An approach to e-workflow systems with the use of patterns

Abstract

In today’s highly competitive and rapidly changing environment, e-businesses constantly have to modify their business processes, i.e. the flow of documents and tasks in a business also known as workflow. More flexible Workflow Management Systems are required to support these constantly changing processes. In this research a platform independent architecture for the design of e-workflow systems is illustrated. The architecture includes an information pool, namely a Workflow Pattern Repository, which contains patterns, which are repeatable solutions to reoccurring problems, in order to make the system more apt to change and assist the workflow designer/user in defining workflows faster and more accurately. The patterns in the repository are in the form of UML activity diagram templates. A straightforward input format for storing patterns in the repository is provided along with an example of its practical application. 

E-Work Flow and Organisational Survival of Small and Medium Enterprises in Port Harcourt, River’s State

“…Acoording to Ndeta et al (2006), workflow systems embody explicit process and product models, i.e., a completely specified workflow design is required that can be modified to reflect the changes in organizations whenever they occur. A major limitation of traditional workflow systems is that they can, typically, only support simple, static and predictable processes, but not the dynamically changing and complex processes that are present in many contemporary e-business organizations (Ndeta et al 2006).…”

“…Acoording to Ndeta et al (2006), workflow systems embody explicit process and product models, i.e., a completely specified workflow design is required that can be modified to reflect the changes in organizations whenever they occur. A major limitation of traditional workflow systems is that they can, typically, only support simple, static and predictable processes, but not the dynamically changing and complex processes that are present in many contemporary e-business organizations (Ndeta et al 2006). This drawback of traditional workflow systems is an evident fact in modern businesses where workflows are often executed simultaneously, requiring interaction between them and where problems arise during the execution of a workflow that have to be handled properly.…”