Adjustment of Process Transactional Properties for Flexible Workflow Specification and Management

Workflow management systems have emerged as powerful technologies for automating business processes. Besides the basic functionality that a process must satisfy, requests for quality of service (QoS) are to be set. A workflow system has to be able to fulfill established QoS goals, namely to satisfy requested cost limits, deliver results within desired timeframes, and attain some quality aspects, etc, etc. This leads to a need for a flexible workflow specification that will enable the necessary adaptations during run-time according to varying conditions and circumstances. There have been significant works that explore the abilities by which to improve flexibility at the core workflow structure level. In this paper, we argue for the increase of workflow adaptability by introducing flexibility at the level of process transactional semantics. We propose an approach that leads to different execution structures, based on different settings for process transactional properties. We will illustrate the motivation for our approach through a simplified example from the construction domain. The workflow depicted in Figure 1, starts when a customer comes to the construction company and makes an order for a farm and its accessories. After the order is confirmed, the site conditions are estimated – based on the farm design sketch and the nature of the terrain. The “value” of the site is reported and then revised by an expert team. On the basis of this report, the company hires an adequate labor force, including a manager. The next step involves work with the water pipes, including the entrenching, connecting with the main aqueduct and testing. In the meantime, the site is cleared, the terrain is prepared and material is gathered. Following this, construction of the farmhouse is initiated. When the construction work is completed, inspection of all the completed objects is performed. If necessary, additional corrections are carried out. Finally, the construction company contacts the customer to collect the farm key.