Flexible Workflow Basing On Agent

There have been many shortcomings about traditional workflow system, such as narrow application scope, little flexibility, slow treatment for suddenness, terribly reasonable evaluation for the task during carrying on, bad process regeneration, and so on. Considering the problems above, the workflow management system with the functions, i.e., being capable of self-organization, self-study, cooperation, as well, intelligent, dynamic work flow management system will be an important technical direction in future. Agent, which has some intelligent character, for example, self-management, community, self-driven as well, can be used in workflow system for improving the flexibility.The route for this paper is encapsulating engine of traditional workflow, task-performing, task arrangement functions into agent part, and all these agents will cooperate to complete the work process in multi-region. ECA routing will be used for controlling the process, multi-agent employing agent communication language with specific meaning. The main work of this paper will include the following: 1. giving a workflow model basing on routing and message; 2.design a workflow management system basing on agent, and there are three types of agent, process-controlling agent, registration agent, execution agent, cooperating to complete the whole process; 3.design the agent communication language basing on KQML ACL specification; 4. design a initial flexible workflow system applying for a company inquiry process basing on J2EE platform and relation database.As a conclusion, it goes as follows: 1. agent is good way to improve the flexibility for workflow system; 2. workflow basing on agent is better than agent strengthening workflow for complex application; 3. KQML ACL can be used for multi agent communication for reducing the data flow; 4. J2EE is an excellent way for distributing application, easy to use, easy to develop, easy to enlarge.