基于规则的工作流系统在流程管理中的应用与研究
VIP免费
摘 要
由于全球化竞争趋势的深入，公司正开始建立工作流系统用以提高流程管理
效率和降低成本来最终最大化公司利润并且获得市场竞争力。工作流系统能够自
动化或者半自动化执行业务流程，信息，文档以及工作任务因此能够从一个参与
者传递到另外一个参与者。
然而，当前公司的业务规则都变的越来越复杂和多变。这在那些具有复杂多
变的业务规则，并且致力于业务流程管理的供应链公司身上体现的尤为突出。当
业务需求与规则发生改变后，传统的工作流系统不能灵活地改变自身的系统。他
们没有针对业务规则来设计工作流系统，因此系统呈现出静态以及不灵活的特点。
在本文的研究中，作者针对两家跨国供应链巨头进行了采访，他们是法国家
乐福亚洲全球采购部以及英国乐购公司的全球采购部，两家公司都位于上海。作
者希望通过采访来了解两家公司的业务流程以及业务流程管理中的问题。此外，
作者还讨论了公司管理业务规则的重要性以及如何建立规则库，并且探讨了基于
规则的工作流系统框架的构想以及工作流引擎和规则引擎之间应该如何协同地进
行工作。基于规则的工作流系统可以有效地解决传统工作流不灵活的问题，并且
公司内不同的部门，如业务流程管理部门，业务规则管理部门以及工作流开发团
队如何在系统开发以及维护中能各司其职且高效地工作。
本文作者通过微软公司的工作流开发组件（Microsoft Workflow Foundation）
开发出了针对业务流程管理的基于规则的工作流系统原型。此系统是基于之前调
查的家乐福全球采购部供应链业务流程再造后的业务流程进行建模并且开发的。
在原型系统中，作者建立了规则库并且成功地将业务规则与工作流系统代码分离
开，在系统运行中普通的业务流程管理人员就能通过界面来进行静态以及动态的
业务流程规则的修改。此文为那些具有复杂流程并且多变的业务规则的供应链公
司进行业务流程管理提供了参考。最后作者还为未来相关领域进一步的研究提供
了一些建议。
关键词:基于规则的工作流系统 业务流程管理 业务规则 供应链管理
Abstract
Since the global competition is becoming increasingly severe, the organizations are
establishing workflow system to improve the efficiency and lower the cost to maximize
the profit and gain market competitiveness. The workflow system can total or semi -
automate the business processes during which the information, documents and tasks can
be passed from one participant to another for action.
However, the trends of business rules are becoming increasingly complicated and
dynamic. This is especially significant for the supply chain companies that are facing
the volatile business rules to manage business processes. The traditional workflow
systems do not provide the agility to easily change the system when the business
requirements changed. They tend to be ‘static’ and ‘in-agility’ without specifically
focusing on business rules in design. The business rules are embedded in the
programming codes and it is difficult for the system developers to update. The
traditional workflow systems cannot handle dynamic changes in business process and
especially the business rules; the system developer cannot clearly understand the
business rules; the system developer are doing the tasks which are supposed to be done
by business process team and business rules management team; the system is lacking
the design for both static and dynamic update after operations.
In the paper, the author conducted the interviews of two multinational supply chain
companies, so as to understand the business processes and problems of the business
process management of them. Moreover, the author discussed the essentiality to manage
the business rules in the company and the steps to establish the rule base. The author
also suggested the rule-based workflow system framework and how workflow and rule
engine can coordinate to each other. The Rule-based workflow system addresses
problems of ‘static and in-agility’ and different teams within the company can allocate
their tasks in high efficiency and undertake independently during the system
development and maintenance. It can reduce the cost of system maintenance and help
the business process manager to handle more tasks at the same time.
Eventually, the author developed the rule–based workflow system for business
process management (RWSBPM) based on Carrefour company’s reengineered business
processes through Microsoft Workflow Foundation. In the prototype, the author
successfully separated the business rules from the programming codes and thus the
ordinary employees can modify the business rules through web browsers in both static
and dynamic way. The paper provides the references for business process teams,
especially those within the supply chain companies that own complex business
processes and volatile business rules. They can implement the ideas of the rule-based
workflow framework and system suggested by the author in order to enhance the market
competitiveness and reduce the system maintenance cost. The paper also provides the
references for future rule-based workflow system development. The business process
management can be better implemented and documented. More importantly, they can
thus focus on the business rules which are the intangible but critical resources of the
company. Further researches have also been suggested, such as a universal standard of
rule base could be established.
Key Words: Rule-based Workflow System, Supply Chain Management,
Business Rule, Process Management
Contents
中文摘要
ABSTRACT
Chapter One Introduction .............................................. 1
§1.1 Background ................................................... 1
§1.1.1 Background Information of Workflow and Workflow System ........ 1
§1.1.2 Background Information of Business Process Management .......... 2
§1.2 Problem Description ............................................ 2
§1.3 Research Questions ............................................. 3
§1.4 Research Approaches and Contributions .............................3
§1.5 Summary of Previous Researches .................................. 5
§1.6 Outline ....................................................... 7
Chapter Two Rule-based Workflow System ................................7
§2.1 Business rule .................................................. 7
§2.1.1 Why it is essential to manage the business rules ................... 9
§2.2 Workflow Engine ............................................. 10
§2.3 Rule Engine .................................................. 12
§2.3.1 Forward Chaining Algorithm ................................. 14
§2.3.1.1 Rete Algorism ......................................... 16
§3.3.1.2 WF Algorism .......................................... 17
§2.4 Rule Base ....................................................19
§2.4.1 Rule Acquisition ...........................................20
§2.4.2 Rule Analysis ............................................. 22
§2.4.3 Rule Language Definition ................................... 23
§2.4.4 Rule Base Establishment .................................... 24
§2.4.5 Rule Maintenance ..........................................24
§2.5 Rule-based Workflow System Model .............................. 25
§2.5.1 System Architecture ........................................ 25
§2.5.2 Dynamic Modification Strategy ............................... 27
Chapter Three Application of Rule-based Workflow System in Supply Chain
Business Process Management ........................................... 29
§3.1 Establish Rule base ............................................ 30
§3.1.1 Findings and Problem Discussion ............................. 31
§3.1.2 Business Processes of the Company ............................33
§3.1.3 Rule sets ................................................. 35
§3.1.4 Rule base ................................................ 40
§3.2 Workflow Modeling of Carrefour GSA ............................ 43
§3.2.1 Modeling Approach ........................................ 43
§3.2.2 Petri net modeling ..........................................43
§3.3 Business Process Reengineering .................................. 48
§3.4 Prototype Design .............................................. 52
§3.4.1 System Development Environment and tools .................... 52
§3.4.2 Internet Structure .......................................... 55
§3.4.3 System Structure ...........................................56
§3.4.4 Functional Diagram ........................................ 58
§3.4.5 Workflow Process Design ................................... 59
§3.4.6 Database Design ........................................... 63
§3.4.7 System Service ............................................ 67
§3.4.8 Rule Management Module ................................... 68
§3.4.8.1 Static Rule Modification ................................. 68
§3.4.8.2 Dynamic Rule Modification .............................. 69
§3.4.9 System Simulation ......................................... 72
§3.5 Rational of Using Rule-based Workflow System in SCM .............. 76
§3.6 Summary .................................................... 77
Chapter Four Conclusions ............................................. 78
§4.1 Summary of the Paper .......................................... 78
§4.2 Discussion ................................................... 79
§4.3 Future Researches ............................................. 81
References ......................................................... 83
Publications ........................................................ 87
Acknowledgements .................................................. 88
Chapter One Introduction
1
Chapter One Introduction
§1.1 Background
§1.1.1BackgroundInformationofWorkflowandWorkflowSystem
Workflow is a broad concept, which refers to a series of steps that involves
decisions and rules to accomplish a certain task. A single example of workflow is
ordering the dishes at the restaurant by a customer. A customer first checks the menu,
then orders the meal he wants, the waiter takes down the order and sends to the chef.
The chef checks whether the stock meets the requirement to make the dishes what the
customer orders. If so, he will start making the dishes. Otherwise, he will tell the waiter
to modify the order. After the dishes were done, it will be served to the customer.
‘Workflow’ stems from the fields of manufacture and office automation, which a
series of procedures or tasks need to be done one step after another or the documents
need to pass from one place to the other for review or approval. Workflow Management
Coalition defines workflow as “The automation of a business process, in whole or part,
during which documents, information or tasks are passed from one participant to
another for action, according to a set of procedural rules.” Furthermore, they define a
workflow management system as “A system that defines, creates and manages the
execution of workflows through the use of software, running on one or more workflow
engines, which is able to interpret the process definition, interact with workflow
participants and, where required, invoke the use of IT tools and applications.” (Kappel
et al. 1995, p. 11)[1] discussed that workflow management systems (WFMS) had been
introduced to design, execution and monitoring of business processes.
The market competition is becoming increasingly severe. The organizations are
establishing information system to improve the efficiency and lower the cost to
maximize the profit and gain market competitiveness. But the traditional information
systems are lacking effective mechanism and design to handle complex business
processes which involve interactions between several users. The management of
business processes of these information systems is still ‘manually’ instead of
‘automatically or semi-automatically’. Under such circumstances, the companies
especially those strongly rely on good business process management are starting to
introduce workflow management system to manage and monitor their business
processes.
The Study of Rule-based Workflow System on Business Process Management
2
§1.1.2BackgroundInformationofBusinessProcessManagement
Nowadays, much attention has been focused on the management methodology of
supply chain management (SCM), which integrates business processes from suppliers to
consumers and manages various tasks. (Kobayashi, Tamaki & Komoda, 2003, p.769)[2]
The retail supply chain management is an important branch of the supply chain
management. The reason why Wal-Mart is ranking the top among all the companies in
the world is because of its good supply chain management. The retail supply chain
management has the characteristics of complicated business process, as well as the
complex and volatile business rules. It is extremely important for it to have a
well-designed dynamic workflow system for its business process management.
The International Center for Competitive Excellence defined supply chain
management to be “the integration of key business processes from end user through
original suppliers that provides products, services and information that add value for
customers and other stakeholders.” (Changchien and Shen, 2002)[3] IBM company
defines the business process management as ‘To model, development and manage the
business processes during their whole life-cycles, in order to attain the company’s goal.’
§1.2 Problem Description
Due to the globalization, the businesses of the companies are tending to be
complicated. Thus, the trends of business rules are becoming increasingly complicated
and dynamic. This is especially significant for the supply chain companies. They are
facing the volatile business rules which could be updated every week or even every day.
For example, there is one rule in the supply chain states as ‘if the total volume of the
products ordered by the customer is less than 10 cubic meters, the order will be rejected
by the supplier and returned to the buyer.’ But the next day, the rules could be changed
to ‘if the total size of the products ordered by the customer is less than 8 cubic meters,
the order will be rejected by the supplier. Else if the size between 8-10 cubic meters, the
order will be accepted by the supplier but the customer will be charged extra 5% of the
total payment.’ Therefore, it arises many problems of the traditional workflow system.
It has been stated by (Royce 2007)[4] that “traditional workflow systems do not provide
the agility to easily change the system when the business requirements changed’.
The word ‘agility’ here refers to two kinds of meanings. Firstly, since the
programming codes of business rules are embedded in the whole system programming
Chapter One Introduction
3
codes, it is hard to maintain and update the traditional workflow systems if business
rules change frequently. Because it requires the programmers to change the source
codes of programming regularly in order to modify the volatile business rules, and thus
it may cause several problems for system maintenance. Secondly, the system developers
often do not clearly understand the complex business rules which are described and
made by business process managers. Thus, the business rules could be inaccurate or
needs lots of modifications. The reason could be that many business rules are implicit
knowledge stored in people’s mind which cannot be easily transferred into explicit
knowledge that can be depicted by the written documents and words. Another reason
could be the business rules cannot be defined at the beginning when the programmers
are doing programming. Besides that, the system developer is doing the tasks which
supposed to be done by the staff from business process team, business rule team and
system development team. Thirdly, the traditional workflow system is lacking the
mechanism that how system should response if the business rules change during the
execution of a workflow instance has started.
In all, most of the current workflow systems are ‘static’ and they cannot handle and
response to the volatile business rules very well. Thus, it is important to have a new
system framework for workflow system to be focused on business rules, in order to
have a better business process management of the company.
§1.3 Research Questions
The research questions of the paper are mainly focused on four issues. How to
establish rule base and how to maintain the rules?
1. How can rule-based workflow system to be ‘agility’?
2. How to establish rule base and manage business rules?
3. How can staff from business team and system development team to allocate
their tasks, in order to work efficiently to develop and maintain the system?
4. How can rule-based workflow system be applied in business process
management, especially in the supply chain filed?
§1.4 Research Approaches and Contributions
The author mainly completes the following tasks in the research of paper.
1. Discuss how to manage business rule and the steps to establish rule base.
2. Discuss the framework of rule-based workflow system.
The Study of Rule-based Workflow System on Business Process Management
4
3. Select two supply chain companies and conduct interviews.
4. Use Petri net to model workflow and implement business process
reengineering.
5. Establish the rule base.
6. Develop the system prototype to illustrate suggestions according to the
reengineered business process and the rule base.
7. Discuss the advantages the rule-based workflow system brings to the supply
chain business process management.
Main contributions of the author to the research area lie in the following aspects:
1. The author puts forward the steps to establish rule base which provides the
references for other researches.
2. The author suggests using Anecdote Circles in rule acquisition which has never
been discussed by other researches.
3. The author combines the rule-based workflow system with supply chain
business processes and develop the system prototype for a supply chain
management company, thus the paper provides the references for those
companies, especially the supply chain management companies, which own
complex business processes and volatile business rules, to better manage their
business processes and rules.
4. The author illustrates how staff from business process team, business rule
management team, system development team, database development team can
perfectly allocate their own tasks correspondingly and undertake tasks
independently in high efficiency during prototype development and
maintenance. It provides references for rule-based workflow system
development in the future for business process management, especially the
system of complex and changeable business processes; volatile and intricate
business rule; complicated database design and strict deadline. Since there are
very few researches discussing about the combination of rule-based workflow
system and the supply chain business process management, the researches and
the conclusions in the paper is valuable for the future researches.
There are several reasons for the author to select retail supply chain as the research
area of the rule-based workflow system.
Chapter One Introduction
5
Firstly, the retail supply chain management is an important branch of the supply
chain management. The reason why Wal-Mart is ranking the top among all the
companies in the world is because of its good supply chain management. The retail
supply chain management has the characteristics of complicated business process, as
well as the complex and volatile business rules. It is extremely important for it to have a
well-designed dynamic workflow system for its business process management.
Secondly, to satisfy and respond quickly to the requirements, many retail supply
chain companies are now focusing on supply chain management (SCM) system in order
to strengthen their ability to compete. This has therefore been recognized as an
important area for IT innovation and investment. (Bowersox and Calantone, 1995)[5]
Thirdly, from the overall perspective, the retail supply chain contains the activities
of several functional departments from different companies. Those companies could
play different roles such as the buyer, the supplier, the supply chain management
company, the third-party logistics, etc. The workflow connects these companies by the
business processes. From the individual perspective, each company in a supply chain
can be regarded as a dependent node. Each node has some business processes which
connect each other to be a workflow.
§1.5 Summary of Previous Researches
Conery, et al. (2005)[6] described data-centric software architecture for
bioinformatics workflows and a rule-based workflow system. They suggested that the
workflow system uses declarative specifications of data dependences between steps to
automatically order the execution of those steps. They also stated that the rule-based
approach supports an iterative design method for creating new workflows.
Müller, et al. (2004)[7] stated that current workflow management systems still lack
support for automatic and dynamic workflow adaptations. They further presented the
concepts and implementation of AgentWork which is a workflow management system
supporting automated workflow adaptation in a comprehensive way. Furthermore, they
suggested a rule-based approach which is followed to specify exceptions and necessary
workflow adaptations.
Chunfang and Qingping (2006)[8] discussed the disadvantage of the current
workflow model is hard to adapt to the dynamic business requirements by coding the
business rules in the business processes. They proposed a rule-based workflow
摘要：
展开>>
收起<<
摘要由于全球化竞争趋势的深入，公司正开始建立工作流系统用以提高流程管理效率和降低成本来最终最大化公司利润并且获得市场竞争力。工作流系统能够自动化或者半自动化执行业务流程，信息，文档以及工作任务因此能够从一个参与者传递到另外一个参与者。然而，当前公司的业务规则都变的越来越复杂和多变。这在那些具有复杂多变的业务规则，并且致力于业务流程管理的供应链公司身上体现的尤为突出。当业务需求与规则发生改变后，传统的工作流系统不能灵活地改变自身的系统。他们没有针对业务规则来设计工作流系统，因此系统呈现出静态以及不灵活的特点。在本文的研究中，作者针对两家跨国供应链巨头进行了采访，他们是法国家乐福亚洲全球采购部以及...
相关推荐
-
跨境电商商业计划书模版VIP免费
2025-01-09 26 -
跨境电商方案范文VIP免费
2025-01-09 14 -
创业计划书VIP免费
2025-01-09 18 -
xx生鲜APP计划书VIP免费
2025-01-09 12 -
跨境电商创业园商业计划书(盈利模式)VIP免费
2025-01-09 8 -
跨境电商计划书VIP免费
2025-01-09 13 -
绿色食品电商平台项目计划书VIP免费
2025-01-09 22 -
农产品电子商务商业计划书VIP免费
2025-01-09 8 -
农村电商平台商业计划书VIP免费
2025-01-09 13 -
生鲜商城平台商业计划书VIP免费
2025-01-09 21
作者：陈辉
分类：高等教育资料
价格：15积分
属性：91 页
大小：2.9MB
格式：PDF
时间：2024-11-19
