An Introduction to Workflow Management Systems

Abstract : This document provides an introduction to Workflow Management Systems. The first section concentrates on a functional review of these systems: definitions, typical features, benefits, tradeoffs, process selection, and success factors for implementation. The second section provides a technical overview: a method for categorizing workflow products, the state of the market, and emerging standards. With over 70 vendors offering significant workflow products, a variety of approaches to workflow management can be expected. The ideas presented in this paper, therefore, do not apply across the board to all products but rather represent a framework for understanding workflow management concepts. Heavy reliance was placed on James Kobielus' book Workflow Strategies and on the Workflow Management Coalition's Workflow Reference Model to provide sense and structure to this broad topic.