Integrated process management: from planning to work execution

INTEGRATED PROCESS MANAGEMENT: FROM PLANNING TO WORK EXECUTION
Ali Bahrami
Boeing Phantom Works, Mathematics & Computing Technology
ali.bahrami@boeing.com
ABSTRACT
Project management tools are used to manage projects
from time as well as from resource leveling perspectives.
Workflow management systems guide users through
processes by driving the processes based on formal
process definitions also called workflow types. This paper
describes integrated process management system that will
integrate project management, business process modeling,
simulation and workflow technologies in order to support
scheduled workflow execution. The target will be
achieved by utilizing a tool for modeling work processes
which can semi automatically generate workflow
processes based on scheduling tool and then exported it to
workflow engine via web services using XML process
definition language (XPDL). Addition of simulation
capability allows testing workflows before deployment.
1. Introduction
Coordinating a large program such as new airplane design
is a big challenge, and improving coordination would save
time and money. Coordination relies on frequent meetings
and discussions to understand the current and planned
activities of all the programs’ participants. Scheduling and
project management tools provide support for determining
task sequencing, dependencies, and resource loading, and
once the schedule is established, its status is updated and
reviewed in meetings. The work within each scheduled
task is coordinated by people communicating with one
another: Managers talking to IPT leads, and the leads
talking to their team members. There is little automated
support to ensure that work is done in accordance with a
specified process. Process owners lack the tools required
to describe their processes at the level of detail required
for workflow automation, and there is no integration of
workflow management tools with scheduling and project
management tools.
An integrated process management environment supports
coordination of program tasks, reducing the time required
to perform these tasks and the costs of coordinating them.
Process owners or their designees construct executable
models that define the task elements, the roles responsible
for each task element, and the rules that determine task
element sequencing. Tasks are initiated automatically in
Copyright held by author
accordance with the program schedule by alerting the
individuals responsible for performing the work. As each
person completes a task element, the work is
automatically routed in accordance with the established
process to the next person, who may be selected from an
available pool of people based on resource loadings. The
status of all current tasks is visible and updated
automatically as task elements are completed.
This vision can be achieved through integration of project
management, workflow management, and business
process modeling technologies. The workflow template
designer provides a low-cost method for business process
owners to create and view their processes and for
workflow modeling experts to generate the details
required by the workflow engine. Its development requires
leveraging workflow standards to enable information
exchange between dissimilar workflow engines (such as
PTC Windchill and Enovia workflow engines) and
process modeling tools. To enable distributed workflows
that accomplish downstream deployment of work
packages, the template designer will support standards
such as the Workflow Management Coalition (WfMC)
XML Process Definition Language (XPDL).
The interface between scheduling and workflow
management systems will support rollup of workflow data
to support workflow plans, schedules, status, and critical
chain analysis. We have developed an interface between
Primavera P3e (project management) and PTC Windchill
(workflow engine) utilizing web services as a means of
integration.
2. Process Management
Enterprise-wide process management implementations are
similar to a large program from the standpoint of size,
scalability, and performance issues. Enterprise-wide
processes are those that cross programs and/or business
units. Examples may include processes associated with
employee benefits or payroll, travel expense processing,
general purchasing, and similar corporate wide processes.
Typically, these processes are controlled at a corporate
level – with modifications based on special classes of
activities. For example, a health insurance benefits
process may actually be several different processes based
on a person’s status – union represented, salaried, hourly,
etc. In each case the process is likely “owned” or
controlled by a corporate group. In a large enterprise

these types of implementations require workflow systems
that are scalable, have high performance, and are available
in a widely distributed environment. In addition, loads on
the system may be very variable depending on a wide
variety of circumstances. Some level of surge capability
is needed so that performance is relatively consistent
across a broad range of user access loads. The user
interface must be user friendly and deployable without
needing large new support or training infrastructures. The
system must be highly reliable, as business critical
processes will be executed.
2.1 Business Process Modeling
A business process is a set of one or more linked
procedures or activities that collectively realize a business
objective or policy goal, normally within the context of an
organizational structure defining functional roles and
relationships [1, 3, 4].
Modeling, Simulation and Management System (MS) 2
developed at the Boeing phantom works by author allows
the designer of business processes to define a static view
of these processes using the extended Unified Modeling
Language (UML) activity diagram. More on (MS) 2 in the
next section [2].
• UML Class Diagrams model objects defined within
processes as well as data modeling
• UML Use-Case Diagrams express how actors (e.g.
people, departments, or applications) and systems
interact to accomplish a portion of the business (or
system)
• UML Activity Diagrams model workflows and
business process definitions for simulations and
workflow execution.
A process designer can represent processes at varied
levels of detail ranging from step-by-step tasks performed
by a single user to highest-level business processes that
span enterprises. Because the process models are
hierarchical, the designer can shift between these different
perspectives while maintaining overall consistency. The
appropriate level of detail in the activity diagrams depends
on the intended use of the model. The finest (lowest)
level of detail describes the activities of people who
actually perform the individual tasks, e.g. machinists,
fabricators etc. The coarsest (highest) level of detail may
be more appropriate for higher level of management.
2.1.1 Workflow Template Designer
Workflow template designer uses (MS) 2 to define
activities and associate these activities with attributes and
objects. Because (MS) 2 is based on UML, the models it
creates provide support for software development and
system design. The web functionality of (MS) 2 supports
cooperative modeling across organizational boundaries.
The process designer may simulate a process by providing
dynamic data such as resources, duration, and distribution
probability. This dynamic information is added to the
static process model and used by the Arena simulation
engine to simulate the process. (MS) 2 uses UML
diagrams and a representation language based on Use
Cases, Activities, and Class diagrams as illustrated in
Figure 1 and listed below:
Figure 2 (MS) 2
the breadth of the functionalities.
user Interface easily provides access to
(MS) 2 is a work modeling tool, but not a workflow
management system. Windchill and other workflow
management systems include their own tools for modeling
work processes graphically, but these modeling tools lack
the analysis, simulation, and more importantly cross tools
interoperability especially for model exchange [2].
2.2. Project Management
Figure 1. UML Based Business Process Modeling Tool
Supports Industry Standards.
Numerous models exist for managing projects, but each
includes a similar set of basic phases: project definition,
project planning, performance tracking and project
closure.

During project definition one establishes the framework
for the project, including the following:
• Project scope, describing the work to be done,
defining objectives and clarifying them against other
organizational priorities
• Resources, identifying the people, equipment and
materials you will need
• Project limits, describing project assumptions,
determining constraints such as cost or schedule, and
clarifying risk
An effective plan provides the direction for a project,
maintaining information about scope, resources and
schedule in one place. Developing a project plan involves
the following steps:
• Work breakdown, identifying project tasks and
determining the skills required to accomplish ach one
• Time estimates, determining the time involved, or
duration of each task
• Task dependencies, establishing how tasks relate to
each other and the order in which they must be
completed
• Task constraints, identifying specific task issues, such
as schedule constraints or lack of certain people or
skills
Tracking mechanisms help you evaluate your project's
progress by analyzing performance against specific
criteria. By regularly reviewing results, you can better
direct and refine the project. Tracking performance
involves the following:
• Comparing actual progress against planned estimates.
Comparing where you are with where you planned to
be can pinpoint areas that may put your project at
risk, such as slower-than-expected progress.
• Identifying issues. Identifying issues as they arise
helps ensure that you are aware of potential problems
that may affect the project scope, resources or
schedule.
• Reviewing resource and schedule requirements.
Overloading one or more members of the project
team is one of the most common causes for schedule
delays.
2.3 Workflow Management
Workflow is the automation of a business process, in
whole or part, during which documents, information, or
tasks are passed from one participant to another or among
business partners for action, according to a set of
procedural rules. Workflows also represent the order in
which individual activity steps are to be executed, the
conditions for the activation of an activity, the tools for
the execution of an activity, the people resources and
other applications that may be needed for the activity
execution, among other things.
A workflow management system (WfMSs) 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 information technology tools and
applications. Workflow management systems (WfMSs),
in general, are used to coordinate and streamline
workflows and hence business processes. WfMS include
tools for workflow definition and design, workflow
instantiation and control, external applications integration
to execute individual activities and workflow
administration and monitoring. WfMSs assign individual
activities using mechanisms such as worklists for
execution of activities that include user interaction - the
user need not necessarily be aware of the higher level
workflow to which the activity belongs. Addition of
simulation capability allows testing workflows before
deployment.
A commonly used analogy that positions WfMSs in the
computing domain is as follows. While databases
guarantee the safe storage and easy access to massive
amounts of data, workflow management systems are
intended as the basic support for the business/process
flows in those same environments where databases are
used. The successful incorporation of WfMSs into a
business workplace greatly depends on the ability to make
workflows a technology as mature and resilient as existing
databases (following the same evolutionary track of
today’s widely prevalent relational DBMSs) [5].
For effective productivity improvement, best practices
implementation, supply chain linkage, and process based
management there is a fundamental need to focus on
automating the assortment of manual activities executed
among enterprises. The genesis of this opportunity comes
from the reality that business activities among enterprises
today are still typically performed manually. For effective
productivity improvement, best practices implementation,
supply chain linkage, and process based management
there is a fundamental need to focus on automating the
assortment of manual activities executed among
enterprises. Major benefit of WfMS is that they allow the
“automation” of business processes. Automation does not
mean to “control” or to “force” a user to perform in a
certain way [ 4, 6, 7, 10]. Automation means that business
process steps and their dependencies (data, control, etc.)
are specified formally and that a WfMS can support the
user based on this formal specification. For example, a
WfMS can deliver documents, alert the user of priorities
and deadlines, and can route information according to
company policies. WfMS are not only targeted to human
user environment.

They are also able to implement processes between
software systems not requiring user communication but
perform by invoking software services directly.
Furthermore, since WfMS automates a business process
as a repeatable sequence of subtasks, it makes each
process explicit and well defined in the information
technology infrastructure. This makes it amenable to
monitoring and change in a way that is not possible when
a process is simply built into specific application code.
Workflow technology typically involves integrating other
information technologies (such as document management,
product data management, and collaboration technologies)
to support the management and execution of business
processes.
3. Benefits of Integrated Process
Management
The benefits of modeling the best practices not only
derived from the automation of time-consuming
administrative tasks (such as tracking, monitoring, and
notification), but also by the detailed, on-line
documentation of those processes, which increases their
visibility and reusability throughout the enterprise.
In order to realize these benefits, the business processes
managed by workflow technology should be amenable to
being understood, modeled (i.e., represented as sequential
flows of tasks), executed (i.e., carried out by a identifiable
participants), monitored (i.e., identifiable as having being
started and completed), coordinated, (i.e., having some
sequential constraints on the order of subtasks), shared
(i.e., having subtasks that may be carried out by different
participants), repeated (i.e., executed many, separate times
in an organization), and, in some cases, simulated (i.e.,
able to estimate performance metrics). If a business
process meets these criteria, then the level of benefit from
workflow management often depends on the degree to
which the business process can take advantage of the
other information technologies that are integrated with the
particular workflow manager.
The key benefits of integrated process management are as
follows:
• Tool/Vendor Neutral Workflow Process Definition -
define once, execute any where.
• Reusing library of Process Components and
knowledge captured in the PM. Enabling fast
workflow development in accordance with PM and
vise-versa.
• Workflows are executed according to schedule - no
arbitrary workflow execution.
• Schedule changes reflected in WFMS - real work
execution affected.
• Ad-hoc changes in WFMS reflected in schedule -
additions / deletions / modifications sent to schedule.
• Schedule shows always correct status and history
• Improved efficiency - by the detailed model of long
running processes one can find clues to process
inefficiency. Furthermore, automation of business
processes results in the elimination of timeconsuming,
manual steps, such as routing documents
between subtask participants.
• Better process control - improved management of
business processes results from standardizing the
subtasks involved in a process and in the availability
of audit trails.
• Improved visibility and documentation – participants
are better able to monitor upcoming tasks and to
understand their interfaces with the participants of
other subtasks.
• Flexibility – using software to manage business
processes enables their re-design with changing
business needs and the tracking of any ad hoc
modifications to the processes.
• Business process improvement – design and
simulation tools facilitate the modeling of coherent,
efficient business processes.
4. Integrated Process Management
Architecture
The integrated process management architecture addresses
integration of scheduling systems (such as Primavera P3e)
with workflow management systems (implemented using
a tool such as PTC Windchill or Enovia) and process
modeling tool – (MS) 2 .
Scheduling and workflow systems both manage the flow
of work, but they emphasize different aspects of the work.
Scheduling systems emphasize analyzing the
dependencies between tasks and using those dependencies
to plan the human and temporal resources required to
perform the work. These systems enable management to
determine what resources will be required, when they will
be required, and how long it will take to complete a
project. The systems may also provide a prioritized
activity list or work list to the people responsible for
performing the work. Workflow management systems
emphasize the implementation of the work via the process
flow, including conditional branches and loops in the
process. These systems provide management with
visibility of the current status of every process instance
and assurance that the work is done in accordance with the
process. Workflow management systems alert the people
who must do the work of the tasks assigned to them, and
they also provide a work list of these tasks. Workflow
systems are generally well integrated with the work
objects, and they provide links from an item in a work list

Oct 98 Nov 98
ID Task Name Start Date End Date Duration
222324252627282930311 2 3 4 5 6 7
1 Receive and register package 10/23/1998 10/23/1998 1d
2 Enter Update Into ADADS 10/26/1998 10/28/1998 3d
3 Analyze The package Per 10/26/1998 6B0110/29/1998
3d 4h
4 Communicate With Compliance 10/29/1998 10/30/1998 Engineering 1d 4h
5 Enter Data Into System 11/2/1998 11/5/1998 3d 4h
6
Backout Data and Return Package To
Engineering
11/2/1998 11/6/1998 4d 4h
to the relevant data objects. For example, a task to
review a design in Enovia would include a link to the
design.
Integrated Work Management System Architecture
Design Time
WFMS WindChill
WF
Web Services
PM
P3e
PM
Web Services
and workflow engines. Similarly group of vendors
including Microsoft, IBM and others have defined the
Business Process Execution Language (BPEL). Now
being standardized under auspices of OASIS, BPEL is
also an XML-based language for defining interaction via
web services.
XML has emerged as the standard syntax for representing
and exchanging information when independent,
computing applications are involved. So it is a natural
choice to base a standard workflow process definition
language on XML. However, adequately representing the
complex semantics of business process definitions is
beyond the scope and purpose of the core XML
!
(MS) 2
Repository
Is collection of web
services for workflow,
process description,
project management
and configuration.
Web Services
WFMS WindChill
WF
Integrated Work Management Architecture
Runtime
Intelligent Search
Custom Items
Web Services
Business Processes
Workflow status
Project Management
iWork Management Service Broker
Web Services
Synchronization
Engine
Web Services
PM
P3e
PM
Web Services
(MS) 2
Repository
Figure 3 Integrated process management design time
architecture
The target will be achieved by utilizing a tool for
modeling work processes which can semi automatically
generate workflow processes based on scheduling tool and
then exported it to workflow engine via web services
using XML process definition language (XPDL) as it is
shown in Figure 3. Run time architecture allows for
synchronization of workflow and project management
resources during process instantiation and workflow
execution. See Figure 4.
Workflow management systems require and enable the
definition of business processes, typically via a processmodeling
tool. A process definition includes the rules,
constraints, attributes, and relationships of the activities,
participants, roles, and informational items (such as
documents) instrumental to the workflow. Because
different business process management server implement
workflow modeling in different ways, trying to run a
workflow model created for one vendor’s product on
another BPM server is unlikely to be successful. The
WfMC has been working on a standard interface
specification to enable process definitions to be passed
from modeling tools to workflow engines in a vendorneutral
way. In late 2002 WfMC released version 1
specification for a Process Definition Language based on
Extensible Markup Language (XML) schema referred to
as XPDL. XPDL provides a basic foundation for a vendor
neutral, standard interface between process modeling tools
Figure 4 Integrated process management run time
architecture
specifications. Information modeling grammars can be
used to extend the XML syntax by prescribing how
complex statements can be formed using simple elements.
We have developed capability to output XPDL from
(MS)2 process models. The hope is in very near future
every workflow management system that complies with
the WfMC standards (or other industry standards such as
BPEL) should be able to support XML representation of
processes. However, currently most workflow
management systems does not support mentioned
standards. For example, Windchill support only comma
separated value or CSV. We have built the translator that
take XPDL and convert it to CSV for Windchill
consumption [13].
5. Workflow Generation
Once the project plan has been established based on
Critical chain analysis, workflow model can be generated
based on scheduled tasks. See Figure 2. The workflow
generation wizard will then assist designer in generating
workflow (See Figure 5).

There appear to be three options for generating workflow
from project management tasks:
1. Simple Task- the scheduling activities and workflow
management tasks could be in one-to-one
correspondence;
augmented by descriptions of conditionals and loops, as
shown. The scheduling tool defines all the resources
responsible for carrying out the total activity, and
somehow these must be allocated to the individual steps.
2. Hierarchical task composed of several sub tasks
corresponds to a scheduled task that has not been
designed before;
3. Process Component- same as step 2 but Hierarchical
task has been deigned before.
Figure 6. Hierarchical task composed of several sub
tasks corresponds to a scheduled task.
5.3 Process Component- Hierarchical Task Has
Been Deigned Before
Workflow management is often used for processes such as
engineering change management that occur many times
and involve many short duration tasks such as review and
approval tasks. In this case design can reused previously
designed processes and retrieve it from process repository.
process
component
Figure 5 Workflow auto generation tool.
5.1 Simple Task-One-to-one Correspondence
The workflow tasks and scheduled activities could be in
one-to-one correspondence. Both the schedule
representation and the workflow representation contain
the same tasks/activities. The workflow template could be
initialized from this description of steps, but it is likely
that it would have to be augmented by descriptions of
decisions and loops.
5.2 Hierarchical Task That Has Not Been
Designed Before
These tasks may all be performed within the same
functional area and correspond to steps within a scheduled
activity. In this case, the workflow model would represent
the process flow within one activity, as shown in the
figure below. The description of a hierarchical activity
may include a sequence of sub activities, and the
workflow template could be initialized from this
description of steps, but it is likely that it would have to be
Figure 7. Process Component refers to processes that have
been defined and in the library of business processes for
reusability.
6. Conclusion
Today, an onslaught of business imperatives is pushing
enterprises to automate the highly complex business or
exchange activities occurring outside of any single
participating enterprise. To thrive and remain competitive,
it will be essential for businesses to automate and
optimize relationships with partners throughout the entire
business lifecycle. Providing services that integrate
project and resource management tools with workflow
management systems can enable efficient process

automation across the large, complex, and distributed
businesses.
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