Introduction The StageDirector methodology and engine facilitate the design and implementation of participatory document evaluation applications. In such applications, reviewers collaborate and share the responsibility by evaluating aspects of a document for which they are qualified. Focusing on efficiency, the StageDirector methodology also possesses the flexibility to closely model a business process and handle its exceptions. Business Process, Workflow A business process is a collection of steps, not necessarily performed in sequence, that accomplish a specific business goal. Examples of business processes are the approval of purchase requisitions or the evaluation of competing bids.
Processes remove elements of randomness from work, making it more efficient and predictable.
The steps of the business process can be assembled in various ways, for example, in sequence, in parallel, or in combination following different synchronization patterns. The particular way in which the individual steps are combined is called a workflow, and the representation of the workflow together with its rules and properties is called a workflow schema or graph. A diverse class of applications can be implemented using the StageDirector methodology. When dealing with complex documents that have to be evaluated by a multitude of reviewers, a sequential evaluation might result in unacceptable performance. Further, not only that each review becomes a critical step in the process, but each delay increases the overall document evaluation time.