Adaptive Workflow = Web Services + Agents

Workflow management systems exactly enact business processes described in a process description language. Unfortunately, such strict adherence to the prescribed workflow makes it impossible for the system to adapt to unforeseen circumstances. In this paper we propose that workflow description languages and their associated design tools can be used to specify a multiagent system. Specifically, we advance the idea that the Business Process Execution Language for Web Services can be used as a specification language for expressing the initial social order of a multiagent system, which can then intelligently adapt to changing environmental conditions. keywords: workflow enactment, coordination technology, multiagent systems, process description languages

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