Configurable and self-optimizing business process applications can be used in conjunction with features of a content management system, for example including generating and providing guidance relating to a decision or action point within a workflow instance, allowing a user to invoke an exception that includes a deviation from a set of actions defined by the business process application, saving a modified version of the business process application in the content management repository, and monitoring performance metrics of the business process application and the modified business process application when used by additional users in additional workflow instances. Methods, systems, and articles of manufacture are described.