Potential workflow applications

There is currently a great deal of interest in workflow. Not only is there a great deal being spoken and written about it, there are also innumerable workflow applications on the market. At a recent trade fair in the Netherlands, 'Informatie technologie '95', every significant software supplier seemed to have his own specific workflow product. Workflow is not so much a new technique as a new application. Various publications have shown that using workflow applications can result in productivity improvements of up to 40%. Improvements of this nature have largely been realized by banks, insurance companies and tax departments. This article describes what workflow is, and what its connection is with documentary information systems.