Component System Architecture for an Open Distributed Enterpriese Management System with Configurable Workflow Support

ARC SPIRT Grant

P. Roe (Chief Investigator)
G. Mohay (Principal Investigator)
A.H.M. ter Hofstede (Chief Investigator)
D. Cox (Partner Chief Investigator)
J.R. Ellwood (Associate Investigator)

Budget: AUD$240,000
Period: 1998-2000  

This project, which was a collaboration with Mincom and Programming Languages and Systems, focussed on component technology and workflow management. This project was sponsored by the ARC through a SPIRT grant.

My contributions in this project were twofold. First, in collaboration with Bartek Kiepuszewski, we investigated the formal foundations of workflow modelling languages. This has led to a number of expressiveness results:

• Fundamentals of Control Flow in Workflows (Acta Informatica 39(3):143-209, 2003)

The following publication discusses the implications of syntactic restrictions, in particular requiring the proper nesting of joins and splits and loops to have unique start and end points, sometimes imposed by commercially available workflow management systems and languages proposed in the literature, on the expressive power of the language:

• On Structured Workflow Modelling. (In: Proceedings CAiSE'2000, LNCS Vol. 1798, Springer Verlag)

Apart from these formal investigations, we have also taken a pragmatic approach to workflow expressiveness. Our experiences with workflow modelling languages and business process modelling has led to the identification of about 20 workflow patterns. We used these patterns as benchmarks to evaluate 13 commercially available workflow engines (COSA, InConcert, Domino Workflow, FLOWer, Eastman, MQSeries/Workflow, Filenet Visual Workflo, Verve Workflow, Forte Conductor, HP Changengine, Fujitsu's I-Flow, Staffware, SAP R/3 Workflow) and 2 research prototypes (Meteor and Mobile). Preliminary results can be found in the following paper, which focusses on some of the more complex patterns.

• Advanced Workflow Patterns (In: Proceedings CoopIS'2000, LNCS Vol. 1901, Springer Verlag)

For a more complete discussion of the workflow patterns refer to

• Workflow Patterns (Distributed and Parallel Databases, 14(3):5-51, July 2003)

and the Workflow Patterns Home Page

We have also researched the incorporation of a workflow management system in Mincoms Management Information System (MIMS).

• Experiences with integrating a workflow engine in MIMS. (In: Proceedings Workflow Management'99, Muenster, Germany)

Self-describing Transactions Operating in a Large, Open, Heterogeneous and Distributed Environment

ARC SPIRT Grant

A. ter Hofstede (Principal Investigator)
B. Benatallah (Chief Investigator)
D. Edmond (Chief Investigator)
N. Russell (Partner Chief Investigator)
A. Murdoch (Associate Investigator)
P. Petersen (Associate Investigator)

Budget: AUD$285,000
Period: 1999-2001

In collaboration with GBST research was conducted into e-commerce over the internet. In particular, focus was on self describing transactions capable of resource discovery, negotiation, and settlement. This project, called REDCONE, has its own webpage, which can be found here.