State Machine or Flowchart for Windows Workflow Foundation 4?

Question

We currently have a system that handles translation jobs.

1. customer creates an order
2. the project manager hands it over to one or more translator
3. then it goes to a proofreader
4. language manager checks quality, if bad, job goes back to translator
5. project manager delivers it to client

Currently all the status can be assigned manually and/or overridden. Meaning any step can be skipped or set back.

The app is a ASP.NET WebForms / MVC mix.

Now I would like to re-implement this with Windows Workflow Foundation. Would a State Machine make more sense than a Flowchart? I'm not really getting the advantage of the State Machine...

Answer 1

Given the way you describe the job you are really switching between states. So using a state machine sounds the logical approach. However it would be perfectly possible to do this using a flow chart and that would certainly be easier to explain to business users.

Now the good thing is you can mix and match state machine and flow chart as needed/wanted.

Answer 2

I prefer StateMachine for most scenarios like this. It is definitely possible to do what you want to do. You should spend some time exploring it. You might want to start with Introduction to State Machine Hands On Lab