Workflow Model Analysis (original) (raw)

Definition

The correctness, effectiveness, and efficiency of the business processes supported by a workflow management system are vital to the organization. A workflow process definition which contains errors may lead to angry customers, backlog, damage claims, and loss of goodwill. Flaws in the design of a workflow definition may also lead to high throughput times, low service levels, and a need for excess capacity. This is why it is important to analyze a workflow process definition before it is put into production.

In order to analyze a workflow definition, it is necessary to translate the definition into a model suitable for analysis, e.g., a simulation model or a model that allows for verification techniques (e.g., a Petri net).

Key Points

Process-aware information systems are driven by process models. A typical example of a process-aware information system is a system generated using workflow management software. In such cases there is an explicit process model that can be used...

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Eindhoven University of Technology, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
    W. M. P. van der Aalst

Authors

  1. W. M. P. van der Aalst
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Corresponding author

Correspondence toW. M. P. van der Aalst .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Georgia Institute of Technology College of Computing, Atlanta, GA, USA
    Ling Liu
  2. University of Waterloo School of Computer Science, Waterloo, ON, Canada
    M. Tamer Özsu

Section Editor information

  1. Dept. di Elettronica e Informazione, Politecnico di Milano, Milan, Italy
    Barbara Pernici

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van der Aalst, W.M.P. (2018). Workflow Model Analysis. In: Liu, L., Özsu, M.T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Database Systems. Springer, New York, NY. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4614-8265-9\_1476

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