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]

Contract Processing, Advising Chat should be Recorded

Oooh! Why can't I attach files onto the Workflow?

Such a Workflow is totally out of date! Workflows have being advanced day by day. Not only basic data such as 'String type', 'Numeric type', 'Date type', 'Time type', it is also available those data type such as,

• 'Select type', which uses external list.
• 'Select type', which choices are configured in the upstream.
• 'Table type', which makes variety of data into a table.
• 'Discussion type' which data is added with timestamps.

Also BPM: Business Process Management which is for improving business flow, variety of data type can be set in 'Data set' that flows on Workflow. At least Questetra BPM Suite can do it...

See; Modeling: Available Data Types (Questetra/tour/reference)

And now we'd like to consider required data sets in "Contract Processing".

[Contract Processing flow]

The Contract Processing, actually is a Workflow which contains unpredictable numbers of files. Agreement, specification documents, Notices, etc... Have no time for encasing those files in a ZIP file every time. In that point of view, 'File type' which can be attached any number of files is desirable.

And to record the process of negotiation and advice between Legal personnel and Sales personnel, we'd definitely want a "Discussion type" that is automatically records the outgoing comments and time stamp.

Incidentally, in this work flow definition, the conversation exchange between Legal personnel [2. Notes for negotiation/approval] and Sales personnel [3. Contract negotiations Report] goes back and forth. And also, the flow splits into [2a. Review and comment of the draft] by Sales Leader. To achieve these, advanced Workflow or sophisticated Business Process Management is required.

[Contract Processing flow [2. Notes for negotiation/approval] screen]

< Similar Models >

• Should A Contract Be Approved On Printed Paper By President? (2011-05-17)
• Legal Advisers Should Be Included in Workflows, Too (2011-04-07)
• Making an Extensive Agreement History List with an Agreement Workflow (2010-11-12)

<< Related Articles >>

• Modeling: Setting Split Condition (tour/reference)
• To Setup Upstream Process to Give 'Selections' to Downstream Task (tour/reference)

• Contract Processing flow

Share Sales Information in a Simple Business Process

To catch up with the flow of business for up to "orders" from the "quote".

-To check which quote is under the judgment of 'Orders / Lost' anytime
-To tell necessary and sufficient information automatically to relating sections without any leakage when got orders.

First of all, 'Sharing current information' is prior among varieties of affairs in Sales section. In the following Workflow definition, the project management of sales team is defined in a very simple Workflow. It exactly is a Simple SFA. I want to note here is, the daily business report can not be continued if it's not simple.

This Workflow begins with [1. Project Opening report] by a sales personnel. Right after the registration of Project Opening, a Task of [1a. Advice/ Strategy] is allocated to the Sales leader clearly.

[Sales-Quote/Orders share flow]

After that, the sales personnel adds progress when the status changes in his project such as submitting quote or visiting, onto Discussion type data at Task [2. Quote Submitting/ Visiting], then [save]. If there is something should be shared, check the 'In negotiation' flag then [Finish]. In that case, a 'Project progress share email' is automatically sent to members of the team.

In addition, when orders or Lost became final and conclusive, the sales personnel click to select [Status] flag, then 'Finish' task of[2. Quote Submitting/ Visiting]. Doing this, a "I got the Order! email" is sent to members of the team automatically.
(Only the supervisor should know data for analysis on Lost. That is, it's better to be set that 'Case lost email' be sent only to the Leader.)

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]

Flurry of Advices about Proposal Workflow on In-House SNS Feature

"Proposal" is important in business for corporation.

In reality, although there is only way for those proposals 'To be created at the discretion of each individual salesperson', but their Sales executive must always worry that "I suspect if they present sloppy proposals..." But possibly, there might be a guy who is making 'a once in a lifetime proposal' at this moment. (It's the communication that counts!)

In anyhow, we would like to visualize 'the progress of creating proposal' for re-usability of it, and want to develop an environment conducive to give and to receive advices from colleagues. Here, we try to implement a business rule of "Get reviewed by at least one person before submit!" with Workflow.

[Proposal and Review flow(Taskfeed) ]

"Organization" and "Role", Important to Decision Making Workflow

A concept of "Group", which is employed in many system such as Os including UNIX / Linux, or directory services as well as business system. In recent years, Google Apps become having two concepts, "Organization" and "Group".

"Organization" is to manage a company's organizational structure in a tree structure. "Sales" "Marketing Department", "Corporate Planning Department"... To each belonging member is configured. That configuration is not set so often except Move or organizational change. In other hand, for "Group" can be set variety of coordination, regardless of the organization structure. "Football club", "Board of Directors" "General Manager (s approvable of 500,000 yen)," etc.

Now, we call it "Role" on a group which can be set without regard to organizational structure in Questetra BPM Suite. (Ver 8.3 or later) Let's see how a Decision making Workflow is defined with both of "organizational structure" and "Role approval authority".

[Decision Making flow(Org. Role)]