Workflow automation: Overview and research issues

Workflow management systems, a relatively recent technology, are designed t o make work more efficient, integrate heterogeneous application systems, an d support interorganizational processes in electronic commerce applications . In this paper, we introduce the field of workflow automation, the subject of this special issue of Information Systems Frontiers. In the first part of the paper we provide basic definitions and frameworks to aid understandi ng of workflow management technologies. In the remainder of the paper, we d iscuss technical and management research opportunities in this field and di scuss the other contributions to the special issue.