Workflow time patterns for process-aware information systems

Abstract

Formal specification and operational support of time constraints constitute fundamental challenges for any process-aware information system. Although temporal constraints play an important role in the context of long-running business processes, time support is limited in existing process management systems. By contrast, different kinds of planning tools (e.g., calendar systems, project management tools) provide more sophisticated facilities for handling task-related time constraints, but lack operational support for business processes. This paper presents a set of time patterns to foster systematic design and comparison of the different technologies in respect to the time perspective. These time patterns are all based on empirical evidence from several large case studies. Their widespread use will contribute to further maturation of process-aware information systems and related evaluation schemes. © 2010 Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg.