
Workflow
System Capabilities




This is a text viewgraph presentation that has been converted
to HTML. It outlines a generic taxonomy of workflow products
systems, and provides a framework by which workflow system
features may be evaluated.
Workflow Product Facilities
The industry offers standard solutions to workflow
management problems
Product features can be organized into groups that
are provided by most vendors
Various solutions differ in architecture, maturity,
scalability, API availability, and performance
Workflow Product Facilities
Workset Selection Services
Route Management Services
Resource Management Services
Workflow Facilities - Queue Services
Queues are the core concept in workflow
There are multiple queue types
- Individual (Personal)
- Group (function, department, or team)
- System (print, fax, batch entry, transfer, etc..)
Products provide standard interserver and intersite
queue transfers
- IBM APPC (Advanced Program to Program
Communications),
- TCP/IP, or
- IBM MQSeries (High performance assured delivery
of messages among heterogeneous systems)
Workflow Facilities - Content Services
Defines the content of what is being routed
- Used by business application
- Used for routing and inbox item list
Multiple fields per workitem
- Strings, Integers, Floating Point Values
- Arrays (Tables)
- Examples: Policy number, insured, agency, date
due, image id, and folder id
Standard tools provided to define fields
Folder is common routing container
Workflow Facilities - Workset Selection Services
Predefined and named filters
- Select subset of a queue
- Sort by priority or other data value sequence
- May be called workset or workbasket
Supervisor assigns one or more to each user
User can select individual workset by name to access
a particular type of work
Get-next and Select-from-list modes
Workflow Facilities - Delivery Services
Multiple ways to select next queue
Ad hoc routing (manual selection)
- To individuals
- To group queues
Rule-Based routing (automatic selection)
- Rules based on content data rules
- Comparisons and boolean logic
- Lists and ranges
Workflow Facilities - Route Management Services
Graphic user-friendly tools
- Define queues, worksets, and rules
- Graphically manipulate, analyze, and print route
- Maintain route independently of application code
Auto-foldering facilities
Suspension and new work matching facilities
Parallel workflow - split and merge
Workflow Facilities - Resource Management Services
Define resources which utilize system
Queue and workset access control
Tool and function access control
Workflow Facilities - Programming Services
APIs to create workitems and access their contents
APIs to list and access worksets in get-next as well
as list-and-select modes
APIs for administration of queues
APIs for security and access control
API sets for host, servers, and workstations
Workflow Facilities - Other Services
Logging of Activity for Audit/Maintenance
- Queue movement
- Resource activity (logon/logoff)
- Errors and exceptions
Work Statistics for management and sizing
- Work-in-process (WIP) and Completed
Local server data and workset caching for better
performance
[Home] [What's New] [Links] [Services][Site Table
of Contents]
Copyright © 1997-2000 by Gary M.
Gershon. All rights reserved.
Last Changed: 08/19/00
Comments to: Gary
Gershon (Gershon@Celsus.Net)