Ebook: Workflow Management Systems and Interoperability

Workflow management systems (WFMS) are enjoying increasing popular­ ity due to their ability to coordinate and streamline complex organizational processes within organizations of all sizes. Organizational processes are de­ scriptions of an organization's activities engineered to fulfill its mission such as completing a business contract or satisfying a specific customer request. Gaining control of these processes allows an organization to reengineer and improve each process or adapt them to changing requirements. The goal of WFMSs is to manage these organizational processes and coordinate their execution. was demonstrated in the first half The high degree of interest in WFMSs of the 1990s by a significant increase in the number of commercial products (once estimated to about 250) and the estimated market size (in combined $2 billion in 1996. Ensuing maturity product sales and services) of about is demonstrated by consolidations during the last year. Ranging from mere e-mail based calendar tools and flow charting tools to very sophisticated inte­ grated development environments for distributed enterprise-wide applications and systems to support programming in the large, these products are finding an eager market and opening up important research and development op­ portunities. In spite of their early success in the market place, however, the current generation of systems can benefit from further research and develop­ ment, especially for increasingly complex and mission-critical applications.

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Workflow management systems enjoy increasing popularity due to their ability to coordinate and streamline complex organizational processes within organizations of all sizes. Control of these processes allows an organization to reengineer and improve or adapt them. Interest in workflow management systems was demonstrated in the early 1990s by an increased number of commercial products in an estimated $2 billion market. This book addresses recent advances in workflow management systems. Based on a NATO workshop held in 1997, it is an integrated collection of papers by leading international researchers. Topics emphasized include interoperability, Internet technologies to improve system capabilities, scalable and dynamic cooperation technologies, and workflow system prototypes.

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Workflow management systems enjoy increasing popularity due to their ability to coordinate and streamline complex organizational processes within organizations of all sizes. Control of these processes allows an organization to reengineer and improve or adapt them. Interest in workflow management systems was demonstrated in the early 1990s by an increased number of commercial products in an estimated $2 billion market. This book addresses recent advances in workflow management systems. Based on a NATO workshop held in 1997, it is an integrated collection of papers by leading international researchers. Topics emphasized include interoperability, Internet technologies to improve system capabilities, scalable and dynamic cooperation technologies, and workflow system prototypes.
Content:
Front Matter....Pages i-xvii
Workflow Management: State of the Art Versus State of the Products....Pages 1-17
A Distributed Workflow and Product Data Management Application for the Construction of Large Scale Scientific Apparatus....Pages 18-34
Workflow Applications to Research Agenda: Scalable and Dynamic Work Coordination and Collaboration Systems....Pages 35-60
Design and Implementation of a Distributed Workflow Management System: METUFlow....Pages 61-91
HP Workflow Research: Past, Present, and Future....Pages 92-106
Reducing Escalation-Related Costs in WFMSs....Pages 107-128
The Workflow Management System Panta Rhei....Pages 129-144
The WASA Approach to Workflow Management for Scientific Applications....Pages 145-164
Security Enforcement in Activity Management Systems....Pages 165-194
Towards a Platform for Distributed Application Development....Pages 195-221
The Integration of Workflow Systems and Collaboration Tools....Pages 222-245
Interoperability in Large-Scale Distributed Information Delivery Systems....Pages 246-280
Enterprise-Wide Workflow Management Based on State and Activity Charts....Pages 281-303
Transactional Support for Cooperative Applications....Pages 304-338
Migrating Workflows....Pages 339-355
Technology and Tools for Comprehensive Business Process Lifecycle Management....Pages 356-395
Recent Trends in Workflow Management Products, Standards and Research....Pages 396-409
Kerem — Reasoning About the Design of Partially Cooperative Systems....Pages 410-422
Workflow Technologies Meet the Internet....Pages 423-438
Workflow Reuse and Semantic Interoperation Issues....Pages 439-490
Back Matter....Pages 491-526

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Workflow management systems enjoy increasing popularity due to their ability to coordinate and streamline complex organizational processes within organizations of all sizes. Control of these processes allows an organization to reengineer and improve or adapt them. Interest in workflow management systems was demonstrated in the early 1990s by an increased number of commercial products in an estimated $2 billion market. This book addresses recent advances in workflow management systems. Based on a NATO workshop held in 1997, it is an integrated collection of papers by leading international researchers. Topics emphasized include interoperability, Internet technologies to improve system capabilities, scalable and dynamic cooperation technologies, and workflow system prototypes.
Content:
Front Matter....Pages i-xvii
Workflow Management: State of the Art Versus State of the Products....Pages 1-17
A Distributed Workflow and Product Data Management Application for the Construction of Large Scale Scientific Apparatus....Pages 18-34
Workflow Applications to Research Agenda: Scalable and Dynamic Work Coordination and Collaboration Systems....Pages 35-60
Design and Implementation of a Distributed Workflow Management System: METUFlow....Pages 61-91
HP Workflow Research: Past, Present, and Future....Pages 92-106
Reducing Escalation-Related Costs in WFMSs....Pages 107-128
The Workflow Management System Panta Rhei....Pages 129-144
The WASA Approach to Workflow Management for Scientific Applications....Pages 145-164
Security Enforcement in Activity Management Systems....Pages 165-194
Towards a Platform for Distributed Application Development....Pages 195-221
The Integration of Workflow Systems and Collaboration Tools....Pages 222-245
Interoperability in Large-Scale Distributed Information Delivery Systems....Pages 246-280
Enterprise-Wide Workflow Management Based on State and Activity Charts....Pages 281-303
Transactional Support for Cooperative Applications....Pages 304-338
Migrating Workflows....Pages 339-355
Technology and Tools for Comprehensive Business Process Lifecycle Management....Pages 356-395
Recent Trends in Workflow Management Products, Standards and Research....Pages 396-409
Kerem — Reasoning About the Design of Partially Cooperative Systems....Pages 410-422
Workflow Technologies Meet the Internet....Pages 423-438
Workflow Reuse and Semantic Interoperation Issues....Pages 439-490
Back Matter....Pages 491-526
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