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Workflow Management System

A workflow management system (WfMS) provides infrastructure to define, perform, and monitor sequences of tasks arranged as workflows. WfMS allow users to define workflows for different processes. Tasks are activated when dependency conditions are met, and WfMS ensure uncompleted tasks are followed up. WfMS can manage both automated processes and human tasks in workflows. They are used in distributed systems like grid computing to guarantee quality of service.

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182 views3 pages

Workflow Management System

A workflow management system (WfMS) provides infrastructure to define, perform, and monitor sequences of tasks arranged as workflows. WfMS allow users to define workflows for different processes. Tasks are activated when dependency conditions are met, and WfMS ensure uncompleted tasks are followed up. WfMS can manage both automated processes and human tasks in workflows. They are used in distributed systems like grid computing to guarantee quality of service.

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sdg0808
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Workflow management system

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia


A workflow management system (WfMS) provides an infrastructure for the set-up,
performance and monitoring of a defined sequence of tasks, arranged as a workflow. [1]

Contents

1 International Standards
2 Workflows for People
3 Automated workflows
4 Categories
5 Functional Categorization
6 List of WfMS
7 References

International Standards
There are several international standards-setting bodies in the field of workflow management:

Workflow Management Coalition[2]


World Wide Web Consortium[3]
Organization for the Advancement of Structured Information Standards[4]
WS-BPEL 2.0 (Integration Centric) and WS-BPEL4People (Human Task Centric)
published by OASIS Standards Body.

The underlying theoretical basis of workflow management is the mathematical concept of a Petri
net.[5]
Each of the workflow models has tasks (nodes) and dependencies between the nodes. Tasks are
activated when the dependency conditions are fulfilled.

Workflows for People


Workflow management systems allow the user to define different workflows for different types
of jobs or processes.[6] For example, in a manufacturing setting, a design document might be
automatically routed from designer to a technical director to the production engineer. At each
stage in the workflow, one individual or group is responsible for a specific task. Once the task is
complete, the workflow system ensures that the individuals responsible for the next task are
notified and receive the data they need to execute their stage of the process.
Workflows can also have more complex dependencies; for example if a document is to be
translated into several languages, a translation manager could select the languages and each

selection would then be activated as a work order form for a different translator. Only when all
the translators have completed their respective tasks would the next task in the process be
activated.It is process management from top level to lower level.
Workflow management systems also automate redundant tasks and ensure that uncompleted
tasks are followed up. A key standard that deals with human tasks in workflows is the WSBPEL4People Standard by the OASIS Standards Body. [7]

Automated workflows
Workflow management systems may control automated processes in addition to replacing paper
work order transfers.[8] For example, if the above design documents are now available as
AutoCAD but the workflow requires them as Catia, then an automated process would implement
the conversion prior to notifying the individual responsible for the next task. This is the concept
of Enterprise application integration. [9]
Workflow management systems also appear in distributed IT environments such as grid
computing or cloud computing. The aim of such systems is to manage the execution of various
processes that may belong to the same application while in many cases they are used as a means
to guarantee the offered Quality of service (QoS).[10]

Categories
Workflow management systems can be categorised into the following categories:

Routing System
Distribution System
Coordination System
Agent System
Assistant System

Functional Categorization
Workflow systems can be categorized in the following categories based on their functionalities:

Integration-centric workflow systems


Human task-centric workflow systems

List of WfMS

Activiti
Apache ODE
Bonita BPM
Flokzu

CEITON
IBM BPM
Imixs-Workflow
Intuit QuickBase[11]
jBPM
Kissflow
Microsoft Windows Workflow Foundation
Pyrus
SAP Business Workflow
Workgroups DaVinci
YAWL

References
This article may be expanded with text translated from the corresponding article in
German. (February 2014) Click [show] for important translation instructions. [show]
1.
"What is a workflow management system? edrawsoft
Workflow management coalition "Workflow Management Coalition home page"
World wide web consortium "W3C home page"
https://www.oasis-open.org/
Hartmut Ehrig (25 November 2003). Petri Net Technology for Communication-Based
Systems: Advances in Petri Nets. Springer. pp. 323. ISBN 978-3-540-20538-8.
Processes "Cooperation in Processes" CEITON technologies

http://help.sap.com/saphelp_40b/helpdata/EN/0d/e62c7dd435d1118b3f0060b03ca329/content.ht
m
EAI workflow"System-centred workflow management" CEITON technologies
Explanation of enterprise application integration in the context of workflow "Back end EAI"
An innovative workflow mapping mechanism for Grids in the frame of Quality of Service,
Elsevier.com
First Annual Intuit QuickBase EMPOWER 2015 Conference Spotlights Citizen Developers
Using Technology to Solve Their Own Business Challenges "New York Times" Intuit
QuickBase

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