When a business process is defined and put into operation through the use of software and other tools, it becomes a workflow process. The workflow process provides the online forms that participants use. A workflow process can also indicate the reassignment of work from one person to the next.
Well-designed workflow processes identify and integrate the possible outcomes of each task, because different outcomes change the way in which one task transitions to another. When a user makes a decision, the flow of work changes based upon his or her response. In a workflow process, a decision can be made either manually (by selecting a label from a drop-down list) or automatically (such as after ten days of inaction occur). After a decision has been made, Novell Teaming sends the appropriate notification to the next participant in the workflow. Decisions, information, and a history of the completed work can be stored and later accessed in Novell Teaming.
Workflow allows you to move work quickly and efficiently throughout the organization. When developing an online workflow process, you should try to represent the associated business process in its fullest detail. To do this, workflow processes usually use a workflow-management system to support the design, implementation, testing, maintenance, and administration of processes.
NOTE:A workflow-management system is a software-based system that allows IT to create and manage the execution of workflows that serve their organization, and that assists participants in completing tasks within the business process.
Most workflow management systems provide a common set of tools. These tools allow IT to define the business processes, initiate and control specific tasks, or create rules for determining how specific data is processed and shared.