SAP Note 23242 - How does WF_PROCESS work (WF 2.1 runtime system)?

Symptom:

The functionality of WF_PROCESS is unclear.

Cause and prerequisites

WF_PROCESS runs automatically.

Solution
Processing of the workflow wait queue (table TWFQU) is performed automatically by two background jobs scheduled using transaction WF05. This transaction is usually accessed via the application menu.
Within the transaction, the items "Administration -> Status" and "Administration -> Start" can be used to control the two background jobs.
WF_PROCESS_DAILY runs once a day (usually at 7:00 a.m., but depends on the user configuration), starts WF_PROCESS, and schedules itself for the same time the next day.
WF_PROCESS runs every n minutes; n is also configured by the user and should be set to a value of at least 3. This job runs through table TWFQU and processes all the steps it finds therein until no more entries exist. The entries in the table are written by the WF engine whenever a background step is required or when a processor changes from step to step.
WF_PROCESS then runs periodically until it reaches the daily end time specified by the user, and then shuts down until it is scheduled again the next day by WF_PROCESS_DAILY.
You can use the background job administration function (transaction SM37) to monitor the status of the two jobs. Also use this transaction if you have to delete either or both of them.