Many end-to-end business processes require human interactions with the process. For example, humans may be needed for approvals, exception management, or performing activities required to advance the business process. The human workflow component provides the following features:

• Human interactions with processes, including assignment and routing of tasks to the correct users or groups

• Deadlines, escalations, notifications, and other features required for ensuring the timely performance of a task (human task activity)

• Presentation of tasks to end users through a variety of mechanisms, including a worklist application (Oracle BPM Worklist)

• Organization, filtering, prioritization, and other features required for end users to productively perform their tasks

• Reports, reassignments, load balancing, and other features required by supervisors and business owners to manage the performance of tasks

The graphic shows an overview of human workflow:

1. A BPEL process invokes a human task activity when it needs a human to perform a task. A human task activity creates a task in the human task service component.
2. The human task service component uses workflow services to perform a variety of operations in the life cycle of a task, such as querying tasks for a user, retrieving metadata information related to a task, and so on.
3. The human task service component presents tasks to users through a variety of channels, such as Oracle BPM Worklist, email, portals, or custom applications. Oracle BPM Worklist, a role-based application that supports the concept of supervisors and process owners, and provides functionality for finding, organizing, managing, and performing tasks.