The SiteExecutive team is hard at work on Enhancement Pack 2 (EP 2) for SiteExecutive 2011 (SE 2011). A key feature of EP 2 is something we’re calling, structured content.  Though there is nothing new about structured content, we think our approach will greatly enhance the impact and value of using structured content on your websites, because you, Mr. / Ms. Content author will be the one who creates the content structures – as opposed to developers and XML geeks....Click here to read more.

People drive business processes. More specifically, teams of people. No other software feature reflects this reality more than workflow (a.k.a. governance).

For the sake of this blog, workflow means commanding:

1.       The right action/attention

2.       At the right time

3.       In the right way

So, when teams change, workflows change. It follows then that great software facilitates this change.

Ta-da… SiteExecutive 2011 does.

With SE 2011, we’ve introduced a new workflow engine which lets developers (for now) easily add workflow to custom SiteExecutive development, as follows:

·         Model workflows: imagine defining a workflow process in the same way you’d draw it - boxes and lines with arrows. Create processes that branch, loop and have multiple endpoints. 

·         Track Versioning: track information changes. Know who made changes, approved or rejected; and capture why.

·         Communicate Outcomes: automatically generate template-driven email in response to business events (e.g. publishing). Populate those emails with values based off of the data in workflow.

·         Integrate: multiple points for reading, writing and transmitting data between databases and external systems. 

The workflow engine also works independently of SiteExecutive, e.g., as a Web service, so developers can take advantage of the engine with external applications too!  And yes, we eat our own dog food, as the new workflow engine is already used in SE 2011 for:

1.       Profile Directory versioning

2.       Event Calendar approval tab

For a bit of background, we’ve battle tested the workflow engine in production on a large and somewhat unique SiteExecutive deployment where it’s used for managing a non-linear content approval process. In this case, the customer is a large retailer using SiteExecutive for an intranet application that conveys store policies (AKA standard operating procedures) to its million+ associates.

As we move forward with SiteExecutive 2011 enhancements, our plans call for updating the page and template approval process with the new workflow engine. More on this in the coming months.

In the short term, you can learn more about the new engine and how it works by contacting your SAI representative. You can also sign up for our three-day API / developer training course to get hands on experience with our APIs, modules and application framework.

During a terrific story on NPR the other morning, reporter Christopher Joyce interviewed Ian Tattersall, a curator at the American Museum of Natural History who uttered the phrase, “Novelties happen randomly.”  Tattersall was referring to natural selection – the Darwinian principal behind evolution – but the concept got me thinking about software development.

Before I get started, I assure you, the SiteExecutive development team has a product roadmap that outlines dozens of new features and capabilities. These are mapped to target release dates – the whole thing is very ordered and logical. And, contrary to natural selection, we can and do call things into existence because they are desirable.

On the other hand, we run into situations where clients get ideas for doing things with SiteExecutive which are outside of our frame of reference. A case in point is Geisinger Health System using SiteExecutive to manage policies, procedures and guidelines – all manner of clinical content. Geisinger’s project is outlined in a case study – it was also a finalist for a 2009 KMWorld Reality Award.

To address the clinical content challenge, Geisinger designed and built a custom SiteExecutive module. They could have purchased an off-the-shelf application for this purpose, but they wanted something better. To make it happen, Geisinger developers took SiteExecutive developer and API training. They also had a team of very smart people from across their organization focused on making this project a success.

The policies, procedures and guidelines at Geisinger cover all aspects of their operations – from life-saving procedures to sanitizing floors. As with so many aspects of healthcare, the way Geisinger manages this clinical content is regulated by the state of Pennsylvania and Joint Commission.

 It turns out – no surprise – that other clients, in other industries have similar challenges. Substitute “standard operating procedures” for policies, procedures and guidelines and voila, we have new workflow requirements driven by a client’s “novel” request.

More details about the new SiteExecutive workflow functionality will be disclosed in the near future. BTW, we’ll be sharing a detailed product roadmap with clients at our SiteExecutive user conference – formal save the date announcement coming soon.