Take a look at the new version of this page: [ beta version ]. Tell us what you think.

ABSTRACT

This paper focuses on the set of group endeavors that exists within the structure of an organization. The environment in which organizations exist is becoming increasingly dynamic. Cooperative tasks are increasing and workgroup computing is becoming more pervasive. There are computer-mediated tools and systems to support organizations' coordination of group endeavors. These systems, however, are incomplete and therefore do not adequately give organizations the flexibility that a dynamic environment requires. The need for unified information systems is looming. The solution is to provide consistent and comprehensive, computer-mediated, shared task support for the coordination of group endeavors in all domains, in dynamic, and increasingly complex environments. Workflow and project management are prototypical of that collaborative use. This paper evaluates workflow processes and projects in order to gain an understanding of requirements that will serve as a conceptual foundation for this cooperative systems environment.

REFERENCES

• Bra94: Michael A. Bragen. Go with the flow. PC Magazine, pages 253-302, June 14th 1994.
• EK93: Clarence Ellis and Karim Keddara. Dynamic change within workfiow systems. Technical Report CU CS 667 93, U of Colorado, 1993.
• FGHW88: Fernando Flores , Michael Graves , Brad Hartfield , Terry Winograd, Computer systems and the design of organizational interaction, ACM Transactions on Information Systems (TOIS), v.6 n.2, p.153-172, April 1988 [doi>10.1145/45941.45943]
• GKE90: J. Galegher, R. Kraut, and C. Edigo. Intellectual Teamwork. Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, New Jersey, 1990.
• HC93: M. Hammer and J. Champy. Reengiherring the corporation: a manifesto for business revolution. Harper, 1993.
• KTBB92: Simon M. Kaplan , William J. Tolone , Douglas P. Bogia , Celsina Bignoli, Flexible, active support for collaborative work with ConversationBuilder, Proceedings of the 1992 ACM conference on Computer-supported cooperative work, p.378-385, November 01-04, 1992, Toronto, Ontario, Canada [doi>10.1145/143457.143552]
• LC89: L.S. Lefkowit~ and W. B. Croft. Planning and execution of tasks in cooperative work environments. In Proceedings of the Fifth IEEE Conference on Artificial Intelligence Applications. IEEE, 1989.
• Lea65: H.J. Leavitt. Applied organizational change in industry: Structural, technological, and humanistic approaches. In J.G. March, editor, Handbook of organization, pages 1144-1170. Rand McNally, Chicago, 1965.
• Mah93: Dirk E. Mahling, Enactment theory as a paradigm for enabling flexible workflows, Proceedings of the conference on Organizational computing systems, p.202-209, November 01-04, 1993, Milpitas, California, United States [doi>10.1145/168555.168578]
• MC89: D. E. Mahling , W. B. Croft, Relating human knowledge of tasks to the requirements of plan libraries, International Journal of Man-Machine Studies, v.31 n.1, p.61-97, July 1989 [doi>10.1016/0020-7373(89)90033-3]
• MC93: T. Malone and K. Crowston. The interdisciplinary study of coordination. Technical report, MIT, 1993.
• Min79: H. Mintzberg. The structuring of organizaiions. Prentice Hall, 1979.
• MMWFF92: Raul Medina-Mora , Terry Winograd , Rodrigo Flores , Fernando Flores, The action workflow approach to workflow management technology, Proceedings of the 1992 ACM conference on Computer-supported cooperative work, p.281-288, November 01-04, 1992, Toronto, Ontario, Canada [doi>10.1145/143457.143530]
• PC93: C. Pietras and B. Coury. The development of cognitive models of planning for use in the desgn of project management systems. IJMMS, 1993.
• RB89: Jeffrey S. Rosenschein , John S. Breese, Communication-free interactions among rational agents: a probabilistic approach, Distributed artificial intelligence: vol. 2, Morgan Kaufmann Publishers Inc., San Francisco, CA, 1990
• Sch93: T. Schael. Supporting cooperative processes with workflow management technology. Tutorial at COOCS93, November 1993.
• Sea79: J.R. Searle. Ezpressions and meaning. Studies in the theory of speech acta. Cambridge University Press, 1979.
• SF89: Arvind Sathi , Mark S. Fox, Constraint-directed negotiation of resource reallocations, Distributed artificial intelligence: vol. 2, Morgan Kaufmann Publishers Inc., San Francisco, CA, 1990
• WL86: Carson C. Woo , Frederick H. Lochovsky, Supporting distributed office problem solving in organizations, ACM Transactions on Information Systems (TOIS), v.4 n.3, p.185-204, July 1986 [doi>10.1145/214427.214428]

INDEX TERMS

Primary Classification:
  K. Computing Milieux
  K.6 MANAGEMENT OF COMPUTING AND INFORMATION SYSTEMS
      K.6.1 Project and People Management
          Subjects: Systems analysis and design

Additional Classification:
  H. Information Systems
  H.4 INFORMATION SYSTEMS APPLICATIONS

  J. Computer Applications
  J.1 ADMINISTRATIVE DATA PROCESSING
      Subjects: Business

General Terms:
Design, Management