Optimal Adaptation in Web Processes with Coordination Constraints

Abstract

We present methods for optimally adapting Web processes to exogenous events while preserving inter-service constraints that necessitate coordination. For example, in a supply chain process, orders placed by a manufacturer may get delayed in arriving. In response to this event, the manufacturer has the choice of either waiting out the delay or changing the supplier. Additionally, there may be compatibility constraints between the different orders, thereby introducing the problem of coordination between them if the manufacturer chooses to change the suppliers. We focus on formulating the decision making models of the managers, who must adapt to external events while satisfying the coordination constraints, using Markov decision processes. Our methods range from being centralized and globally optimal in their adaptation but not scalable, to decentralized that is suboptimal but scalable to multiple managers. We also develop a hybrid approach that improves on the performance of the decentralized approach with a minimal loss of optimality