The action workflow approach to workflow management technology

Source: DOI Authors: Raul Medina-Mora, Terry Winograd, Rodrigo Flores, Fernando Flores Date: 1992

Core idea

Organizational work can be modeled as conversation-for-action cycles such as request, promise, declare completion, and acceptance rather than as mere document routing.

Key claims

• Work coordination depends on social acts and commitments, not only task state.
• Completion is not a private claim; it requires acceptance in a shared interaction cycle.
• Workflow technologies should preserve the semantics of negotiation, performance, and satisfaction.

Harness takeaway

A multiplayer harness should log requests, promises, completions, and acceptances as first-class commitment events. This is a far better substrate than a generic reputation number.