Workflow

A workflow is an assignment of subtasks to resources and agents that allows a given task to be completed. The main function of a workflow management system is to identify the appropriate processes needed to satisfy a task and to then identify the agents (human and/or software) needed to execute the steps in the selected process. In some cases an already executing process can be modified or extended to deal with the new task.

CIRL

Work at CIRL has concentrated on developing better ways of describing workflow processes, identifying ways in which problems can be divided into process descriptions and developing algorithms which allow for better and more robust agent assignments.

Pointers

Brian Drabble, Terri Lydiard and Austin Tate, "Workflow Support in the Air Campaign Planning Process", in the proceedings of the workshop on Interactive and Collaborative Planning held as art of Fourth International Conference on Artificial Intelligence Planning Systems (AIPS-98), Pittsburgh, PA, June 7, 1998.

Parent areas:
General Purpose Tools

Application Programs:
SWFM

References

Details of standardization efforts for process descriptions by the Workflow Management Coalition and National Institute of Standards and Technology can be found at WfMC and NIST

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