The following are some typical features associated with many WfMS:

• Process Definition Tool: A graphical or textual tool for defining the business process.  The following Figureshows Enhydra JaW, a free graphical tool for modeling a business process.

• Simulation: Some systems allow workflow simulation of a particular workflow process so that it can be tried and tested on a limited basis before it goes into work.

• Document Flow: In simple systems, this might be accomplished by passing a file or folder from one recipient to another (e.g., an email attachment). In more sophisticated systems, it would be accomplished by checking the documents in and out of a central repository.
• Invocation of Applications to View and Manipulate Data: Word-processors, spreadsheets, GIS systems, production applications, etc. can be invoked to allow workers to create, update, and view data and documents.

• Work lists: These allow each worker to quickly identify their current tasks along with such things as due date, goal date, priority, etc. In some systems, anticipated workload can be displayed as well. These systems analyze where jobs are in the workflow and how long each step should take, and then estimate when various tasks will reach an individual’s desk.

• Event Notification: users can be notified when certain event occur.

• Process Monitoring: The system can provide information on current workload, future workload, bottlenecks (current or potential), turn-around time, missed deadlines, etc.

• Access to Information over the World Wide Web: Some systems provide Web interfacing modules in order to provide workflow information to remote customers, suppliers, collaborators, or staff.

• Tracking and Logging of Activities: Information about each step can be logged. This might include such things as start and completion times, person(s) assigned to the task, and key status fields. This information might later be used to analyze the process or to provide evidence that certain tasks were in fact completed.

• Administration and Security: A number of functions are usually provided to identify the participants and their respective privileges as well as to administer routines associated with any application (e.g., file back-ups, archiving of logs).

• Task Scheduler:  Responsible of monitoring execution time of tasks and processes. It invokes events to notify for latency. Also it can be used to automate starting process based on certain time, such as a payroll process that happen every month in any organization, this process can be started automatically in timely bases.

• Workflow Language Interpreter: Interprets business process model to be ready for execution.

• Manual Intervention:

Workflow management systems ensure that at run time processes execute according to their definition. Under exceptional circumstances, the workflow user needs to override the process definition and manually change the flow of the process.