This paper describes how knowledge-based techniques can be used to overcome problems of workflow management in engineering applications. Using explicit process and product models as a basis for a workflow interpreter allows to alternate planning and execution steps, resulting in an increased flexibility of project coordination and enactment. To gain the full advantages of this flexibility, change processes have to be supported by the system. These require an improved traceability of decisions and have to be based on dependency management and change notification mechanisms. Our methods and techniques are illustrated by two applications: Urban land-use planning and software process modeling.1.
The MILOS system supports dynamic coordination of distributed software development teams by integrating project planning and workflow technologies over the Internet. The three-tiered Java architecture enables plan refinements to be made on the fly, and a change management component automatically creates traceability relationships between project entities.
In conventional approaches to support planning of software development processes, the project plan has to be completely speciJed ahead of the process enactment.
The MILOS system supports software development processes over the Internet. It integrates process modeling with project planning and enactment. Our flexible workflow engine allows refining and changing process models during project execution, The built-in traceability component supports change notifications and helps the project participants to ensure that the project plan as well as the state of the enactment engine reflect the "real world development process. Tool integration is accomplished by using the built-in capabilities of Web browsers.
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