Workflow and the WfMC Standards

Workflow and the WfMC Standards : Workflow and the WfMC Standards David Hollingsworth

Agenda : Agenda Introduction to Workflow Background on the Workflow Management Coalition Process Interoperability Models WfMC Standards Status Product Conformance & Testing

What is Workflow : What is Workflow The automation of a business process, in whole or part, during which documents, information or tasks are passed from one participant* to another for action, according to a set of procedural rules. *participant = resource (human or machine)

Workflow Overview : Workflow Overview Applications & IT Tools Users Administrator / Supervisor Distributed Infrastructure Environment Work Presentation Application Launch Process Execution Process Definition Process Designer Process changes Workflow Management System

Slide5 : The Process Definition 1. Activity Network - Nodes & Transitions 2. Activity Definitions Resource Requirement Work Items Applications 3. Data Definitions Workflow Relevant Data (Application Specific Data) Options for Sequential, Parallel & Conditional paths

Workflow - Past & Future : Workflow - Past & Future First generation - disjoint applications, human interface Call Centre management Correspondence handling Claims authorisation, etc Second generation - infrastructure, broker / agent interfaces: E-process support Enterprise Application Integration

Slide7 : Background Founded in 1993, to develop & promote workflow integration capability Non profit-making, open to all Working arrangements with AIIM, OMG and IETF Current membership is c. 220, made up of: Vendor Integrator/VAR Academic & Research Analyst / Consultant Europe US / Canada Japan / Asia S. America User

The Workflow Reference Model : The Workflow Reference Model Process Definition Tools Interface 1 Interface 4 - Interoperability Interface 5 Workflow Enactment Service Other Workflow Enactment Service(s) Worklist Handler Interface 3 Interface 2 Invoked Applications Tool Agent Process Definition Import/Export Client Apps Legacy, Desktop, etc Workflow Engine(s)

Specifications - Context Diagram : Specifications - Context Diagram Participant creates / modifies is instantiated by Worklist Handler create, destroy modify Organisational Model generates may invoke create & destroy maintain audit trail may refer to may refer to inherits properties processed by presented for action by may invoke Worklist Handler I/F provides invocation context Application Invocation I/F Process Definition Interface Workflow Enactment Service Audit Specifications External S/W object Tool Agent may use may set Workflow Relevant Data 1. Workflow Manager may be distributed, but is assumed to maintain consistent internal state 2. Scope of a Process Definition is the enactment service Process & Activity Control / Interoperability Interface Resource Model Interface

Slide10 : 1. Sub-Process Interoperability Model Workflow Enactment Service #1 WAPI Workflow Enactment Service #2 Initiate Sub-process Return WAPI Workflow Enactment Service #3 WAPI C2 C1 A1 A3 A2 A5 A4 B3 B1 B2 B4 C3 C4

2. Parallel Synchronised Interoperability Model : 2. Parallel Synchronised Interoperability Model C2 C1 C3 C4 Synchpoint across processes Workflow Enactment Service #1 WAPI Workflow Enactment Service #2 WAPI Sync. Event optional Confirm To support inter-process dependencies Uses Synch Event and optional Confirm

Process Naming & Context : Process Naming & Context Activities may be atomic, sub-process call, or in-line block A sub-process inherits characteristics from its process definition and has its own name space apart from “Root Process Id” (from initiating process) A sub-process call may be specified as synchronous or asynchronous, binding prefixed or late An in-line block operates within the name space and characteristics of its local process Activity and Transition Ids are unique within a process definition Resource naming may use an Organisational Model - typically unique to a workflow enactment service

Slide13 : WfMC - Specifications Reference Model (1994) Glossary (1994, 1996) Workflow APIs “C” (1995) IDL / CORBA (1998) Interoperability Protocol & Bindings MIME (Email) (1995) IDL / CORBA (1998) XML (April 2000) Audit specification (1996) Process Definition Import/Export Specification WPDL (1998) UML/XML (Q4 2000) OMG Submission (Object Model & IDL, 1998)

Products & Conformance : Products & Conformance OMG Submission 21 vendors as co-submitters with implementation commitment Interoperability Testing Facility established at University of Muenster First stage (MIME) - 3 vendors completed Second stage (MIME) - 8 vendors committed Wf-XML testing - Q3

Slide15 : http://www.wfmc.org david.hollingsworth@services.fujitsu.com Contacts & Further Information