Automating Knowledge Flows by Integrating Workflow and Knowledge Discovery Techniques

Although it is apparent that knowledge flows should be automated to improve efficiency and effectiveness of knowledge sharing with an organization, there exists no frameworks or systems designed specifically for such a purpose. While there are a number of systems that facilitate knowledge management, those systems do not support directly the modeling of knowledge workflows and their systematic execution. In this paper, we investigate the research and technology gaps between the needs of organizational knowledge flows and the conventional workflow paradigm. We argue that the conventional workflow cannot be used to automate knowledge flows directly because of a paradigm mismatch. Then, we propose a solution to this problem by outlining a system architecture that integrates knowledge discovery techniques and an intelligent workflow engine, leading to what we refer to as the knowledge workflow management system. 1