Using Software Agents to Design a Modern WfMS

Abstract

Traditional workflow management systems (WfMS) are based on a centralized architecture, which need be modified to suit for the Internet environment. Their workflows are restricted to pre-defined resource allocation constraints, and the routing decisions of flow processes cannot be changed easily and dynamically. Besides, it is also not flexible for the traditional systems to provide suitable views and operations for different participants or roles. This paper introduces agent technologies into WfMSs and presents a new WfMS architecture that could provide adequate and flexible solutions to cope with these shortcomings.