Designer: a tool to design and model workflows

This work presents the methodological and technical issues for the Designer tool in the OBJECTFLOW Workflow Management System. This tool provides to the user the possibility to model and design workflow diagrams from Business Process of a corporation. This project is the result of an industry-university cooperation.Postprint (published version

Lightweight Process Support with Spreadsheet-Driven Processes: A Case Study in the Finance Domain

The use of process management technology constitutes a salient factor for a multitude of business domains as it particularly addresses the flexibility demands of the digital enterprise. Still, spreadsheet applications are more likely to be used in many scenarios in which process management technology appears to be a more appropriate solution. Especially in the context of human-centric and knowledge-intensive processes, spreadsheets are widely used, even if more business-tailored applications exist. For example, financial service providers, like banks or insurers, prefer spreadsheet applications for accomplishing their daily business. However, this kind of usage reveals drawbacks when working collaboratively based on the same spreadsheet document. To remedy these drawbacks, we suggest the use of spreadsheet-driven processes, which shall combine the advantages of traditional process management technology with the ones of spreadsheets. Using a sophisticated scenario from the financial domain, this paper shows how spreadsheet-driven processes improve collaborative work, as required in the context of business processes, significantly. Moreover, a proof-of-concept prototype is presented to evaluate the approach in practice. Altogether, first results indicate that spreadsheet-driven processes may be a promising technical solution for everyday business involving human resources

The Impact of Office Automation on the Organization: Some Implications for Research and Practice

Computer technology has recently been applied to the automation of office tasks and procedures. Much of the technology is aimed not at improving the efficiency of current office procedures, but at altering the nature of office work altogether. The development of automated office systems raises a number of issues for the organization. How will this technology be received by organization members? How will it affect the definition of traditional office work? What will be its impact on individuals, work groups, and the structure of the organization? This paper presents a descriptive model and propositions concerning the potential impacts of office automation on the organization and it stresses the need, when implementing automated office systems, to take a broad perspective of their potential positive and negative effects on the organization. The need for further research examining the potential effects of office automation is emphasized.Information Systems Working Papers Serie

QUERY LANGUAGES - A TAXONOMY

Information Systems Working Papers Serie

OBJECTFLOW: a modular workflow management system

Workflow Management (WM) is an emerging area that involves cross-disciplinary fields as Database, Software Engineering, Business Management, Human Coordination. A Workflow Management System (WMS) is a software tool to automate Business Processes (BPs) and coordinate people of an organization. BPs are a set of linked procedures concentrated on reaching a business goal, normally following a set of procedural rules. This work presents the OBJECTFLOW(2) project, result of the cooperation between an industrial partner, the Centro de Clculo de Sabadell (CCS, a software company located near Barcelona), and the Technical University of Catalonia (UPC). The main aim of OBJECTFLOW project is constructing a flexible WMS to automate BPs of the medium and big enterprise, allowing the integration to existing software systems. Several paradigms were used to design and develop the OBJECTFLOW WMS: from an architectural point of view, it is a Client Server application. For the analysis, design and programming of the software component, the Rumbaugh OMT methodology was used. As a WMS, it was designed to support different kinds of workflow applications, integrating legacy systems and compound documents. It is composed by four principal modules (the Designer, the Workflow Engine, the Admintool, and the Client Desktop) and others secondary components. This WMS does not incorporate the latest result in WM research but shows a successful cooperation between a research group and a Software factory, producing a commercial software tool.Postprint (published version