Task Orientated Application
“TOA”
A Paradigm Shift in business software?
Removes software complexity and supports the way
people work and business agility
David Chassels
CEO Procession plc
Paradigm Shift - A change from one way of thinking to another. It’s a revolution, a
transformation, a sort of metamorphosis. It just does not happen, but rather agents of
change drive it.
Kuhn, Thomas, S., "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions", The University of Chicago Press, Chicago.
Today’s Context & Scenario
The world has no shortage of
Business Issues
or ICT Capabilities
BUSINESS
ISSUES
The
problem is
how to close the
gap between them
TECHNOLOGY
RESOLUTION
The right keystone is critical to join
.
both sides and prevent
collapse
Process
Model &
Definition
Clear, Fast
Easily understood by All
BUSINESS
ISSUES
But there are
still gaps to be filled
TECHNOLOGY
RESOLUTION
Integrated TOA approach brings rapid results,
lower costs, THE end to end adaptable solution
Process
OUTCOMES Model & ENABLING
REQUIRED Definition INFORMATION
STRATEGIC
OBJECTIVES
GOALS &
BENEFITS
BUSINESS
CONTEXT
BUSINESS
ISSUES
USER DELIVERY
& PRESENTATION
SAVINGS
DATA SOURCING
SAVINGS
80% TIME
80% TIME
& MANUFACTURE
50%
COST
60% COST
PLATFORMS &
INFRASTRUCTURE
TECHNOLOGY
ONE MONTH?
RESOLUTION
BUT
SOFTWARE
TECHNOLOGY
IS STILL NOT
BUSINESS DRIVEN
Software Development has Issues
•
Seismic Shifts for the Software Market – Sand Hill Group April 06
•
The Demise Of The Packaged Application – Hurwitz & Associates February 06
•
The software industry is in the midst of a quiet but dramatic revolution – McKinsey & Company Software 2006 Industry
Report
•
The key issue that needs addressing in software development today is the lamentably low project success rate - Butler
Group April 2006
•
There is a huge consensus that the enterprise-software industry business model is broken; Erik Keller, Wapiti LLC Sand
Hill April 2006
•
Human user interactions are currently not covered by WS-BPEL – IBM and SAP July 2005
•
There’s uneasiness in the software industry today ….. the industry must say goodbye to its narcissistic tendencies.
Brian Sommer, Techventive, Sand Hill May 2006
•
“We're flooded with information, but that doesn't mean we have tools that let us use the information effectively.” Bill
Gates said “these products would bridge the gap between information workers and the information they need to be
more effective.” May 06
•
The Death of Packaged Apps - Erik Keller, Wapiti LLC Sand Hill May 2006
•
IT hasn't delivered agility, yet - BPM Forum/webMethods study ZDNet June 2006
•
Avoiding Software's Perfect Storm - Phillippe B. Vincent, Accenture July 2006
•
"IT systems must graduate from being transaction-oriented to being event-oriented. Vendors must create these eventbased systems with real-time response capabilities.“ Dr. CK Prahalad Sandhill July 2006
•
"We have categories of users coming into the workforce now for whom the internet isn't something new… working
through tools that were always developed on their desktops. They are expecting more and more that enterprises are
going to support that approach for how they work.” John Wookey VP Oracle Application Development October 2006
TOA Development - The Vision
• To link people to the business fundamentals
• Create a “new way” to build business functionality in
software – the way that people work is what defines an
organisation
• Remove “technology” complexity in the build of business
applications through the separation of business logic from
delivery technologies
TOA The Start Point
• Businesses
– Are not complex
– Are task driven
– Require people to initiate/manage any task
– Work naturally in a horizontal “flow” of work
– Know what they want - Well they should - but
they may need some help!
– Want agility = future proof systems
Definitions
• An Application is a digitised expression of
Processes
• A process is a series of linked tasks
• A task is a step in the process and specifies the
action required by the user – human or
machine
• Tasks are sequenced by links during a run of
the process
TOA Core Design Philosophy
•
•
•
•
•
Tasks make Process
All Task types can be simply expressed
All systems use a database
All Task attributes can be expressed as data
Needs a core data-centric design
incorporating all dimensions that drive
People and Tasks
–
e.g. Rules, Events, State, User Forms,
Compliance and Time
Inside the Database
Process Engine
Task/Process
Definitions
Made up of scripts
running inside RDBMS
Tasks made up of tables
that are the same in
every installation of
Procession. Only their
contents differs
RDBMS
Process
Engine
Task
Definition
Audit /
History
Reference Data
Made up of tables different
in every installation. This
data is accessed during a
run of the process and links
to either Run data OR the
Process Definition
Reference
Data
‘Run’ Data
Audit / History
Made up of tables that are
the same in every
installation of Procession.
Only their contents differs
Run Data
Made up of tables that
are different for each new
process
Process Engine Managing Links Between Data
Audit /
History
Agility
Task to
Process
Definitions
Reference
Data
Agility
Run Data
Historic Component-based Application
Process definition
BPEL
Rules engine
User Interface
Audit /
History
Process engine
External
State engine
Runtime engine
Custom/Object-based Coding
With “workflow”
Reference
Data
DATABASE
Function and system driven applications
Run
Data
TOA Overview Architecture
Web
Services
Designer
RDBMS
Administrator
Presentation
Layer
Process Engine
In or outside RDBMS
Task
Definition
Audit /
History
SOA
S
S
Reference
Data
‘Run’
Data
CRM
Q
EAI
User
Legacy
X
M
Manager
B2B
ERP
eCommerce
The ‘Tool’
Thetask
sub allows
process
taskpages
allows
The web
task
or multiple
JSPs
The calculation
allowsHTML
These
“TRUE” and “FALSE” links join the
the Manipulation
of data
to be
available
overto
thebe
web
.
sub
processes
to
developed
and
Tasks together to form the process map.
and from
the
database.
This attached
is where users
interact
with the
to
the
core
process.
Within these links a developer can embed
SQL calculations
are
also
Database via a TOA
is developed
in the
Conditions
to drive the
automated process.
supported. The sub process
same way as the top level process.
Click, drag, open the task icons fill in reference, roles,
performers etc
A TOA Prescribes nothing - it is your business!
Building the Application
Provides:
• Drag & Drop task icons for designing /creating
business process
•Drag&Drop Screen design / UI Enables
integration with IT resources
Activate a Process to Deploy Application
Click process on the
toolbar
Choose properties
Change status to active
What happens on Activation
• By activating and saving a process
– the Process Engine breaks down the designed process
into its constituent elements
– These are saved into RDBMS tables.
• At run time
– the engine interrogates these tables to decide
– who does what, when and how in the application.
• No code is compiled to enable this to happen.
TOA Map - Purchasing
Graphical Process Designer – [Purchase Process Map]
Process View Tools Window Help
Order Receipt Process
Expecte
d
Orders
S
l
l
l
l
l
l
Other quotes
exist for
order
Receive
Orders
l
Set Up
Return
s
No Note
Suitable
Quote
l
Already have
suitable
quote
l
l
l
Notify
Orderer
Use Second
Quote?
Finish
l
ll
Place order
with
new supplier
l
l l
Wait for
Print Respons
Return e
s
Note Another
Supplier
l
l l
correct/comple
te
l
l
Finish
Assess
Quotes
Purchasing
Process
l l
Contact
Supplier
Order is
Log
Cancel
Outcome
Order
l l
l
l
Copy
Details
Order
has
arrived
l
l
Desired no. of
quotes
l
requested
Order
Correct
l
l
Quotes
Proces
s
Finish
l
Finish
Delivery
Arrived?
l l
Update
Stock
Databa
se
l
l
Order has
reached
Stores
l
l
l l
Insert
Quote
Detail
s
l l
New
Insert
l l
Supplier
New
Edit
Management
Detail
Order
Review
l
l Capital
l
Capital
Approval
Refusal
Review
Notification
No. of
Additiona
Quotes
l
Requested
Quotes
l l
l
Additional
quotes
Log No. of
requested
Quotes
Transport
Still
To Stores
in
Transi l l
t
ll
l
l
Adjust
Delivery Date
Wait for
Delivery
Log
Delivery Date
l
l
l
Anothe
r
Quote
Print
Order
l
..
Finish
l
Capital
Value
Approval? Order
above £150
l
l
l
.. . .
..
S
Total of
Order
l l
Use New
Supplier
l l
Order
Form
Log User
Finish
Return
Order
Log New
Details
Query
TOA
XML
Browser
DATA
REPOSITORIES
TOA
Information
Gateway
TOA
SOA
SOA
TOA
USER
QUERY
TOA
Route
BPEL
Interpret
XML
External
WS
Discover
Transform
Publish
Work Flow
Data Exchange Mechanism
TOA
Legacy Systems
Software as a Service - ‘SaaS’
Where TOA sits in complex enterprise
A TOA Delivers
• Compliance – to ensure people work within today’s
regulated environment
• Agility - software that changes as the business
changes
• Performance Management – real time operational
information to be ‘predictive’ and efficient.
• A new “Paradigm” – In a TOA people and tasks are
not function limited giving a huge range of capability
A TOA IS
• The “Ultimate” Custom Packaged Application through a
unified “framework” to build
• A “Bridge” between Business and IT
• A “Very” Rapid Application Development Tool
• A quantum step towards application development maturity
through separation of business logic from delivery
technologies
TOA - the Enabler
• Business relies on IT Architects to make
delivery of solutions possible
• Business fundamentals and logic belong to the
business person and are not technology led
• TOA is an enabler that allows exploitation of
individual relevant skills to support business
benefit realisation by computerisation and
automation
• People linked to applications are assets as long
as the supporting software can be adaptable
and agile
The end to end TOA delivery model
IMPROVE
DISCOVERY
Define Processes, Rules &
Measures for the
Outcomes required
CONVERT
Into flexible TOA
Task/BPM/Rules/Event
& People based
applications
HOST &
DISTRIBUTE
ACCESS
& USE
Via secure 24 x 7
Networks
Anywhere, via Fixed
and Mobile devices
MEASURE ‘live’ RESULTS
Questions
David Chassels
CEO Procession Plc
+44 (0)1494 781 444
david.chassels@procession.com
E-process™ and Living Process™ are a trade marks of Procession Plc