Building an Extensible Workflow

William Malyk
PhD Candidate
David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science
University of Waterloo

December 13, 2006
12:00 PM - 1:30 PM
Davis Centre 1304, University of Waterloo

View Video of Presentation in HI Alive Archive: Research Seminars Archive 2006-2007

Abstract
Workflow was originally the domain of business and industrial engineering, but with the introduction of computers into business systems, computer science also became interested. Resulting workflow systems have had great success in areas such as manufacturing and banking. Recent changes in the landscape of computing, such as the success of the Internet and the move toward standards for interoperability, have renewed interest in workflow as a domain of study.

Modern workflow needs to be many things: interoperable, extensible, easily altered and contextually deep. These requirements grow when we consider the application of workflow systems to the healthcare domain. This talk will describe the process of developing and implementing a representation of workflow and an associated engine on which modern workflow systems for healthcare can be built. We will begin by painting a picture of the requirements for such a system and then we will explore the WIDE-WoRK System, a workflow research environment developed specifically to meet these requirements. Finally, we will discuss the realities of trying to implement such a system, how it compares to other research, and highlight the contributions of this work which include:

• A framework for evaluating workflow systems for health which emerged from the requirements step.
• A two-tiered extensible domain specific language for describing workflow and workflow behavior which effectively drives the system.
• The benefits of the application itself which provides a valuable tool for workflow experimentation in many domains and, in addition, provides a strong base on which to build actual systems.

The talk will conclude with a discussion of open problems in workflow and future directions.

About the Speaker
William Malyk is a PhD student in the David R. Cheriton School of Computer Science at the University of Waterloo. His research interests include workflow technology, health informatics and the delivery of education through non-traditional means. Malyk received a Master of Mathematics degree in computer science from the University of Waterloo earlier this year. He is currently a member of both the Computer Systems Group and the Waterloo Institute for Health Informatics Student Group.