This work is about extending the scope of current workflow management systems to support
engineering processes. On the one hand engineering processes are relatively dynamic, and on the
other their specification and performance are constrained by industry standards and guidelines
for the sake of product acceptability, such as IEC 61508 for safety and ISO 9001 for quality.
A number of technologies have been proposed to increase the adaptability of current workflow
systems to deal with dynamic situations. A primary concern is how to support open-ended
processes that cannot be completely specified in detail prior to their execution. A survey of
adaptive workflow systems is given and the enabling technologies are discussed.
Engineering processes are studied and their characteristics are identified and discussed. Current
workflow systems have been successfully used in managing "administrative" processes for some
time, but they lack the flexibility to support dynamic, unpredictable, collaborative, and highly
interdependent engineering processes. [Continues.
