The conceptual framework of a new system, Collaborative Refinery, is motivated by a scenario involving the creation of an FAQ. The scenario introduces the concepts of collecting, culling, organizing and distilling. Distilling is a specialized form of collaborative authoring with support for content selection and genre. The Web-based user interface supporting access to the four conceptual functions is presened in detail. As well, the system architecture and a current implementation are described in detail. Several research directions are discussed with respect to Collaborative Refinery. Collaborative Refinery is related to prior research in personal information management, collaborative authoring, and shared workspaces.

The ad-hoc nature of work practice is a challenge for developers of systems that attempt to model and support the enaction of work processes. Development in workflow modeling systems has taken a number of approaches to addressing the issue of exceptions, or deviations from the "ideal" process. We suggest that one significant element, that of informal communication between process participants, has been largely overlooked by these efforts. Not only is social interaction a key component of work practice, it serves a particularly important role in addressing unusual situations, solving problems, and coordinating the implementation of those solutions. This paper explores the design space of integrating tools for conversation with workflow systems.