Workflow Management Coalition - Press Release - 20-Nov-95

Workflow Management Coalition Unveils Standard Client Application Programming Interface

Client API Gives End Users Increased Flexibility in Implementing Multi-Vendor Workflow Solutions

BRUSSELS, Belgium (November 20, 1995) - The Workflow Management Coalition (WfMC), the non-profit international organization of workflow vendors, customers and analysts unveiled today its workflow application programming interface (API) for the support of workflow client applications. The workflow API provides a means of communication between workflow client applications and workflow engines to give users increased flexibility in implementing standards-based workflow systems such as insurance claims or purchase order processing.

"Application developers worldwide will now be able to write their workflow applications to one API in any standard-conformant workflow platform, " said Raul Medina-Mora, Chairman of the Coalition's working group on client application APIs and Chief Scientist at Action Technologies -- a Coalition member. "This will allow businesses to optimize their applications for the workflow standard, simplifying workflow deployment across the enterprise."

For example, a client application will be able to request work from a variety of workflow products and construct a single worklist for the user, eliminating the need for users to invoke multiple desktop windows for the worklist of each workflow product their organization uses.

"We are extremely excited about the public release of the workflow API, " said Mark Tucker, a Senior Business Analyst for National Life of Vermont and Coalition end-user member. "As the Coalition's first publicly-released specification, it represents a significant milestone in the history of WfMC. Workflow system users will benefit the most from the Coalition's work."

Tucker went on to comment, "As exciting as the workflow API release is, the efforts of the other WfMC working groups are equally important to National Life of Vermont and will offer even more benefits to all workflow customers. We are as excited about what WfMC will bring forward in the future as we are with what is being announced today."

International Support for Workflow API Standard

Both U.S. and European workflow vendors are announcing their support for the Coalition's workflow API. The Coalition has validated the use of the specification through demonstrations of several prototype implementations. WfMC members already validating the specification with a view to implementing include Action Technologies, Computron Technologies Corp., CSE Systems, Fujitsu, IBM, ICL, Integrated Work, Lion GmbH, Recognition International, SAP AG, Siemens Nixdorf Informationssysteme, Staffware, Telstra Applied Technologies, and Xsoft. The Coalition anticipates that additional WfMC member companies will do the same soon.

About the Workflow Management Coalition

Founded in 1993, the Workflow Management Coalition (WfMC) is a non-profit, international organization of workflow vendors, users and analysts. The Coalition's mission is to promote the use of workflow through the establishment of standards for software terminology, interoperability and connectivity between workflow products. Consisting of over 150 members, the Coalition has quickly become established the primary standards body for this rapidly expanding software market.

For further information or copies of Coalition Publications including the Glossary, contact : 
Workflow Management Coalition Office
Attn. Alfons Westgeest or Emmy Botterman
Avenue Marcel Thiry 204, 1200 Brussels,
Belgium; tel: +32 2 774 96 33. Fax: +32 2 774 96 90.
E-Mail: 100113.1555@compuserve.com
Or contact one of the Country Contacts

WfMC Home Page

Last updated: Mon Nov 20 09:13:30 1995 by Austin Tate, AIAI (A.Tate@ed.ac.uk)