Using LOTOS for rigorous specifications of workflow patterns

Abstract

Collaborative applications require understanding of the theoretical foundations. In case of workflow systems, one possibility to achieve this is an accurate description of workflow functionalities. Despite its growing popularity and success, it has not yet been evaluated whether Language of Temporal Ordering Specification (LOTOS) is actually suitable for representing comprehensive workflow functionality in real-world workflow systems describing the behavioral perspective of control-flow. Our primary contribution is the complete mapping of a collection of workflow patterns to LOTOS notation. We further discuss suitability and expressiveness of LOTOS in the context of workflow patterns. This study can be used for pattern-based workflow execution, reasoning, and simulation as well as for future research on theoretical aspects of workflows for collaborative applications. © 2010 ICST.