business-process

What software tools do people recommend to map business processes?

I'm thinking of using Visio + Sharepoint. Are there any other low-cost packages or Visio add-ons that would be appropriate? ...

Is a process design really declarative programming?

I've heard from someone that they´re using a business process automation tool (like Weblogic Integration) as a programming language (what sounds like something kind of stupid) to make things declarative. Then they put all the logic inside a process, every single if and while. But, isn´t a process a how to step-by-step entity to reach a ...

Buisness Rule and Process Management?

After some searching in google and wikipedia, I still can not get a clear image about the "difference" between BRMS (Business Rule Management System) and BPM (Business process management)/workflow system. can those two concepts do the same thing from each other? (theoretically) A "rule" can be modeled as a "process" as well. isn't it? ...

How do you balance business process changes against the challenges of changing software?

In my admittedly young career I've found myself writing code to support quirky business rules and processes. Inevitably these changes were always in some massively difficult code base and caused many issues. My question has a couple of parts: While software is a tool for businesses to make their lives easier, at what point do we as d...

Question on development process for artwork

We are currently using SVN, and we are storing much of the artwork (sounds, images) in our repository right along with everything else. Right now, the artists commit their work to the repository directly. When the artwork is approved, it is linked to the codebase. We want to keep the checkout process simple (so that artwork doesn't have...

How to align software with business processes?

In my experience, software that is well aligned with business processes are easier to change when the business processes change. What type of architecture is best suited for this approach? ...

Which workflow engine should I chose for implementing a dynamic reconfiguration of workflows?

I want to be able to interrupt a running workflow instance, say when a new activity is about to be invoked, and extract information both about the structure of the workflow and the data in the particular instance. Then I will consult with an external system and according to its response I will possibly alter the behaviour of the workflow...

Should unimportant bugs be fixed just so that they do not distract developers?

While Joel Spolsky thinks that every bug should be fixed before new code is written, the reality in many places is that developers are very busy, and some bugs are deemed worthy while others are not. Unit testing is also often treated as nice to have. I have been chasing a mysterious bug in a critical application, and found a few minor ...