Dynamic work distribution in workflow management systems: how to balance quality and performance

摘要

Today's workflow management systems offer work items to workers us- ing rather primitive mechanisms. Although most workflow systems support a role- based distribution of work, they have problems dealing with unavailability of workers as a result of vacation or illness, overloading, context-dependent suitability, dead- lines, and delegation. As a result, the work is offered to too few, too many, or even the wrong set of workers. Current practice is to offer a work item to one person, thus causing problems when the person is not present or too busy, or to offer it to a set of peoples sharing a given role, thus not incorporating the qualifications and preferences of people.