A Collaborative Framework for Unexpected Exception Handling

This paper proposes a collaborative framework handling unexpected exceptions in Workflow Management Systems (WfMS). Unexpected exceptions correspond to unpredicted situations for which the system can not suggest any solutions. We introduce the notion that exception recovery is a collaborative problem solving activity that should be addressed through an intertwined play between several actors performing two types of tasks: (1) diagnosing situations; and (2) planning recovery actions. We propose a set of dimensions to classify the exceptional situations and their relations to recovery strategies. We also discuss the importance of monitoring recovery actions within the scope of diagnosis tasks. The proposed solution is implemented through a dedicated workflow.