Workflow management applications were born from the desire to automate cumbersome, inefficient business processes. As companies grew, managing manual processes became harder. In the early workflow applications developed to meet this need, work was managed through a simple task list interface. Document management usually ran through a single defined process. Integrating with other applications required a great deal of development, and costs rose in proportion to these needs.
Today, applications consist of multi-layered structures. They work together with complex electronic forms, rule engines and document management systems. Integrations are used very often in workflows, which makes it possible to model any process. In applications with ready-made connectors, integration costs can even drop to zero.
Considering how far workflow management has come, it is safe to predict that it will keep pace with the changing times. Applications gain new capabilities every day with emerging technologies.
In a fast-moving business world, keeping up with this change is possible with highly dynamic applications. Companies that respond fastest to market demands and improve their processes always stay one step ahead. Workflow management applications play a key role in this change. However, the workflow applications that support it must deliver effective solutions and integrate with other applications so they can hold a central position within the company.
Workflow management applications make manual, slow company processes more efficient and faster. They optimize the information in your processes. With process automation, simulation and monitoring features, companies shape their future strategies. Shaping this strategy requires many components. The business analyst and the process owner are two essential ones.
The business analyst analyzes processes and configures the workflow in the application. Thanks to features such as the workflow engine, rule engine and automatic assignment of users in the process, the process is automated. The process owner monitors, reports on and optimizes the process through the flow of information. To run these processes, applications include both basic and complex features.
Workflow management applications have 6 core features.
- Workflow modeling: This is arguably the most fundamental feature. A simple modeling tool lets you design your processes quickly. In most failed projects, this tool was either inadequate or too complex.
- Workflow automation: Routes workflows and moves them forward automatically. Thanks to automation, your processes are completed in far less time than with traditional methods.
- Real-time collaboration: Lets colleagues in different locations review documents and reports at the same time. Every change is visible instantly.
- Business rules management: Lets the system administrator easily change application definitions. It enables the company to manage processes and respond quickly to change.
- Customizable interface: Lets you build a user-friendly interface and lets users customize their own screens to the way they work.
- Real-time reporting: Reports support sound decision-making while work is in progress. A KPI dashboard is essential so that every user can track performance.
In addition to the core features above, workflow management applications offer advanced capabilities. These features offer great potential for getting ahead of other companies.
Sub-Workflows
Workflows can pass from one to another automatically or when triggered by users. These workflows can work in integration with any other workflow. Information flows in the defined direction.
Advanced Form Design
Electronic forms are the interface used to move workflow steps forward and complete assigned tasks. Forms must be able to handle user requests, which requires a flexible form structure.
With form wizards that generate code automatically, many custom rules can be defined on a form, and integration with different platforms and applications is possible.
Simulation
Workflows and forms can be previewed before they are published. Advanced simulation lets you optimize workflows before user testing. It detects mistakes in advance.
Advanced Workflow Design
BPMN 2.0 workflow modeling makes it easy to design complex processes with drag and drop. Drafts can be versioned, and you can switch between versions. Designs can be moved between platforms so that changes are managed without disrupting operations.
Work Lists
This is the screen that lists the work assigned to users and tracks some statistics. Users move work steps forward from this screen. It shows information such as the priority of tasks, who sent them last and when they arrived. Users can personalize their screens by adding features such as saved searches and sorting tasks by different criteria.
System Reports
The application includes a set of reports for measuring performance, seeing the status of workflows and reviewing archive and workflow statistics. These reports contain a great deal of information about processes, which is used to improve them.
Document Management
Documents are part of process management. A document uploaded to the application travels with the workflow as an attachment throughout the process. Documents stored as part of the workflow are easy to find through defined index fields.
Dynamic Task Assignment
In designed processes, a rule set is created to assign tasks independently of specific people. This removes the need to make a definition for every step. Tasks are assigned automatically based on the roles in the rule set.
SLA Status Indicator
With process priority, users can sort assigned work by distinguishing it visually (for example, seeing it in gray, yellow, orange and red). Until the SLA period ends, the status of the work step changes color in the list over time (for example, from gray to red). This helps users work more efficiently.
Integration
The application can exchange data with other applications through web services, databases and connectors. With ready-made connectors, integration can be done through interface definitions without writing any code.
We have briefly covered the basic and advanced features of workflow management applications. You can position applications with all of these features at the very center of a company's software landscape. That way, you can manage the entire flow of information like an orchestra conductor.
Eren Aktaş
PMP, Customer Services Manager
Sources
https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/workflow
https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/workflow-engine
https://www.ibm.com/think/topics/workflow-automation
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