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The level of integration you need to perform depends upon the systems you use in your business processes and how you want these to be linked to your Staffware procedures. You can use any combination of the Staffware integration features for your solution.
Basic Integration Architecture
The basic model of any integration is shown in the following diagram. An integration can be split into the user interface, business process, middleware and application layers. Staffware performs the interfaces to the middleware components which in turn provide the interfaces to the specific applications.
User Interface Layer
The user interface has two main functions. It provides:
- a way of notifying users of new work items
- a task interface to guide them through completing the work items.
The Staffware client uses the Work Queue Manager for the main interface for displaying work items. Staffware forms are used to provide the interface for the content of the work items.
You can provide alternative user interfaces using the Open Forms functionality. For example, work items are delivered to the Work Queue but when the user opens a work item a customized form is displayed. This could be designed in Visual Basic, Oracle Forms or Delphi, for example.
Another method of providing an alternative interface is to deliver the work queue manager function by means of an application other than Staffware. For example, you can implement the Staffware Application Layer (SAL) API or TIBCO iProcess™ Objects
in external software. This means that work items are still delivered to Staffware work queues but the functions to manage those queues are controlled by bespoke applications. However, if you use this method, you also have to control the locking of work items, running of command scripts, and displaying a form populated with data retrieved from Staffware by calling SAL functions or TIBCO iProcess™ Objects
methods.
Business Process Layer
This layer consists of one or more Staffware procedures that define the business processes. The TIBCO iProcess™ Engine processes the rules in the procedure and controls who does what and when, delivers appropriate work to the correct users and manages work items if it does not get processed in time. There may be business process triggers or interfaces to other applications that can cause other instances of procedures to start such as when an event takes place (scanning a document or receipt of a file, etc).
Middleware Layer
The middleware layer is basically the interface to the external applications. The interface exposes pre-defined functions to Staffware and Staffware can call these by an agreed command line syntax. The interface is controlled by command arguments and usually exchanges data with Staffware using simple text files.
TIBCO Staffware Process Suite™ and Dynamic Processing
For most business processes, in addition to the recognized steps or activities that make up the process, there are a number of recognized exceptions that may occur along the way. At the same time, business processes contain a certain dynamic element that is driven by the inherent fluid nature of most processes. For example, in a loan application process, a recognized exception is that the applicant fails the credit check. The point in the process at which these types of exceptions may occur can be anticipated and can be built into the automated business process. At the time that exception is recognized, additional process steps may need to be added.
On the other hand there are other types of exceptions that could occur at any point within the process. Examples of these types of exceptions are: a person gets married and changes name, a person dies, or notification is received that a loan application is being investigated for fraud. In some processes the number of identified exceptions may be numerous. Any attempt to build handling for such exceptions and dynamic processes into the process would result in a very large spaghetti-like process that would be almost impossible to enhance or maintain. The most complex situation is when the occurrence of an exception means that the current status of the process is invalid. For example:
- The process should now be further advanced than it is – it needs to skip some steps.
- The process should be less advanced than it is – it needs to undo some steps.
- The process needs to be in a separate, possibly parallel, branch of the process.
- The process needs to be repositioned in a specialized piece of exception-handling process.
TIBCO Staffware Process Suite™ includes “Jump To Step” functionality that allows one or more outstanding steps to be withdrawn and a new set sent out. Since the status of the data at the point where the old steps were withdrawn may be different to that required by the new steps, the Jump To Step functionality allows case data to be updated as part of the operation.
Related Topics
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