Designing Workflow Systems Using Building Blocks

TL;DR

This paper advocates for a building blocks approach to designing workflow systems, demonstrating its implementation with RADICAL-Cybertools through case studies that showcase enhanced capabilities and integration.

Contribution

It introduces the building blocks approach for workflow system design and illustrates its effectiveness with RADICAL-Cybertools and multiple case studies.

Findings

RADICAL-Cybertools effectively implement the building blocks approach.

The approach enables flexible development of new workflow capabilities.

It facilitates integration and enhancement of existing workflow systems.

Abstract

We suggest there is a need for a fresh perspective on the design and development of workflow systems and argue for a building blocks approach. We outline a description of this approach and define the properties of software building blocks. We discuss RADICAL-Cybertools as one implementation of the building blocks concept, showing how they have been designed and developed in accordance with this approach. Four case studies are presented, covering a dozen science problems. We discuss how RADICAL-Cybertools have been used to develop new workflow systems capabilities and integrated to enhance existing ones, illustrating the applicability and potential of software building blocks. In doing so, we have begun an investigation of an alternative approach to thinking about the design and implementation of workflow systems.