This note by Frank Leymann, Dieter Roller, and Satish Thatte aims to set forward the goals and principals that formed the basis for the work of the original authors of the BPEL4WS specification. The note is set in context to reflect the considerations that went into the work, rather than being presented as a set of axioms. Much of this material is abstracted from comments and explanations embedded in the text of the specification itself.

The goals set out here are also reflected in the charter of the OASIS WS-BPEL Technical Committee.