What is Jetfire?

Jetfire is an open source scripting language targeted at power users, who want to build their own workflows.
Jetfire includes:

A workflow language designed specifically for workflows.
A workflow designer that can be used as a stand-alone tool to build simple or complicated workflows.
A workflow engine that tracks any workflow across multiple computers and users.
A data persistence layer for storing your workflows.
A data report generator for generating workflow reports.

Jetfire is targeted at subject matter experts responsible for creating and managing business processes. If your job involves care about how work is done, tracking progress, keeping customers happy, then Jetfire can help you improve these functions.

Why workflows?

We have worked on workflow management software for several years. Before that, we were subject matter experts responsible for the development and implementation of business processes within companies where we worked. We took an active interest in how work was done, what progress was being made and how to keep customers happy.
We know that successful projects are characterized by:

Open Communications: The biggest problem in large projects is synchronizing the work of many people. When the work status is tailored to staff, they understand work priorities and work scheduling requirements. (Great Project Managers understand this and ensure that each worker gets the information that they need when they need it.)
Tooled Processes: Paper Processes are an improvement from no process, BUT they lack in achieving a consistent and timely result. When processes are tooled (made available on-line) and are accessible to people, they create an environment where the project status is available at anytime.

Software Tools are making software easier to build, with more features and user simplicity. Today, small companies can get cost-effective, feature-rich workflow-based solutions that allow them to track costs and improve overall financial performance.

Why Jetfire now?

There are a number of workflow solutions on the market today. Most focus on the workflow engine, based on an implementation of the Workflow Reference Model as specified by the Workflow Management Coalition and issued on 19 January 1995. Most solutions leave the User Interface to IT groups who are expected to provide a custom user interface to their users.
The problem is that when a workflow changes, the user interface has to change.
So, why Jetfire now?
Jetfire was developed, based on the following premises:

Workflows MUST be written by Subject Matter Experts (Power Users), because they understand how the workflow should work.
Workflows MUST be as easy to use as spreadsheets, e.g. Lotus 1-2-3 and Excel
Workflows MUST hide all of the ‘nasty’ stuff from Power Users, who worry about success path workflows (they don’t want to worry about failure paths, atomic updates, data storage, update collisions, multi-threading.)
Workflows MUST come with a GUI that adapts to the workflow. i.e. Change the workflow class and the GUI adapts to display the information that the user wants to see.
Workflows MUST address various roles in the organization, i.e. access to confidential data, hiding details when they are not required
Ready-to-use Workflows should be available to choose from and ready to use
The workflow system should be configuration free. (Most systems have add-on administration system for system configuration.)

Jetfire is an open source project. This means that Jetfire workflows are available to anyone. There are a number of ready-to-use examples available already with more becoming available.

Vacation (No example required)
Time-slips, e.g. some companies track time spent on projects
Events, e.g. Fax sent to Head Office

A workflow addresses the following questions:

Who does the work?
Who manages the work?
When is the work done? (Started? Due? Finished?)
Where is the work done?
How long does it take to do the work?
How much time does the worker spend doing the work?
What type of work is it?

The list of questions goes on. As data is gathered, people start thinking in terms of reports and that tends to cause more data to be gathered. By making it easy to enter data, reports allow people to understand how the work is done and see better ways of doing the work.