Development of the Core System Costs "3 Person / a Day"?

Will it be possible to build the Core System over a Workflow?

It will be possible if it is with a Workflow of nowadays. Though it is controversial that how far a Workflow should be functional, the Non-programing technology of today is really amazing. Especially in a department or company of up to 500 people, employees who know the reality of day-to-day operations should "build it by themselves". I dare to say that you surely can get a better one than "made-to-order system of 10 million yen budget".

The following Workflow definition is "Bill Creation flow (including reporting the Order and reporting the Service provided)" for 'Questetra, Inc.', a Japanese SaaS business company.

• 72 Data items.
• One of them is Table type (length variable).
• Has a mechanism to send an email which business data have been inserted in the middle of the process.
• Has a mechanism for the automatic PDF document generation.
• Has a mechanism for the automatic starting monthly Billing flow.
• Has a mechanism for the automatic approval when passing the deadline.
• Has a mechanism for the automatic starting triggered by 'an email from an external'
• Has a mechanism of labor saving of input by indicating prospect according to input user or input time.

If you would build this by made-to-order, maybe it will cost '2 people working a whole month on only the requirements definition'. And later, it will cost 'never less than 10 people working a whole month on designing, development and testing'.

[Bill Creation flow]

Automate Creating PDF Invoice, Labour Saving on Data Input Thoroughly

Let's automate invoice issuance. Yeah, let's do it.

Because data items to be describe on the invoice have been saved as the approval information in the Workflow, all you have to do is to insert them into the template of PDF.

By the way, here we are going to make the framework of Invoice Issuance flow.

Of course in the future, we aim to connect to 'Delivery flow' or 'Service Providing flow' which goes to issue invoices, but now, to begin with, we are going to visualize "Invoice issuance situation".

[Invoice Issuance flow]

Promote Efficiency of Sales Cycle of Monthly Orders

Workflow 'A' calls Workflow 'B'.

"Connecting Workflows" is one of the real thrill(??) of high-performance workflow product. It enables to pass business data from 'Process of Sales Department' to 'Process of Manufacturing Department' without any leakage of data. (If you are a Cloud Worker of Google Apps,etc.,Cloud-based Workflow would suit you for handling business information.)

See Workflow Start Another Workflow Automatically during Processing

However... It sure is easy to connect when that is clear about upstream process or downstream process such as 'Sales flow' and 'Manufacture flow, but in cases that continue to connect each other, difficulty goes up straight away.

In terms of Software Engineering, they are "Waterfall model" against "Spiral models". Moreover, for example, in such as "Advisory Contract" or "Maintenance Service", the cycle of "Service delivery" and the cycle of "Continuous orders" will circulate in parallel. That is, the Sales sector is moving toward the next orders, concurrently the Service sector is processing their service delivery. (Double Spiral?)

For such case, we would like to introduce to you how to make 'Parent process cycle' as "Orders Process" ,and 'Child process cycle' as "Service Delivery process".

[Circulating Orders Flow]

Unmanned Workflow Starts with Receiving Claim Data

There are Workflows which end a series of processes with totally 'unmanned'.

"Unmanned Workflow", it is a Workflow that only when an error occurs human takes part in it. For example, a Workflow that (1) Accepting requests for "Free Account" on the Web site, and (2) Setting new accounts in the system automatically, then (3) Sending a 'Welcome mail' to the applicant. That is one of 'unmanned Workflow'.

The following is an unmanned Workflow that takes a role of 'Database', receiving sales data from various business processes. Only sales data out of all Claim flow is sent, and sales data of all business is aggregated.

[Unmanned Sales Data flow]

Ease the Monthly Billing

Can you define a 'Workflow'?
Somehow, it often seems "IT knowledge" to be required, but it isn't. Rather, "Business knowledge" is indispensable.

'Billing flow', for example. It is exactly what the core operation, and it's not easy to list up all the processing steps.
1. Complement the series of procedures from 'Delivery / Shipment' of merchandise??
2. Complement the series of procedures from 'Order Report' by salesperson?
3. Complement the series of procedures from 'Query / Leads' ?
It is a hassle just to set 'Workflow range considering to be easy its operation'. And of course, the 'Workflow To Be' depends on the Business line, the organizational size, or organizational culture.

In this article, we would like to take a look at a Billing flow for Cloud services business and Rental business, etc. It is also assumed monthly repeat cases on a contract basis.

[Billing flow - Cloud service]

Workflow Across The Enterprise, From Quotation To Payment Confirmation

Everyone will try to build "Between Companies (cross-) Workflow", and visualize them.
Want to visualize,

• Delivery process
• Inspection process
• The Payment
• Confirmation of the Payment

However, using Cross-enterprise Workflow makes it visible even such as " whether the business partner has completed payment verification process". But think well, there is nothing trouble in any way.

Similar

• "Think Supply Chain As Cross-Enterprise Workflow"
• "Sending Workflow Logs to Gmail Makes Referring Easier"

<Tasks>
1. Quote Request, 1b. Approval Request, 2. Arrangement, 3. Create Quote, 4. Approval quotes, 5. Ordering the contents of quotations, 6. Correction, 7. Approve Modifications, 8. Order Confirmation, 9. Delivery Completion Report, 10. Payment Confirmation

[Quote-Reception-Delivery Process: "1b. Approval Request" screen]

Sending Workflow Logs to Gmail Makes Referring Easier

In the article "Think Supply Chain As "Cross-Enterprise Workflow"", only the accepting side has assumed "Supervisor approval (leader approval)". Assuming them in the order side Workflow model will be like one below.

<Tasks>
1. Quote Request, 1b. Approval Request, 2. Arrangement, 3. Create Quote, 4. Approval quotes, 5. Ordering the contents of quotations, 6. Correction, 7. Approve Modifications, 8. Order Confirmation

[Quote Process<Supervisor approval>: [1b. Approval request] screen]

Think Supply Chain As "Cross-Enterprise Workflow"

More of Business Process Management (BPM) activities are to manage and to promote improvement procedures (workflow) of internal company.
However, working on reviewing procedures this and that in practice, you will find more worth working on Inter-company workflow than internal company. The main reason is as follows.

• Easier: roles of Companies are clear
• Wasteful in communication: allow time for document (mail / FAX / mail) interaction
• Wasteful in saving data: each company has different ways of data managing
• Careful in improvement: to carry out improvement over tension that not to annoy people outside the company.

 *(Of course, it's so hard to reach consensus between companies)

Even a Email is legally "a document" nowadays. It can be an evidence in the court as well. So "Paper Documents" should be reduced even little by little.

The following workflow model focuses on digitalizing entire paper documents between companies with many transactions such as "Quotes + Orders Confirmations". In another word, exclusive ordering system for client. (SCM)

<Tasks>
1. Quote Request, 2. Arrangement, 3. Create Quote, 4. Approval quotes, 5. Ordering the contents of quotations, 6. Correction, 7. Approve Modifications, 8. Order Confirmation

[Quote Process: [3. Create Quote] screen]