IBM BPM, V8.0.1, All platforms > Authoring services in Integration Designer > Developing business processes > Building BPEL processes > Defining BPEL process logic > Adding an activity to a BPEL process > Modeling human workflows > Adding a collaboration scope
Cases
Case handling is a new paradigm for handling knowledge-intensive business flows. It seeks to combine operational flexibility with well-defined procedures.
A "case" is the product of a workflow or part of a workflow. A case can be any number of things including:
- the evaluation of a job application
- the verdict of a traffic violation
- the outcome of a tax assessment
- a patient coming to a hospital for a routine procedure
- the ruling on an insurance claim.
While there is essentially no limit on the type of BPEL process that can be handled as a case, it is ideally suited to situations where the task owner uses their knowledge to adapt the BPEL process.
For example, the task owner can:
- expedite the process - a judge may dismiss a case without going to trial.
- trigger sub-processes - a doctor may order a blood test because a patient is not responding in an expected fashion.
- repeat a number of activities if the initial results were not satisfactory - a job applicant may be called in for a 2nd interview if an additional manager wants a chance to talk to the applicant.
- take an alternative path through the main flow of activities - an insurance adjustor may feel the need to visit a claimant to check on certain details.
In all these examples, the task owners knowledge and experience is being leveraged. The case model is an attempt to create workflows that are well-defined but which give flexibility to the staff involved to adapt the flow to the business needs. Such BPEL processes are referred to as "enhanced dynamic workflows".
The "collaboration scope" activity is the preferred tool for the case paradigm.
Related tasks:
Work with structured activities
Related reference:
Administration tab: BPEL process editor