Event triggered notifications for collaborative processes

Abstract

Notifications that serve as “hints” related to activity associated with a collaborative process are propagated to an originator to alert the originator of activity on the collaborative process. A collaborative process server computer receives an indication that the originator has initiated a computer implemented collaborative process that generates collaborative content to be tracked. The collaborative process server computer is utilized to share the collaborative content associated with the collaborative process with at least one recipient. Computer implemented event(s) associated with the shared collaborative content by recipients are detected. Information associated with the collaborative process is automatically transformed in response to detected event(s) associated with the shared collaborative content, wherein a notification of the occurrence of the event(s) is propagated to the originator. The notification is generated in response to detected event(s) and is based upon the transformed information.

1 . A method of tracking a collaborative process and propagating a notification of an occurrence of an event to an originator comprising:
 receiving at a collaborative process server computer coupled to a network environment, an indication that a user has initiated a computer implemented collaborative process that generates collaborative content, wherein the user defines an originator of the generated collaborative content;   obtaining by the collaborative process server computer, a designation that events associated with the initiated collaborative process are to be tracked;   sharing the collaborative content associated with the collaborative process with at least one recipient;   obtaining by the collaborative process server computer, information identifying the occurrence of at least one computer detectable event associated with the shared collaborative content other than a communication from any recipient back to the originator;   automatically transforming information associated with the collaborative process in response to at least one detected event associated with the shared collaborative content; and   propagating a notification to the originator that informs the originator of the detected event, wherein the notification is generated in response to the detected event and is based upon the transformed information.   
     
     
         2 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein the notification does not reveal details associated with the detected event. 
     
     
         3 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein obtaining by the collaborative process server computer, information identifying the occurrence of at least one computer detectable event associated with the shared collaborative content comprises detecting that a recipient has one of:
 changed the collaborative content associated with the collaborative process;   added to the collaborative content associated with the collaborative process;   deleted at least a portion of the collaborative content associated with the collaborative process; and   shared the collaborative content associated with the collaborative process.   
     
     
         4 . The method of  claim 1 , further comprising:
 evaluating at least one rule to determine at least one of: when and how, a given notification is propagated to the originator.   
     
     
         5 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein:
 sharing the collaborative content associated with the collaborative process with at least one recipient further comprises:
 providing notice to at least one recipient that events are being tracked to send notifications to the originator; and 
 providing each recipient that receives the notice with an option to enable sending notifications or disable sending notifications; and 
   propagating a notification to the originator further comprises:
 refraining from propagating the notification if the detected event is associated with a recipient that received the notice and that indicated the option to disable sending notifications. 
   
     
     
         6 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein propagating a notification of the occurrence of the events to the originator comprises:
 sending to a processing device of the originator across the network, at least one of: an electronic instant message and an email message.   
     
     
         7 . The method of  claim 1 , wherein obtaining by the collaborative process server computer, information identifying the occurrence of at least one computer detectable event associated with the shared collaborative content comprises detecting an event that is associated with a recipient taking an action in a first collaborative process application that is different than the application implemented collaborative process that generates the collaborative content. 
     
     
         8 . A computer program product to track a computer implemented collaborative process and propagate a notification of an occurrence of an event to an originator comprising:
 a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code comprising:
 computer readable program code configured to receive, at a collaborative process server computer coupled to a network environment, an indication that a user has initiated a computer implemented collaborative process that generates collaborative content, wherein the user defines an originator of the generated collaborative content; 
 computer readable program code configured to obtain, by the collaborative process server computer, a designation that events associated with the initiated collaborative process are to be tracked, wherein information associated with the collaborative process is stored in a computer storage device accessible by the collaborative process server computer, and the collaborative process server computer is utilized to share the collaborative content associated with the collaborative process with at least one recipient; 
 computer readable program code configured to obtain, by the collaborative process server computer, information identifying the occurrence of at least one computer detectable event associated with the shared collaborative content other than a communication from any recipient back to the originator; 
 computer readable program code configured to transform the computer stored information associated with the collaborative process in response to at least one detected event associated with the shared collaborative content; and 
 computer readable program code configured to propagate a notification to the originator that informs the originator of the detected event, wherein the notification is generated in response to the detected event and is based upon the transformed information. 
   
     
     
         9 . The computer program product of  claim 8 , wherein the computer readable program code configured to propagate a notification to the originator comprises computer readable program code configured to propagate a notification that does not reveal details associated with the detected event. 
     
     
         10 . The computer program product of  claim 8 , wherein the computer readable program code configured to obtain, by the collaborative process server computer, information identifying the occurrence of at least one computer detectable event associated with the shared collaborative content comprises computer readable program code configured to detect that a recipient has one of:
 changed the collaborative content associated with the collaborative process;   added to the collaborative content associated with the collaborative process;   deleted at least a portion of the collaborative content associated with the collaborative process; and   shared the collaborative content associated with the collaborative process.   
     
     
         11 . The computer program product of  claim 8 , further comprising:
 computer readable program code configured to evaluate at least one rule to determine at least one of: when and how, a given notification is propagated to the originator.   
     
     
         12 . The computer program product of  claim 8 , wherein sharing the collaborative content associated with the collaborative process with at least one recipient comprises computer readable program code configured to:
 provide notice to at least one recipient that events are being tracked to send notifications to the originator; and   provide each recipient that receives the notice with an option to enable sending notifications or disable sending notifications; and   the computer readable program code configured to propagate a notification to the originator further comprises:   computer readable program code configured to refrain from propagating the notification if the detected event is associated with a recipient that received the notice and that indicated the option to disable sending notifications.   
     
     
         13 . The computer program product of  claim 8 , wherein the computer readable program code configured to propagate a notification of the occurrence of the events to the originator comprises:
 computer readable program code configured to send to a processing device of the originator across the network, at least one of: an electronic instant message and an email message.   
     
     
         14 . The computer program product of  claim 8 , wherein the computer readable program code configured to detect by the collaborative process server computer, the occurrence of at least one computer detectable event comprises computer readable program code configured to detect an event that is associated with a recipient taking an action in a first collaborative process application that is different than the application implemented collaborative process that generates the collaborative content. 
     
     
         15 . A system to track a collaborative process and propagate a notification of an occurrence of an event to an originator comprising:
 a collaborative process server computer having a processor and at least one memory device; and   computer readable program code resident in said at least one memory device, which is executed by said processor comprising:
 computer readable program code configured to receive at the server computer, an indication that a user has initiated a computer implemented collaborative process that generates collaborative content, wherein the user defines an originator of the generated collaborative content; 
 computer readable program code configured to obtain by the collaborative process server computer, a designation that events associated with the initiated collaborative process are to be tracked; 
 computer readable program code configured to share the collaborative content associated with the collaborative process with at least one recipient; 
 computer readable program code configured to obtain by the collaborative process server computer, information identifying the occurrence of at least one computer detectable event associated with the shared collaborative content other than a communication from any recipient back to the originator; 
 computer readable program code configured to automatically transform information associated with the collaborative process in response to at least one detected event associated with the shared collaborative content; and 
 computer readable program code configured to propagate a notification to the originator that informs the originator of the detected event, wherein the notification is generated in response to the detected event and is based upon the transformed information. 
   
     
     
         16 . The system according to  claim 15 , further comprising:
 at least one storage device that stores rules to determine at least one of: when and how, a given notification is propagated to the originator.   
     
     
         17 . A computer program product to notify a user of a collaborative process that an event of interest has occurred, comprising:
 a computer readable storage medium having computer readable program code embodied therewith, the computer readable program code comprising:
 computer readable program code configured to implement a graphical user interface that, when executed on a processing device, graphically interacts with a user to identify electronically generated collaborative content of a corresponding computer-executed collaborative process that is to be tracked, wherein the user defines an originator of the generated collaborative content; 
 computer readable program code configured to implement a portion of the graphical user interface that graphically interacts with the originator of the collaborative content to designate at least one event that triggers a notification to the originator of the collaborative content; 
 computer readable program code configured to implement a portion of the graphical user interface that communicates with a collaborative process server computer coupled to a network environment to identify the collaborative process to be tracked and at least one event associated with the collaborative process to monitor; 
 computer readable program code configured to share the collaborative content with at least one recipient; 
 computer readable program code configured to receive by the graphical user interface, an indication from the collaborative process server computer that at least one designated event has occurred other than a communication from any recipient back to the originator; and 
 computer readable program code configured to transform the graphical user interface to modify a visual display of the shared collaborative content if a designated event associated with the shared collaborative content is detected so as to visually depict the notification of the occurrence of the event to the originator. 
   
     
     
         18 . The computer program product of  claim 17 , wherein the computer readable program code configured to implement a graphical user interface comprises computer readable program code configured to implement a graphical user interface that, when executed on a processing device, graphically interacts with a user to identify electronically generated collaborative content of a corresponding computer-executed collaborative process that is to be tracked, the computer-executed collaborative process integrated with the graphical user interface. 
     
     
         19 . The computer program product of  claim 17 , wherein the computer readable program code configured to receive by the graphical user interface, an indication from the collaborative process server computer that at least one designated event has occurred comprises computer readable program code configured to receive by the graphical user interface, an indication from the collaborative process server computer that at least one designated event has occurred that is associated with a recipient taking an action in a first collaborative process application that is different than the corresponding computer-executed collaborative process that is to be tracked. 
     
     
         20 . The computer program product of  claim 17 , wherein the graphical user interface graphically interacts with the originator of the collaborative content to designate at least of:
 at least one propagation rule for propagating the notification of the occurrence of the designated event to the originator; and   at least one transformation rule for displaying on a computer processing device associated with the originator the visual depiction of the notification.