Distributed workflow management: the TEAM model

In the last few years, workflow systems have been the base for business-process re-engineering (BPR) but the characteristics of processes are changing and new types of problems need to be addressed. Different organizations dynamically group together (federation) to support complex projects requiring different competencies and coordination is fundamental. Focusing on the interaction among distinct distributed PCEs (process-centered environments), an abstraction model is proposed for the federation based on the partitioned workspace metaphor coupled with a CSP-like process-definition language. A component-based architecture is presented for the actual enactment of the model. Both the development and the enactment environments are presented and the interaction with local PCEs is discussed.