User:'LilShannon/sandbox

Collaborative Workflow is the integration of collaborative objects (also referred to as social software) with workflow management. It encompasses:
 * 1)  The transfer of information, documents, tasks or objects from one step to the next involving multiple people working towards predefined goal, both in parallel and sequentially.
 * 2)  Collaboration across organizational boundaries.
 * 3)  Project and task oriented collaboration.

Origin of Collaborative Workflow

 * Workflow is defined by activities (service requests, tasks) and the rules that govern their behavior as they ‘flow’ from one service provider to the next until the task is completed.
 * Collaboration objects (social software) include such examples as web-based meetings, instant messaging, knowledge-management wikis, documents (ECM), and shared calendars.

Differences between Social Software and Collaborative Workflow
The fundamental difference is that Collaborative Workflow is structured; activities are carried out to accomplish goals, and with specific outcomes in mind. Collaborative workflow, while incorporating many of the tools that comprise social software, also relies on:
 * Project and task infrastructure.
 * Role-Based Access Control (RBAC).
 * Workflow capabilities with business rules.

Collaborative Workflow in the work place
Using Collaborative Workflow, managers can oversee an entire project through the use of both traditional methods (project design, reports, dashboards, etc.) as well as collaboration tools (web-based chat, instant messaging, document management, alerts, and shared calendars). With RBAC support, ad-hoc teams that span traditional departmental structures can collaborate on projects while retaining enterprise security.

Implementation Phases
Phases of implementing Collaborative Workflow include:

Planning and setup

 * The organizational hierarchy is modeled.
 * Members are assigned to skill-based teams (possibly across organizational boundaries).
 * Role based access control (RBAC) defines who can access which part of the system, and in what capacity.
 * Skill-based queue folders provide an infrastructure for forwarding tasks where appropriate team members will perform the required tasks.
 * Multi-task project templates (e.g. employee onboarding process) enables quick instantiation of standard processes, avoids reinventing the wheel, and promotes uniformity of outcomes.
 * Business rules comprise the (automatic) workflow engine and create alerts, initiate automatic workflow changes, and issue communications in response to predefined conditions.

Project / task initiation

 * The project (task) is instantiated either manually, from a template, or automatically through a business rule.
 * The required outcomes are specified and priorities are set.
 * Based on the skills required, the tasks are routed to an appropriate queue folder for processing.

Execution phase

 * Team members perform the work required to accomplish the task, logging their activities.
 * Online communications are carried out between team members and management using social software tools.
 * Documents are tagged and added to the task, checked out, and updated as required.
 * Task-related team meetings and appointments are scheduled as required; their content and outcomes form part of the task documentation history.
 * Team members communicate with other each other via social software, document management, and shared calendaring capabilities.

Attributes of a Collaborative Workflow Management System

 * Collaboration with a purpose of accomplishing defined goals or tasks.
 * Management of a collaborative goal (tasks, projects) from start to finish.
 * Integration of collaboration and workflow objects with a robust security infrastructure for enterprise applications.
 * A project and task infrastructure to enable work to be accomplished in an organized, structured fashion (in contrast to pure-play social software).
 * Skill-based assignment of tasks to teams or individuals.
 * Ad-hoc projects that span organizational boundaries, and minimize information silos.