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Based on the results of the study carried out in 1996 to investigate the state of the art of workflow and process technology, MCC initiated the Collaboration Management Infrastructure (CMI) research project to develop innovative agent-based process technology that can support the process requirements of dynamically changing organizations and the requirements of nomadic computing. With a research focus on the flow of interaction among people and software agents representing people, the project deliverables will include a scalable, heterogeneous, ubiquitous and nomadic infrastructure for business processes. The resulting technology is being tested in applications that stress an intensive mobile collaboration among people as part of large, evolving business processes.
Workflow and Process Automation: Concepts and Technology provides an overview of the problems and issues related to process and workflow technology, and in particular to definition and analysis of processes and workflows, and execution of their instances. The need for a transactional workflow model is discussed and a spectrum of related transaction models is covered in detail. A plethora of influential projects in workflow and process automation is summarized. The projects are drawn from both academia and industry. The monograph also provides a short overview of the most popular workflow management products, and the state of the workflow industry in general.
Workflow and Process Automation: Concepts and Technology offers a road map through the shortcomings of existing solutions of process improvement by people with daily first-hand experience, and is suitable as a secondary text for graduate-level courses on workflow and process automation, and as a reference for practitioners in industry.
List of contents
1 Introduction.- 2 Process Technology.- 2.1 Process Modeling.- 2.2 Process Descriptive Views.- 2.3 Process Meta-Models.- 2.4 Process Model Analysis.- 3 Workflow Technology.- 3.1 Workflow Enactment Paradigms.- 3.2 Workflow Execution System Guarantees.- 3.3 Description Languages.- 3.4 Software Architecture of the Workflow Enactment Service.- 3.5 Security Considerations.- 3.6 Implementation Issues.- 4 Transactional Aspects of Workflows.- 4.1 The need for a workflow transaction model.- 4.2 Traditional Transactions.- 4.3 Correct Execution of Traditional Transactions.- 4.4 Extended Transaction Models.- 4.5 Meta-models for Extended Transactions.- 4.6 Towards Transactional Workflows.- 5 Ongoing Research in Workflow and Process Automation.- 5.1 Overview.- 5.2 Process Handbook Project.- 5.3 Process Interchange Format.- 5.4 METEOR Multiparadigm Transactional Workflow.- 5.5 APRICOTS.- 5.6 Exotica Project.- 5.7 MENTOR.- 5.8 MOBILE.- 5.9 Panta Rhei Project.- 5.10 Interaction Coordination Nets.- 5.11 VORTEL - Teleservice for Workflow Management.- 5.12 WIDE Consortium.- 5.13 The TriGSflow Model.- 5.14 COACT Model.- 5.15 Microsoft MAPI-WF.- 5.16 Database representation of workflows.- 5.17 OPERA.- 5.18 Migrating Workflows.- 6 State of The Industry.- 6.1 Overview of Current Products.- 6.2 Workflow Management Coalition.- 6.3 Shortcomings and Limitations of Current Products.- 6.4 Shortcomings in technology support for processes.- References.
Summary
Provides an overview of the problems and issues related to process and workflow technology, and in particular to definition and analysis of processes and workflows, and execution of their instances. This monograph also offers a short overview of the popular workflow management products, and the state of the workflow industry in general.
