Overcoming the challenges of implementing a multi-mission distributed workflow system

A multi-mission approach to solving the same problems for various projects is enticing. However, the multi-mission approach leads to the need to develop a configurable, adaptable and distributed system for meeting unique project requirements. That, in turn, leads to a set of challenges varying from handling synchronization issues to coming up with a smart design that allows the ldquounknownsrdquo to be decided later. This paper discusses the challenges that the multi-mission automated task invocation subsystem (MATIS) team has encountered while designing the distributed workflow system and describes the solutions that were implemented. The first challenge was to design an easily adaptable system that required no code changes as a result of configuration changes. The number of formal software deliveries is often limited because each delivery costs time and money. Changes in the sequence of programs being called, adding or removing a program, changes in parameter values of programs, and similar configurable changes should not result in code change.