Generating collaborative work processes

The paper describes ways to support collaboration in business processes. Collaborative processes are different from predefined processes in the sense that they can change dynamically as the situation emerges. Such changes can be time consuming as they require users to continually adapt the system to changing contexts. The solution proposed here to support process evolution is to provide generic work objects and use software agents to assist users to dynamically change the process by quickly adding or changing work objects. The paper outlines a way of describing work processes in terms of generic work objects. The structure of the generic work objects is based on a metamodel, which provides the fundamental concepts to define generic objects. A prototype implementation is then described

KWM: Knowledge-based Workflow Model for agile organization

The workflow management system (WFMS) in an agile organization should be highly adaptable to the frequent organizational changes. To increase the adaptability of contemporary WFMSs, a mechanism for managing changes within the organizational structure and changes in business rules needs to be reinforced. In this paper, a knowledge-based approach for workflow modeling is proposed, in which a workflow is defined as a set of business rules. Knowledge on the organizational structure and special workflow, such as role/actor mappings and complex routing rules, can be explicitly modeled in KWM (Knowledge-based Workflow Model). Using knowledge representation scheme and dependency management facility, a change propagation mechanism is provided to adapt to the frequent changes in the organizational structure, business rules, and procedures

Groupware: Conceitos Fundamentais e Caracterização dos Principais Blocos Construtivos

Este documento parte de um conjunto de conceitos fundamentais da área de CSCW (Computer Supported Cooperative Work) e procura identificar os blocos construtivos requeridos por qualquer sistema, ferramenta ou aplicação informática que se queira considerar cooperativa, à qual genericamente se designa groupware. Os blocos considerados são: comunicação, arquitectura, concorrência, coordenação, espaço público, monitorização e acess

An analysis framework for CSCW systems

Software toolkits are under development to help construct applications that support group-working. Toolkit developers adopt different approaches to group-work support in order to tackle different issues and a toolkit is commonly characterised by the approach adopted. It is difficult to compare toolkits because of this lack of apparent commonality and it is difficult to decide which toolkits meet specific application requirements. [Continues.

Un-constraining the medium: design software systems to support situated action

This dissertation is concerned with Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW) and in particular with ways in which insights from ethnomethodology can be melded into the design of CSCW systems—a relationship that has been labelled technomethodology. The dissertation outlines a number of possible ways in which system design can learn from ethnomethodology and concentrates on one particular aspect—namely that CSCW should look closely at its foundational assumptions and, if necessary, re-specify any concepts which appear problematic in their formulation. [Continues.

(Meta)Modeling "Constitutive Communication": Toward a Real-Time Reflexive Infrastructure for Coordination and Codesign

This thesis explores the complex relationship between communication and design practice as they occur within the development of technologies. Contemporary theories of communication and technology provide a conceptual basis for treating communication and design as reflexive structuring acts that change the affordances of an interaction situation while embedded within an environment that constitutes the situation. Drawing upon some of these theories, a design research project is undertaken to define a general infrastructure for real-time interaction that affords users reflexive capabilities for redesigning and restructuring the relational situation from within. The design solution developed here proposes a variety of strategies to model the emergence, complexity, and multiplicity of objects as the negotiated outcomes of situated human-computer interactions. In order to consider the feasibility of this design, an inquiry is performed to assess contemporary approaches to reflexive infrastructure for real-time interaction. Various existing collaboration and coordination frameworks and support environments are examined that articulate solutions to elements of the problem space outlined in this thesis. The analysis focuses on the place-based and activity-based approaches to representing dynamic interaction situations exemplified by the research systems Orbit and Intermezzo. The way that these approaches enable and constrain the development of dynamic interaction situations provides a ground for considering the feasibility of the proposed mechanisms as means for reflexively modeling responsive emergence. The design research project undertaken here results in a more concrete proposal for design of infrastructures that reflexively model complex relationality and support emergent forms of coordination and codesign.</p

A Taxonomy of workgroup Computing Applications

The goal of workgroup computing is to help individuals and groups efficiently perform a wide range of functions on networked computer systems (Ellis, Gibbs, & Rein, 1991). Early workgroup computing tools were designed for limited functionality and group interaction (Craighill, 1992). Current workgroup computing applications do not allow enough control of group processes and they provide little correlation between various workgroup computing application areas (Rodden and Blair, 1991). An integrated common architecture may produce more effective workgroup computing applications. Integrating common support functions into a common framework will avoid duplication of these functions for each workgroup computing application (Pastor & Jager, 1992). Over 50 research and commercial workgroup computing applications were analyzed to understand and discover their distinctive characteristics and fundamental structure. Using the specified methods, a detailed section of a workgroup computing taxonomy was synthesized for each of 11 workgroup computing functional areas. The detailed taxonomy was the consolidation of all the hierarchical structures. The taxonomy formed the basis for developing an integrated workgroup computing architecture and a set of workgroup computing Application Programming Interface (API) specifications. The results of this study support the hypothesis that the available workgroup computing literature and application documentation would provide sufficient information to develop a comprehensive workgroup computing taxonomy. By comparing workgroup tasks with workgroup computing functional areas, it was possible to derive a common set of workgroup computing management and support tasks that were based on the detailed workgroup computing taxonomy. Common workgroup computing management and support tasks formed the basis for a1! Integrated workgroup computing architecture. Finally, 86 new API specifications were written for common workgroup computing management and support functions. This study can be used by workgroup application developers to determine which common workgroup computing functions should be integrated into future workgroup applications. Implementing the results of this study in future workgroup computing systems will lead to flexible and integrated systems that are easier to use and more transparent to workgroup members. Workgroup computing researchers can use this study to identify workgroup computing functions that should be included in their research areas