3.

Work flow software The rise of apps from PayPal to VPNs

enabled faster, closer coordination among far-flung employees.

Introduction to workflow:
Workflow is a technique used to break down the execution of a
business process. In a workflow a set of procedural rules are used
to define, execute and automate the tasks involved in carrying out a
business process. The term workflow is used to describe the various
aspects of a business process including the tasks, systematic steps
to be taken, entities involved(individuals or groups of individuals),
the input to the process in addition to the resulting output, and the
tools involved. The individual tasks to be carried out are to be done
by a single person, and the workflow helps in coordinating them
between multiple members of a team and synchronizing shared
data between systems that require them. [2]

Advantages of workflow:
Workflows have several advantages, including enhanced
productivity since the time spent on manual tasks is reduced by
automated workflows; it provides a view of the big picture to
managers for whom such information is crucial, especially when the
processes involved are critical to a business; it is easier for
organizations employing workflow concepts to react in an agile
manner by performing process modifications; it enables continual
process improvement since employees are now accountable for the
particular task they were assigned to do, and their productivity can
be measured and analyzed for potential areas of improvement. [1]

Types of workflow:
There are three main types of workflow: sequential workflow, state
machine workflow and rules driven workflow. In a sequential
workflow the process would be represented in a flow chart format,
where there is no concept of retracing the steps taken. Activities
progress along the workflow in one direction only, without going to
previous stages at any point. Their behaviors during the execution
of the steps involved are completely predictable. In a state machine
workflow there is no defined path as opposed to a sequential
workflow, rather it signifies a set of states and the possible
transitions between the states. The primary driver in a state
machine workflow is the event. A predefined action or event is
required to transition from one state to the next. A rules driven
workflow is based on a sequential workflow, where progress is
determined by a set of predefined rules. [3]
Workflow software gives the organizations using them the
technology required to create and execute business processes that
may span multiple enterprises. A workflow can be implemented,
observed and functionality across multiple enterprises can be
iteratively optimized, in environments having rich interaction
between people, systems and data. Workflow technology has
evolved in recent years from a basic automation of systematic
activities in the workplace, to Business Process Modeling and
Analysis, which is a methodology of representing the processes
carried out by an enterprise, such that existing processes may be
easily broken down in analysis and optimized.

Workflow software in particular is used to make a users life easier,

by means of executing automated tasks and allowing the user to
carry on with more important tasks. [4] Workflow software is known
to carry out some of the most common computer tasks. This is an
invaluable benefit to users who are hard pressed for time, as
routines that are normally manually executed by the user are now
automated. Two examples of routine processes that have been
automated include entry of data as well as the screening of emails.
Human errors that would be inevitable when activities were carried
out manually cease to be a concern when workflow support
applications are used to handle otherwise time consuming tasks and
ensuring that data gets to the right places.
In current times when electronic mails have become a crucial part of
corporate life, workflow software makes life easier for the employee
who would have to create a digital file prior to sending it across the
network. Workflow software has proved instrumental in the creation
of the file in a required format to enable processing by software in
another part of the project, perhaps even across enterprises. Using
such software, all users have to do is provide the requisite inputs
which will then be processed automatically. This enhances the
potential for modification and optimization of the business process
since the user is no longer interacting directly with other aspects of
the business process and instead with abstract representations of
the various facets of the process, which permits different areas of
the process to be modified without affecting other dependent
modules.

Workflow software: GitHub

A particularly striking example of software that has empowered
workers working in a team while separated geographically to
coordinate their efforts to come up with business solutions is Git. [5]
This software is used in the software development sector of the
information technology industry. Git is a powerful and flexible
version control system for managing multiple copies of computer
programs that constitute an application while it is in the process of
development.
It has been created to provide myriad options for customizing
workflow such that given good internet connections(required for
software projects hosted on websites like GitHub), distance between
team members virtually ceases to be an issue when additional
communications software such as Skype are utilized to provide
facilities such as videoconferencing.
Git makes it easy to manage large teams with little difficulty, since
the manager is given the option to micromanage or alternatively
provide developers the freedom to make their own decisions.
Software bugs, a common issue during the development phase of
application creation, is easily tracked in GitHub repositories using
the integrated issue tracker that allows the focus to be placed on
features of the application rather than having the developers getting
bogged down in the specifics of searching for bugs in the code. For
example, the team leader is able to assign a GitHub issue to a team
member, making it easy to know which team member is working on
what, and as a team member to be aware of the next tasks to be
carried out[6].

Sources:
1 www.pnmsoft.com
2 www.searchcio.techtarget.com
3 www.windowsworkflow.wordpress.com
4 www.wisegeek.com
5 www.lullabot.com
6 www.github.com