Workflow Sample: January 2015

In companies in Japan,

Employees: Tiresomeness to deliver paper receipts to Accounting in head office
Accounting staff: Tiresomeness to bind the collected receipts to the binder (to stick to notebook)

Suffering these 'Tiresomeness', binders are added every year. Then, those binders go to sleep for seven years in the bookshelf. Nobody in the company would see in the meanwhile.

However, fall in 2014, such absurdities finally became expecting to be improved. This means that the "Law" of Japan will be amended, and "Scan & Save" will be allowed. So, we would like to prepare for "Scan & Save" of receipt promptly. (Foreseeing October 2015?)

Above is the story I have posted in the last entry. -"Scan & Save" the Receipts (2014-01-19)

Well now, this 'Digitization paper receipts', its 'Business Process To-Be' differs depending on various conditions (namely companies) such as;

Scale of organizational member
Number of collected receipt
Shape and type of receipt
Number of branch office
Number of Scanner
Assumption of who operates scanning, and so on...

The following is a 'Expense Reimbursement Process' (Workflow) in which assumed that the claimer him/herself to scan the receipts. The whole thing is completed in digital and online, so the companies hiring many teleworkers are able to utilize it immediately.

[Expense Reimbursement Request]

Promote the "paperless" by the use of scanner!

Although it is not so difficult to paperless in-house approval documents and application form, there is a wall of law against the digitization (paperless) of documents received from the suppliers.

However, "Act of e-book storage method" of Japan (*) has been turned into expecting to be significantly revised in autumn in 2014. Although for the latest trend, I would like you to search by the words "scanner save revision" for it is in the middle of discussed in the government and Diet currently, however, the direction of the discussion as of January 2015 is as follows. Notably, "Store the documents of Contract and Receipt of more than \ 30,000, in paper!" will be lifted within 2015.

It will be alright by "Scan & Save" for important documents which they were saying 'Must store in paper!'
Regarding to "digital signature", also not needed anymore (timestamp and the input user ID will be still required)
Regarding "pre-application to the tax office", it will be no longer needed.

* Official name of the Act: Act on Special Provisions concerning Preservation Methods for Books and Documents Related to National Tax Prepared by Means of Computers (1998-2007)

▽The Nikkei (Nov. 5, 2014)

TOKYO -- Businesses in Japan will be able to keep digital copies of receipts and contracts for tax purposes as early as next year, eliminating costs for transporting and storing paper documents.

The government began coordinating with the business community on the matter last month. Companies must now store original paper receipts and contracts for seven years for amounts of 30,000 yen ($261) or more. The proposed changes let businesses keep scanned files instead, regardless of the amount...

...the Ministry of Finance plans to require businesses to introduce internal compliance mechanisms. It will likely obligate companies to scan documents promptly and to record the time and date of scanning. Digital copies will be kept for seven years.

Then, is it good enough only scanning all of the 'Agreements' which signed by procurement section or the 'Receipts' which Sales personnel brought back, and saving the captured data into the computer?

Things are not so easy. According to "Tax law amendment outline" by the ruling party, 'To ensure internal controls, establish internal regulations about mutual supervision, periodic checks and preventative measures, and administrative processings are based on it.' will be the requirement. That is called "Appropriate Administrative Processing Requirements", and in other words, 'a framework for the clerical work to be done properly' must have been established.

The following "Expense Claim" is a Workflow that contains digitizing of Payment voucher. It is also capable of Starting triggered by captured paper image using 'Scan to Email' function of MFP. (Let's talk about the transaction documents which are classified as "sales", in another occasion...)

[Expense Claim]

'Standardization' of sales activity is hard. It is really harder when it involves consulting.

In fact, experienced salespeople won't change 'their own way'. If they do, it would be only when they think over the things based on their own experience. After all;

A. No interest in learning the "way of the others".
B. No interest in teaching the "way of their own" to the others.

However, for the aspect of organization, you cannot depend on veteran's own way. Their know-how should be passed over to younger people to increase organizational strength. Namely, veterans are required to spread their own way.

The following Business Process Definition is a 'Proposal Creation Process', to achieve standardization based on proposing procedure by a certain top salesperson. Exceptional Step is not described intentionally. Exceptional Step is not described intentionally.

This 'Proposal Creation Process' can be said it is in the sales style that requires skills and experiences to emphasize on the solution of the client's challenge. That is, a Sales technique that focusing on 'explanation of how to solve the challenge by prospective client themselves, rather than 'explaining the service product. As a matter of course, that top salesperson would never feel nothing annoying to follow this procedure (Workflow). And the more salesperson makes proposal activities using this workflow, the better the business improvement would be achieved in various ways.

Everyone's "Proposal" will be accumulated -> Re-usability of the "Proposal" will be increased
Progress of negotiating Issue will be visualized -> More than one salespeople will be able to work for proposal as a team
The period of the negotiation will be also recorded automatically -> Everyone will be able to analyze proposing cycle

[Proposal Submission Work]

A happy new year to everyone!

Here the year of 2015 starts. I will try my best to contribute to 'Innovation for Business operations in the world'. Hopefully, I could raise the quality of articles so that make the more business people to feel 'this gave me a tip for the Business process to-Be!'.

Well, there is a proverb here in Japan, which means 'The whole year's plans should be made on New Year's Morning'. Actually, almost a half of Japanese go visiting nearby shrine or temple to make their vow. Statistically, the number of worshipers between January 1st and 3rd) is more than 90 million. (out of population of 120 million)

Although there are some people who says 'I would prefer to stay in my bed later in the morning of long-awaited New Year vacation', I would make my vow for this year since this proverb has been kept cherish as a custom from Samurai era (400 years ago).

Write at least one article every week (as I have been doing.)
Write articles about what more than one person made request, and be sure to do the satisfaction survey.
Consider to try publishing in at least one more language (even only the body part).

My, I wonder how it will be at this time of the next year...

After all (?), the first Business Process Template of the year 2015 is 'General Work Request flow'.

[General Work Request flow]