1 Cooperative Open Workflow Yvan Peter, Thomas Vantroys Laboratoire TRIGONE – Equipe Noce Université des Sciences et Technologies de Lille

2 ObjectWeb Workflow meeting - 9/12/03 Objectives Accomodate different styles of learning –Group based learning (similar to face to face) –Individual learning (more oriented toward lifelong learning) Support cooperative work Flexible management of learning paths –every learner/group is different Reuse of activity/process models

3 ObjectWeb Workflow meeting - 9/12/03 Objectives Read course material Perform online test Correction of the tests General discussion learner tutor May be individual work Can be done as available Collaborative activity

4 ObjectWeb Workflow meeting - 9/12/03 Development framework Build on standards –XPDL from WfMC –WMF from OMG Based on EJB / J2EE –EJB 2.0, CMP for entities –XDoclet, Jonas Results as XML strings –SOAP support (integration with COM) –Can be used in multi-device presentation layer

5 Architecture

6 ObjectWeb Workflow meeting - 9/12/03 General architecture WMF interfaces implemented mostly as entities A set of sessions provide high level functions (task list, model modification,...)

7 ObjectWeb Workflow meeting - 9/12/03 General architecture WfProcess (entity) WfActivity (entity) WfWorkItem (entity) ProcessManager (session) ActivityManager (session) WorkItemManager (session) Workflow engine EJB container Servlet/JSP container HTML JSP Servlet java class RMI HTTP SOAP

8 Features

9 ObjectWeb Workflow meeting - 9/12/03 Flexibility Modifications of the instance model –Add, remove, change : activities, transitions, tools Modification API (session facade) Modification of the interpretation of the model (engine behavior) –Strategies selection within process instance model

10 ObjectWeb Workflow meeting - 9/12/03 Flexibility Modifications done –Through a facade interface –Via an XML language (test in a tool then change the model) No semantic control (yet…)

11 ObjectWeb Workflow meeting - 9/12/03 Flexibility

12 ObjectWeb Workflow meeting - 9/12/03 Group management

13 ObjectWeb Workflow meeting - 9/12/03 Group management

14 ObjectWeb Workflow meeting - 9/12/03 Time management Different types of time constraints –Deadline for starting and terminating an activity –Minimum and maximum time to perform an activity Pattern strategy used to handle that flexibly JMX timer used to check time constraints regularly –The strategy is applied if necessary

15 ObjectWeb Workflow meeting - 9/12/03 Event notification Based on WMF *EventAudit Stored as entities JMS messages emitted only with primary key and event type

16 Non standard parts and why they do exist

17 ObjectWeb Workflow meeting - 9/12/03 WMF modifications

18 ObjectWeb Workflow meeting - 9/12/03 XPDL modifications Process / activities are defined in separate models

19 ObjectWeb Workflow meeting - 9/12/03 XPDL modifications Either “standard activity” or explicit workitem definition......

20 ObjectWeb Workflow meeting - 9/12/03 XPDL modifications Time management –Deadlines –Duration......

21 ObjectWeb Workflow meeting - 9/12/03 Status Hosted on objectweb forge – A technical component to be embedded User interface being developed Integration into OpenUSS e-learning platform in progress