activity - a single piece of work that forms a distinct step within a process. An activity may be a manual activity or an automated, computer-based activity. An activity may contain multiple tasks.
Admin Center tool for managing the BPM Web Applications context (including starting and stopping the BPM Web Applications server) and installation-related settings (including logging settings). There is also a corresponding command line tool, which is recommended for production deployments.
application a Web-based form or report
Applications Portlet a portlet that launches applications (Web forms or reports)
Archive Viewer application used to view archived process instances
BPM Web Applications the context that hosts the Web applications and acts as the process gateway for the process execution engines
directory service a software service that integrates with a user/group directory such as the ALI portal user/group repository (which can contain aggregated user/group definitions from disparate authentication sources, such as Active Directory and LDAP).
external process processes that reside in an another BPM Web Applications context. External processes typically span multiple business functions, divisions, or organizations.
group a set of related users defined in Process Administrator or the ALI portal
Log Viewer application used to view process instance logging information
multiple assignment role - role that can be assigned to groups of participants who perform the same activity in a process but have different business functions
participant - a user. A participant performs the work represented by an activity. This work is normally manifested as one or more work items assigned to the participant via the Worklist Items Portlet or the WorkSpace application.
Process Administrator a utility for enterprise process deployment and configuration. The Process Administrator is used to create and configure process execution engines. Processes that have been modeled within the Studio application are deployed and published using Process Administrator. Process roles are mapped to groups/users. The utility can be also be used to configure Business Activity Monitoring (BAM) and load balancing.
process - a set of activities which collectively realize a business objective. A typical process includes a logical flow with associated roles and systems. A process is modeled, tested, and simulated within the Process Designer, i.e., a Purchase Order Management Process.
process definition - the representation of a business process in a form which supports automated manipulation, such as modeling or enactment by a process execution engine or Web service. The process definition consists of a set of related activities and their relationships, as well as criteria to indicate the start and termination of the process, and information about the individual activities, such as roles, systems, and user interface forms.
process definition file an XML file that contains the definition of a process. The process definition file uses an .xpdl extension.
process execution engine a software service that provides a runtime execution environment for process instances. More specifically, a process execution engine provides operational functions to support the execution of (instances of) business processes (based on process definitions), including management of process execution, and creation of appropriate work items. Note: Two or more process execution engines may co-operate to share the execution of processes.
process instance a specific instance of a particular process; more specifically, the representation of a single enactment of a process, or activity within a process, including its associated data. Each instance represents a separate thread of execution of the process or activity, and will have its own internal state and externally visible identity, which may be used, for example, to record or retrieve audit data relating to the individual enactment, i.e., the particular Purchase Order number, as opposed to the Purchase Order process.
project a logical collection of related artifacts, including process definitions, business variables, parameters, and business end points. Typically, a project corresponds to a set of related business processes that collectively provide business value in a particular functional area. A project is created within Designer or Studio and published and deployed using the Process Administrator.
role - a job function in a process that has associated activities to be performed by a user or group. Users and/or groups are associated with process roles in the Process Administrator utility.
service endpoint - an endpoint that contains the connection information for external resources such as archive databases, process data mart and BAM databases, as well as external components (including third-party applications and databases) that were catalogued in Studio or Designer and need to be catalogued in Process Administrator.
state - a representation of the internal conditions defining the status of a process instance at a particular point in time.
Studio - a modeling and design tool for business analysts and developers. Analysts can model, simulate and test any number of processes using the tool. Business Activity Monitoring (BAM) reports can be created using the tool.
Unified Portlets a single, interactive portlet that is comprised of all the functionality of the other Worklist Portlets: Worklist Items, Work Item Details, Views, and Applications.
user a user distinguished by a unique identifier, with an associated display name
Views Portlet a portlet with out of the box or customized views that contains work items and associated display columns. The Views Portlet includes a default inbox, historical views, and bookmarks. This portlet enables end users to create custom views and presentations.
work item - a representation of the work to be processed (by a participant) in the context of an activity within a process instance.
Work Item Details Portlet a portlet that displays details about a particular work item. The detailed information can include custom, business-specific fields. Process diagrams are accessed via this portlet. Notes and attachments can be added to a work item from this portlet. Users can use this portlet to perform actions on the work item.
worklist - a list of work items associated with a role or participant
Worklist Items Portlet a portlet that displays work items for a particular user/role. Columns can be custom/business-specific. Users can use this portlet to perform actions on one or more of the work items in the list and can also use the portlet to search for particular Work Items.
Worklist Portlets a set of portlets for managing work items. These portlets include the Worklist Items, Work Item Details, Views, and Applications.
WorkSpace Studios Web-based environment for testing process implementations (including process logic, roles, business parameters, and rules). The Web application enables business analysts and developers to test processes.
Note: Some of these glossary term definitions are taken from the Workflow Management Coalition: http://www.wfmc.org/standards/docs/TC-1011_term_glossary_v3.pdf