Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Organizational Management in Workflow Applications – Issues and Perspectives

  • Published:
Information Technology and Management Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Business processes automation requires the specification of process structures as well as the definition of resources involved in the execution of these processes. While the modeling of business processes and workflows is well researched, the link between the organizational elements and process activities is less well understood, and current developments in the web services choreography area completely neglect the organizational aspect of workflow applications. The purpose of this paper is to give an overview of the organizational aspects of workflow technology in the context of the workflow life cycle, to provide a review of existing work, and to develop guidelines for the design of a workflow-enabled organization, which can be used by both workflow vendors and users.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  1. W.M.P. van der Aalst, A. Kumar and H.M.W. Verbeek, Organizational modeling in UML and XML in the context of workflow systems, in: Symposium on Applied Computing (SAC) (ACM, Melbourne, FL, USA, 2003).

    Google Scholar 

  2. G.-J. Ahn, R.S. Sandhu, M. Kang and J. Park, Injecting RBAC to secure a Web-based workflow system, in: 5th ACM Workshop on Role-Based Access Control, July 26-27, 2000 (ACM, Berlin, Germany, 2000) pp. 1-10.

    Google Scholar 

  3. R. Alt, S. Klein and C. Kuhn, Service task allocation as an internal market, in: 2nd European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS 1994), Breukelen, Netherlands, 1994 (Nijenrode University Press, 1994) pp. 424-432.

  4. A. Arkin, S. Askary, S. Fordin, W. Jekeli, K.Kawaguchi, D. Orchard, S. Pogliani, K. Riemer, S. Struble, P. Takacsi-Nagy, I. Trickovic and S. Zimek, Web Services Choreography Interface (WSCI) 1.0, W3C (2002) p. 121.

  5. A. Banerji, C. Bartolini, D. Beringer, V. Chopella, K. Govindarajan, A. Karp, H. Kuno, M. Lemon, G. Pogossiants, S. Sharma and S.Williams, Web Services Conversation Language (WSCL) 1.0, World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), Palo Alto, CA, USA (2002) p. 22.

  6. A.-L. Barabasi, Linked: The New Science of Networks (Perseus Pub., Cambridge, MA, 2002).

    Google Scholar 

  7. J. Becker, M. zur Muehlen and M. Gille, Workflow application architectures: Classification and characteristics of workflow-based information systems, in: Workflow Handbook 2002, Future Strategies, ed. L. Fischer (Lighthouse Point, FL, 2002) pp. 39-50.

    Google Scholar 

  8. C. Bussler, Analysis of the organization modeling capability of workflow-management-systems, in: Conference of the Pacific Research Institute for Information Systems and Management (PRIISM '96), Maui, HI, USA (1996).

  9. C. Bussler, Organisationsverwaltung in Workflow-Management-Systemen (Deutscher Universitäts-Verlag, Wiesbaden, Germany, 1998).

    Google Scholar 

  10. C. Bussler, Policy resolution in workflow management systems, Digital Technical Journal 6(4) (Fall 1994) 26-49.

    Google Scholar 

  11. F. Casati, Models, Semantics, and Formal Methods for the Design of Workflows and Their Exceptions (University of Milan, Milan, 1998) 180 pp.

  12. E.C. Cheng, An object-oriented organizational model to support dynamic role-based access control in electronic commerce applications, in: 32nd Annual Hawai'i International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS '99) (IEEE, Wailea, HI, USA, 1999).

    Google Scholar 

  13. F.A. Cummins, Workflow resource management facility request for proposal (Draft), Object Management Group, Framingham, MA, USA (1999).

  14. F. Curbera, Y. Goland, J. Klein, F. Leymann, D. Roller, S. Thatte and S. Weerawarana, Business Process Execution Language for Web Services, Version 1.0, BEA, IBM, Microsoft (2002).

  15. B. Curtis, M.I. Kellner and J. Over, Process modeling, Communications of the ACM 35(9) (1992) 75-90.

    Google Scholar 

  16. H.J. Domingos, J.L. Martins, N.M. Preguiça and S.M. Duarte, A workflow architecture to manage mobile collaborative work, in: Encontro Português de Computação Móvel 1999 (EPCM 99) (Tomar, Portugal, 1999).

  17. P. Dourish, J. Holmes, A. MacLean, P. Marqvardsen and A. Zbyslaw, Freeflow: Mediating between representation and action in workflow systems, in: Proceedings of the 1996 Conference on Computer Supported Cooperative Work (CSCW'96) (ACM, Boston, MA, 1996) pp. 190-198.

    Google Scholar 

  18. W. Du, J. Davis, Y.-N. Huang and M.-C. Shan, Enterprise Workflow Resource Management (Hewlett Packard Laboratories, Palo Alto, CA, USA, 1999).

    Google Scholar 

  19. C.A. Ellis and G.J. Nutt, Office information systems and computer science, ACMComputing Surveys 12(1) (1980) 27-60.

    Google Scholar 

  20. J.R. Galbraith, Designing Complex Organizations (Addison-Wesley, Reading, MA, 1973).

    Google Scholar 

  21. J. Galler and A.-W. Scheer, Workflow-projekte: Vom Geschäftsprozeßmodell zur unternehmensspezifischen Workflow-Anwendung, Information Management 10(1) (1995) 20-27.

    Google Scholar 

  22. P.T. Harker and L.H. Ungar, A market-based approach to workflow automation, in: NSF Workshop on Workflow and Process Automation in Information Systems (Athens, GA, USA, 1996).

  23. H. Heilmann, Die Integration der Aufbauorganisation in Workflow-Management-Systeme, in: Information Engineering, eds. H. Heilmann, L.J. Heinrich and F. Roithmayr (Oldenbourg, München, 1996) pp. 147-165.

  24. M. Hoffmann, T. Löffeler and Y. Schmidt, Flexible Arbeitsverteilung mit Workflow-Management-Systemen, in: Verbesserung von Geschäftsprozessen mit Flexiblen Workflow-Management-Systemen, eds. T. Herrmann, A.-W. Scheer and H. Weber (Physica, Heidelberg, Germany, 1999) pp. 135-159.

    Google Scholar 

  25. Y.-N. Huang and M.-C. Shan, Policy-based resource management, in: 11th International Conference on Advanced Information Systems Engineering (CAiSE '99) (Springer, Heidelberg, Germany, 1999) pp. 422-428.

    Google Scholar 

  26. IBM, FlowMark-Modeling Workflow, Release 2.1 (IBM Deutschland Entwicklung GmbH, Vienna, Austria, 1995).

  27. S. Jablonski and C. Bussler, Workflow Management. Modeling Concepts, Architecture and Implementation (International Thomson Computer Press, London, 1996).

    Google Scholar 

  28. R. Klamma and S. Schlaphoff, Rapid knowledge deployment in an organizational-memory-based workflow environment, in: 8th European Conference on Information Systems (ECIS 2000) (Vienna, Austria, 2000) pp. 364-371.

  29. M.M. Kwan and P.R. Balasubramanian, Adding workflow analysis techniques to the IS development toolkit, in: 31st Annual Hawai'i International Conference on System Sciences (IEEE, Kohala Coast, HI, 1998) pp. 312-321.

    Google Scholar 

  30. F. Leymann and W. Altenhuber, Managing business processes as an information resource, IBM Systems Journal 33(2) (1994) 326-348.

    Google Scholar 

  31. Merriam-Webster, Integration (2002).

  32. M. Momotko and K. Subieta, Dynamic changes in workflow participant assignment, in: 6th East-European Conference on Advances in Databases and Information Systems, ADBIS'2002, Bratislava, Slovakia (2002).

  33. C. Moore, Common mistakes in workflow implementations, Giga Information Group, Cambridge, MA (2002) 2 pp.

  34. M. zur Muehlen, Resource modeling in workflow applications, in: 1999 Workflow Management Conference (University of Münster, Münster, 1999) pp. 137-153.

  35. M.E. Orlowska, Current issues in workflow management, in: 2003 SAP Innovation Congress (SAP AG, Miami, FL, USA, 2003).

    Google Scholar 

  36. M. Rosemann, Gegenstand und Aufgaben des Integrationsmanagements, in: Integrationsmanagement, eds. A.-W. Scheer, M. Rosemann and R. Schuette (University of Muenster, Muenster, Germany, 1999) pp. 5-18.

  37. M. Rosemann, Komplexitätsmanagement in Prozessmodellen. Methodenspezifische Gestaltungsempfehlungen für die Informationsmodellierung (Gabler, Wiesbaden, 1996).

  38. M. Rosemann and M. zur Muehlen, Evaluation of workflow management systems-A meta model approach, Australian Journal of Information Systems 6(1) (1998) 103-116.

    Google Scholar 

  39. W. Rupietta, Organization and role models for workflow processes, in: Workflow Handbook 1997, ed. P. Lawrence (Wiley, Chichester, UK, 1997) pp. 165-172.

    Google Scholar 

  40. A. Sellen and R. Harper, Can workflow tools support knowledge work? A case study of the International Monetary Fund, Rank Xerox Research Center, Cambridge, UK (1996) 21 pp.

    Google Scholar 

  41. M. Shen, G.-H. Tzen and D.-R. Lio, Multi-criteria task assignment in workflow management systems, in: 36th Hawai'i International Conference on System Sciences (HICSS 2003) (IEEE, Waikoloa, HI, USA, 2003).

    Google Scholar 

  42. A. Sheth, From contemporary workflow process automation to adaptive and dynamic work activity coordination and collaboration, SIGGROUP Bulletin 18(3) (1997) 17-20.

  43. J.C. Tan and P.T. Harker, Designing workflow coordination: Centralized versus market-based mechanisms, University of Pennsylvania, Department of Systems Engineering, Philadelphia, PA, USA (1997).

  44. J. Wainer, A. Kumar and P. Barthelmess, Security management in the presence of delegation and revocation in workflow systems, Universidade Estadual de Campinas, Campinas, Brazil (2001).

  45. M.P. Wellman, W.E. Walsh, P.R. Wurman and J.K. MacKie-Mason, Auction protocols for decentralized scheduling, Games and Economic Behavior 35(2) (2001) 271-303.

    Google Scholar 

  46. M. Weske, T. Goesmann, R. Holten and R. Striemer, A reference model for workflow application development processes, in: International Joint Conference on Work Activities Coordination and Collaboration (WACC '99) (ACM, San Francisco, CA, 1999) pp. 1-10.

    Google Scholar 

  47. Workflow Management Coalition (WfMC), Interface 1: Process Definition Interchange Process Model (Workflow Management Coalition, Winchester, UK, 1999).

  48. Workflow Management Coalition (WfMC), Terminology and Glossary, 3rd edn. (Workflow Management Coalition, Winchester (ID), 1999).

  49. Workflow Management Coalition (WfMC), Workflow Management Coalition Terminology & Glossary, Document No. WFMC-TC-1011, WfMC, Winchester, UK (1999).

  50. J.L. Zhao, Knowledge management and organizational learning in workflow systems, in: 1998 Americas Conference on Information Systems (AIS '98) (AIS, Baltimore, MD, USA, 1998).

    Google Scholar 

  51. M. Zisman, Representation, Specification, and Automation of Office Procedures (Wharton Business School, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 1977).

Download references

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Stevens Institute of Technology, Wesley J. Howe School of Technology Management, Castle Point on the Hudson, Hoboken, NJ, 07030, USA

    Michael Zur Muehlen

Authors
  1. Michael Zur Muehlen
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Zur Muehlen, M. Organizational Management in Workflow Applications – Issues and Perspectives. Information Technology and Management 5, 271–291 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1023/B:ITEM.0000031582.55219.2b

Download citation

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1023/B:ITEM.0000031582.55219.2b

Search

Navigation