Workflow technology is a new field of software products designed to improve the design of information systems. It involves use of workflow engine

Workflow engine

A workflow engine is a software application that manages and executes modeled computer processes. It is a key component in workflow technology and typically makes use of a database server....

 to execute models of processes.
The models can be edited by persons not experienced in programming (e.g. managers) using workflow editors. Workflow maps business processes systematically and helps prevent some tasks from falling through the crack or lost amongst numerous emails.