Xerox Corporation

Victoria C Bellotti

Nicolas B Ducheneaut

Ian E Smith

Richard R Burton

Mark A Howard

Christine M Neuwirth

A method for providing emergent and flexible workflow management to a user. The user communicates with other users, using a message-based system having embedded information management resources. The message-based system has a viewer. A message is generated at the message-based system. The message has metadata. The metadata of the message is updated using the embedded information management resources. The metadata include at least one of the group of a deadline, a reminder, a deferral and an obligation. The message is sent to the other users. Some of the metadata of the message are displayed on the viewer of the message-based system. Some of the metadata of the message are tracked at the message-based system.

Method and system for flexible workflow management

A method for managing and tracking information items within a message-based system. The message-based system has a viewer which include a first, a second and a third viewing panes. A plurality of thrasks is generated. Each of the thrasks includes at least one information item having a set of metadata. A new information item is sorted into one of the thrasks in accordance with at least one criterion. Some of the thrasks are displayed in the first viewing pane. A list of the information items of a thrask selected from the displayed thrasks is displayed in the second viewing pane. For each of the displayed information items at least one of the respective metadata is displayed. Some of the content of an information item selected from the list of the displayed information items is displayed in the third viewing pane.

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San Francisco, CA, United States of America

Victoria C Bellotti