Hi Michael Harper,
You are correct about the demo, the demo shows a sample on how jbpm can be implemented. Of course if you want to use jbpm as a service then jbpm-gwt-console-server that comes with the demo is a good reference.
You can even use it and customize just part that you need to behave differently. Or you can even create your own jbpm-gwt-console-server like application.
Regards,
Thomas Setiabudi