Combining analysis of unstructured workflows with transformation to structured workflows

Abstract

Analysis of workflows in terms of structural correctness is important for ensuring the quality of workflow models. Typically, this analysis is only one step in a larger development process, followed by further transformation steps that lead from high-level models to more refined models until the workflow can finally be deployed on the underlying workflow engine of the production system. For practical and scalable applications, analysis and transformations of workflows must both be integrated to allow incremental changes of larger workflows. In this paper, we introduce the concept of a region tree for workflow models that can be used as the central data structure for both workflow analysis and workflow transformation. A region tree is similar to a program structure tree and imposes a hierarchy of regions onto the workflow model. It allows an incremental approach to analysis and transformation of workflows and thereby significantly reduces the overhead because individual regions can be dealt with separately. © 2006 IEEE.