| Title | Modeling, Integrating, and Enacting Complex Organizational Processes: Approach and Experience |
| Publication Type | Conference Proceedings |
| Year of Publication | 1996 |
| Authors | Scacchi, W. |
| Secondary Authors | Sheth, A. |
| Conference Name | NSF Workshop on Workflow and Process Automation in Information Systems: State-of-the-Art and Future Directions |
| Pagination | 18-23 |
| Date Published | May 8-10 |
| Conference Location | Athens, GA |
| Keywords | Advanced information systems technology, Business data processing, Business process redesign, Competitive pressures, Complex organizational processes, Corporate modelling, Electronic markets, Enterprise integration, Government enterprises, Information technology, Knowledge based systems, Knowledge-based approach, Large-scale commercial enterprises, Performance levels, Production processes, Systems re-engineering, Teamwork support, Wide area networks, Wide-area computing infrastructure, Workflow modeling |
| Abstract | Workflow modeling, business process redesign, enterprise integration and teamwork support are among the current generic goals for advanced information systems technology (IST) within enterprises. Enterprises are looking for ways to respond to competitive pressures and new performance levels by redesigning and continuously improving their production and operational processes. Enterprises are also looking into IST as a strategy for establishing, sustaining and expanding their presence in electronic markets for their goods and services. Such endeavors must therefore address complex enterprise processes that entail many participants, as well as supporting the integration of a heterogeneous collections of both legacy and emerging ISTs. Thus, we are faced with the problem of how to realize these goals in a coherent, scalable and evolutionary manner. In this paper, I describe a knowledge-based approach and supporting mechanisms we have been investigating in an effort to solve this problem and realize these goals. I also describe what we have learned from our experiences in applying the approach and mechanisms in in different real-world enterprises. As such, I describe our approach to modeling, integrating and enacting complex enterprises using a knowledge-based, wide-area computing infrastructure, as well as some of the associated technologies we have developed and deployed in large-scale commercial and government enterprises. |