Skip to main content

Workflow Technology: the Support for Collaboration

  • Chapter
Handbook on Data Management in Information Systems

Abstract

Collaboration takes place whenever humans and/or computer applications work together to accomplish a common or compatible goals. For the last two decades, many organizations and individuals have considered electronic collaboration of distributed teams to be the means of achieving higher productivity and improving the quality of their products. The various collaboration technologies introduced over the years managed to improved electronic communication, coordination, and awareness, however, comprehensive solutions that fully realize the promises of electronic collaboration have remained an elusive goal.

In this chapter we will discuss one of the collaboration technologies: workflow technology. We will present the main concepts and evaluate the existing commercial products in context of an advanced application that tests the strength of the state-of-the-art solutions. We will conclude this chapter with a discussion of unsolved problems and research directions.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this chapter

Chapter
USD 29.95
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
eBook
USD 169.00
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Available as PDF
  • Read on any device
  • Instant download
  • Own it forever
Softcover Book
USD 219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Compact, lightweight edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info
Hardcover Book
USD 219.99
Price excludes VAT (USA)
  • Durable hardcover edition
  • Dispatched in 3 to 5 business days
  • Free shipping worldwide - see info

Tax calculation will be finalised at checkout

Purchases are for personal use only

Institutional subscriptions

Preview

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

Unable to display preview. Download preview PDF.

References

  1. Action Technologies, Action Workflow and Metro, http://www.actiontech.com/, 1997.

  2. Baker, D., Georgakopoulos, D., Schuster, H., Cassandra, A., Cichocki, A., Providing customized process and situation awareness in the collaboration management infrastructure, Proc. 4th IFCIS Conference on Cooperative Information Systems (CoopIS’99), Edinburgh, Scotland, 1999, 79–91.

    Google Scholar 

  3. Bogia, D., Kaplan, S.M., Flexibility and control for dynamic workflows in the worlds environment, Proc. ACM Conf. on Organizational Computing Systems, 1995, 148–159.

    Google Scholar 

  4. BroadVision: one-to-one publishing, http://www.broadvision.com/, 2001.

  5. Cassandra, A.R., Baker, D., Rashid, M., CEDMOS Complex Event Detection and Monitoring System, MCC Technical Report CEDMOS002–99, Microelectronics and Computer Technology Corporation, 1999.

    Google Scholar 

  6. Casati, F., Ceri, S., Pernici, B., Pozzi, G., Workflow evolution, Proc. 15th Conf. on Conceptual Modeling (ER’96), 1996, 438–455.

    Google Scholar 

  7. Dourish, P., Bly S., Portholes: supporting awareness in a distributed work group, Proc. Conference on Computer Human Interaction (CHI’92), 1992, 541–547.

    Google Scholar 

  8. Documentum: Documentum CME, http://www.documentum.com/, 2001.

  9. Eastman Software, http://www.eastmansoftware.com, 2001.

  10. Ellis, C., Maltzahn, C., The Chautauqua workflow system, Proc. 30th Hawaii Int. Conf. on System Sciences, 1997, 427–437.

    Google Scholar 

  11. FileNet: Panagon and Workflow, http://www.filenet.com/, 2001.

  12. Gray, J., Edwards, J., Scale up with TP monitors, Byte, April, 1995, 123–128.

    Google Scholar 

  13. Gutwin, C., Greenberg, S., Roseman, M., Workspace awareness in real-time distributed groupware: framework, widgets, and evaluation, R. J. Sasse, A. Cunningham, R. Winder (eds.), People and Computers XI, Human Computer Interaction Conference (HCI’96),Springer-Verlag, London, 281–298.

    Google Scholar 

  14. Georgakopoulos, D., Hornick, M., Manola, F., Customizing transaction models and mechanisms in a programmable environment supporting reliable workflow automation, IEEE Transactions on Data and Knowledge Engineering 8(4), August 1996, 630–649. 8. Workflow Technology: the Support for Collaboration 385

    Google Scholar 

  15. Godart, C., Perrin, O., Skaf, H., COO: a workflow operator to improve cooperation modeling in virtual processes, Proc. 9th Int. Workshop on Research Issues on Data Engineering Information Technology for Virtual Enterprises (RIDE-VE’99), 1999, 126–131.

    Google Scholar 

  16. Groove, http://www.groove.net/, 2001.

  17. Georgakopoulos, D., Schuster, H., Cichocki, A., Baker, D., Managing escalation of collaboration processes in crisis response Situations, Proc. 16th Int. Conference on Data Engineering (ICDE’2000), San Diego, 2000, 45–56.

    Google Scholar 

  18. Hewlett Packard: AdminFlow, http://www.ice.hp.com, 1997.

  19. Heinl, P., Horn, S., Jablonski, S., Neeb, J., Stein, K., Teschke, M., A comprehensive approach to flexibility in workflow management systems, Proc. Int. Joint Conference on Work Activities Coordination and Collaboration (WACC’99), San Francisco, 1999, 79–88.

    Google Scholar 

  20. Hollingsworth, D., Workflow reference model, Workflow Management Coalition, Document Number TC00–1003, 1994.

    Google Scholar 

  21. Holosofx: workflow analyzer, http://www.holosofx.com, 1997.

  22. Han, Y., Sheth, A., Bußler, C., A taxonomy of adaptive workflow management, On-line Proc. Workshop of the 1998 ACM Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW’98) “Towards Adaptive Workflow Systems”, Seattle, 1998.

    Google Scholar 

  23. IDS-Scheer: Aris toolset, http://www.ids-scheer.de/, 1997.

  24. ICL/Fujitsu: ProcessWise, http://www.process.icl.net.co.uk/, 1997.

  25. Lotus: Lotus Notes, http://www.lotus.com/home.nsf/welcome/notes, 2001.

    Google Scholar 

  26. MetaSoftware: http://www.metasoftware.com/, 1997.

  27. IBM: MQSeries workflow, http://www.ibm.com/software/ts/mqseries/workflow/, 2001. [Net01] Microsoft: NetMeeting, http://www.microsoft.com/windows/NetMeeting/, 2001.

  28. Object Management Group, http://www.omg.org/, 1997.

  29. OpenMarket: Content Server, http://www.openmarket.com/, 2001.

  30. Pedersen, E.R., Sokoler, T., AROMA: Abstract Representation of Presence Supporting Mutual Awareness, Proc. Conf. on Human Factors in Computing Systems (CHI’97), 1997, 51–58.

    Google Scholar 

  31. Qui01] Lotus: QuickPlace, http://www.lotus.com/home.nsf/welcome/quickplace, 2001.

  32. Reichert, M., Dadam, P., ADEPTflex — supporting dynamic changes of workflows without loosing control, Journal of Intelligent Information Systems (JIIS), Special Issue on Workflow Management Systems 10(2), 1998, 93–129.

    Google Scholar 

  33. Lotus: Sametime, http://www.lotus.com/home.nsf/welcome/sametime, 2001.

  34. SAP, http://www.sap.com/

  35. Sohlenkamp, M., Chwelos, G., Integrating communication, cooperation, and awareness the DIVA virtual office environment, Proc. Conf. on Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW’9.4), 1994, 331–343.

    Google Scholar 

  36. InConcert, http://www.tibco.com/products/in_concert/index.html, 2001.

  37. UES: KI Shell, http://www.ues.com/, 1997.

  38. Vignette, content management server, http://www.vignette.com/, 2001.

  39. Vitria: http://www.vitria.com, 2001.

  40. Weske, M., Flexible modeling and execution of workflow activities, Proc. 31st Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences, Software Technology Track, vol. VII, 1998, 713–722.

    Google Scholar 

  41. Workflow Management Coalition, http://www.wfmc.org, 1997.

  42. Workflow Management Coalition: Interface 1: Process Definition Interchange Process Model,Document Number WfMC TC-1016-P, Version 7.04, 1998.

    Google Scholar 

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

Authors

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

Copyright information

© 2003 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg

About this chapter

Cite this chapter

Georgakopoulos, D., Cichocki, A., Rusinkiewicz, M. (2003). Workflow Technology: the Support for Collaboration. In: Błażewicz, J., Kubiak, W., Morzy, T., Rusinkiewicz, M. (eds) Handbook on Data Management in Information Systems. International Handbooks on Information Systems. Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-24742-5_8

Download citation

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-540-24742-5_8

  • Publisher Name: Springer, Berlin, Heidelberg

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-642-53441-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-540-24742-5

  • eBook Packages: Springer Book Archive

Publish with us

Policies and ethics