Task Orientated Application“TOA”

A Paradigm Shift in business software?Removes software complexity and supports the way

people work and business agility

David ChasselsCEO Procession plc

Paradigm Shift - A change from one way of thinking to another. It’s a revolution, a transformation, a sort of metamorphosis. It just does not happen, but rather agents of

change drive it.Kuhn, Thomas, S., "The Structure of Scientific Revolutions", The University of Chicago Press, Chicago.

The problem is

how to close the gap between them

The world has no shortage of Business Issues

or ICT Capabilities

BUSINESSISSUES

TECHNOLOGYRESOLUTION

Today’s Context & Scenario

But there are still gaps to be filled

ProcessModel &Definition

BUSINESSISSUES

TECHNOLOGYRESOLUTION

Clear, Fast Clear, Fast Easily understood by AllEasily understood by All

..The right keystone is critical to joinThe right keystone is critical to join

both sides and prevent collapseboth sides and prevent collapse

BUSINESS

ISSUESTECHNOLOGYRESOLUTION

PLATFORMS &INFRASTRUCTURE

DATA SOURCING & MANUFACTURE

USER DELIVERY& PRESENTATION

ENABLING INFORMATION

BUSINESSCONTEXT

GOALS & BENEFITS

STRATEGICOBJECTIVES

OUTCOMESREQUIRED

ProcessModel &Definition

Integrated TOA approach brings rapid results, Integrated TOA approach brings rapid results, lower costs, THE end to end adaptable solutionlower costs, THE end to end adaptable solution

ONE MONTH?

SAVINGS80% TIME

50% COST

SAVINGS80% TIME60% COST

BUT

SOFTWARE

TECHNOLOGY

IS STILL NOT

BUSINESS DRIVEN

Software Development has Issues• Seismic Shifts for the Software Market – Sand Hill Group April 06

• The Demise Of The Packaged Application – Hurwitz & Associates February 06

• The software industry is in the midst of a quiet but dramatic revolution – McKinsey & Company Software 2006 Industry

Report

• The key issue that needs addressing in software development today is the lamentably low project success rate - Butler

Group April 2006

• There is a huge consensus that the enterprise-software industry business model is broken; Erik Keller, Wapiti LLC

Sand Hill April 2006

• Human user interactions are currently not covered by WS-BPEL – IBM and SAP July 2005

• There’s uneasiness in the software industry today ….. the industry must say goodbye to its narcissistic tendencies.

Brian Sommer, Techventive, Sand Hill May 2006

• “We're flooded with information, but that doesn't mean we have tools that let us use the information effectively.” Bill

Gates said “these products would bridge the gap between information workers and the information they need to be

more effective.” May 06

• The Death of Packaged Apps - Erik Keller, Wapiti LLC Sand Hill May 2006

• IT hasn't delivered agility, yet - BPM Forum/webMethods study ZDNet June 2006

• Avoiding Software's Perfect Storm - Phillippe B. Vincent, Accenture July 2006

• "IT systems must graduate from being transaction-oriented to being event-oriented. Vendors must create these event-

based systems with real-time response capabilities.“ Dr. CK Prahalad Sandhill July 2006

• "We have categories of users coming into the workforce now for whom the internet isn't something new… working

through tools that were always developed on their desktops. They are expecting more and more that enterprises are

going to support that approach for how they work.” John Wookey VP Oracle Application Development  October 2006

TOA Development - The Vision

• To link people to the business fundamentals • Create a “new way” to build business functionality in

software – the way that people work is what defines an organisation

• Remove “technology” complexity in the build of business applications through the separation of business logic from delivery technologies

TOA The Start Point• Businesses

– Are not complex– Are task driven– Require people to initiate/manage any task– Work naturally in a horizontal “flow” of work– Know what they want - Well they should - but

they may need some help!– Want agility = future proof systems

Definitions

• An Application is a digitised expression of Processes

• A process is a series of linked tasks• A task is a step in the process and specifies

the action required by the user – human or machine

• Tasks are sequenced by links during a run of the process

TOA Core Design Philosophy

• Tasks make Process• All Task types can be simply expressed • All systems use a database• All Task attributes can be expressed as

data• Needs a core data-centric design

incorporating all dimensions that drive People and Tasks

– e.g. Rules, Events, State, User Forms, Compliance and Time

Inside the Database

RDBMS

TaskDefinition

Audit / History

‘Run’ DataReferenceData

ProcessEngine

Process Engine

Made up of scripts running inside RDBMS

Task/Process DefinitionsTasks made up of tables that are the same in every installation of Procession. Only their contents differs

Audit / History

Made up of tables that are the same in every installation of Procession. Only their contents differs

Run Data

Made up of tables that are different for each new process

Reference Data

Made up of tables different in every installation. This data is accessed during a run of the process and links to either Run data OR the Process Definition

Process Engine Managing Links Between Data

Task to Process Definitions

Audit / History

Run DataReference Data

Ag

ilit

y

Agility

Agility

State

State

Historic Component-based Application

Audit / History

Run Data

Reference Data

External

Process definitionBPEL

Rules engine

State engine

Runtime engine

Process engine

Custom/Object-based CodingWith “workflow”

User Interface

DATABASE

Function and system driven applications

TOA Overview Architecture

Administrator

Designer

Manager

User

B2BB2B

LegacyLegacy

CRMCRM

ERPERP

eCommerceeCommerce

SOA

S

S

X

M

Q

EAI

Presentation

Layer

RDBMS

TaskDefinition

Audit / History

‘Run’ Data

ReferenceData

Process EngineIn or outside RDBMS

WebServices

WebServices

The ‘Tool’The calculation task allows the Manipulation of data to and from the database. SQL calculations are also supported.

The sub process task allows multiple

sub processes to be developed and

attached to the core process.

The sub process is developed in the

same way as the top level process.

The web task allows HTML pages or JSPs

to be available over the web .

This is where users interact with the

Database via a TOA

These “TRUE” and “FALSE” links join theTasks together to form the process map.Within these links a developer can embedConditions to drive the automated process.

Click, drag, open the task icons fill in reference, roles, performers etc

A TOA Prescribes nothing - it is your business!

Building the Application

Provides: • Drag & Drop task icons for designing /creating business process •Drag&Drop Screen design / UI Enables integration with IT resources

Activate a Process to Deploy Application

Click process on the toolbar

Choose properties

Change status to active

What happens on Activation

• By activating and saving a process – the Process Engine breaks down the designed process

into its constituent elements – These are saved into RDBMS tables.

• At run time – the engine interrogates these tables to decide – who does what, when and how in the application.

• No code is compiled to enable this to happen.

TOA Map - Purchasing

..

Graphical Process Designer – [Purchase Process Map]Process View Tools Window Help

Log User

S

OrderForm. .

Total ofOrder

InsertNew

Detail

. ...

ManagementReview

NewSupplier

CapitalApproval?

EditOrder

CapitalReview

Refusal

NotificationFinish

PrintOrder

InsertQuoteDetail

sAdditiona

lQuotes

Finish

Another

Quote

No. ofQuotes

Requested

Log No. ofQuotes

QuotesProces

s

AssessQuotes

No SuitableQuote

CopyDetailsFinish

Purchasing Process

Use SecondQuote?

LogDelivery Date

Expected

OrdersS

FinishReceiveOrders

Order Receipt Process

Wait forDelivery

AdjustDelivery Date

LogOutcomeOrder

Correct

DeliveryArrived?

ContactSupplier

Wait forRespons

e

Set UpReturn

sNote

PrintReturnsNote

NotifyOrderer

AnotherSupplier

Finish

Log NewDetails

ReturnOrder

Still inTransi

t

TransportTo Stores

Finish

UpdateStock

Database

CancelOrder

Use NewSupplier

Managem

ent

Appro

val

Order Valueabove £150

CapitalApproval

Order hasreached

Stores

Order has

arrived

Ord

er

rem

ains

outs

tand

ing

Order iscorrect/complete

Already havesuitable quote

No r

ep

l ac e

men

t avai la

ble

Place order with

new supplierOther quotesexist for

order

Additional quotesrequested

Desired no. ofquotes

requested

THE ‘MAP’ IS THE ‘APP’

TOATOA

TOATOA

TOATOA

TOA TOA

TOA TOA

TOATOA

Route

Transform

Interpret

Publish

ExternalWS

Work Flow

Discover

Browser

InformationGateway

Where TOA sits in complex enterprise

XMLXMLBPELBPEL

Query

XMLXML

Data Exchange Mechanism

SOA

SOA

USERQUERY

DATAREPOSITORIES

Leg

acy System

sL

egacy S

ystems

So

ftw

are

as a

Ser

vice

- ‘

Saa

S’

A TOA Delivers• Compliance – to ensure people work within today’s

regulated environment

• Agility - software that changes as the business changes

• Performance Management – real time operational information to be ‘predictive’ and efficient.

• A new “Paradigm” – In a TOA people and tasks are not function limited giving a huge range of capability

A TOA IS• The “Ultimate” Custom Packaged Application through a

unified “framework” to build

• A “Bridge” between Business and IT

• A “Very” Rapid Application Development Tool

• A quantum step towards application development maturity through separation of business logic from delivery technologies

• Business relies on IT Architects to make

delivery of solutions possible• Business fundamentals and logic belong to the

business person and are not technology led • TOA is an enabler that allows exploitation of

individual relevant skills to support business benefit realisation by computerisation and automation

• People linked to applications are assets as long as the supporting software can be adaptable and agile

TOA - the Enabler

The end to end TOA delivery model

DISCOVERYDefine Processes, Rules &

Measures for theOutcomes required

CONVERTInto flexible TOA

Task/BPM/Rules/Event& People based

applications

HOST &DISTRIBUTE

Via secure 24 x 7Networks

ACCESS & USE

Anywhere, via Fixed and Mobile devices

MEASURE ‘live’ RESULTS

IMPROVE

Questions

David ChasselsCEO Procession Plc

+44 (0)1494 781 444

david.chassels@procession.com

E-process™ and Living Process™ are a trade marks of Procession Plc