Automated workflow method for assigning work items to resources

An automated method for servicing a plurality of work items within committed times. A workflow including two or more work activities is assigned for each of the plurality of work items and a commitment is assigned either to each workflow or to each work item in each workflow. Queued work items are automatically assigned to a next available agent based on an activity state. A short-term predictor provides early detection of work items that are at risk of failing to meet their commitments. A long-term predictor detects backlogs of work items where excessive delays in queue are likely to put work items at risk of failing to meet their commitments. An activity's state can also cause additional reserve and backup agents to be assigned to it, to service work items from its queue before their commitments are missed.