Patent ID: 7024670

Claim:
A computerized method for processing start-conditions processed by a computer system acting as a Workflow-Management-System (WFMS) or a computer system with comparable functionality, said WFMS comprising at least one process-model, said process-model modeling a process comprising one or more process-activities being nodes of an arbitrary graph and directed control-connectors of said graph defining a potential control flow within said process-model; said method being operative to process start-conditions in one of at least a first mode and a second mode the method comprising the steps of: in the first mode of processing start-conditions, determining if a target-activity representing a work item of said process may be started by evaluating a truth-value of a start-condition once truth-values of all incoming control-connectors of said target-activity have been determined; and said method further comprising a timed-evaluation-step, said timed-evaluation step comprising the steps of: evaluating if at least a first one of said incoming control-connectors is associated with a time-interval defining a maximum period of time, as measured from a reference point, after which the target-activity is to be started, and evaluating if said time-interval has expired, and, in the affirmative case, said timed-evaluation-step, in the second mode of processing start-conditions, continuing the processing to start said target-activity even if not all truth-values of said incoming control-connectors have been posted determined yet, if the truth-value of said first incoming control-connector has been determined, and if said truth-value evaluates to TRUE the timed-evaluation-step is repeated until all control-connectors of the target activity have been evaluated, and wherein the method implemented on the computer system is by default operative in the first mode, and the second mode is automatically selected when the truth-value of the first incoming control-connector has been determined to be TRUE.