WORKFLOW AND PROCESS AUTOMATION: Concepts and Technology

Transcription

1 WORKFLOW AND PROCESS AUTOMATION: Concepts and Technology

2 THE KLUWER INTERNATIONAL SERIES IN ENGINEERING AND COMPUTER SCIENCE

3 WORKFLOW AND PROCESS AUTOMATION: Concepts and Technology by Andrzej Cichocki Abdelsalam (Sumi) Belal Marek Rusinkiewicz Darrell Woelk Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corporation (MCC).., ~ SPRINGER SCIENCE+BUSINESS MEDIA, LLC

4 Llbrary of Congress Cataloglng-ln-PubHcation Data Workflow and process automation : concepts and technology I by Andrzej Cichocki... [et al.]. p. cm. -- (Kluwer international series in engineering and computer science ; SECS 432) Includes bibliographical references and index. ISBN ISBN (ebook) DOI / Production management--data processing. 2. Management information systems. 3. Manufacturing processes--automation. 4. Transaction systems (Computer systems) 1. Cichocki, Andrzej. II. Series. TSI55.6.W ' l--dc CIP Copyright < by Springer Science+Business Media New York Originally published by Kluwer Academic Publishers in 1998 Softcover reprint ofthe hardcover lst edition 1998 AII rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system or transmitted in any form or by any means, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior written permission of the publisher, Springer Science+Business Media, LLC.. Printed on acid-free paper.

5 CONTENTS PREFACE ix 1 INTRODUCTION 1 2 PROCESS TECHNOLOGY Process Modeling Communication-based Modeling Artifact-based Modeling Activity-based Modeling Process Descriptive Views Process Meta-Models Process Model Analysis 13 3 WORKFLOW TECHNOLOGY Workflow Enactment Paradigms Workflow Execution System Guarantees Correctness of execution of a single instance of a workflow Transactional properties Deadlines Discussion Description Languages Expressiveness of the workflow specification languages User Interfaces Specification interoperability Language processors Software Architecture of the Workflow Enactment Service 26 v

6 vi WORKFLOW AND PROCESS AUTOMATION Scalability and Performance Reliability Execution interoperability Flexibility Security Considerations Implementation Issues Software infrastructure: existing and emerging technologies Task managers and application wrappers Monitoring tools Mobility of workflow servers and clients 34 4 TRANSACTIONAL ASPECTS OF WORKFLOWS The need for a workflow transaction model Traditional Transactions Correct Execution of Traditional Transactions Extended Transaction Models Sagas Nested Transactions Open Nested Transactions Multidatabase Transactions Polytransactions S-transaction Model The Carnot Project Meta-models for Extended Transactions ACTA - A Transaction Meta-model A Transaction Specification and Management Environment (TSME) Towards Transactional Workflows Specification of a Task in a Workflow Task Coordination Requirements Failure-Atomicity Requirements of a Workflow Execution Atomicity Requirements of a Workflow 60

7 Contents vii 5 ONGOING RESEARCH IN WORKFLOW AND PROCESS AUTOMATION Overview Process Handbook Project Process Interchange Format METEOR Multiparadigm Transactional Workflow APRICOTS Exotica Project MENTOR MOBILE Panta Rhei Project Interaction Coordination Nets VORTEL - Teleservice for Workflow Management WIDE Consortium The TriGSflow Model COACT Model Microsoft MAPI-WF Database representation of workflows OPERA Migrating Workflows 86 6 STATE OF THE INDUSTRY Overview of Current Products Characterization of Workflow Products Features of Workflow Products Comparison of Workflow Products Workflow Management Coalition Shortcomings and Limitations of Current Products Shortcomings in technology support for processes Descriptions Modeling and Analysis Enactment 107 REFERENCES 109 INDEX 119

8 PREFACE The importance of workflow and process technologies is increasing today as we see a convergence of communications connectivity and software tools for collaboration among remote people and computer systems. While this convergence provides a partial framework for large scale collaboration, solutions for the coordination of the process of collaboration are missing. Advances in workflow and process technology will be needed in order to provide truly robust, scalable and dynamic collaboration environments. The Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corporation (MCC) and its member companies carried out a study in 1996 to investigate the state of the art of workflow and process technology. The study resulted in the creation of a report that documented the state of the art and identified technology shortcomings where further research is needed to meet present and future requirements. The report focused on the potential synergism attainable through a merger of process modeling, workflow, and advanced transaction management technologies. Based on the results of the study, MCC initiated the Collaboration Management Infrastructure (CMI) research project to develop innovative agent-based process technology that can support the process requirements of dynamically changing organizations and the requirements of nomadic computing. With a research focus on the flow of interaction among people and software agents representing people, the project deliverables will include a scalable, heterogeneous, ubiquitous and nomadic infrastructure for business processes. The resulting technology is being tested in applications that stress an intensive mobile collaboration among people as part of large, evolving business processes. The 1996 MCC study report on workflow and process technology has been used as the basis for this book. The authors would like to acknowledge the contributions of a number of people and organizations. We were fortunate to have the expert assistance of Amit Sheth, Baldev Singh, and Ivo Vondrak in organizing and carrying out the study. They also contributed to the writing of the study report and the book. Jerry West assisted in the editing and artwork ix

9 x WORKFLOW AND PROCESS AUTOMATION for the book. Contributions of ideas and requirements for the MCC study were made by a large cross section of the MCC member companies. People in each of these companies have daily first hand experience with the need for process improvement and the shortcomings of existing solutions in this area. Hopefully, the study and this book will help to establish a road map for improvements in these solutions. Andrzej Cichocki (andrzej@mcc.com) Abdelsalam (Sumi) Helal (helal@mcc.com) Marek Rusinkiewicz (marek@mcc.com) Darrell Woelk (woelk@mcc.com) Autin, Texas