2. Agenda Whatis Workflow Management? Workflow Management Systems Benefitsof Workflow Management Aspectsof Workflow ModellingLanguages Workflow Process Workflow Participants Designing Workflow Process Modelling Languages
3. Workflow Managementis the automatedCoordination and Control of Business Processes [Joosten 97] z. B. claim settlement, loan approval, stock transaction, order management e.g. delegation, initiation of activities, reminder, monitoring, role resolution z. B. property rights,escalation,deadlines Workflow Management – Terms andDefinitions
4. Workflow Management – Terms andDefinitions A Workflowis a businessprocess, whose actitivytransitionsarecontrolledby an applicationsystem. A Workflow Management Systemis an application system, with that workflows can be defined, administrated and executed. The order of execution is determined by a formal representation of the process logic within the application system.
5. Workflow Types Ad Hoc: Goal: Quick reaction to simple but unforeseen situations (e.g. “FYI”-E-Mail) Simple process that can be defined within 5 minutes to one hour Collaborative: Goal: Improvement of collaborative work Integration of multiple teams Unique, creative process (e.g. software engineering) Administrative: Goal: administrative cost savings Formal process, medium amount of instances (e.g. accounting) Production: Goal: Increase of productivity and quality in high-load processes Formal process, high amount of instances, response time < sec., secure processes (e.g. loan approval, claim settlement)
6. Production Collaborative LoanApproval, Claim Settlement Documentation, SoftwareEngineering Administrative AdHoc Travel ExpenseReimbursement,Request for Leave FYI Mail, Ad-hoc Delegation Workflow Types Value Creation Repetitive Process Unique Process Cf. „Selectinga Workflow Product“, BIS
7. Workflow Instances – Build Time vs. Run Time Build time Modelling of Workflows Run time Execution of Workflows
8. Agenda Whatis Workflow Management? Workflow Management Systems Benefitsof Workflow Management Aspectsof Workflow ModellingLanguages Workflow Process Workflow Participants Designing Workflow Process Modelling Languages
14. Agenda Whatis Workflow Management? Workflow Management Systems Benefitsof Workflow Management Aspectsof Workflow ModellingLanguages Workflow Process Workflow Participants Designing Workflow Process Modelling Languages
15. Benefits of Workflow Management It’s done by the best user! Every taskisassignedautomatically Profile of each user (qualifications) Prioritization by age, type of work Multi-step routing, including parallel paths, rendezvous Task-Distribution Push (send work) Pull (user selects) Time Participant can be a person or “robot”
16. Benefits of Workflow Management All necessary tasks are performed Case consists of multiple activities Invokes programs or program pieces Manual processing steps Completion Status change controls flow (approved, reject) Hold for later processing Change flow for exceptions
17. Benefits of Workflow Management Information is easily accessible Invoke applications Terminal emulation (screen scraping) Direct interface Move data with workflow Images Documents Multi-Media Links Integration in the sense of EAI only via Data!
18. Benefits of Workflow ManagementInterface to data systems No interface – used side by side Minimal interface Move key identification (e.g. contract number) from workflow to existing screens (HLLAPI) Popular with users, low cost Workflow invokes legacy systems Autonomous workflow drives the application Legacy systems invoke workflow Embedded workflow in the applications
19. Benefits of Workflow ManagementLogging and tracking Typical systems provide Automatic processing history Date Time Person disposition for each step User comments Explanation of variance special circumstances Search for work in process Determine status of work If qualified, “select” and process work
20. Benefits of Workflow Management Automated monitoring Reporting and analysis Work accomplished Total volume Turn-around time Productivity of individuals, teams, groups Errors and error rates User controlled alarms
21. Agenda Whatis Workflow Management? Workflow Management Systems Benefitsof Workflow Management Aspectsof Workflow ModellingLanguages Workflow Process Workflow Participants Designing Workflow ProcessModellingLanguages The Infinity Workflow ProcessModelling Language Designing Workflow ResourceModellingLanguages The Infinity Workflow ResourceModelling Language
22. Different TypesofProcess Models Process Model Workflow Process Model Business Process Model Workflow Management, Process Automation Organisational Design, BusinesProcessReengineering, etc.
23. Separation Criteriafor Business Process Model Activities Separation ofactivities, whenever thereis a changeoftheexecutingprocessparticipant thereis a changeoftheresponsibleprocessparticipant thereis a changeoftheprocessobject (e.g. invoice, account etc.) Modellingofvalueaddingactivities(searchorcoordinationareusually not partof a businessprocess model) Modellingofapplications on activitybasis(coarsegranularity) Categorisedmodellingof organisational structures Execution Responsibility Information demand („hastobeinformed“) …
24. Separation Criteriafor Workflow Process Model Activities Separation ofactivities, whenever thereis a changeoftheexecutingprocessparticipant thereis a changeoftheinvokedapplication thereis a changeofworkflowdata Explicit modellingofcoordinationanddecisionaspects(fine granular!) Modellingofapplications on interfacebasis(granularityofexecutiondeterminesgranularityofactivities!) Categorisedmodellingof organisational structures Execution Processandactivityresponsibility(Exception Handling) Substitution anddelegationmechanisms
25. Customer oder arrives Process customer order Transformation of Business Process Models to Workflow Models Workflow Modelling Business ProcessModelling X Level of Detail AtomicActivity
26. Agenda Whatis Workflow Management? Workflow Management Systems Benefitsof Workflow Management Aspectsof Workflow ModellingLanguages Workflow Process Workflow Participants Designing Workflow Process Modelling Languages
27. AllocationofAppropriateParticipantsto Workflow Activities Employeewhoexecutes a workflowactivity, hastobequalifiedappropriately hastohavetheauthorisationtoexecute an activity hastohavetheauthorisationtoexecutetheaccordingapplications hastohavetheauthorisationtousetheworkflowdata Different strategiestoassignemployeestoworkflows
28. Allocation of Workflow Participants to ActivitiesDirect Allocation A participant is allocated directly to an activity E.g.: Employee “XY2034 Accounting”executes activity “enter invoice” Pro: Easy to specify and to implement Contra: Maintenance costly, whenever the organisation changes inflexible Workflow and organisation are not independent
29. Allocation of Workflow Participants to ActivitiesRole-based Allocation Role: Set of qualifications and competencies Qualification: capability (education, physical ability) Competence: authorisation,responsibility Role: Synonym for one or more workflow participants E.g.: EmployeesofroleZ800 areabletoperformactivity WF134 „enter invoice“ Pro: Flexible Workflow and organisation are independent Indirect load sharing Contra: Increased complexity of resource model Exception handling necessary
30. Allocation of Workflow Participants to ActivitiesAllocation with Formal Expressions Allocation interpreting a formal expressionE.g.: Superior(Resource(Activity(x))) Preconditions: Workflow modeller has to be familiar with the structure of the resource model Exception handling necessary Pro & contra: cf. role-based allocation
31. Object Types in Resource Models (1/2) Employee Human resource that is able to execute activities Organisational position Job (e.g. “clerk damage adjustment m-z”) A job can be assigned with one ore more persons Position type (“little” Role) Categories of similar positions
32. Object Types in Resource Models (2/2) Organisational unit Cluster of positions Temporary or permanent Qualification Capability of a person that was acquired by the person him/herself and that cannot be withdrawn “Measurement“ e.g. through certificates Competence Resposibilities and authorizations that can be assigned to or withdrawn from a person Qualification + Competence = Role
33. Agenda Whatis Workflow Management? Workflow Management Systems Benefitsof Workflow Management Aspects of Workflow Modelling Languages Workflow Process Workflow Participants Designing Workflow Process Modelling Languages
37. Language Oriented Meta-ization Languages … defineconceptsthatcanbeusedtobuildmodels … canbe, in turn, representedbymodels Models tobuildlanguagesallowlanguageoriented meta-ization Example: Model M1 isbuiltwithlanguage S1 Language S1 isrepresented in model M2 Then M2 iscalledlanguageorientedmetamodel,relatedtotheissuemodelled in M1
39. ProcessOriented Meta-ization Instructions … determinetheprocessofmodelling in a particularmodellinglanguage …canbe, in turn, representedbymodels Models to represent instructions allowprocessoriented meta-ization Example: Model M3 isbuiltwithlanguage S2 Models builtwith S2 arebuiltaccordingtoprocess P1 Process P1 isrepresentedthrough model M4 Then,M4 isprocessorientedmeta model,related to the issue modelled in M3
