Example of corporate workflow efficiency taken from real life
Posted on February 04, 2010
An elaborate automated workflow system is a good foundation for a company’s fast and balanced growth. The basis of such a system is a document. But behind any document there is a process flow, preparation process and document circulation process within the company. We have written about workflow, its processes and the advantages and disadvantages of automated corporate workflow previously. In this article we would like to give you an example of how a corporate workflow system adds to the efficiency of the business process of a company. The examples are taken from real life and the type of companies we will be talking about are very common.
Company A uses paper document workflow, and company B has implemented our automated workflow solution. Employees in company A inquire about purchasing some equipment. But their manager has never made such an order. To process this order he has to spend a lot of time searching for a proper template in the company’s archives to fill in the purchase order correctly. He issues the order on the second day, but it has to be submitted to the company’s manager for approval. The third day is wasted chasing up the managers who are actually responsible for approving this kind of order. So at the end of the third day this list is prepared and the order is ready to be signed by the head of the department, who is, unfortunately, on a business trip and will not be able to sign it for 5 days. Finally on the seventh day the order is approved and signed by the head of the department. The supplier relationship manager obtains more specific information about the price and availability of equipment in the warehouse during the eighth day. The ninth day comes, the invoice can be issued and the equipment can be bought. But it comes out that bookkeeper has no right to sign the order or to issue an invoice without the prior approval of the manager in the budget department. Nevertheless at the end of tenth day the order is signed by all the employees responsible and the invoice is issued by the bookkeeper. The head of the department pays for the equipment and in three days the equipment arrives in the department. Two weeks passed from the purchase order being made to the new equipment being delivered. These two weeks were idle time; two weeks of lost profits and displeased customers.
Let us have a look at company B where a similar inquiry has been made. But the whole process of approval is organized with the help of task manager on SharePoint Server. The order goes to the document library and is then sent to the inbox of the head of the department. Despite the fact that he is on a business trip, he is notified of the document awaiting approval by e-mail, access to which he has via his mobile, laptop or desktop with Internet access. The notification contains the link to relevant document in the SharePoint Server. So he can review, edit and approve the order. In an hour the task is routed to the supplier relationship manager, who obtains more specific information about the price and availability of equipment in the warehouse. In three hours the order is approved and ready for further consideration by the budget manager according to the previously set route of such documents. The supplier relationship manager is also on a business trip, but as we already know, he has access to the corporate document workflow from any other city from his mobile phone, desktop or laptop connected to Internet. So the order is signed the same day and routed to the bookkeeper who issues the invoice. On the second day the head of the department pays for the equipment. In total, it only took three days for order coordination and realization. In this instance, the department was able to start working with new equipment on the third day. The head of the department could monitor the document process.
This is just one example, which shows the evident benefits and advantages of automated corporate workflow. Routing rules can be created by the author of the document. The document would not be approved before all the required procedures are completed; unlike it has happened in company A. All members of the process can have remote access, no matter where they are either abroad, in another city, in the office or at home.