Open Source Workflow Applications

[Bixby]

Thanks for the heads up on IBM Content Manager.

No, this is not an ITIL process, (actually these processes have nothing to do with I/T at all). These are standard business processes used by our sales department, service department, credit department, freight department, etc.

I have worked in the area of Business Process Improvement for years, these things always fail when departments fail to comply with the processes. A workflow application will show work as it flows through the process and where it either stalls, or deviates from the established process. Our Sales Department personnel tend to be a bit "creative" and that causes a lot of downstream problems for other departments. Much of what is driving this, is a need to get all departments working efficiently together by having each department and person be accountable for their work packages in a Timely, Consistent, Efficient manner.

Probably more than you wanted to know.

[Darren Dirt]

If you go with a commercial option I strongly advise against IBM [most stuff], on the surface it looks like it has everything you need but there are some fundamental plumbing problems that will make you tear your hair out

FYP



seriously tho, so you were hoping to get a free app that easily generated stuff like this?
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Metamodel_change_management.png

[Lazybones]

Sharepoint 2010 has workflow functionality in it from what I recall in a past presentation, if you already have it in your environment you might be able to build off of that.

[Darren Dirt]

OP, so you're maybe looking for an app that has all this stuff readily available as lego-blocks for building?
http://workflowpatterns.com/evaluations/standard/

[Mr. Analog]

OP, so you're maybe looking for an app that has all this stuff readily available as lego-blocks for building?
http://workflowpatterns.com/evaluations/standard/

I believe I linked that already, it's a great matrix of what patterns different standards support.

[Thorin]

So I've heard the word "workflow" used to describe similar but distinctly different concepts.  Are you looking for something that will enforce workflow and stop work from progressing outside the established workflow pattern, or something that will record workflow and show when workers are ignoring the established workflow pattern?  Or are you just looking to map out and establish a workflow?

[Bixby]

So I've heard the word "workflow" used to describe similar but distinctly different concepts.  Are you looking for something that will enforce workflow and stop work from progressing outside the established workflow pattern, or something that will record workflow and show when workers are ignoring the established workflow pattern?  Or are you just looking to map out and establish a workflow?

We can easily design and map out our processes, but there is no current way to monitor that the processes are being followed and where there are bottlenecks. A "workflow" application would be used to enforce compliance to an established process, monitor what is being done, where, when, and by whom.