Workflow - A Model for Integration

This article reviews the nature of a workflow system from a systems integration perspective, focusing on points of interaction between the workflow control software and other system components, such as process design tools, legacy applications and messaging infrastructure. The characteristics of the underlying business model and its representation to the workflow system are also discussed, including requirements for business processes to span organisational boundaries. The complexity of systems integration is identified as a major constraint on effective exploitation and indicative of the need for standards to support more effective product usage and interoperability. The article draws on the Author’s experience in developing workflow related standards and concludes with an assessment of their potential impact, particularly on opportunities for their use in electronic commerce.