Adding decision support to workflow systems by reusable standard software components

Hermosillo-Worley, Jorge; Reynoso Castillo, Gabriel; Geneste, Laurent; Grabot, Bernard

doi:10.1016/S0166-3615(02)00063-5

Adding decision support to workflow systems by reusable standard software components

Journal

Computers in Industry

ISSN

0166-3615

Date Issued

2002

Author(s)

Hermosillo-Worley, Jorge

Facultad de Ingeniería - CampCM

Reynoso Castillo, Gabriel

Facultad de Ingeniería - CampCM

Geneste, Laurent

Grabot, Bernard

Type

text::journal::journal article

DOI

10.1016/S0166-3615(02)00063-5

URL

https://scripta.up.edu.mx/handle/20.500.12552/3737

Abstract

Industrial information systems like Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) systems are increasingly comprehensive and integrated. Nevertheless, satisfying all the user requirements regarding information processing or decision support within a unique tool seems still to be unrealistic. As a consequence, being able to quickly provide the users with additional pieces of software for supporting specific decisions remains more than ever a topic of interest. Specific developments take time, are costly, have usually low reliability and are often poorly integrated with the main information system. In order to address these drawbacks, we suggest a structure and the first elements of a toolbox aimed at allowing an easier development of additional pieces of information/decision support system (DSS) by reuse of standard software components. This toolbox allows the implementation of workflow and groupware facilities and the communication between modules is achieved through a database which provides the integration with the main information system. The first decision support modules developed include an expert system generator, a neural network simulator, a simplex module and a Case-Based Reasoning (CBR) module. Examples of applications developed using this toolbox are described, and a development methodology is suggested.