Efficient cooperation processes are at the core of many value chains and are essential for their economic success. In this context, materials that are processed simultaneously or successively by multiple individuals serve as the working basis. Previous concepts have focused solely on the examination of these materials. Stephan Wilczek builds on the idea of shared materials and develops a concept of active documents. He argues that documents or materials in cooperation processes should possess not only passive but also active properties. Using the example of the electronic patient record, he demonstrates how active documents can support cooperation processes in hospitals. The author then designs a comprehensive architecture based on Eclipse, OSGi, and Web Services, showing that the chosen technologies form the foundation.