A Study Of Workflow Management In PDM System

Product data management and workflow management are two important technologies nowadays in compute application area. PDM is product-oriented, its three elements of information are data, process and resource, and the two main clues of information management are static product structure and dynamic process relevant to product. PDM is emphasis on information integration, and it provides a platform of fundamental data management for company. Workflow management technology aims to decompose everyday job into well-defined tasks and roles, carry out these tasks according to the rules and supervise them. Workflow management is emphasis on process integration, and it achieves dynamic management of business process. The requirements of PDM process management function and the business environment changes that request companies improve their management and apply BPR make it emergent to integrate PDM and workflow management technologies, especially to integrate workflow management technologies into PDM system in order to improve the performance the PDM workflow management function.There are lots of tasks for us to integrate workflow management technologies into PDM -system. In the paper, the system structure of workflow management is established and areas about workflow engine, modeling tools and optimizing method in the system structures are discussed as a try to integrate workflow management technologies into PDM system. The main work is list as follows.Summarized the studies of PDM system and workflow management technologies include concept, development history, basic functions of PDM system and relevant conceptions,development history, reference model of workflow management system. It provides theoretical basis for the studies on integrating workflow management technologies in PDM system.Expounded a relation-based lightweight PDM workflow engine and analyzed basic conception, data model, engine control component of the engine.Expounded a method for process modeling-Time Function Net based on Petri net according to the discussing of methodologies for process modeling. And explained ways to using the Time Function Net for process modeling based on the analysis of basic conception, basic components, fire rules.Expounded the optimizing method based on the Time Function Net, and integrating optimizing method of workflow itself and tasks assigning to staff, explained optimizing method step by step.Expounded PDM system based on COM and ASP technologies, and developed InternetPDM System that realized functions as organization management, role and priority management, document management, product management, workflow management.