BPM Research Seminar Series 2006

From workflow to case handling: the next step ... and when to take it.

Casper Stoel

Abstract

Workflow management software is increasingly more common. In some cases, a straightforward workflow system may be sufficient to meet a client's needs. However, FLOWer, a product marketed by Pallas Athena for the part 10 years, delivers more flexibility and therefore more value than the average workflow system. What sets FLOWer apart from the other workflow systems is a concept called "case handling". With case handling, the process is central, not how the work is routed. Instead of focusing on who does the work, with little or no flexibility, FLOWer's case handling capabilities focuses on getting the work done, by whomever is available and capable. This concept requires an extreme level of flexibility within the software itself. Not only must the work routing be flexible, but the distribution of work and the division of responsibilities must be made adaptable as well. This seminar will address the question of when to use traditional workflow systems vs. when to use a case handling system. The advantages and disadvantages of both will be compared using Pallas Athena's products Activate and FLOWer.

Mr. Stoel is currently ICT Manager for Pallas Athena, in Apeldoorn, The Netherlands. Before that, he was development manager for Pallas Athena's case handling product, FLOWer. He received his MSEE degree from Delft University of Technology in 1992 and has since worked in both the United States and in the Netherlands for both large and small software companies.