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O bject-oriented programming techniques promote a new approach to software engineering. By revising "frameworks" of plug-compatible software components [3], reliable, open applications can be largely constructed, rather than programmed. Although the dream of a components-based software industry is very old [9], it is only recently that we appear close to realizing the dream. The reason for this is twofold:• Modern applications are increasingly open in terms of topology, platform and evolution, and so the need for a component-oriented approach to development is even more acute than in the past;• Objects provide an organizational paradigm for decomposing large applications into cooperating objects as well as a reuse paradigm for composing applications from prepackaged software components.

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This paper consists of three interrelated parts. In the first part forms are introduced as an abstraction and generalization of business paper forms. A set of facilities for the manipulation of forms and their contents is outlined. Forms can be created, stored, found, viewed in different media, mailed, and located by office workers. Data on forms can also be processed in a completely integrated way. The facilities are discussed both abstractly and in relation to a prototype system. In the second part a facility is outlined for the specification and implementation of automatic form procedures. These procedures specify actions on forms which are triggered automatically when certain preconditions are met. The preconditions, actions, and specification method are based on forms. The discussion is centered on our implementation of such a specification framework. Finally, in the third part, techniques for the analysis of office fiow are specified. An algorithm is outlined for the categorization of forms into classes depending on the local routing and actions on the forms. In this way, we can obtain the paths that forms take and analyze the system for correctness and loading characteristics. -0782/82/0700-0453 $00.75. ' We prefer the term Office Information Systems rather than Office Automation. Office Automation has a negative image of unemployed persons and inhuman assembly lines of office workers.

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