document requested to be approved, wherein the computer specifies a document category of the approval document from a drafter system. A step of obtaining data, an approval rule for identifying an approver by authority and determining an approval rule corresponding to the document category, and a plurality of groups to which the drafter belongs belong to a group specified by the document category A step of identifying a user corresponding to the authority of the determined approval rule from the user. By having this configuration, it is possible to efficiently determine an appropriate approval route according to the user's affiliation.

  Another aspect of the present invention is a method for determining an approval route of an approval document requested for approval in an electronic approval system for executing an approval flow of an electronic document in an organization, wherein the approval document is sent from the drafter system. Obtaining data specifying a document category, an approval rule for specifying an approver by authority, selecting an approval rule corresponding to the document category from a pre-registered table, and the drafter system Based on the acquired data, a step of selecting a group to which the document belongs from a department that is registered in the same category of the table in advance and that is configured independently of the department, and that belongs to the selected group. Identifying a user corresponding to the authority of the determined approval rule from the user. That. This makes it possible to efficiently manage the document approval flow by the cross-sectional circulation route within the organization. In the selecting step, a group to which the drafter belongs may be selected according to pre-registered data.

  Another aspect of the present invention is a program for causing a computer to execute a process for determining an approval route of an approval document requested to be approved, wherein the computer specifies a document category of the approval document from a drafter system. A step of acquiring data, an approval rule for specifying an approver by authority, a step of determining an approval rule corresponding to the document category, and a group to which the document belongs based on the data acquired from the drafter Selecting from a group including a department that constitutes and a project that is configured independently of the department, and identifying a user corresponding to the authority of the determined approval rule from users belonging to the selected group; Is executed. This makes it possible to efficiently manage the document approval flow by the cross-sectional circulation route within the organization.

  Another aspect of the present invention is a group that stores, in an electronic approval system for executing an approval flow for an electronic document in an organization, a department that constitutes the organization and a project that is configured independently of the department in the same category. An approval rule table for storing an approval rule for identifying an approver by authority corresponding to a document category, a user table for specifying a user and a group to which the user belongs, and the approval system from the drafter system. Means for acquiring data identifying a document category of the document, means for selecting an approval rule corresponding to the document category from the approval rule table, and a project to which the document belongs based on the data acquired from the drafter system Means for selecting from the group table; andthe user table. Based on Le, from a user belonging to the selected project, program for functioning as a means for determining a user corresponding to the authority of the determined approval rule. This makes it possible to efficiently manage the document approval flow by the cross-sectional circulation route within the organization.

  Another aspect of the present invention is a method for determining an approval route of an approval document requested to be approved in an electronic approval system that executes an approval flow of an electronic document, the document category of the approval document from the drafter system. A step of acquiring data for specifying an approval rule and an approval rule for specifying an approver by authority according to the data acquired from the drafter system from a plurality of approval rules registered in advance in the table corresponding to the document category. And selecting a user who belongs to the group specified by the data for specifying the group and that corresponds to the authority of the selected approval rule from a pre-registered table. Have.

  Another aspect of the present invention is a program for causing a computer to execute a process for determining an approval route of an approval document requested to be approved, wherein the computer specifies a document category of the approval document from a drafter system. A step of acquiring data, a step of determining an approval rule for specifying an approver by authority according to data acquired from the drafter system from a plurality of approval rules corresponding to the document category, and specifying the group Identifying a user who belongs to the group specified by the data and corresponds to the authority of the determined approval rule.

  According to the present invention, document circulation can be performed by an appropriate approval route using an electronic approval system.

  Embodiments to which the present invention is applicable will be described below. The following description is to describe the embodiment of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited to the following embodiment. For clarity of explanation, the following descriptions are omitted and simplified as appropriate. As will be apparent, those skilled in the art can easily change, add, and convert each element of the following embodiments within the scope of the present invention.

  FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram showing a schematic configuration of hardware and a network in an electronic approval system 100 according to the present embodiment. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 101 denotes an approval flow server in which programs for executing various approval processes in a document approval flow are installed. Reference numeral 102 denotes an operation client in which a program for a user to perform a drafting process or an approval process is installed in the approval flow. A program for approval flow processing is downloaded from the approval flow server 101 to the operation client 102 as necessary. In this embodiment, four operation clients are illustrated. The approval flow server 101 and the operation client 102 are communicably connected via a network such as a LAN.

  In the operation client 102, the user executes drafting processing for a document that requires approval. The draft document is circulated to the operation client 102 of each approver via the approval flow server 101. When a series of approval processes are executed by each operation client 102, the document approval flow is completed. In this embodiment, an activity executed by each operation client 102 for a circulation document is referred to as an approval process. The approval process includes both an inspection process and an approval process in the following embodiment.

  FIG. 2 shows an example of the hardware configuration of the approval flow server 101 and the operation client 102. The approval flow server 101 and the operation client 102 can use a typical computer system, and include a central processing unit (CPU) 201 and a memory 204. The CPU and the memory are connected to a hard disk device 213 as an auxiliary storage device via a bus. Storage medium drive devices such as the flexiville disk device 220, the hard disk device 213, and the CD-ROM drive 226 are connected to the bus via various controllers such as the flexiville disk controller 219 and the IDE controller 225.

  A portable storage medium such as a flexivir disk is inserted into a storage medium drive such as a flexiville disk apparatus. The storage medium can store a computer program for implementing this embodiment by giving instructions to the CPU 201 and the like in cooperation with the operating system. The computer program is executed by being loaded into the memory 204. The computer program can be compressed or divided into a plurality of pieces and stored in a storage medium.

  The hardware configuration typically comprises user interface hardware. Examples of user interface hardware include a pointing device (mouse 207, joystick, etc.) for inputting, a keyboard 206, and a display device 211 for presenting visual data to the user. A modem can be connected via the serial port 215, and can be connected to a network via the serial port 215, modem or token ring or communication adapter 218 to communicate with other computer systems.

  FIG. 3 is a block diagram showing a logical configuration of the approval flow server 101 and the operation client 102. The approval flow server 101 has a data base 310 comprising a plurality of data tables or folders 311-316. Each data table stores a plurality of types of data in association with each other. Reference numeral 320 denotes a data base management unit (hereinafter referred to as a DB management unit), which manages data bases such as registration, deletion, update, and selection of data stored in the data base 310. An approval flow processing unit 330 executes various processes related to the approval flow such as determination of an approval route and approval flow management.

  An approval flow / data communication unit 340 executes communication processing with the operation client 102 for data for the approval flow to be circulated. The operation client 102 includes a browser 350 for displaying and inputting data for a document approval flow. The browser 350 performs data communication with the approval flow / data communication unit 340 and inputs / outputs data for the user to perform processing.

  The data base 310 stores data in a storage medium or memory so that other logical configurations are expanded in the program and necessary data in the memory, and the CPU cooperates with other hardware configurations according to the program. By executing, it can function in the hardware shown in FIG. In this embodiment, an example in which the approval flow server is mounted in one server system is disclosed, but each logical configuration can be distributed and mounted in a plurality of systems.

  The data base 310 includes a user table 311, an authority table 312, an approval rule table 313, a document table 314, and a document-approval rule table 315. Further, a document registration folder 316 for registering documents to be distributed according to the approval route is provided. FIG. 4 shows an example of the user table 311. The user table 311 includes data related to user affiliation, and the user affiliation group is specified. Specifically, a user ID that identifies each user and a group ID that identifies a group are registered in association with each other. Group IDs are defined corresponding to various groups within the organization. The group includes the departments that make up the organization, and projects that span each department and are independent of the department. A project can be composed of members of a plurality of different departments, and can be defined separately from departments within a group category. By defining departments and projects within the same category, cross-sectional approval routes can be efficiently managed.

  Each user ID can be associated with one or more group IDs. For users who do not belong to any group, only the user ID is defined, and the corresponding group ID is not registered. For example, in FIG. 4, the user “USER001” and the group “GR001” are associated with each other. “GR001” corresponds to, for example, the general affairs department as described in the remarks. The user “USER003” is associated with the group “GR002” (sales department) and the project “PL001” (A project), and it is defined that this user belongs to these two groups. By associating the user with a plurality of groups, an appropriate approval route corresponding to the approval document from the user can be selected and efficiently managed.

  FIG. 5 shows an example of the authority table 312. The authority table 312 defines user authority. The authority defines a role given to the user, such as a title in an organization or group, and is used as a key for identifying an approver in the approval flow. Specifically, in the authority table 312, a user ID and an authority ID that specifies the authority are associated and registered. For example, in FIG. 5, the authority “AUT001” is defined for the user “USR034”. As shown in the remarks, the authority “AUT001” corresponds to the presidential position. Alternatively, the user “USR235” is associated with the authority “AUT003” (project leader) and the authority “AUT004” (section manager), and it is registered that the user is granted two authorities. ing.

  FIG. 6 shows an example of the approval rule table 313. The approval rule table 313 defines an approval route in the approval flow. The approval route is defined using the authority of the user, and the approval route is defined by associating the authority with a specific approval process (inspection process, settlement process). Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, the approval rule table 313 registers an approval rule ID for identifying an approval rule and an approval route associated with each approval rule ID. The approval route is defined by specifying an approval process (inspection process, settlement process) on the route and an authority to which the process is assigned. For example, in this example, the inspection process and the settlement process are defined as approval processes, and the authority to perform each inspection process and approval process is registered in association with each other.

  Typically, the payment process is performed after the inspection process is completed. A plurality of inspection processes can be defined, and the inspection processes can be executed sequentially or in parallel. Further, it is possible to adopt a rule that shifts to an approval process when all the inspection processes or one of the inspection processes is completed. In FIG. 6 of this example, for example, the approval rule “RL012” is assigned to each authorized person whose first inspection process is “AUT004”, second inspection process is “AUT002”, and settlement process is “AUT001”. Yes. In the approval rule “RL023”, the approval process is assigned to “AUT003”, and the inspection process is not performed.

  FIG. 7 shows an example of the document table 314. The document table 314 defines the document category of the distributed document. Document categories can include categories such as, for example, quotations, specifications, travel expenses. In the document table 314 of this example, a document ID for specifying a document that actually flows through the approval flow and a document category ID for specifying a category to which a circulation document belongs are registered. Each document ID is associated with any one document category. Further, a project ID that identifies a project is registered in the document table 314. For documents belonging to a specific project, a project ID is registered in association with the document ID. For example, in FIG. 7, the document category of the document “DOC03001” is “FL003”, and the document “DOC03001” belongs to the A project “PL001”. Document data corresponding to each document ID and data related to document approval are registered in the registered document folder 316.

  FIG. 8 shows an example of the document-approval rule table 315. The document-approval rule table 315 defines the approval rule assigned to each document category. As a result, an approval route is determined according to the document category. Specifically, in the document-approval rule table 315, a document category ID and an approval rule ID corresponding to each document category ID are registered. For example, an approval rule “RL012” is assigned to the document category “FL001”, and an approval rule “RL023” is assigned to the document category “FL003”. A plurality of approval rules can be associated with one document category. Several document categories can be assigned multiple approval rules depending on the drafter. For example, the approval rule “RL012” is assigned to the document category “FL102” when the drafter is GR034, and the approval rule “RL013” is assigned when the drafter is other than GR034.

  The document approval request process will be described with reference to FIG. The drafter operates the browser 350 on the operation client 102 to access the approval flow server 101. The approval flow processing unit 330 generates a file for document drafting processing in response to a request from the browser 350 after completing the drafter authentication processing, and sends an approval flow / data communication unit 340 to the browser. To request. The authentication process can be performed between the approval flow processing unit 330 and the browser 350. The browser 350 displays the file transmitted from the approval flow / data communication unit 340. In the drafting process, only the document category related to the drafter can be displayed on the operation client from the drafter ID. This prevents unwanted document approval requests.

  An approval document is selected by the input of the drafter, and a project ID is input if necessary (S901). The input data is transmitted to the approval flow server 101, and a document form registered in advance corresponding to the selected document is transmitted from the approval processing unit 330 to the operation client 102. Data is input to the document form using the browser 350 and transmitted to the approval flow server 101. The document form is registered in the registered document folder 316, for example, and is selected and transmitted in response to a request from the drafter.

  Data transmitted from the operation client 102 is passed to the approval flow processing unit 330 via the approval flow / data communication unit 340. In addition to the approval request, the approval flow processing unit 330 acquires the user ID, the document category ID, and the document data input to the document form from the operation client 102. Further, the project ID is transmitted from the operation client 102 to the approval flow server 101 as necessary.

  The approval flow processing unit 330 acquires the approval rule ID corresponding to the document category ID from the data base 310 via the DB management unit 320 (S902). The corresponding approval rule ID can be selected from the document-approval rule table 315. The approval flow processing unit 330 acquires necessary data from the data base 310 via the DB management unit 320. With reference to the approval rule table 313, data related to the approval route is acquired using the approval rule ID as a key. This data includes an approval process in the approval route and an authority ID associated with each process. A group is determined by the user table 311 and a user ID corresponding to the authority ID on the approval route is selected from the authority table 312 (S903). The approval flow processing unit 330 dynamically determines an approval route from the approval rule including the authority ID and the user ID of the approver (S904). Data obtained and determined such as documents and approval routes are temporarily stored in the memory. When the approval route for the document for which the approval is requested is determined, the approval process by the operation client 102 is started (S905).

  A specific example of the approval flow determination process will be described. For example, when the drafter having the user ID “USR001” transmits an approval request for the document of the document category “FL001” to the approval flow server, the approval flow processing unit 330, as shown in FIG. The approval rule “RL012” is determined from the document-approval rule table 315 using “FL001” as a key. Further, as shown in FIG. 6, from the approval rule table 313, authority IDs “AUT004”, “AUT002”, “AUT001” corresponding to each approval process (inspection process, settlement process) according to the determined approval rule ID. To decide.

  As illustrated in FIG. 4, the approval flow processing unit 330 determines the group “GR001” of the user “USR001” based on the user table 311. With the authority IDs “AUT004”, “AUT002” and “AUT001” and the group ID “GR001” as keys, the authority IDs included in the approval rule are obtained from the authority table 312 and the user table 311 as shown in FIGS. The user ID corresponding to can be determined.

  When the approval route is determined, the approval flow processing unit 330 requests the approval flow / data communication unit 340 to transmit a file necessary for approval to the operation client 102 of the approver. The approval flow processing unit 330 identifies the user ID of the approver and passes a file necessary for the approval process by the approver to the approval flow / data communication unit 340. The approval flow / data communication unit 340 transmits the acquired file to the operation client 102 of the approver. The approver uses the browser 350 to input data necessary for the approval process. The input data is transmitted to the approval flow processing unit 330 via the approval flow / data communication unit 340.

  The approval flow processing unit 330 temporarily holds status data in the approval flow. The status data includes data regarding the progress of the approval process in the approval flow. This data represents the status of presence / absence of approval by each approver. The approval flow processing unit 330 determines to transmit a necessary file to each approver according to the approval route and the status data, and manages the approval flow according to the data acquired from each approver. When the approval processing by all the approvers is completed, a notification of approval completion is transmitted to the drafter's operation client 102, and data relating to the document and the approval processing is registered in the data base 310. In the case of being rejected by a specific approver, a notification to that effect is transmitted to the operation client 102 of the drafter, and the approval flow ends.

  When the document requested to be approved by the drafter corresponds to the document category belonging to the project, project document processing is executed. Referring to FIG. 10, the approval flow processing unit 330 determines from the document category ID whether the document requested for approval belongs to a project. If it is a project document, it is determined whether a project ID has been acquired from the drafter's operation client 102 (S1001). If acquired, the approver can be determined based on the project ID (S1002). For example, as shown in FIG. 6, the document category “FL003” requires a settlement process by the project leader. The project ID matches the group ID corresponding to each project.

  The approval flow processing unit 330 can determine the user ID of the corresponding project leader from the user table 311 and the authority table 312. For example, by identifying the user ID of each project leader from the authority table 312, and further identifying the group ID (project ID) of each project leader from the user table 311, the project leader of the requested project. (User ID of the project leader corresponding to the requested project ID) can be specified.

  For example, for example, when the user “USR002” who does not belong to the project specifies the project ID “PL002” and requests document approval of the document category “FL003”, the approval flow processing unit uses the document “FL003” as a key. -Determine the approval rule "RL023" from the approval rule table, and further determine from the approval rule table that payment by the authority "AUT003" is required. By referring to the authority table and the user table based on the group “PL002” and the authority “AUT003”, the approval flow processing unit identifies the user “USR235” having the authority “AUT003” of the group “PL002”. be able to.

  If the project ID is not acquired from the drafter's operation client 102 (S1001), the approval flow processing unit 330 identifies the project to which the drafter belongs by acquiring the group ID of the drafter from the user table 311. (S1003). Further, the user ID of the corresponding project leader can be determined by the same processing as described above. For example, when the user “USR003” requests document approval of the document category “FL003”, it is registered in the user table that the user “USR003” belongs to the project “PL001”. The flow processing unit can specify the approver on the approval route. According to this embodiment, since the approval rule using the authority is determined corresponding to the document category, it is possible to easily cope with the organizational change, and the approval flow management can be performed efficiently. . In addition, since the approval route is automatically determined according to the drafter and the document to be approved, erroneous approval route selection can be prevented.

  In this embodiment, when a plurality of approval rules are assigned to the document category, an approval rule specifying process is executed. A plurality of approval rules selected according to conditions can be assigned to one document category. Thus, for example, the approval method can be changed depending on the affiliation of the drafter. For example, in the document-approval rule table 315 shown in FIG. 8, the document category “FL102” is assigned two approval rules “RL012” and “RL013” selected according to the group to which the drafter belongs. ing. The approval flow processing unit 330 needs to select and determine an appropriate approval route according to the drafter.

  Referring to FIG. 11, the approval flow processing unit 330 acquires a corresponding group ID from the user table 311 using the user ID acquired from the drafter operation client 102 as a key. According to the acquired group ID, one appropriate approval rule is determined from a plurality of approval rules registered in the document-approval rule table 315 corresponding to the document category for which approval is requested. As shown in FIG. 11, it is determined whether the group ID of the drafter is a specific ID (S1101). If it is a specific ID, the corresponding approval rule is applied (S1102). If it is not a specific ID, the corresponding approval rule is applied (S1103). For example, in FIG. 8, when a document of the document category “FL102” is acquired from the drafter's browser, a group ID corresponding to the user ID is acquired from the user table 311. If the group ID is “GR034”, approval is made. The rule “RL012” is selected, and if the group ID is not “GR034”, the approval rule “RL012” is selected. With respect to one document category, a plurality of approval routes can be defined according to the drafter, and the approval route can be managed efficiently.

  In this embodiment, when the drafter belongs to two or more groups, the drafter can determine an appropriate approval route by selecting a group of circulation documents. For example, the first technical department and the second technical department are registered as departments, and the drafter serves as both the first technical department and the second technical department, and belongs to both the first and second technical departments in the system. The appropriate approval route can be determined by the selection of the drafter. In the approval flow determination process, with reference to FIG. 12, the approval flow processing unit 330 refers to the user table 311 and obtains a group ID corresponding to the user ID of the drafter (S1201). Based on the relationship with the document category ID, it is determined whether it is necessary to select a group ID (S1202). If not necessary, normal processing is performed (S1203). If necessary, the approval flow processing unit 330 generates a file for group selection using the group ID, and sends the file for group selection to the drafter's browser 350 via the approval flow / data communication unit 340. Transmit (S1204).

  FIG. 13 shows a group selection screen displayed on the drafter operation client 102 in response to a request. The drafter clicks and inputs the group to which the selected approval document belongs according to the screen instruction, and transmits the selected group ID to the approval flow server 101 (S1205). The approval flow processing unit 330 acquires the selected group ID via the approval flow / data communication unit 340. According to the group ID, the approval flow processing unit 330 determines an approval route corresponding to the approval request document category (S1206). The approval route determination process after the group ID is determined can be performed in the same manner as described above. Thereby, the approval flow can be efficiently processed and managed in accordance with the user's affiliation.

  Alternatively, instead of displaying the group to which the drafter belongs, the operation client 102 can display the approval route IDs for specifying all the approval routes and the respective approval routes for the group to which the drafter belongs. The drafter selects an approval route according to the screen instruction, and the selected approval route ID is transmitted to the approval flow server 101. The approval flow processing unit 330 can execute the approval flow with the approval route specified by the selected approval route ID.

  Alternatively, when the drafter belongs to a plurality of groups, by preparing a document category for each group, the approval route can be determined without performing the group ID selection process by the drafter. . For example, when the drafter belongs to two groups of the A group and the B group, a document corresponding to the A group and a document corresponding to the B group are registered for each document category in the table. Approval rules corresponding to each document are registered in the data base 310. When the drafter selects one document category from the operation client and requests an approval process, the approval flow processing unit 330 can uniquely determine an approval rule from the document category ID and the group ID of the drafter. it can. Thereby, the approval rule can be determined without performing group selection by the drafter after the approval request, and the processing by the user can be omitted.

  In the above example, the approval route is dynamically determined, but the approval route can be registered in the approval route table of the data base 310 in advance. Compared with the case where the approval route is dynamically generated, the processing after receiving the document approval request from the drafter operation client 102 can be reduced. FIG. 14 shows an example of the approval route table. The approval route is defined corresponding to a set of document category and drafter.

  Specifically, the approval route is identified by the approval route ID in the approval route table. Corresponding to each approval route ID, the document category ID, the user ID of the drafter, and the IDs of the examiner and the approver who are approvers on the approval route are registered in advance as necessary. The examiner and the approver are defined by the user ID, unlike the approval rule table. A plurality of approval routes can be defined corresponding to one document category. For example, the approval route “RT001001” and “RT001002” are associated with the document category “FL001”. For example, if the drafter belongs to different groups, the approval route can be different even for the same type of document, and therefore the approval route is appropriately selected according to the document category ID and the user ID.

  Prior to the approval flow, an approval route table registration process is executed. Referring to FIG. 15, the approval flow processing unit 330 determines a necessary approval route for each combination of the user ID acquired from the user table 311 and the document category ID acquired from the document table 314 ( S1501). The approval route is determined for a necessary combination among the combinations of the document category and the user (S1502). The approval route determination process can be performed in the same manner as the dynamic determination process described above, referring to the document-approval rule table 315, the approval rule table 313, the user table 311 and the authority table 312. The approval rule is determined by the approval flow processing unit 330. The defined approval route is registered in an approval route table (not shown) of the data base 310 via the DB management unit 320 (S1503). Repeat the process for all required combinations to complete the approval route table.

  In the processing of the document approval request from the drafter, referring to FIG. 16, the drafter first selects the document category of the approval request document in the operation client 102 and transmits it to the approval flow server together with the document data (S1601). . Upon obtaining the drafter's user ID and the document category ID selected by the drafter, the approval flow processing unit 330 selects a corresponding approval route from the approval route table using these two data as keys (S1602). The approval flow operation is executed under the data regarding the approval route acquired from the approval route table (S1603).

  FIG. 17 shows another example of the approval route table. The approval route in this example is defined by a combination of a document category and a group. Corresponding to each approval route ID, the document category ID, the group ID, and the IDs of the examiner and the approver who are the approvers on the approval route are registered in advance as necessary. The examiner and the approver are defined by the user ID.

  Prior to the approval flow, an approval route table registration process is executed. Referring to FIG. 18, the approval flow processing unit 330 determines a necessary approval route for each combination of the group ID acquired from the user table 311 and the document category ID acquired from the document table 314 (S1801). An approval route is determined and defined for the determined taste adjustment (S1802). The approval route can be determined in the same manner as described above, but the approval route is registered in the approval route table of the data base 310 via the DB management unit 320 (S1803). Repeat the process for all required combinations to complete the approval route table.

  In the process of the document approval request from the drafter, referring to FIG. 19, the drafter first selects an approval request document from the document category registered in the document table and transmits it to the approval flow server (S1901). The approval flow processing unit 330 determines the group ID from the user table by using the user ID of the drafter already acquired. Using the document category ID and group ID selected by the drafter as keys, the corresponding approval route is selected from the approval route table (S1902). The approval flow operation is executed based on the data regarding the approval route acquired from the approval route table. By registering the approval route in advance as described above, the approval route setting process after the drafting process can be omitted, and an efficient approval flow process can be performed.

It is a figure which shows schematic structure of the approval system which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the hardware constitutions of the approval flow server and operation client which concern on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the logic structure of the approval flow server and operation client which concern on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the user table which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the authority table which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the approval rule table which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the document table which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows an example of the document-approval rule table which concerns on this embodiment. It is a flowchart explaining the document approval request process of the approval system which concerns on this embodiment. It is a flowchart explaining the project document process of the approval system which concerns on this embodiment. It is a flowchart explaining the approval rule specific process of the approval system which concerns on this embodiment. In the approval system which concerns on this embodiment, it is a flowchart explaining the approval flow determination process in case a drafter belongs to two or more groups. It is a figure which shows the group selection screen displayed on the drafter's operation client. An example of an approval route table according to the present embodiment is shown. It is a flowchart which shows the registration process of an approval route table in the approval system which concerns on this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the approval route determination process in the case of having an approval route table in the approval system which concerns on this embodiment. The other example of the approval route table which concerns on this embodiment is shown. It is a flowchart which shows the registration process of the other approval route table in the approval system which concerns on this embodiment. It is a flowchart which shows the approval route determination process in the case of having another approval route table in the approval system which concerns on this embodiment. It is a figure which shows the structure of the approval system in background art. It is a figure which shows user DB of the approval system in background art. It is a figure which shows the approval route DB of the approval system in background art.

Explanation of symbols

101 Approval flow server, 102 Operation client, 310 Data base, 311 User table, 312 Authority table, 313 Approval rule table, 314 Document table, 315 Document-Approval rule table, 316 Document registration folder, 320 Data Base management unit, 330 Approval flow processing unit, 340 Approval flow / data communication unit, 350 Browser

Claims (4)

In an electronic approval system that executes an approval flow for an electronic document in an organization using an operation client operated by a user and a server that can communicate with the operation client , the drafter requests an approval by operating the operation client. A method for determining an approval route for a given approval document,
The operation client is operated based on a table in which the department and the project are registered in the same category so as to specify a group to which a user belongs from a department and a project independent of the department. The server obtains data for identifying a group to which the drafter belongs from the user ID of the drafter;
When you select the authorization document from a plurality of documents registered in advance by operating the drafter operation client, the data identifying the document category of the authorization document based on the document ID for specifying the document The server gets the steps;
A table in which an approval rule for identifying an approver by authority and the document category are associated with each other, and a plurality of approval rules selected according to a group to which the drafter belongs correspond to one document category The server determines an approval rule for the approval document based on the attached table;
An approval rule determination method comprising: the server specifying a user corresponding to the authority of the determined approval route from a group to which the drafter belongs . 2. The approval rule according to claim 1, wherein, in the specifying step, the user is specified with reference to an authority table in which an authority specified in the approval rule is associated with a user ID. Decision method. In an electronic approval system for executing an electronic document approval flow using an operation client operated by a user and a server capable of communicating with the operation client , an approval requested by the drafter operating the operation client is requested. A program for causing a computer to execute a process for determining an approval route of a document, wherein the computer serving as the server
The operation client is operated based on a table in which the department and the project are registered in the same category so as to specify a group to which a user belongs from a department and a project independent of the department. Obtaining data for identifying a group to which the drafter belongs from the user ID of the drafter;
When the drafter operates the operation client and selects the approved document from a plurality of documents registered in advance, data for specifying the document category of the approved document is acquired based on the document ID for specifying the document And steps to
A table in which an approval rule for specifying an approver by authority is associated with the document category, and a plurality of approval rules selected according to a group to which the drafter belongs correspond to one document category Determining an approval rule for the approval document based on an attached table;
Identifying a user corresponding to the authority of the determined approval route from a group to which the drafter belongs ;
A program that executes The program according to claim 3, wherein, in the specifying step, the user is specified with reference to an authority table in which the authority specified in the approval rule is associated with a user ID.

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