Workflow can be defined as the set of processes which needs to be accomplished, the set of people or other resources available to perform those processes, and the interactions among them. The concept of workflows has existed since industrialization and resulted from a desire to increase efficiency by concentrating on the routine components of day-today work activities. These activities are typically separated into well-defined tasks, roles,
rules, and procedures which regulate most of the work in manufacturing and the office. In the past humans have been responsible for manipulating physical objects, however, now with the introduction of technology, processes in the workplace are becoming partially or totally automated by information systems (e.g. computer programs performing manual tasks and enforcing rules).