Organizing Workflows

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Organizing Workflows

References:Rashid, Chapter 1Aalst and Hee, Chaffey, Chapter 1

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Business ProcessDifferent types of works, e.g. designing house, making breadIn all examples → One tangible thing that is produced or modified –house, bread – thing or caseWorking on a case → DiscreteEach case involves a process (procedure) being performed

Process – number of tasks that need to be carried out and a set of conditions that determines order of tasks

Task → Logical unit of work that is carried out as a single whole by one resourceResource → Generic name of person, machine or group that can perform specific tasks

WorkProduce All things Ourselves?Organize into business units

Organizing Workflows

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Processing of a Claim by Insurance Company1. Recording of receipt of claim;2. Establishing type of claim (fire, vehicle, professional);3. Checking client’s policy, to confirm that it does in principle cover what has been

claimed for;4. Checking the premium, to confirm that payments are up to date;5. Rejection → if task 3 or 4 has a negative result;6. Producing a rejection letter7. Estimating amount to be paid, based upon the claim details;8. Appointment of an assessor to reach the circumstances of the damages and to

establish its value;9. Consideration of emergency measures to limit further damages or relieve distress;10. Provision of emergency measures if approved as part of task 8;11. Establishment or revision of an amount to be paid and offer to client;12. Recording of client’s reaction: acceptance or objection;13. Assessment of objection and decision to reverse (task 11) or to take legal

proceedings (task 14);14. Legal proceedings;15. Payment of claim; and16. Closure of claim: filing

Process - Example

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SequenceTwo or more task that must be performed in strict order

Process Diagram

SelectionChoice between two or more task

SynchronizationBoth task must be completed before ‘rejection’ can begin

IterationRepeated assessment of an objection or revision of amount to be paid

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Process DiagramSequence

Selection

Parallelization

Iteration

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KnowledgeTacit Knowledge

Stored in Mind by ExperienceExplicit Knowledge

Learning and Information RetrievalKnowledge Management

Acquisition, Enrichment, Distribution of Knowledge at Right Time to fulfill a task

Atomic ProcessProcess that cannot be subdivided any further

ActivityPerformance of a task by a resource

Process CategoriesPrimary → Production Processes, Generates Income, Customer OrientedSecondary → Support Processes, Maintaining means of ProductionTertiary → Managerial Processes, Directs & Coordinates Pr/Sec Process

Process

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Links Between Types of Processes

Process

Products and services

Primary process

Support process Managerial processObjectives

and capital

Order

Raw materials and components

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Categories of Groupware (3C’s)Communication

Sending information, request, instructionsCollaboration

Working together on joint projectsCoordination

Participants in Process, Coordination is workflow …

Communication ProductsE-mail, chat, fax solutions, video Conferencing

Collaboration ProductsLotus Notes, Document Management System, CAD

Coordination ProductsIBM, Staffware, FileNet, Ultimus, etc.

GroupwareWorking Together is fundamental to modern Organization

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Coordination ProductsStructured or Semi-Structured Process

Reviews, Approvals, Processing Orders, Handling ApplicationsProjects

Groupware → Workflow AutomationProcess is essence of workflow or coordination

Design, Display, Monitor, Measure Business ProcessProcesses can be structured or semi-structured

Never be purely ad-hoc → Logic/Structure for automationWorkflow is Proactive → Push towards reaching goal/outcomeCoordination or Workflow → Every Organization in some way

Groupware

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Workflow DefinedA Sequence of Structured or Semi-Structured tasks performed in series or parallel by two or more individuals to reach a common goal

Workflow is a sequence of tasksThere is some logic to a workflow – not on purely ad-hoc basis Series or in parallel – LogicAt least two individuals – Individual cannot constitute wokflowWorkflow is geared towards producing results

Workflow Automation

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Example - Purchase Requisition Workflow

Any employee can initiate purchase requisition by filling a formSupervisor – Approve or Disapprove Simple example – Essential elements of workflow

Workflow Automation

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Workflow has numerous exceptions → Too complex to present graphicallySupervisor may not be at workBuyer may not have enough info for purchase, return back order for clarification

Every workflow requires monitoringEmployee need to know status of his application

Every step in workflow → Time and CostMeasuring Time and Cost, improvement in business process

Examples of Business Process - Workflow

Number and Type of workflow process vary from organization to organization

Workflow Automation

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Workflow Vs Workflow AutomationWorkflow

Simple routing of work from one person to anotherEmail attachment → Work has flowed from one to anotherNot Workflow automation, Why?Emails → Facilitates workflow but does not automate workflow

Workflow AutomationProactive control of entire workflow process, Start to Finish!Ability to monitor status of workflow, handle exceptions, generate metrics to improve performance of systemSoftware Applications → Microsoft exchange, Lotus Notes, Intelligent web sites, etc.,

Workflow features but they are not automating workflowWorkflow automation → Similarities with EAI (automation of system-centric processes)

Workflow Automation

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Essential Requirements for Workflow AutomationGraphical workflow representationRoles or job functionsRules embeddingException handlingMonitor status of workflow incidentsMetrics (cost-effectiveness and timeliness)Integration with third party applicationsProactiveDatabase connectivityWorkflow inbox

Workflow Automation

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EvolutionEAI → Automate movement of data, applications ⇔ computersWorkflow automation, movement of data between peopleDepartmental solutions → Emergence of EAI

Point Integration Solution

Unified Integration Framework Interface standardizationData transformationMappingSynchronization

Enterprise Application Integration

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EAI Business Processes

Workflow process and EAI driven process High degree of similarityNotable exception, data movement between applications and peopleOften confusion, EAI ⇔ Workflow → generic BPM productsVery different Challenges Technology trends → Minimizing gap

EAI and Business Processes

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Comparison

Workflow Automation Vs EAI

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RolePrincipals → The Boss and The CustomerOrganizations have Hierarchy

Contractor or Resource → Person Who is Assigned a TaskResource – Assignments can also be done by machines

Actor → Describes Principals and ContractorsCan play both roles – Principal or Subcontractor (or resource)

Contractor Can redirect or subcontract work to third parties

The Role of Customer → Depends on SituationIRD – Taxpayers, Prison Service – Criminals, etc.

Allocating/Accepting Work

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Principal ContractorSpecification

Quote

Assignment

Confirmation

Order

Completion

Communications Protocol

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ActorResponsible for ProcessCan assign or outsource task as whole to contractorCan decompose into process

Network of tasksEach of which he assigns to a contractorContract Tree

Another ApproachNetwork of tasks is created(Sub)contractors are selected


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Transport A-K

Transport D-KTransport A-D

Transport J-KTransport D-JTransport C-DTransport A-C

Principal PContractor Q Contractor R

Principal Q Principal R

Contractor S Contractor TContractor U Contractor V

Contract Tree

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Establishes how the work carried out by the organization in question is divided up amongst its staff

Division of authorities and responsibilities

Organizational StructureHierarchical organizationMatrix organizationNetwork organization

Organizational Structure

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Managing director

Head of productionAdministrationHead of Sales

Stores Dept.Production Dept.Sales ForceAdvertising Dept.

Organizational Chart

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Hierarchical organizationPurely hierarchical organizations → Virtually extinct nowDesigning

The capacity group – People with same skills, Same departmentThe functional department (Accounting, Maintenance)Process or production departments

Matrix organizationTwo dimensions

Functional (depends on tasks)Hierarchical (same as earlier)

Each PersonHierarchical bossFunctional boss

Example → Operate on Project Basis, Contractors


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Project-A Project-B Project-C

Supervisors Louise Anita John

Carpenters Pete Karl Geraldine

Masons Henry Tom Jerry

Painters Bert Simone Simone

Plasterers Charles Peter Paul

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Network OrganizationAutonomous actors collaborate to supply products or servicesVirtual organizationNo formal permanent employment relationshipMore and more network organizations are being created

Control fixed costSpecialist companies

Difference with matrix organizationResources do not have to be from the same employer


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Managing ProcessManagement system and a Managed systemSystem → People, machines, and IS that carry out particular processesManaged System

Low level management systemManaged System• Managed system at lowest level → an enactment system

Process ManagementA system of interlinked processes, involves concerted efforts to map, improve, and adhere to organizational processes

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Managing Process

management

management

managed system

management

enactment

Recursive Management ParadigmManaged System

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BPM PrinciplesProcess

AssetsShould be managed and continuously improvedIT is an essential enabler

Process Management1. Real-time management

2. Operational management

3. Tactical management

4. Strategic management

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Process Management

Management Level Time Horizon Financial Impact

Real-time Seconds-hours Low

Operational Hours-days Limited

Tactical Days-months High

Strategic Months-years Very high

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Process Management

Management level

Type of decisions Supporting methods

Real-time Equipment control Control theory

Operational Recourse assignment Combinational optimization

Tactical Recourse capacity planning and budgeting

Stochastic models (e.g., queuing models)

Strategic Process design and recourse types

Financial models, multi-criteria analysis

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Decision MakingDefinition

What the problem is, and what scope a solution to it must be found

CreationTo formulate one or more solutions that fall within the scope defined

EvolutionTo access different solutions, for instance by multi-criteria analysis

SelectionTo select one solution that works in order to implement it

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Evolution of Information Systems1965-1975

Decompose Applications → There was no exchange of data between different applications

1975-1985Database Management → The use of database has the advantages that data managed by different applications can be combined

1985-1995UIMS → User-Interface Management

1995-2005WFMS, Workflow Management → To support business process (procedure)

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Trends in Information SystemsEvolution

ProcessesAre becoming more important (BPR)Are subject to frequent changesAre becoming more complexAre increasing in number

OS OS OS OS

DBM

Sappl. appl.

DBM

S

DBM

S

WFM

Sappl.

appl

.

UIMS UIMS

1965-1975 1975-1985 1985-1995 1995-2005

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Set organizational goalsInventory all organizational processRankChooseDetermine incremental or radical improvementImplementMonitorRepeat step 4

Process Management Lifecycle

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Workflow Systems (Wil van der Aalst)human

orientedsystemoriented

groupware

workflow

transactionprocessing

P2P=

PersonTo

Person

A2P=

ApplicationTo

Person

A2A=

ApplicationTo

Application

Workflow SystemsFocus on classical workflow management systems, but ...

Four types of workflow-like systems:1. Information systems with hard-coded workflows

(process& organization specific)2. Custom-made information systems with generic

workflow support (organization specific)3. Generic software with embedded workflow

functionality (example, the workflow components of ERP, CRM, PDM, etc. systems)

4. Generic software focusing on workflow functionality (example, Staffware, MQSeries Workflow, FLOWer, COSA, Oracle BPEL, Filenet, etc.)

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Organizing Workflows

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