Workflow Interoperability Standards for the Internet

Business-to-business integration is transforming the market and has already begun to increase the efficiency of those companies involved. The first step, integration of data, began with Electronic Data Interchange (EDI) in the 1980s. The second step, integration of process information, is only now beginning to emerge. Consider a fictitious company, Acme Manufacturing, that ships its products via Federal Express. In the past, Acme used a dedicated computer with proprietary software to arrange pickups directly from Federal Express. Today Acme can use the Federal Express website to arrange for shipment and to follow a package’s progress in real time. Acme can check whether the package has been delivered to the station, transported to the destination city, delivered to the addressee, or signed for at its final destination. By making process information available through the Web, Federal Express does not need a support department to give this information over the phone. If Acme wants to order a computer from Dell Computer Corporation, it can do so through the Dell website. Acme can also track the order’s progress through five stages: order processing, preproduction, production, delivery prep, and shipping. Again, making this simplified external view of their internal order fulfillment processes available over the Web saves Dell the expense of answering status questions over the phone. Say Dell subcontracts delivery to Airborne Express, a firm with a similar Web interface. Once the Dell process reaches the shipped state, users can follow a link directly to the Airborne website, which gives additional detail about the shipment status.