Agents and workflow engines for inter-organizational workflows in e-government cases

Verginadis, Y; Mentzas, G

dc.contributor.author	Verginadis, Y	en
dc.contributor.author	Mentzas, G	en
dc.date.accessioned	2014-03-01T01:27:50Z
dc.date.available	2014-03-01T01:27:50Z
dc.date.issued	2008	en
dc.identifier.issn	14637154	en
dc.identifier.uri	https://dspace.lib.ntua.gr/xmlui/handle/123456789/18602
dc.subject	Business environment	en
dc.subject	Communication technologies	en
dc.subject	Computer networks	en
dc.title	Agents and workflow engines for inter-organizational workflows in e-government cases	en
heal.type	journalArticle	en
heal.identifier.primary	10.1108/14637150810864925	en
heal.identifier.secondary	http://dx.doi.org/10.1108/14637150810864925	en
heal.publicationDate	2008	en
heal.abstract	Purpose - The paper aims to propose a web-based ""intermediation hybrid architecture"" for a workflow management system that integrates services by exploiting and combining the advantages of strict centralized topologies that use workflow engines, with totally distributed systems which use agent technologies. Design/methodology/approach - The proposed operational and technical architectures define the combination of a workflow engine and a software agent platform for the appropriate management of inter-organizational workflow processes. The proposed system is called ""hybrid intermediation portal."" Findings - The hybrid system was used in e-government cases for the management of cross-border workflows that span across multiple European chambers of commerce and industry. That demonstrated the usefulness of the specific approach in the inter-organizational workflow management domain. Research limitations/implications - The approach presented in this paper was implemented and validated in real e-government cases that proved the advantages of the potential commercial use of the system. Several limitations were located due to the lack of a wide use of web services within governmental organizations. Practical implications - Concerning security issues, it would be necessary to integrate appropriate security mechanisms without constraining the technical and functional characteristics of the software agents involved. Originality/value - The contribution of the paper concerns the evolvement of the agent-enhanced workflow management systems in order to tackle the intelligence issues and the credibility problems concerning the overall control of dispersed inter-organizational processes. © Emerald Group Publishing Limited.	en
heal.journalName	Business Process Management Journal	en
dc.identifier.doi	10.1108/14637150810864925	en
dc.identifier.volume	14	en
dc.identifier.issue	2	en
dc.identifier.spage	188	en
dc.identifier.epage	203	en