X-Original-Path: bcarh8ac.bnr.ca!bmdhh222.bnr.ca!btnet-feed2!unlisys!fu-berlin.de!news.apfel.de!cpk-news-hub1.bbnplanet.com!news.bbnplanet.com!news-peer.gsl.net!bloom-beacon.mit.edu!senator-bedfellow.mit.edu!faqserv From: groupware@arch.ping.dk (Groupware FAQ) Newsgroups: comp.groupware,comp.answers,news.answers Subject: comp.groupware FAQ: Products3: Frequently Asked Questions Supersedes: Followup-To: comp.groupware Date: 1 May 1997 09:06:46 GMT Organization: University of Copenhagen Lines: 895 Approved: news-answers-request@MIT.EDU Expires: 18 Jul 1997 09:06:05 GMT Message-ID: NNTP-Posting-Host: penguin-lust.mit.edu Summary: Groupware Products, part three Keywords: CSCW, orgware, group, interactive, shared, environments X-Last-Updated: 1995/06/27 Originator: faqserv@penguin-lust.MIT.EDU Path: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu!bloom-beacon.mit.edu!hecate.umd.edu!haven.umd.edu!news5.digex.net!news2.digex.net!howland.erols.net!cam-news-hub1.bbnplanet.com!su-news-hub1.bbnplanet.com!news.bbnplanet.com!news.sgi.com!news.tamu.edu!news.utdallas.edu!nrchh45.rich.nt.com!bcarh189.bnr.ca!ferret.ocunix.on.ca!resurrector X-Comment: mfrankowski@winternet.com rogue canceller active again X-Comment: This article resurrected by dave@ferret.ocunix.on.ca X-Comment: See news.admin.net-abuse.announce for further details Xref: senator-bedfellow.mit.edu comp.groupware:9958 comp.answers:25827 news.answers:101727 Archive-name: comp-groupware-faq/products3 Posting-Frequency: monthly Last-modified: 1995.4.12 Version: 3.2 Copyright: 1989 - 1995 (C) David S. Stodolsky, PhD Groupware Products - Part 3 =========================== Business Process Reengineering Tools ------------------------------------ Newsgroups: comp.infosystems From: Jerome Kreuser OBPIE 32796 Subject: BPR Tools Date: Tue, 8 Mar 1994 15:33:12 GMT We are not a manufacturing company but produce intellectual products and financial products. Most of the tools I have seen are discrete simulation tools. Among these are: SIMAN plus ARENA from Systems Modeling Corporation SIMSCRIPT products from CACI including SIMPROCESS their BPR product and MODSIM for more flexibility and detail HOCUS from P-E International Extend+BPR from Imagine That, Inc. ithink from High performance Systems, Inc. Micro SAINT from Micro Analysis and Design, Inc. Newsgroups: comp.infosystems From: babcock@cc.gatech.edu (Jim Babcock) Subject: Re: BPR Tools Date: Tue, 8 Mar 1994 16:00:45 GMT Here are a few more tools used in US .. I have no evaluation data... sorry. Business Design Facility (Texas Instrumants, Dallas TX) Dynamic Business Modeling (Digital Equipment, Bosoton MA)) QSNAP/SIMPAL (TEchno Sciences Inc & Ameritech Greenbelt MD & Hoffman Estates, IL)) SPARKS (Coopers Lybrand, Chicago) TASC [Plan, FlowSim, Control, Station], (TASC, Reading MA) WITNESS (AT&T, Cleveland OH) Newsgroups: comp.infosystems From: Carl Petter Swensson Subject: Re: BPR Tools Date: Tue, 8 Mar 1994 16:16:36 GMT Jerome Kreuser OBPIE 32796 wrote: Are there other useful tools available for BPR? You should consider RDD-100 from Ascent Logic Corporation, CA, USA. This is a system engineering tool, but many concepts in Systems Engineering and BPR are common. I have used this tool for doing reverse-engineering of software _and_ for modelling business processes, the latter case was a military organization. In the case of organizational modelling both reverse-engineering, i.e. figuring out what people really are doing, and forward engineering, i.e. what they should do, was done. It worked well. It is a comprehensive tool with a its basis in a methodology called Requirements Driven Development. It has very good support for traceability, dynamic simulation/verification facilities etc. Newsgroups: comp.infosystems From: "Susanne Strahringer" Subject: Re: BPR Tools Date: Wed, 9 Mar 1994 11:29:13 GMT In SPURR, K., LAYZELL, P., JENNISON, L., RICHARDS, N. (edts.), Software Assistance for Business Re-engineering, John Wiley 1993, several tools are described. These include: APACHE (Electronic Data Systems): proprietary Business Design Facility (Texas Instruments): commercially available Business Improvement Facility (Virtual Software Factory): commercially available CADDIE (Logica Cambridge Ltd): research tool for consultancy support iThink (High Performance Systems): commercially available PROCESSWISE WORKBENCH (International Computers Ltd, ICL): commercially available RADitor (Co-ordination Systems Ltd): commercially available SES/Workbench (Scientific and Engineering Software): commercially available TOP-IX (TOP-IX Ltd): commercially available Apart from these I came across the following products. All but the first of the following tools are of german or suisse origin and therefore probably not available in an English version. ProcessWeaver (Cap Gemini Innovation) BONAPART (UBIS GmbH) ARIS-Tools (IDS Prof. Scheer GmbH) MOSAIK (sietec consulting GmbH Co. OHG) Workflow Analyzer (C.I.T. GmbH) INCOME (Promatis Informatik GmbH & Co KG) PACE (Grossenbacher Elektronik AG) GRADE (Siemens Nixdorf) Newsgroups: comp.infosystems From: jpt@jytkoson2.jyu.fi (Juha-Pekka Tolvanen) Subject: RE: BPR tools Date: Tue, 15 Mar 1994 14:20:23 GMT One tool that can be added to the list of BPR tools is a metaCASE tool called MetaEdit (MetaCase Consulting Inc.,metacase@jsp.fi). A specific feature of Metaedit is that the modeling methods included can be customized to different purposes (e.g. to modeling of logistic processes or to workflow modeling), or even new methods can be created. Current method support for BPR include value process modeling and activity modeling. -- Juha-Pekka Tolvanen Department of Computer Science and Information Systems University of Jyva:skyla: P.O.Box 35, 40351 Jyva:skyla:, Finland E-mail: jpt@jyu.fi Tel: +358 41 603039, fax: 358 41 603611 From: confrgrp@indirect.com (The Conference Group) Subject: BPR Tool to be Unveiled 3/10 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Scott Dixon Smith 310.798.2425 HOLOSOFX Ships v. 1.0 of Workflow*BPR, Breakthrough Software for Process Representation (Los Angeles . . . Feb. 20) HOLOSOFX, Inc. (f.k.a. Virtual Management, Inc.) has announced commercial availability of version 1.0 of its flagship business process representation product, Workflow*BPR. Workflow*BPR, the first in a family of Business Process Improvement products is a comprehensive, industry-independent, business process definition tool that allows realistic visual representation of exactly how a process is handled under specific conditions. Workflow*BPR, v. 1.0 is a single-user, Windows-based tool that captures the activities, participants, resources and conditions that determine the course of a business process. These components are then used to generate virtual workflows, which realistically represent exactly how a process is handled under all specified conditions and exceptions. In addition, all of the possible alternative paths within a virtual workflow can be captured and an explicit path can be generated on demand. [snip] Workflow*BPR is available directly from HOLOSOFX in Manhattan Beach, CA or from its new business partners. Business partners include TRW Systems Integration Group (Long Beach, CA) RISCmanagement Inc. (New York, NY), Hcm (Torrence, CA), Sequent Computer Systems (Portland) and IBM Workgroup Solutions (Kettletown, CT). Pricing has been set at $2,495 for a single-user copy. Plans are in progress for a client/server version, due out during the second quarter of 1995. Collaborative Multimedia Scientific Design ------------------------------------------ SHASTRA is a X-11 based distributed and collaborative multimedia environment for cooperative problem solving. Licensed and sold by the Purdue Research Foundation. For info contact Prof. Chandrajit Bajaj (bajaj@cs.purdue.edu), 317-494-6531 fax 317-494-0739. MeetingWorks ------------ From: "L. Floyd Lewis" Subject: Teaching version of MeetingWorks GSS Date: Thu, 9 Feb 1995 00:30:27 GMT A teaching version of MeetingWorks for Windows Group Support System is now available. Meeting- Works is a Windows-based GSS that has just been released for commercial use. It works best for small to medium sized groups who meet in a face- to-face setting. However, the software sets a high limit on the number of participants (99), and the current version could be used along with separate teleconferencing software. It is essentially a modular toolkit that can be used to design meetings for almost any purpose. It includes tools to support idea generation and commenting, discussion and organization of ideas, exploration of relationships (cross-impact analysis), and a variety of evaluation approaches (voting, selecting, ranking, rating, multi-attribute utility analysis). Almost any other Windows or DOS program can be included in a meeting script, and executed at the appropriate time during the meeting. The Meeting- Works modules create a variety of reports, tables, and graphs which can be distributed during the meeting, and/or used to document the activities of the group. As the originator of MeetingWorks, and a professor, I wanted to be able to offer a full featured GSS to instructors at an affordable price. Therefore, the teaching version has retained ALL of the power and features of the full commercial version. However, we want to remind users that this version is only to be used for teaching, and not for any kind of consulting, so we have included screen and report headings that identify the software as being the teaching version. That is the ONLY difference. Like the commercial version, the educational version is able to support up to 99 users. If you want to consult using MeetingWorks, educational institutions can acquire the commercial version at a 33% discount. When you order an educational Starter Pack, you receive the teaching version of the software, a full Users Manual, five copies of my supple- mental textbook, and a set of four meeting scripts that can be used to teach and/or demonstrate MeetingWorks (you can also write your own original meeting scripts using the included tool, ScriptWriter). While the software cannot be used for consulting, it can be used for bona fide research projects that do not involve the exchange of any funds (i.e. - you can't be paid in any way for the research). The price for the above is $300. If you wish to order or request further information, send me an email message, and I will mail or fax you an order form or send you additional information. Dr. L. Floyd Lewis Professor of Information Systems Western Washington University lewis@cbe.wwu.edu 360-650-4817 (voice) 360-733-2193 (FAX) IBIS, gIBIS, CM/1 ----------------- Newsgroups: alt.hypertext,comp.groupware From: kcby@netcom.com (K.C. Burgess Yakemovic) Subject: Re: Looking for Designs for Mapping Logical Arguments Date: Sun, 1 May 1994 14:56:15 GMT In article <9404291127.AA10463@rx7.intercon.com> doc@intercon.com (Dave Kosiur) writes: >In article , pjohnson@hookup.net (Peter >Johnson) writes: >> I'm interested designs for representing information organized around >> the deconstruction of logical arguments. > >Take a look at the IBIS and gIBIS systems. >.... gIBIS had been a long-term project at MCC >in Austin. I believe the principals have since started their own business, >but, for the life of me, I cannot remember the company or product name. Jeff Conklin was the primary researcher in this work at MCC. He can be reached at: Corporate Memory Systems 8920 Business Park Drive Austin TX 78759 phone: 512-795-9999 fax: 512-794-5921 email: conklin@msi.com The product name is CM/1. I am not connected with this company, but I did work with Jeff while he was at MCC... so I've kept up a bit with his more recent work. -- kcby KC Burgess Yakemovic Group Performance Systems Inc. phone / fax: 404-395-0282 4776 Village N. Ct. email : kcby@netcom.com Atlanta GA 30338 USA k-lendars --------- From: leon@crios.inria.fr (Jean-Michel Leon) Newsgroups: comp.groupware Subject: Re: Free email-based shared calendar (for UNIX) available? Date: 12 Jul 1994 08:41:35 GMT In article , dnb@media.mit.edu (David N. Blank-Edelman) writes: |> I am hoping that this has been written and is already available. |> I'd like to find a (freely redistributable) program that runs under |> UNIX which accepts email requests to modify or query a group calendar. |> I'm writing k-lendars, which is a distributed calendar manager with communications based on email. k-lendars has replicated architecture, so that each group member has a copy of the current calendar. I don't think if it is exactly what you need, because k-lendars do not offer schedule mechanism, but here is the description... DESCRIPTION : ----------- K-lendars is a multi-user / multi-calendar diary. It is a MOTIF user interface to a distributed calendar manager. Communications are based on email and require a dispatch mechanism (procmail, slocal,...) Anyway if you do not want to use the multi user capabilities, you can use k-lendars in single-user mode, with one or more calendars. Features of version 1.1 are: - multi/calendar support - multi/user support, with group managment mechanisms - select/unselect any calendar - Year view - Day view - repeating appointments - alarms (up to 1 week before an appointment) - MOTIF 1.2 interface - mouse (point and click) oriented interface - customizability AVAILABILITY : ------------ k-lendars is freely available, read the COPYRIGHT file. ftp location: avahi.inria.fr:/pub/k-lendars-1.1.tar.gz -- Jean-Michel.Leon@sophia.inria.fr - Groupe Bull See the Koala team. Schedule Publisher ------------------ Newsgroups: comp.groupware From: hillelm@psun (Hillel Meyers) Subject: Re: Looking for Schedule Publisher Date: Wed, 18 May 1994 22:27:21 GMT Schedule Publisher is from Lucas Managment Systems. You can contact Anndee McManus in Detroit at 810-353-4080. I have no experience with the tool, so I can give no comment. == Hillel A. Meyers - Motorola - SMTP: hillelm@cadsun.corp.mot.com Collage for the X Window System ------------------------------- From: gbourhis@void.ncsa.uiuc.edu (Gilles Bourhis) Newsgroups: comp.groupware Subject: Collage for X release 1.3 Date: 21 Apr 1994 22:00:25 GMT The National Center for Supercomputing Applications at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign is announcing the 1.3 release of Collage for the X Window System. Contacting address: softdev@ncsa.uiuc.edu Quick overview: Collage is a tool with both scientific data analysis capabilities and collaboratives capabilities. Collage can read scientific data from HDF files and produce 2d images from them, annotate this images, view in a spreadsheet the actual datas, analyse them with some tools (profiling, histogram, contouring). Collage can also view images from various file format. Collage can be viewed also as a collaborative tools since several instances of collage can be linked together via a server (collage_server), exchanging message through the DTM protocol: what the end user will see is that each action of any participant in a Collage session is immediately propagated to the others, for example there is whiteboard where you can doodle things: everybody can watch what the other draw of write. New features in 1.3: . Full support of int16 (short) HDF type. . Support of int8 HDF type. . Backspace works when doodling text in image or whiteboard. . contour works for all data type. . animation of a 3d data along an arbitrary axis can be generated from the 3d panel. . Fix bug when the default number of colorcells is less than 256. . Add options for naming of SDSs (use of annotation or not...). . Screen capture on SGI works better. . Delete buttons added so that you can recover some memory. . Add private copy button on the spreadsheet. Distribution: The software is available through anonymous ftp for both binaries and source code. ftp ftp.ncsa.uiuc.edu (141.142.20.50) and answer anonymous to the Name question. Than cd /UNIX/XCollage/Collage1.3, get DOCS, quit ftp, read DOCS and download the binaries that you need. -- Gilles Bourhis Software Development Group gbourhis@ncsa.uiuc.edu NCSA, U of I at Urbana-Champaign [NCSA WWW pages (http://www.ncsa.uiuc.edu/General/SDGSoftDir.html):] DEC's LinkWorks --------------- From: arndtr@cs.bu.edu (Randy Arndt) Newsgroups: comp.groupware Subject: Re: Is Lotus Notes REALLY groupware???? Date: 1 May 1994 13:23:08 GMT Philip Leung (philip-leung@cuhk.hk) wrote: : Also, so far, I haven't seen discussions on DEC's LinkWorks. I do find it : quite impressive, especially on the document workflow capability. Any details : from anyone? : Philip Leung LinkWorks is one of the most impressive products that I have seen. I don't think that it is even in the same category as Notes. I recently attended a conference called Crossroads '94 (Hosted by the company I work for, I must add) where Digital was one of the main sponsors. The technology that they chose to exhibit was Linkworks. In addition to their exhibit, DEC also brought with them a customer (a major Canadian bank) who put on a live demonstration of the product. What I saw was incredible. As Philip pointed out, Linkworks does have extremely robust (yet easy to use) workflow capabilities. However, that is not the products only strong suit. What I was particularly impressed with was the product allowed developers to create a desktop of functions for users. I would liken this to the way Notes lets you build a set of applications in a folder. Unlike Notes, however, Linkworks is not a development environment. All of the applications are created with other products, but they are collected and organized within the Linkworks desktop. These don't even have to be custom applications. Products like Notes and Word are just as easily integrated into the desktop as custom applications. Another interesting feature is the portability of a user's desktop. As with Notes, Linkworks provides a custom desktop for each user. This desktop is also extremely portable. In the demonstration that I saw a remote user dialed into the home LAN and received the same desktop that he would have received if he had been physically located on the LAN. In fact, for all intents and purposes he was on the LAN even though he was over 3,000 miles away. What was even more interesting was that the process is intelligent. Developers can limit access to certain resources on the LAN (such as multimedia apps that would be too slow over phone lines or high security applications) for remote users. I am not often excited about groupware, but I consider this product quite good. It is an extremely young product, but I think it has a definite future in enterprisewide workflow. If anyone would like more information on Linkworks let me know and I will tell you who to get in touch with at DEC. Randy Arndt Open Systems Advisors From: roelof@apd.dec.com (Roelof Vuurboom) Newsgroups: comp.groupware Subject: Re: DEC Linkworks. Message-ID: Date: 28 Nov 94 16:50:06 GMT this may help you on your way a bit: some reviews partially or totally dedicated to LinkWorks done by some independent magazines. I've also included the first sentence on LinkWorks. * Byte Magazine - August 1994 pp.147 (Ben Smith) DEC's LinkWorks delivers a multiplatform - Unix, Open VMS, PC, and Macintosh - workflow system. If groups in your organization collaborate on the creation and development of documents, images, or data, LinkWorks can provide an effective set of tools for automating your most complex workflow task. * Datamation - 7 January 1994 (Wendy Pickering) LinkWorks illustrates some of the advantages the frameworks approach has over suites. For one, Digital has initially announced support for HP-PA, IBM RS/6000 servers, Mac and Motif workstations running on Alpha AXP, OpenVMS for VAX, reduced instruction set computing systems, SCO-UNIX and Windows PC's, and Digital promises to keep expanding its platforms. The suites are largely Windows based. * SCO World - July 1994 (Alan Southerton) LinkWorks - Groupware from DEC Digital Equipment Corp. attacks the market with a vengeance. LinkWorks is a high-profile Windows-based product that runs on an SCO server and distributes your workflow. [Note: LinkWorks clients run on Macintosh, Presentation Manager and Motif besides Windows. roelof] * UNIX NEWS - April 1994 (Roger Whitehead) pp.41 DEC is adapting to new demands in the office systems market with its new LinkWorks product, which may eventually supplant its All-in-1 office system. Roger Whitehead reviews the new software. * CLIENT/SERVER COMPUTING, October 1994: Message-Based Workflow Tools Find Eager Audience (sidebar titled Users Helped by Object Orientation) The next generation of workflow tools will use object-oriented technology, allowing users and developers to create workflows by simply manipulating icons that represent tools, users, processes and routing of objects. . . If you have access to the World Wide Web you can acquire some information directly from Digitals World Wide Web Server: Customer Updates on LinkWorks are accessible via: http://www.digital.com/www-cgi-bin/Customer-Update?LinkWorks Software Product Descriptions on LinkWorks are accessible via: http://www.digital.com/www-cgi-bin/SPD?LinkWorks Info Sheets on LinkWorks are accessible via: http://www.digital.com/www-cgi-bin/infosheet?LinkWorks Some brochures describing some customer experiences are accessible via: http://www.digital.com/www-cgi-bin/brochure?LinkWorks -- Roelof Vuurboom tel: (+31) 40 89 22 25 E.C.H.O fax: (+31) 40 89 23 00 Philips Information Systems email: roelof@pcg.philips.nl From: Roelof Vuurboom Newsgroups: comp.groupware Subject: Announcing Digital's LinkWorks WWW Site Date: 24 Feb 1995 13:06:50 GMT Digital Equipment Corporation announces the LinkWorks InfoCenter WWW server at: You can also access the InfoCenter from Digital's Corporate Home Page: and select InfoCenters. LinkWorks is Digital's award-winning framework for delivering client/server, customized business solutions for knowledge workers in workgroup environments. Out-of-the-box LinkWorks group-enables existing systems and applications with group-sharing, document management and workflow functionality. It integrates personal and group productivity applications as well as business applications. The fully object-oriented LinkWorks engine allows customers, business partners and ISVs alike to routinely develop group-enabled client/server solutions and to integrate business applications and legacy systems within the LinkWorks framework. Sophisticated technology can encapsulate value add solutions into software components allowing third parties to market and distribute their solutions in a protected form providing investment security. Software component installation is as simple as runtime drag-and-drop. LinkWorks supports a broad choice of desktop clients (Windows, Macintosh, OS/2 and Motif workstations), network protocols (TCP/IP, DECnet and IPX/SPX), databases (CA/Ingres, Informix and Oracle) and servers (Digital, HP, IBM and Intel-based), both protecting existing investments as well as providing customers freedom of platform choice. LinkWorks is fully internationalised and is available in over 25 Asian and Western languages world wide. Email address is linkworks@digital.com LinkWorks related information is also available on the FABA (Fallmann und Bauernfeind Gesellschaft.m.b.H.) WWW server at: Workflow Management ------------------- From: as99999@raver.sbil.co.uk (Andrew Stuart) Newsgroups: comp.groupware Subject: Re: Need product-infos on Workflow Management Date: 6 May 1994 13:13:44 GMT Reply-To: as99999@raver.sbil.co.uk Which tool you use depends on your aplication, but some of the tools are Lotus Notes, Action Workflow, Staffware, Teamlinks, Delrina Formflow, Jetform, Wordperfect Informs and many others. The US edition of PC magazine reviewed Workgrouping packages in their June 93 issue. For pure workflow, there isnm't alot out there at the moment. Look closely at Action Workflow in conjunction with Lotus Notes, or use its SQL connectivity. It can be a good idea just to build your application using traditional tools such as Power or visual basic, but the use the add in libraries for Lotus Notes for each product to enhance their workgrouping abilities. Andrew From: mfalexand@VNET.IBM.COM (Michael Alexander) Date: Sun, 22 May 94 00:09:02 CST Subject: Re: Need product-infos on Workflow Management Newsgroups: comp.groupware In article <2qdfq8$jh59offas_dike.sbil.co.uk> as999999raver.sbil.co.uk writes: > For pure workflow, there isnm't alot out there at the moment. Look closely > at Action Workflow in conjunction with Lotus Notes, or use its SQL > connectivity. There's good news; IBM Corp. has just announced the availability of FlowMark, an industry-strength workflow manager. FlowMark is a fully object-oriented client/server application with functionality to do everything from graphically designing processes to animating and operating them. Persons involved in a FlowMark process see their assigned activities on their personalized work lists on their workstation. When they perform activities from the work list they are guided by appropriate help information, and supported by seamless invocation of the necessary programs. FlowMark is prepared to run with Lotus Notes, can be a front-end to 3270- based host applications and work with IBM VisualInfo for image based workflow, among others. It can be tailored for workflow management in a variety of industries. Applications areas also include business process documentation/improvement/re-engineering, ISO 9000 certification/Baldridge and application integration. For information contact your local IBM representative/office and ask for FlowMark/workgroup. If you need info on services around FlowMark or want to provide them you can drop me a note. Best Regards, Michael F.Alexander mfalexand@vnet.ibm.com From: rbs@fractaldata.com (Robert Stucky) Subject: Re: Workflow automation software Date: Thu, 16 Jun 1994 13:19:26 GMT Check out ODMS from Odesta Systems Corp (Northbrook, Ill. (708) 498-5615, e-mail at bng@odesta.com). Their software will do what you want, plus some. >the type of >application I'm looking at (IBM's Flowmark is an example) is able to define, >model and provide scripting for execution of procedures, including invocation >of applications which are actually needed to perform the task. As a >software developer, I'd like to see a package that also allows discrete >portions of the workflow to be encapsulated so that a development effort can >be undertaking to completely automate portions of the workflow. Deployment >on GUI workstations is a must with design work also done graphically. This is precisely what I am using it for on a project form EPRI. We are taking analyses that run on remote machines and combining the output to make predictions of mechanical behavior in reactor pressure vessels. It's a combination of human-human, human-machine-human workflow. Most stages are fully automated. As for deployment, applications are automatically deployed across platforms. Develop on Windows, deploy to Mac, and vice versa (100% compatibility). Oh, by the way, the client software automatically downloads changes to applications during log on. An "X" version is due out sometime this summer. >I think I'm looking for a combination workflow/CASE tool here, so both >procedures and data used therein can be modelled with the same tool, yet >the resulting procedures can actually be deployed to end users - any >recommendations for tools to look at? Their scripting language is kind of a cross between C and hypertalk. It is very powerful, and also inherently extensible. Extensions are written as code resources, much like VBX controls or XCMD's. Another nice feature of the product is it's implementation of roles. People (machines) are assigned roles, and the role defines what application objects are downloaded on what machine. This gives you the ability to define speciic task sets at the machine level, and deploy an application customized for that particular workstation. A side benefit is that rolse stick to the user id & password. This allows people to log on from any workstation anywhere and still get the application suite they expect (and need). As an example, you could be in a meeting, and log on using someone else's laptop, the software would note who you were, and download the appropriate application objects for your role. =============================================================================== Robert Stucky Education is what remains rbs@fractaldata.com when one has forgotten everything he learned in school. A. Einstein From: MICHAEL.WILLETT@OFFICE.WANG.COM ("Michael Willett") Newsgroups: comp.groupware,comp.unix.aix,comp.sys.hp.apps Subject: Re: Need product-infos on workflow management mfalexand@VNET.IBM.COM writes: >IBM Corp. has just announced...workflow manager. Although Wang is an IBM alliance partner, reselling RS/6000s, we generally provide the new Wang GUI-oriented workflow for AIX with the RS/6000, rather than the IBM workflow, as I understand it. RS/6000 users might want to benchmark the two, and see which better meets their technical requirements. (The Wang workflow also runs under HP-UX, for those interested in potential portability.) Michael.Willett@office.wang.com From: Shelly Partrich Subject: Re: Workflow automation software Date: Fri, 17 Jun 1994 14:03:52 GMT ProcessIT is sounding more and more a product that you need to consider. Here's a brief description. AT&T ProcessIT is a transaction-based, groupware product for developing and executing automated process paths within the cost-effective environment of client/server computing. MapBuilder is the Windows-based tool used to define process maps. Maps can include submaps to allow complex processes to be defined and automated with ProcessIT. The Process Activity Manager (PAM) is ProcessIT's workflow engine that resides on the server. PAM acts as a routing and delivery server, providing information to its clients about the work to be done based on the defined process map. WorkView is a graphical "to-do" list that provides a focal point for launching client workflow activity. WorkView executes any Windows application that are defined by using ProcessITP2s Association feature. Work may be viewed by user, roles, or by activities. Workitems can be queried by priority so that the highest priority work items can be worked on first. ProcessIT's Status Monitor is a Windows application that allows Administrators to capture the status of work items and activity queues to identify potential bottlenecks. ProcessIT 2.0 just had its second release last month and will be shown at the Workflow Conference in San Jose on August 10-12. You can get information by calling your local AT&T Global Information Solutions representative in your area. (AT&T Global Information Solutions is what was formerly called NCR.) If you need further assistance getting information about ProcessIT, send an email to Shelly.Partrich@Columbia.SC.NCR.COM. From: getr@csesys.csesys.co.at (Gerald Trost C.S.E Systems) Newsgroups: comp.groupware Subject: product info Workflow CSE/IBM at Date: 20 Jun 1994 14:35:47 GMT WORKFLOW BY C.S.E SYSTEMS AND IBM AUSTRIA WorkFlow is a client/server product with more than 425 000 lines of code, originally build for Austrian government agencies (which work according to very strict rules similar to ISO9000). It fully complies to the reference model of the Workflow Management Coalition, i.e. it consists of a module for "build time" operations (design of business models and business re-engineering), a workflow run time engine, communication facilities to combine two or more workflow engines seamless into one workflow service, various tools and utilities. The product can integrate office software (MS Office, Lotus, Word Perfect) as well as host and UNIX services. It handles heterogeneous packages of user defined data (called folders, files, ....). The product uses a standard relational database to store case data. Installations in the German speaking area of Europe use currently Oracle, Ingres and Informix databases with WorkFlow. Support for Sybase and DB2 on RISC/6000 will be available soon. Since the product was originally build for Government, data security and safety was given special consideration. The product is positioned carefully to complement IBM FlowMark's functionality. FlowMark was developed in the IBM Labs of Vienna/Austria as part of IBM's AD Cycle product line. While FlowMark has its strengths in the analysis, design and simulation phase of the business reengineering effort, WorkFlow focuses on the implementation, run-time and evaluation phase. An interface between FlowMark and WorkFlow is currently implemented by CSE Systems, as well as interfaces to systems from other suppliers of business analysis and redesign products. From: rnewman@wv.mentorg.com (Reynaldo Newman) Newsgroups: comp.groupware Subject: Mentor Graphics Announces EDA Workflow Management System Date: 11 Nov 1994 16:00:14 GMT MENTOR GRAPHICS PRESS RELEASE Lillian Tsai Corporate Communications Mentor Graphics Corporation (503) 685-1177 MENTOR GRAPHICS ANNOUNCES INDUSTRY'S FIRST COMPLETE WORKFLOW MANAGEMENT SYSTEM Users Cite 30 Percent Reduction in Design Cycle Time WILSONVILLE, Ore. -- November 7, 1994 -- Mentor Graphics Corporation today announced a major advancement in workflow management technology with the introduction of its WorkXpert(tm) family of products. The products, which function in any EDA vendor's design flow, enable design teams to capture, control and track their design flows with unprecedented ease and flexibility, and reduce propagation of errors in the design process, therefore increasing the opportunity for first-pass design success. Early users have reported up to a 30 percent reduction in design cycle times. The WorkXpert family of products consists of the following applications: - FlowXpert - A multi-user application that offers a graphical view of design flows, tracking of tasks and data, automation of design steps, and a history of actions taken to complete the design. - XpertBuilder - A graphical drag and drop builder tool for capturing and modifying design flows and associated behavior. - ProjectXpert - ProjectXpert allows for the setup and administration of design projects, and the exportation of project metrics to project management tools such as Microsoft Corporation's Microsoft Project(tm), Claris' MacProject(tm) and Digital Tools' AutoPlan II(tm). It also features ProjectProbes(tm), a unique capability which provides up-to- the-minute, accurate status on the state of key project deliverables. From: fredw@fred1.demon.co.uk (Fred K Weil) Newsgroups: comp.groupware Subject: Re: Workflow Management Systems In article <3434o4$igo@onramp.arc.nasa.gov> lamaster@puma.arc.nasa.gov (Hugh LaMaster) writes: > > Do any of these, or any other workflow products, run on *Unix* > platforms? > Staffware, Process IT, Flo-Ware to name but three all run on UNIX. They all support Windows 3 clients. Staffware and Flo-Ware support Dumb Terminals, I think Flo-Ware also support X.Windows and Mac Clients. ICL and IBM also produce UNIX products as do other suppliers. Electronic Forms ---------------- From: CARESS@infocomp.csir.co.za (ABU ABRAHAMS) Newsgroups: comp.groupware Subject: Re: Info on Electronic Forms please. Date: Wed, 4 May 1994 09:12:37 The following references to packages were made. References: 1. Staffware: a robust workflow application from a British company with over 30,000 seats installed around the world. in London: +44 (0) 71 262 1021 2. AT&T ProcessIT: a new workflow product, backed by AT&T, and they also remarket DelRina's FormFlow software. Seems to require AT&T Unix. Contact AT&T. 3. InConcert from XEROX. A good looking workflow application running on Windows or Unix clients, and Unix servers. In Palo Alto, CA: 415-424-0111 or 800-626-6775. 4> Reach Software Corporation has a package out It's an e-mail based workflow manager, with a forms generation package included, and graphical workflow design, for an all-PC environment. 5> Word Perfect INFORMS -Professional form handling,Network ready, Email enabled. // //..\\ aabraham@infocomp.csir.co.za ====UU====UU= CSIR - S.A ======================================================= David S. Stodolsky Euromath Center University of Copenhagen david@euromath.dk Tel.: +45 38 33 03 30 Fax: +45 38 33 88 80 (C)