Many computer systems are available in the commercial marketplace which
address the various aspects of Business Process Management. Most of these
systems that address the various aspects of Business Process Management
deliver only one specific set of functionality; for example some allow the
processes to be mapped and do***ented, such as Visio.. Other systems that
address the various aspects of Business Process Management allow for
simulations to take place, such as ARIS.
Systems provide for the full automation of Business Processes.
The systems that do provide for the full automation of Business Processes
allow the users to define the process flow and then enter the "business
rules" (departmental procedures) that generate the complete working
system,
including the database and all application logic. They also provide full
management facilities to manage the running of the processes (such as
changing users when someone is off sick), as well as a complete history
trail so the activity-based costing analyses can take place. They also
provide full statistical analyses (P and R measures) that allow the
automated process to be changed and improved.
The systems automation of Business Processes differ from traditional IT
developments in that everything is time-based. Active systems are driven
by
time - in what sequence must activities happen; when must tasks be
completed
and by when; what happens if work misses a deadline; how are parallel
activities to be resynchronized? These facilities are all handled by
systems provide for the full automation of Automated Business Process
systems.
Workflow
Workflow specification is about capturing processes at a level of detail
that is sufficient to enable their execution. A problem to be solved
using
workflow specifications might be to detect semantic errors at design-time,
while using a mathematical notational form to represent the workflow.
A programming language can indeed be used to develop workflow
applications.
A connection to the abstract semantics of tasks to be coordinated would be
the purpose of the program. One such programming language is Windows
Workflow Foundation. Another programming language is Workflow OSID.
This method in implementation, is to design workflow modells with a
dedicated programming language and then to link the tasks in these models
to
handlers (foremen), or software applications. The programming language is
used to create a description of the generalized work tasks, and thereby to
make some evaluations of them, per their outcomes, efficiencies, overall
progress, etc.
There are some considerations mentioned, pertaining to an "application
domain". It seems to me that this is a general term for the scope of the
system. One idea is that it is an isolated process in active mode. Under
those terms it possesses a means to receive instructions which can be used
to control the application (tasks). There is an idea mentioned, on the
question of how stopping or starting this application will affect the
other
application domains. And there is an idea mentioned about the
configuration
of the instructions and information used to control the application(s)
tasks. Instructions may in fact contain information such as throw a ball
four feet through a hoop. The instruction contains the information on
where
the hoop is.
One application domain may be isolated from the others as mentioned, yet
it
may also contain subprocesses, and other application domains within
itself.
Direct communication cannot be achieved across application domains, it is
suggested. Any application domain may talk to others by passing objects
via
marshalling by value (unbound objects), or marshalling by reference
through
a proxy (AppDomain-bound objects). Typically this seems to show a
similarity with data integration in practice, which involves messages
(COM)
sent among the application domain confined services i.e., ****pping,
inventory, banking, customs, delivery notices sent to customer and seller,
insurance, etc. Many of these services handle many application domains,
and
the application domains handle many services, yet the application domains
are isolated by themself, and the services are isolated, generally
speaking.
Some liited and controlled interaction may take place, programmatically.
A third type of object called a context-bound object can be marshalled by
reference across domains and also within the context of its own
application
domain. The effect has added type-checking capability and fault isolation
between domains. A static verification of data types is consistent with
passing data which is not altered in the transfer. I think this statement
refers to passing data by reference, not by value (marshalling by value
above). I will have to see if I have those two situations in reverse.
One of the developed systems is described in the following way. "As is
typical of workflow systems, the job definition format contains
information
that enables each "node" (e.g., workstation) to determine what files it
needs as input and where they are found, and what processes it should
perform. It then modifies the job definition format job ticket to
describe
what it has done, and examines the job definition format ticket to
determine
where the message and accompanying files should be sent."
The goal of CIP4 and the JDF format is to encompass the whole lifecycle of
a
print and cross-media job, including device automation, management data
collection, and job floor mechanical production process, including such
things as bindery, assembly of finished products on palettes. The JDF
format is managed within CIP4 which is the Industry Consortium in this
case.
Any industry could have an implementation of a workflow application
language. The goal for the language is to control the tasks and manage
the
project life cycle by directing tasks which occur in series and in
parallel
through time, by accepting instructions and data and sending directions to
tasks which are performed and judged, accordingly. The processes can be
redesigned and improved and automated, once the language for the project
management is functional.
There is a workflow language by the name of YAWL (Yet Another Workflow
Language) that is based upon a specialized form of a design pattern as
defined in the area of software engineering. Design patterns refer
specifically to recurrent problems and proven solutions related to the
developemnt of applications (workflow applications in this case), and
broadly in terms of process-oriented applications. In this definition a
process is the transformation of information inside of an application
domain. A process works with the status often, in reaching an
intermediate
goal and making the decision to proceed on to another. It can be
synonomous
with business logic yet we see it as confined by the programming language,
here.
The book by Christian Gross, A Programmer's Windows DNA suggests that a
common terminology would be:
Pattern Name
Problem (Intent)Motivation (Force) - essentially the purpose of the design
pattern. Why the pattern was created.
Applicability
The context of a pattern involves the past and the present of a current
situation included. This is in agreement with the process calling upon
the
conditions of the intermediate tasks, or the past in time. Windows or a
simalar operating system provides the ability to create multi-tasked
processes, some of which are referred as Windows "plumbing" i.e.,
uniformity
in the design with other systems on the network, easier to partner with
other developers, languages, data characteristic types (weight, color,
location, master assembly, unit value, etc.). We can generalize into
questions of data quality, accuracy of dimension, practicality,
efficiency,
consumption of materials, even simulation of tasks using workflow
languages.
In the above discussion we have considered a working system for keeping
records on the performance of complex tasks which may involve many steps
and
workers.
Get it on "Bang a Gong"
Bongo intro ..
"Captain Tony Valare" <random@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> wrote in message
news:CdqdnYPdQcuQP0HanZ2dnUVZ_q6mnZ2d@[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> "The interesting point on the time-space information curve, is a point
> relating to the retrieval of data by moving your system through it. The
> book on space-time information processing provides a statistical view
of
> the information, he expects to get, according to the environment. It's
> basically a physics book; a discussion in terms of acoustics formulas.
Yet
> the possibility to collect a deeper range of data (telepone numbers of
> cocktail waitresses with those short skirts and stockings) would be the
next
> step on the list of advance programming technique. And with a logical
data
> design, and a good IDE for networking some of the details of new
strategies,
> and even physics (club hopping) space-time information processing could
> catch on in the U.K.
>
> capt. tony
> "try our catch of the day"
>
>
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