[Zope-dev] RE: [Zope] Re: Workflow and document management system in Zope

[Josh Zeidner]

hey Albert,

   In my opinion getting something like this together can not be done in
less than 1 year.  I'm familiar with workflow systems and very familiar with
Zope.  The projects you mentioned at the end of your letter are hardly of
production value.  You are looking at a major development undertaking.  As
far as EDM- its pure marketechture.  A robust workflow management system
that integrates into Zope is currently not available.  You should determine
exactly what you need, what is available, and go from there.  There are many
systems that say they are "workflow" and do entirely different things( Verve
and Vitria are an example ). Again what you are doing is likely to be a
major development undertaking.  Good Luck!

 -josh zeidner




   I am looking for a workflow (WF) linked to a electronic document
management
   (EDM) system and a groupware email based (I have just happened to come
   accross aethera from the Kompany) that would be free software and
preferably
   in Zope + Python. The WF+DEM system I am looking for need to be usable
with
   only a browser (to be independant from the client ... that could be
   proprietary !), store its data into a postgresql database. It should be
   demonstrablable (at least showable into a proof of concept) within 2
weeks
   and be already installable and usable within 2 or 3 months. (I have
obtained
   taoday that the date when we'll decide on the system would be postponed 2
   weeks from wednesday 24/1 to wed 7/2)
   If I could find such a marvel, I may find the money to pay for it, at
least
   50000 $ to start with (this amount is a rapid guess; I may give more
precise
   amounts we could spend in the following week)

   The idea is to use that combination of tools INSTEAD of buying a closed,
   proprietary solution (that may exist but be expensive and really har to
   parametrize), that NEED to be linked to a SAP ERP system.

   All suggestions and ideas are welcome, also on the selection criteria.

   (I happen to be responsible for the IT dept of the public institution
that
   wants to buy such a tool, but be new in the place and do not yet know a
lot
   about WF and EDM !)

   Soon I may be able to give you more details about the requirements.

I don't think there is such as system polished and ready within 2
weeks. Here are some starting points:

use wftk as a basis, the open source workflow toolkit --
http://wwww.vivtek.com/wftk

use openflow, a Zope based, but stalled project,
http://openflow.sourceforge.net

use Chautauqua, an old python based workflow system,
http://www.cs.colorado.edu/~carlosm/chautauqua.html

use the old UCI Endeavors workflow (java) system
 at http://www.ics.uci.edu/pub/endeavors/endeavors.html

We have not bit the bullet and built anything yet.

Regards,
Albert Boulanger
aboulanger@vpatch.com

_______________________________________________
Zope maillist  -  Zope@zope.org
http://lists.zope.org/mailman/listinfo/zope
**   No cross posts or HTML encoding!  **
(Related lists -
 http://lists.zope.org/mailman/listinfo/zope-announce
 http://lists.zope.org/mailman/listinfo/zope-dev )