Analysis of a collaborative workflow process with distributed actors

Abstract

Current workflow management technology offers rich support for process-oriented coordination of distributed teamwork. In this paper, we evaluate the performance of an industrial workflow process where similar tasks can be performed by various actors at many different locations. We analyzed a large workflow process log with state-of-the-art mining tools associated with the ProM framework. Our analysis leads to the conclusion that there is a positive effect on process performance when workflow actors are geographically close to each other. Our case study shows that the use of workflow technology in itself is not sufficient to level geographical barriers between team members and that additional measures are required for a desirable performance.