工作流(Workflow)，就是“业务过程的部分或整体在计算机应用环境下的自动化”，它主要解决的是“使在多个参与者之间按照某种预定义的规则传递文档、信息或任务的过程自动进行，从而实现某个预期的业务目标，或者促使此目标的实现”。
　　　 工作流管理系统(Workflow Management System,WfMS)是一个软件系统，它完成工作量的定义和管理，并按照在系统中预先定义好的工作流逻辑进行工作流实例的执行。工作流管理系统不是企业的业务系统，而是为企业的业务系统的运行提供了一个软件的支撑环境。(Workflow (Workflow), is the "business process in whole or part of the computer application environment of automation, it is mainly to solve the" making process among participants transfer documents, information or tasks according to some predefined rules automatically, so as to achieve a desired business goals, or to make this goal the implementation of".
The workflow management system (Workflow Management System, WfMS) is a software system, it completes the definition and management of the workload in the system, and in accordance with the pre-defined workflow logic workflow instance execution. Workflow management system is not the enterprise's business system, but provides a software support environment for the operation of enterprise's business system.)