Browse by Tags
All Tags »
workflow (RSS)
I ran into a friend today and, as friends often do, we let our conversation wander over the different "broken things" in IT in general (and a few in Microsoft in specific). One thing that I'd like to share from that conversation: a truly
Read More...
I have always taken the advice at face value: the "to be" model matters much more than the "as is" model does. Implicit in that: spend as little time on the "as is" model as you can. Perhaps, even, do the "to
Read More...
If we want to decouple a SOA system, we must get away from the notion of the remote procedure call. In other words, our services need to have as few "command" messages as we can get away with. This is a design philosophy but it is easier said than done.
Read More...
We are frequently criticized for not supporting enough open standards. Honestly, I think it's negative hype. MS supports a long list of open standards, some of which we created, some of which we didn't. This one is cool: BPEL. When business analysts write
Read More...
I watched on the sidelines, not long ago, as a team of architects carefully inspected and examined different technologies for managing a rules engine. I found it interesting, but not terribly pertinent, because...well... to be honest... rules engines
Read More...
Every system is responsible for publishing its own events. I hold that as a core requirement of participating in an Enterprise Application Integration Infrastructure (EAI-I). What does that mean: The system, as part of it's ownership, it's code, it's
Read More...
Do all of your project managers deliver the same information to their team and management? Do all of your developers use common tools and techniques? Do all of your testers follow the same patterns for creating test cases? Process improvement is an interesting,
Read More...
For most folks, a UML sequence diagram is something that is either (a) unnecessary, (b) clearly required and essential. There is rarely a middle ground. So when you create a diagram (whether by force or by choice) I'd like you to consider the audience,
Read More...
It is no secret that I am not fond of using EAI systems like Biztalk for Human Collaborative Workflow. I believe, instinctively, that it is a bad idea. However, I have to be more than instinctive in this analytical world (and company). I need to be prescriptive
Read More...
In Six Sigma, from what little I know about Six Sigma, you identify the outputs of your process that are 'critical to quality.' You then look to see if you can find the measures that can move those outputs. You work to drive these measures in a positive
Read More...
Workflow tools only fulfill their real promise if the business users can not only see the workflow, but can modify it without calling a software developer on the phone. It has to be simple, easy to learn, and something that is difficult to add bugs. (Think
Read More...
I've thought about writing a book on workflow. I have a lot to say (more below). The problem is, no one wants to read a blinkin' book on workflow. So, I'm thinking about a business novel (like Goldratt's The Goal or Who Moved My Cheese by Johnson and
Read More...
I'm sitting in a meeting typing a blog. Shoot me. However, there is a discussion going on about how a process may flow differently depending on the level of information that may be made available. Earlier I described different levels of abstraction in
Read More...
A quick note on how to provide ACID transactional properties to a long-running transaction.
Read More...
I'm specifically looking for feedback on a workflow component I am working on. We have implemented a workflow engine that maintains a distinction between ResponsibleFor and AssignmentTo. We have ambiguity around the combination of this concept with group
Read More...
