Module 1 : Coordinating Groupwork An introduction to workflows

1. Module 1 : Coordinating Groupwork An introduction to workflows

2. SOCIOLOGY Macro Social Scale Meso Micro ORGANISATION GROUP COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY

3. Social Scales: • Locate on the graph the • following groupware examples • Shared Editor • Calendar vs • Events Agenda • Argumentation Tool vs • Discussion Forum • Shared repository vs • Documents manager • Billing system • … • Intranet ? EPFL CRAFT Swiss Academic

4. This Course Focus ORGANISATION GROUP COMMUNITY

5. Today’s Focus • ORGANISATION LEVEL • Process Managment • Time Management • Project Managment • Knowledge Managment • Customer Relationship Mgt • Facilities Management • Help Desk Support System • … ( Intranet) Course Focus GROUP COMMUNITY

6. KOWLEDGE ACTORS ACTIVITIES RESOURCES

8. KNOWLEDGE MANAGMENT SYSTEMS PROCESS MANAGMENT SYSTEMS (workflows)

9. Can the task be formalized ? • Booking a flight • Booking a flat for holidays • Processing accident form • Negotiation project objectives • … • Coordination = Managing interdependence • Pre-requisite • Shared resources • Simultaneity • … A workflow application • automates the sequence of actions activities or tasks used to run formal process • includes tools for managing the process itself • manages the coordination among actors, subtasks and resources

10. Van der Aalst & van Hee, 2002

11. Modelling Lemanic.sa • When a client fills a web order, • the order is verified by the customer unit. If the client has a bad record, he is notified that his order will not be processed until his account is ok. The order is deleted. • If the product is a fresh product, the order is sent to the ‘store-A’ department otherwise it is sent to the ‘store-B’ department. • If the order is above 100 000 CHF, the order is sent to the ‘HighCustomers’ unit. This unit re-contact the customer to negotiate prices and conditions • The store or unit checks the availability of the product. • If the product is not available, the client is notified about delays and asked to confirm is his order despite new delays. • If the product available, the store checks the availability of delivery truck. It notifies the customer about delivery date. • Delivery • Deliveries from store-A have priority over store-B with respect to trucks availability. • Delivery from the ‘high customer offices’ are negotiated by the CEO. • Billing • The bill is sent to the customer with the delivery date and his account is update • The bill is used to update stock values of the product • The bill is stored in the financial system

12. Van der Aalst & van Hee, 2002

13. Van der Aalst & van Hee, 2002

14. Modelling Lemanic.sa Will your workflow to avoid the following Coordination Accidents? • A fresh product was available but there was all trucks were used. The product has been delivered on the next day but the customer refused the delivery because the validity date was over. • A fresh product order was delivered to a customer despite the fact that he did not paid last three orders. Unit A was not aware because the customer use to order non-fresh products, i.e. to work with Unit B. • A high customer client is lost because it was process by unit A without flexibility of prices

15. T:Task-subtask dependencies (goal decomposition) • F:Flow dependencies • Prerequisite dependency: X is done  Y may start • sequencing + notification (PERT charts, critical path, …) • Inventory dependency (not too late, not too early, just in time) • Accessibility: X is done  transportation to Y • Usability: X is done  Y can use it ( ask Y, standardization, …) • R: Shared resources dependencies • First-come-served, allocation mechanisms, market models, … • Transaction cost theory: hierarchy > market ? • S:Simultaneity constraints: Y and Y read/write the same values (locking mechanisms) • C:Customer relationship and shared reputation dependencies • … Coordination « theory »: coordination = managing dependencies Malone & Crowston

16. Van der Aalst & van Hee, 2002

17. Example: Ultimus Workflow

18. Example: jawe.objectweb.org/

19. Example: INCODEA

20. Workflow environments & providers Van der Aalst & van Hee, 2002

21. WHAT WE DID Yi Wang

22. Authoring tool Ensures that the right activities are carried out at the right time by the right persons e.g. view completion time, staff utilisation, … e.g. outsourcing Worklist handler:w hat should I do; I started X, I finished Y Van der Aalst & van Hee, 2002

23. WFMC: WorkFlow Management Coalition • UML • Workflow reference model • WAPI = workflow APIs • XPDL = XML Process Definition Language

24. Modelling Lemanic.sa • When a client fills a web order, • the order is verified by the customer unit. If the client has a bad record, he is notified that his order will not be processed until his account is ok. The order is deleted. • If the product is a fresh product, the order is sent to the ‘store-A’ department otherwise it is sent to the ‘store-B’ department. • If the order is above 100 000 CHF, the order is sent to the ‘HighCustomers’ unit. This unit re-contact the customer to negotiate prices and conditions • The store or unit checks the availability of the product. • If the product is not available, the client is notified about delays and asked to confirm is his order despite new delays. • If the product available, the store checks the availability of delivery truck. It notifies the customer about delivery date. • Delivery • Deliveries from store-A have priority over store-B with respect to trucks availability. • Delivery from the ‘high customer offices’ are negotiated by the CEO. • Billing • The bill is sent to the customer with the delivery date and his account is update • The bill is used to update stock values of the product • The bill is stored in the financial system Guidelines of the HughCustomer Unit: • If the high customer is used to work with employee X, allocate the case to X • If the order is complex and the customer very important, allocate a second employee Y to the case. • If the customer is ‘difficult’ and not too far, send X or Y to visit the client • If X is not available, decide if is risky to wait. If not notify the customer. If it is forward to the team leader who will allocate. • If the customer has a high visibility, be more flexible on price negotiation.

25. 2 approaches toCSCW Formalizing and automating the collaborative process Error 1 (losses): Treating informally a process that can be formalized Error 2 (break): Treating procedurally a process that should not be formalized Supporting informal collaboration