Re-Configuring Workflow Management Systems to Facilitate a "smooth Flow of Work"

The image of workflow systems as being context-insensitive technology, hindering rather than supporting people in performing their work may still exist at present. This impression is also raised in the well-known and often cited case study within Establishment Printers. Using this case as a starting point, this paper presents an analysis of more recent workflow implementations to support the view that modern workflow systems are widely applied in the services industry and are considered useful by performers to support their way of working. In cases where the introduction of workflow technology initially disrupted the flow of work, a wide range of configuration options was available to mend such situations. A detailed analysis of a workflow implementation in a Belgian financial organization clearly shows that re-configuration decisions, like a finer step granularity, can transform a pre-structured production-type workflow system into a flexible application allowing and supporting a smooth flow of work.