YAWL: yet another workflow language

Based on a rigorous analysis of existing workflow management systems and workflow languages, a new workflow language is proposed: yet another workflow language (YAWL). To identify the differences between the various languages, we have collected a fairly complete set of workflow patterns. Based on these patterns we have evaluated several workflow products and detected considerable differences in their ability to capture control flows for non-trivial workflow processes. Languages based on Petri nets perform better when it comes to state-based workflow patterns. However, some patterns (e.g. involving multiple instances, complex synchronisations or non-local withdrawals) are not easy to map onto (high-level) Petri nets. This inspired us to develop a new language by taking Petri nets as a starting point and adding mechanisms to allow for a more direct and intuitive support of the workflow patterns identified. This paper motivates the need for such a language, specifies the semantics of the language, and shows that soundness can be verified in a compositional way. Although YAWL is intended as a complete workflow language, the focus of this paper is limited to the control-flow perspective.

[1]  Bartosz Kiepusewski,et al.  Expressiveness and suitability of languages for control flow modelling in workflows , 2003 .

[2]  Rob J. van Glabbeek,et al.  Branching time and abstraction in bisimulation semantics , 1996, JACM.

[3]  Marco Ajmone Marsan,et al.  A class of generalised stochastic petri nets for the performance evaluation of multiprocessor systems , 1983, SIGMETRICS '83.

[4]  Wil M.P. van der Aalst,et al.  Three good reasons for using a Petri-net-based workflow management system , 1996 .

[5]  Kees M. van Hee,et al.  Workflow Management: Models, Methods, and Systems , 2002, Cooperative information systems.

[6]  Marco Ajmone Marsan,et al.  A class of generalized stochastic Petri nets for the performance evaluation of multiprocessor systems , 1984, TOCS.

[7]  Christoph Schneider,et al.  Petri Net Based Certification of Event-Driven Process Chains , 1998, ICATPN.

[8]  Dirk Riehle,et al.  Understanding and Using Patterns in Software Development , 1996, Theory Pract. Object Syst..

[9]  Martin Fowler,et al.  Analysis patterns - reusable object models , 1996, Addison-Wesley series in object-oriented software engineering.

[10]  Jörg Desel,et al.  Free choice Petri nets , 1995 .

[11]  Wil M. P. van der Aalst,et al.  Workflow Patterns , 2004, Distributed and Parallel Databases.

[12]  van der Wmp Wil Aalst,et al.  Adviseurs slaan bij workflow-systemen de plank regelmatig mis , 2002 .

[13]  Gerhard Weikum,et al.  The Mentor project: steps towards enterprise-wide workflow management , 1996, Proceedings of the Twelfth International Conference on Data Engineering.

[14]  J. Davenport.  Editor , 1960 .

[15]  Ralph Johnson,et al.  design patterns elements of reusable object oriented software , 2019 .

[16]  Marco Ajmone Marsan,et al.  Modelling with Generalized Stochastic Petri Nets , 1995, PERV.

[17]  Gustavo Alonso,et al.  Letter from the Special Issue Editor , 1995, IEEE Data Eng. Bull..

[18]  C. Petri.  Kommunikation mit Automaten , 1962 .

[19]  Manfred Reichert,et al.  Adeptflex—Supporting Dynamic Changes of Workflows Without Losing Control , 1998, Journal of Intelligent Information Systems.

[20]  Kurt Jensen,et al.  Coloured Petri Nets: Basic Concepts, Analysis Methods and Practical Use. Vol. 2, Analysis Methods , 1992 .

[21]  Peter Lawrence.  Workflow Handbook 1997 , 1997 .

[22]  Mathias Weske,et al.  Formal foundation and conceptual design of dynamic adaptations in a workflow management system , 2001, Proceedings of the 34th Annual Hawaii International Conference on System Sciences.

[23]  Wil M. P. van der Aalst,et al.  Advanced Workflow Patterns , 2000, CoopIS.

[24]  Mathias Weske,et al.  The WASA2 object-oriented workflow management system , 1999, SIGMOD '99.

[25]  Kurt Jensen,et al.  Coloured Petri Nets: Modelling and Validation of Concurrent Systems , 2009 .

[26]  C. R. Ramakrishnan,et al.  Logic based modeling and analysis of workflows , 1998, PODS '98.

[27]  Jianwen Su,et al.  A Framework for Optimizing Distributed Workflow Executions , 1999, DBPL.

[28]  Lars G Fischer.  Workflow Handbook 2002, Workflow Management Coalition , 2002 .

[29]  Dragos Manolescu,et al.  Production workflow: concepts and techniques , 2001, SOEN.

[30]  Ismail Hakki Toroslu,et al.  A Logical Framework for Scheduling Workflows under Resource Allocation Constraints , 2002, VLDB.

[31]  Santosh K. Shrivastava,et al.  Flexible workflow management in the OPENflow system , 2001, Proceedings Fifth IEEE International Enterprise Distributed Object Computing Conference.

[32]  Kurt Jensen.  Coloured Petri nets: A high level language for system design and analysis , 1989, Applications and Theory of Petri Nets.

[33]  Shamkant B. Navathe,et al.  Information and Process Integration in Enterprises: Rethinking Documents , 1998 .

[34]  M. Z. Muehlen,et al.  Workflow Management Coalition , 2000 .

[35]  Marlon Dumas,et al.  UML Activity Diagrams as a Workflow Specification Language , 2001, UML.

[36]  Gerhard Weikum,et al.  Workflow history management in virtual enterprises using a light-weight workflow management system , 1999, Proceedings Ninth International Workshop on Research Issues on Data Engineering: Information Technology for Virtual Enterprises. RIDE-VE'99.

[37]  Clarence A. Ellis,et al.  Modeling and Enactment of Workflow Systems , 1993, Application and Theory of Petri Nets.

[38]  Wil M. P. van der Aalst,et al.  Fundamentals of control flow in workflows , 2003, Acta Informatica.

[39]  Christoph Bussler,et al.  On Structured Workflow Modelling , 2000, CAiSE.

[40]  Christoph Bussler,et al.  Workflow Management: Modeling Concepts, Architecture and Implementation , 1996 .

[41]  G. G. Stokes.  "J." , 1890, The New Yale Book of Quotations.

[42]  Wil vanderAalst,et al.  Workflow Management: Models, Methods, and Systems , 2004 .

[43]  William A. Ruh,et al.  Enterprise Application Integration: A Wiley Tech Brief , 2000 .

[44]  Santosh K. Shrivastava,et al.  The CORBA Activity Service Framework for Supporting Extended Transactions , 2001, Middleware.

[45]  Gerhard Weikum,et al.  The Mentor project: steps towards enterprise-wide workflow management , 1996, Proceedings of the Twelfth International Conference on Data Engineering.

[46]  Ekkart Kindler,et al.  On the semantics of EPCs: A vicious circle , 2002, EPK.

[47]  Jianwen Su,et al.  Declarative workflows that support easy modification and dynamic browsing , 1999, WACC.

[48]  Michael Kifer,et al.  Concurrency and Communication in Transaction Logic , 1996, JICSLP.

[49]  Gottfried Vossen,et al.  Transactional Information Systems: Theory, Algorithms, and the Practice of Concurrency Control and Recovery , 2002 .

[50]  P. S. Thiagarajan,et al.  A Theory of Bipolar Synchronization Schemes , 1984, Theor. Comput. Sci..

[51]  Wil M. P. van der Aalst,et al.  Analysis of Web Services Composition Languages: The Case of BPEL4WS , 2003, ER.

[52]  Kees M. van Hee,et al.  Information systems engineering - a formal approach , 1994 .

[53]  William J. Brown,et al.  Enterprise Application Integration: A Tech Brief , 2001 .

[54]  Gottfried Vossen,et al.  Transactional Workflows , 1997, DOOD.

[55]  Wil M. P. van der Aalst,et al.  The Application of Petri Nets to Workflow Management , 1998, J. Circuits Syst. Comput..

[56]  Boualem Benatallah,et al.  A Top-Down Petri Net-Based Approach for Dynamic Workflow Modeling , 2003, Business Process Management.

[57]  Kurt Jensen,et al.  Coloured Petri nets (2nd ed.): basic concepts, analysis methods and practical use: volume 1 , 1996 .

[58]  Amnon Naamad,et al.  Statemate: a working environment for the development of complex reactive systems , 1988, ICSE '88.

[59]  Marlon Dumas,et al.  Pattern Based Analysis of BPML (and WSCI) , 2002 .

[60]  Wolfgang Reisig,et al.  Lectures on Petri Nets I: Basic Models , 1996, Lecture Notes in Computer Science.

[61]  Gustavo Alonso,et al.  Advanced transaction models in workflow contexts , 1996, Proceedings of the Twelfth International Conference on Data Engineering.

[62]  Wil M. P. van der Aalst,et al.  Formalization and verification of event-driven process chains , 1999, Inf. Softw. Technol..

[63]  Marc H. Scholl,et al.  Transactional information systems: theory, algorithms, and the practice of concurrency control and recovery , 2001, SGMD.

[64]  Juliane Dehnert,et al.  Relaxed Soundness of Business Processes , 2001, CAiSE.

[65]  C. R. Ramakrishnan,et al.  Logic Based Modeling and Analysis of Workflows (Extended Abstract) , 1998 .