Appendix AThe Future of Workflows

Wil van der Aalst has copyrights to almost all figures in the following slideshow made by Lars Frank.

Adoptive workflow

Transient/semantic problem:It is not always possible to change model!

Dynamic change problem:

What is the problem?

Interorganizational workflow:The following cases are in Lars Frank view too superficial as they do not have enough parallellity!

Describe a better solution after the slideshow?

Overview example with 8 sub-examples:

Example contd.Illustration of a production with a single sub-contractor.

Illustrate a workflow where it is possible to have any number of sub-contractors that execute subprocesses in parallel?

Example contd. 2.

UML-Statechart diagram for a global transaction

Syntax for State diagrams:

Event

[condition]

/Action

Workflow of flexible

transactions.

Petri net Work flowfor global E-commerce transactions where the stocks are in the locations of the different suppliers.

1. Put products in the basket

Start

Timer

2. Confirm order-lines and update stocks in servers

4. Receive products from suppliers and update QUANTITY received

6. Send the rest of the products to the customer

End

3.Suppliers send products

Non confirmed order

Products

All products are received

5. Send the received products to the customer

Suborders

Canseled order

Stock rejected order

Confirmed order

OR split

Sub- Petri net of activity 2

2.1 try to confirm thenext order-line

Order-line

An-swer

Nonconfirmedorder

2.2 Supplier's servertry to confirm

order-line

More order-lines

2.3 Update Order with supplieranswer for each order-line

All answers received

Order-line

Order

Order

2.4 Send Order with confirmanswers to the Customer. If theOrder was confirmed The Timeris set and confirming Sub-ordersare send to the involvedsuppliers.

Timer Sub-orders

Confirmed Order

Stockrejectedorder

AND split

OR split

AND join

Example contd. 4.

Example contd. 6.

Example contd. 8.

Case study: E-bookstore.

Step 1, Total workflow.The workflow does not give an overview!

Step 2, Overview:

Step 2a, Customer:If the customer uses a PC it may be OK that the Customer waits for a synchronous answer as illustrated, but the server should answer asynchronously .

Step 2b, bookstore:How would you illustrate that the bookstore server should answer asynchronously?

UML-Statechart diagram for a global transaction

Syntax:

Event

[condition]

Action

Step 2c, Publisher:

How would you illustrate that the publisher server should answer asynchronously?

Step 2d, Shipper:

Step 3, Bookstore (imprecise model)

Step 3b, Publisher:

Step 3c, Shipper:

Step 3d, Overview:

End of session

Thank you !!!Thank you !!!