Adding workflow analysis techniques to the IS development toolkit

Abstract

The new generation of workflow technology is predicated on a new IS application architecture in which workflow logic is managed by workflow systems while task logic is supported by application systems. In this workflow-enabled environment, it is no longer adequate to think of IS development in terms of isolated applications that serve individual business functions (often referred to as islands of automation). Rather, developers need to design information systems that are workflow-aware. Although workflow technology has been adopted by many organizations and in many cases has provided substantial productivity gains, workflow application development projects are still undertaken on an ad hoc basis. To promote better quality and productivity in workflow-enabled system development, we proposed a workflow-aware, IS development methodology, WISDM, to guide developers in creating workflow-aware applications. We describe how Dynamic Workflow Management, a workflow modeling framework, is employed in WISDM to guide the construction of logical models in the analysis phase.