A case-based reasoning framework for workflow model management

In order to support efficient workflow design, recent commercial workflow systems are providing templates of common business processes. These templates, called cases, can be modified individually or collectively into a new workflow to meet the business specification. However, little research has bee...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Data & knowledge engineering 2004-07, Vol.50 (1), p.87-115
Main Authors: Madhusudan, Therani, Zhao, J.Leon, Marshall, Byron
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Ad hoc workflows
Case-based reasoning
Case-oriented workflow modeling
Model reuse
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Summary:In order to support efficient workflow design, recent commercial workflow systems are providing templates of common business processes. These templates, called cases, can be modified individually or collectively into a new workflow to meet the business specification. However, little research has been done on how to manage workflow models, including issues such as model storage, model retrieval, model reuse and assembly. In this paper, we propose a novel framework to support workflow modeling and design by adapting workflow cases from a repository of process models. Our approach to workflow model management is based on a structured workflow lifecycle and leverages recent advances in model management and case-based reasoning techniques. Our contributions include a conceptual model of workflow cases, a similarity flooding algorithm for workflow case retrieval, and a domain-independent AI planning approach to workflow case composition. We illustrate the workflow model management framework with a prototype system called Case-Oriented Design Assistant for Workflow Modeling (CODAW).
ISSN:0169-023X
1872-6933
DOI:10.1016/j.datak.2004.01.005