WORKFLOW MANAGEMENT EMPLOYING ROLE-BASED ACCESS CONTROL

A workflow sequence specified by a process definition is managed by a workflow management system which enacts each segment in the order specified by that process definition. Role-based access control (RBAC) is used to define membership of individuals in groups, i.e., to assign individuals to roles, and to then activate the roles with respect to the process at appropriate points in the sequence. Any individual belonging to the active role can perform the next step in the business process. Changes in the duties and responsibilities of individuals as they change job assignments are greatly simplified, as their role memberships are simply reassigned; the workflow process is unaffected.