Service Composition - Guide to Cloud Computing for Business and Technology Managers - page 217

value-driven processes and institutionalizes their execution within the
enterprise. This implies that BPM tools can help analyze, define, and enforce
process standardization. BPM provides a modeling tool to visually construct,
analyze, and execute cross-functional business processes.
BPM is more than process automation or traditional workflow. BPM
within the context of EAI and e-business integration provides the flexibility
necessary to automate cross-functional processes. It adds conceptual inno-
vations and technology from EAI and e-business integration and reimple-
ments it on an e-business infrastructure based on Web and XML standards.
Conventional applications provide traditional workflow features that work
well only within their local environment. However, integrated process man-
agement is then required for processes spanning organizations. Automating
cross-functional activities, such as checking or confirming inventory
between an enterprise and its distribution partners, enables corporations
to manage processes by exception based on real-time events driven from
the integrated environment. Process execution then becomes automated,
requiring human intervention only in situations where exceptions occur;
for example, inventory level has fallen below a critical threshold or manual
tasks and approvals are required.
The distinction between BPM and workflow is mainly based on
the management aspect of BPM systems: BPM tools place con-
siderable emphasis on management and business functions.
Although BPM technology covers the same space as workflow,
its focus is on the business user and provides more sophisticated man-
agement and analysis capabilities. With a BPM tool, the business user is
able to manage all the process of a certain type, for example, claim pro-
cesses, and should be able to study them from historical or current data
and produce costs or other business measurements. In addition, the
business user should also be able to analyze and compare the data or
business measurements based on the different types of claims. This
type of functionality is typically not provided by modern workflow
systems.
10.4 Business Processes via Web Services
Business processes management and workflow systems today support the
definition, execution, and monitoring of long-running processes that coor-
dinate the activities of multiple business applications. However, because
these systems are activity oriented and not communication (message) ori-
ented, they do not separate internal implementation from external protocol