Workflow Technology

Workflow is a concept proposed for regular activities with fixed programs in the work. By dividing work activities into well-defined tasks, roles, rules and processes for execution and monitoring, the goal of improving the level of production organization and work efficiency is achieved. Workflow technology provides an advanced means for enterprises to better achieve their business objectives.

1993International Workflow Management Alliance (Workflow Management Coalition,WfMC) Indicates that the workflow technology has entered a relatively mature stage. To achieve interoperability between different workflow products,WfMCA series of standards have been developed in terms of terms, architecture, and application programming interfaces of the workflow management system. The workflow management Alliance defines a workflow as a fully automated or semi-automated process supported by a computer. In practice, all processes controlled by computer software systems (workflow management systems) can be called workflows.

A workflow includes a set of activities and their relationships, as well as processes and conditions for starting and ending activities, as well as descriptions of each activity. A workflow management system is a software system that runs on one or more workflow engines to define, implement, and manage workflow operations. It interacts with workflow executors (persons, applications, promotes the execution of workflow instances and monitors the running status of workflows.

Workflow Management System

"A workflow management system is a computer software system that allows enterprises to efficiently execute and monitor their processes."

Generally, a workflow management system is a software system that runs on one or more software called a workflow machine to define, implement, and manage workflow operations, it interacts with workflow executors (people and applications), promotes the execution of workflow instances, and monitors the running status of workflows. It should be emphasized that the workflow management system is not an enterprise's business system. To a large extent, the workflow management system provides a software supporting environment for enterprise business system operation, which is very similar to the operating system on a single computer. However, the workflow management system supports a large scope and complex environments, so some people call it a business operating system (BOS-Business Operating System). With the support of the workflow management system, you can integrate the specific business application software and operator interface operations to fully support the operation of the enterprise's business process. Therefore, the application process of the workflow management system in the business process of an enterprise or department is the integration and implementation process of the business application software system.

The workflow management system can be used to define and execute different business processes covering different scopes (individual workers, departments, enterprises, and enterprises) and different time spans (minutes, hours, days, and months. This depends entirely on the needs of the actual application background. Depending on the business process and the complexity of the composition activities, the workflow management system can adopt many implementation methods. In different implementation methods, the information technology, communication technology, and supporting system structures used vary greatly. The actual operating environment of the workflow management system can be within a working group or all business departments of the entire enterprise.

Workflow Management System classification

According to the implemented business process, the workflow management system can be divided into four categories:

1)Management Workflow (Administrative workflow): Activities in such workflows can be predefined and have a set of simple task coordination rules, such as University electives and degree applications after completing the thesis.

2)Set workflow (Ad hoc workflow): It is similar to a management workflow, but generally used to handle exceptions or situations with low chances of occurrence, sometimes even only once, which is related to the participating users.

3)Collaborative Workflow (Collaborative workflow): Participants and collaboration are frequently performed. A step may occur several times until a result is obtained, or even return to the previous stage.

4)Production Workflow (Production workflow): Implements workflows of important business processes, especially those directly related to the functions of business organizations. Compared with management workflows, production workflows are generally used in large-scale, complex, and heterogeneous environments. The entire process involves many people and different organizations.

Based on the underlying implementation technology, Workflow products can be divided into three types:

1)Communication-centric: Email is the underlying communication mechanism. This type of workflow management system is suitable for collaborative workflows and uncertain workflows, but not for production workflows.

2)Document-centric: Based on document routing, it has limited interaction capabilities with external applications. Many table-based management workflows can be implemented in document-centric workflows.

3)Process-centric: This workflow system corresponds to a production workflow. They are generally built on databases and have their own dedicated communication mechanisms and provide interfaces for interaction with the outside.

According to the different task item transfer mechanisms adopted by different workflow systems, workflow products on the market can be divided into four categories:

File-based workflow system