Workflows

An organization performs several business processes, route tasks of business processes to employees, systems, within an organization and across the organization (Business to Business transactions – B2B) to achieve it’s goals or objectives and most of the processes are handled manually in many cases.

Manually maintained business processes very often result in errors, higher cost for resources and it is difficult to manage these processes in an efficient and effective manner. These problems can easily be overcome by using workflow software to automate these business processes.

Workflow software uses a set of instructions known as Workflows to schedule and run the business processes.  As per specific conditions, these business processes are executed in a sequential way to accomplish the goals of an organization. Workflows can be started manually, or as soon as the server is initialized, or at particular day or at a particular time, or at a particular week or at a particular month according to the needs. These workflow tools have the capability to suspend a workflow if there is a problem in a particular process and as soon as the problem is fixed, then workflow can be started once again to run the processes.

Workflow software records business process run or execution information to a repository. When the repository is queried using workflow monitor tools, information like start and finishing time of the business processes, status of the   processes (started, stopped, succeeded), errors and exceptions of the processes can be easily retrieved for further analysis. Workflows can be used to notify the process status through email to the topmost executives of the company or whoever in need of it.

Advantages of Workflow:

• Workflow software enables the tasks to be completed in no time when compared to manual process by coordinating the tasks done by people and systems.
• Workflow helps the topmost executives to take decisions immediately.
• Workflow is very important for continuous process improvements.
• Workflow reduces errors and exceptions.
• Workflow reports provide plenty of information about tasks that have been completed, stopped or suspended.
• Workflow is the core of B2B transactions and it provides partners, vendors, and suppliers to quickly receive, send, and analyze data that helps to take decisions, settlement of business transaction amounts.
• Workflow reduces the number of human resources to complete tasks, which increases the enterprise’s profit.
• Workflow can be very useful to implement Sarbanes-Oxley rules and other rules imposed by government.