Deploying Crowdsourcing for Workflow Driven Business Process
Rafa? Mas?yk, Kinga Skorupska, Piotr Gago, Marcin Niewi?ski, Barbara Karpowicz, Anna Jaskulska, Katarzyna Abramczuk, Wies?aw Kope?
DDeploying Crowdsourcing for Workflow DrivenBusiness Process - a Brief Proposal
Rafa(cid:32)l Mas(cid:32)lyk − − − , Kinga Skorupska − − − ,Piotr Gago − − − , Marcin Niewi´nski − − − ,Barbara Karpowicz − − − , Anna Jaskulska − − − ,Katarzyna Abramczuk − − − , andWies(cid:32)law Kope´c − − − Polish-Japanese Academy of Information Technology KOBO Association University of Warsaw, Faculty of Sociology
Abstract.
The main goal of this paper is to discuss how to integrate thepossibilities of crowdsourcing platforms with systems supporting work-flow to enable the engagement and interaction with business tasks of awider group of people. Thus, this work is an attempt to expand the func-tional capabilities of typical business systems by allowing selected processtasks to be performed by unlimited human resources. Opening businesstasks to crowdsourcing, within established Business Process ManagementSystems (BPMS) will improve the flexibility of company processes andallow for lower work-load and greater specialization among the staff em-ployed on-site. The presented conceptual work is based on the currentinternational standards in this field, promoted by Workflows Manage-ment Coalition. To this end, the functioning of business platforms wasanalysed and their functionality was presented visually, followed by aproposal and a discussion of how to implement crowdsourcing into work-flow systems.
Keywords:
Crowdsourcing · Workflow Management · BPMS · Business
The development of computer networks, the availability of devices such as per-sonal computers and mobile communication offer great opportunities for cooper-ation between people who have never physically met. Thanks to this technology,they can make large and unique contributions to complex processes, for example,with crowdsourcing. [5]Business processes, often geographically dispersed and surrounded by manyrules, may require technological support - through workflow systems. However,these systems, in a very strict manner, allow only certain user behaviors limitedby their designed functionality. Lack of flexibility in terms of process changesduring implementation, not allowing people or applications to perform tasks thatare not foreseen in the model (and data), is a frequent criticism of this technology. a r X i v : . [ c s . H C ] J a n Mas(cid:32)lyk et al.
Therefore, in this paper we explore how to expand the functional capabilities oftypical business systems by allowing specific tasks to be performed by massivehuman resources, in this case with the use of crowdsourcing.
At this stage it is possible to present a certain scheme of operation of crowd-sourcing platforms. First, the employer creates a campaign, according to therequirements of the crowdsourcing platform. From now on, the platform actsas a mediator in assigning tasks to the crowd or a human cloud. The clientdoes not choose the worker for the specific task, but presents the planned tasksto the crowd of workers, who may or may not have to perform them. Usersof the crowdsourcing platform who have successfully completed the registrationphase can operate in two ways. They can be either employers or workers (humancloud), or both at the same time. According to data from the Microworkers.complatform, 90.52% of all users act as workers, 3.59% are people who engage onlyand exclusively as employers, while 5.89% of all users are people acting on twofronts - as workers and employers simultaneously[2][3].
There are many systems on the market that allow for workflow management.Most very large companies develop such systems individually in order to have fullcontrol over the organization. They are generally called Workflow ManagementSystems[1]. Their structure and functionality define the standards developed byWorkflow Management Coalition (WfMC) in the so-called Workflow ReferenceModel (WRM). Based on our preliminary research and previous work at thisstage of we do not see systems allowing to resolve specific types of tasks withthe help of crowdsourcing platforms or any other form of crowdsourcing [4].
Here we elaborate on the problem of performing a crowdsourcing tasks with theuse of workflow.
Many Business Process Management Systems (BPMS) contain all the necessarytools to be able to design a workflow for all BPMS users. The question we poseis whether and how this functionality can be extended to include CS-type tasks.The first solution is to use the existing forms of crowdsourcing to solve tasks.So let’s assume that the indicated BPMS platform user is obliged to perform the eploying Crowdsourcing for Workflow Driven Business Process 3 task using crowdsourcing. We further assume that this task is suitable for execu-tion by delegating its execution outside the organization, i.e. by crowdsourcing.For example, it could be a project of employee business cards.Since this user does not have a mechanism enabling access to crowdsourcing(CS) platforms via his user panel in the BPMS system, the task should be orderedindividually, e.g. by means of a web browser on the CS platform. It should beemphasized here that the workflow type system monitors only two steps: startand finish. The user can pass this task on to an external company, some systemor another user. The user is also obliged to interact with the workflow system inorder to communicate the end of the task.After the time allocated to this task has elapsed, the user verifies the results.For this purpose, he or she reviews the received graphic suggestions and selectsthe best ones. After paying for the accepted projects, the user downloads them.Then BPMS introduces the best results in its system and changes the statusto closed. In this way the company received designs for its business cards. Thetask was done with CS but not with the use of the system and not based on theworkflow.It is obvious that there are no interactions between the workflow system andthe CS platform indicated by the user. As a result, this method is a delegationof the task to an external CS platform.The problem raised here, i.e. lack of communication between the BPMS sys-tem and the external CS platform, is quite important. Despite the generalisationof the principle of operation of CS platforms, building a system that creates abridge in communication between BPMS systems and such platforms is not triv-ial. The lack of standards in this area, which would give guidelines for designing apossible communication platform based on workflows technology, does not allowus to propose a universal solution. Each CS platform has a different specifica-tion of the tasks, availability of contractors, forms of compensation for the task.There is no international body responsible for the standard approach to theconstruction and implementation of CS platforms.
Figure 1 shows the structure of workflow systems according to the WorkflowManagement Coalition, Reference Model, along with the indication of segments(objects marked in red) requiring modification in order to obtain additionalfunctionality necessary to support cooperation with CS tasks.The first change concerns Process definition. According to this standard, thiscomponent contains all the information about the structure, constraints, tasks,types, roles and other process defining data. This definition is the basis for theoperation and feeding the necessary data of the most important component ofthis architecture, i.e. Workflow Enactment Service. It is composed of: – information on the conditions for starting and ending the process, – activities and rules allowing for the continuation of the execution of the trial, – the tasks the user can undertake, i.e. roles, Mas(cid:32)lyk et al.
Fig. 1.
Proposed changes in the structure of the workflow system. Based on the WfMCworkflow architecture. – references to applications that can be called, – the definition of any WF data to which the system may refer.In the case considered in this paper, the first change concerns the introductionof a definition of a new type of tasks [5] [6]. We will call them crowdsourcing tasks.As the name suggests, it is to be available to any external entity, organizationor person as yet undefined in the user system.The second change concerns the Task List Manager (Worklist Handler), wewill continue to use the abbreviation WH. This component is responsible formanaging the interaction between WF users and workflow enactment service.Its task is to take care of work progress within the whole process by interactingwith the workflow enactment service (hereinafter referred to as WES) by meansof a list of tasks (worklist) available for execution. In the case of some systems,this component may be more than just a system tool to inform about the avail-able tasks to be performed. In the case of this work, WH must ensure that thecrowdsurcing task is accessible to any external user and should remain accessibleregardless of the number of people undertaking the task. How Worklist Handler (WH) Works
Let’s consider a simple example ofa process definition, where a process consists of four tasks in the form of asequential order. eploying Crowdsourcing for Workflow Driven Business Process 5
As soon as task A becomes available for execution and is accepted by the userauthorized to perform it, the system creates a copy of the entire process for theexecution of this initiated instance of the process, as shown in Figure 2. If the
Fig. 2.
Process instances in WF Systems (Process Execution). indicated task of the process is to be performed as a task of the CS type, as inall other cases, the initiation of the process instance is equivalent to the creationof a copy of the entire process. In addition, however, we have here potentiallymultiple execution of a single activity under execution of single process instance,for which standard WF systems are not prepared.Figure 3 illustrates such a case for a single process instance where the C taskis of the CS type. The multiple of asynchronous execution of task C results from
Fig. 3.
Multiple execution of a single activity under execution of single process instance. the different time in which an indefinite number of people can start performingthis task. In the extreme case, the task did not interest anyone and then it willnot be done at all. It is rather obvious that it is impossible to predict how muchcopying is necessary for the management of this task. The system must generateanother copy together with the registered needs, i.e. the next performers of thistask who begin activities in this area.Now we have to look at the next BPMS component. This is the WorkflowEnactment Service (WES) shown in Figure 4. To allow a CS task to be performedby a standard WF system, it is necessary to modify the WES.The workflow enactment service would need a new element to manage multi-ple executions of a single activity. , from now on called Multiple Executionsof a Single Activity Manager (MESAM). This extension would be responsible forthe asynchronous management of multiple existence of a single instance. Addingthis as a separate element is intended to showcase that not every task should beperformed using CS, therefore it is not always necessary to use this extension.
Mas(cid:32)lyk et al.
Fig. 4.
Standard workflow enactment service area (WES) with the new MESAM com-ponent.
In the process of creating subsequent executions of a single activity withinthe execution of one instance of the process, the machines of states will also beduplicated. However, the process remains in the active state during the desig-nated time, when new instances can be initiated. It should be emphasized herethat initiating the execution of successive instances of this task is asynchronousand devoid of communication between the users of the service created in thisway. Each of these machines is responsible for the current state of a single copyof a given activity within the framework of a crowdsourcing task. Let us remindthat the limitation of the CS type task is to be the duration, i.e. the openness ofthe task for potential contractors, therefore, a certain number of machines willbe created, which are in different states of activity. Their number will dependon how many system users have undertaken this task. After a certain amount oftime (formulated / set in the conditions of this task), this task will be completedat the process level.
Fig. 5.
Multiplication of the machinery of the states of activity.
At this point, the proposed component - MESAM, will face the task of com-pleting all instances of the activity under consideration. To solve the problem, eploying Crowdsourcing for Workflow Driven Business Process 7 the proposal is to force the termination of all unfinished tasks (in the Activestate) of this activity.In order for the proposed concept to be implemented in practice, it is neces-sary to introduce a new type of task, a task of the CS type. Such a change inthe meta-data definition of the process enforces another modification related tothe presentation of such a task, i.e. an important part of the architecture of thestandard workflow system - worklist hendler (WH).It seems natural that with the new type of CS task, the WH componentshould store into a dedicated form of operation. Our proposal is as follows: WHwould then serve as an interface for undefined users[6] [7] in the workflow systemto redefine a schema for retrieving information about users, such as identifica-tion data, id assignment, contact data, and other data. A task of the CS typewould still be available within the framework of the defined task, the time for itsexecution. This data must be securely stored in the system for a longer, specifiedperiod of time.
Fig. 6.
Proposed changes in the workflow structure.
Thanks to this, during the system’s operation, the expectations concerningdata consistency and continuity at each stage of the WF system’s operationare met. Naturally, this requires the expansion of the database structure, itsproperties and limitations, and the expansion of the above mentioned interface.Figure 6 shows a proposal to place new components (marked in blue) in theworkflow system structure.
Mas(cid:32)lyk et al.
To sum up, the number of necessary modifications to BPMS operational workis significant. Each aspect mentioned requires precise specifications in order tobe integrated into existing standards.
In this paper we discussed how to integrate the possibilities of crowdsourcingplatforms with systems supporting workflow to enable the engagement and in-teraction with business tasks of a wider group of people. Lack of flexibility interms of process changes during implementation, allowing people or applicationsto perform tasks that are not foreseen in the model (and data), is a frequentcriticism of this technology. Thus, this work is an attempt to expand the func-tional capabilities of typical business systems by allowing selected process tasksto be performed by unlimited human resources. Our proposal is to extend thecurrent standards with the necessary elements in order to achieve the goal of al-lowing the task to be carried out as an element of the process, not by designatedpersons from the organization, but by crowdsourcing. Inclusion of a new type oftask requires a number of changes in the workflow system modules. These areelements of the definition of a task in the process, which requires a change in themeta-data of the system and the adaptation of the engine of the system to theexecution of this type of procedure. This change entails changing an importantmodule such as Work List Handler, a module responsible for organizing ordersin accordance with the process definition.Opening business tasks to crowdsourcing, within established Business ProcessManagement Systems (BPMS) will improve the flexibility of company processesand may allow for lower work-load and greater specialization among the staffemployed on-site. When implemented well it may also mean an increase in over-all task completion quality and a potential decrease in the monetary cost of thetask. However, there will be some costs associated with the application of theproposed process related to implementation and marketing, ongoing manage-ment and monitoring, including quality assurance. While these are importantconsiderations for all companies, the change for external contractors, such ascrowd workers, is overall positive, as it would mean more diverse work opportu-nities facilitating competence-building and increased specialization.Our further work will focus on expanding this model and testing its feasi-bility in the business context and with different types of crowdsourcing tasks,either completed by human resources or in a hybrid manner (using, for exam-ple, machine translation verified by human crowd workers, as postulated in ourprevious work [9] [8]). Overall, we believe there is massive potential in extendingthe use of crowdsourcing in business contexts, and especially within establishedBusiness Process Management Systems (BPMS). eploying Crowdsourcing for Workflow Driven Business Process 9
The presented conceptual work is based on the current international standards inthis field, promoted by Workflows Management Coalition and was made possibleby the XR Lab at PJAIT, part of HASE research initiative (Human Aspects inScience and Engineering) of human-computer interaction labs.
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