This paper, by Nick Russell and Wil M.P. van der Aalst, proposes the use of workflow resource patterns, as a means of evaluating the BPEL4People and WS-HumanTask proposals. The resource patterns provide a comprehensive description of the various factors that are relevant to human resource management and work distribution in business processes. They offer a means of examining the capabilities of the two proposals from a conceptual standpoint in a way that is independent of specific technological and implementation considerations. Through this examination, the authors hope to determine where the strengths and weaknesses of these proposals lie and what opportunities there may be for further improvement.