WorkBrain: Merging Organizational Memory and Workflow Management Systems

Abstract

Despite the enthusiasm, the workflow management idea faces currently, some problems occur when setting up large workflow applications for complex business processes. To solve some of these problems, a combination of workflow management concepts and the notion of "organizational memory information systems" is suggested. The basic idea is to create an evolutionary workflow management system using an organizational memory storage component consisting of a workflow case base to save the workflow lessons learned and a storage for the general domain knowledge of an enterprise. The concept and a prototypical implementation of the system are presented. The example workflow we use to illustrate the system functions is the inquiry/proposal process of a roller bearing manufacturer.