US Patent 7272816 Transformations between private and shared workflows

Techniques for modifying an abstraction level of a workflow are described. For example, a workflow may be analyzed to determine a first plurality of tasks, and the first plurality of tasks may then be combined into a first virtual task within an abstracted workflow. Then, the first virtual task may be linked to the first plurality of tasks, such that a virtual execution of the abstracted workflow corresponds to an actual execution of the workflow. In this way, the abstracted workflow may be shared with other parties, while a level of confidentiality associated with the workflow is preserved.