Workflow Sample

There is not a few people whose business is to write "Proposals".

A Sales person in IT industry, a planner in ad agency, a consultant for government, etc., etc.... Those proposal writers would tend to be a 'lone wolf'. That means their writings could be hardly accumulated as 'know-how' and would have less reusability.
Even if a rule to 'backup in the file server' is given, it will not lead to Centralized management just because of a reason: 'CUMBERSOME'. Most of these proposal files profoundly slumber in some folder on someone's personal computer. These files should have been shared with everybody.

The following Workflow is defined an activity of 'reading somebody else's Proposal', as a 'Task'.
In this sample, the writer registers Presentation materials which he/she think to him/herself that 'I did a good job'. Then two of the coworkers who are designated will read it. And at the same time, the file is backed up to the specified folder in Google Apps, the online storage on Cloud. (e.g. "Proposal for New customers", "Proposal for Existing customers", "Template/ Others")

[Proposal Reviewing-Sharing flow]

"Recruiting and Job hunting", the way it should be have been discussed for decades.
Especially in Japan, it seems like 'a social problem that cannot be resolved forever'.

That is, companies want better talent as possible, so they start recruiting earlier than the officially agreed date. While students spend quite a lot of time searching for their future employment after their graduation rather than studying. Both of their interest matches, even though both of them think that is not the way it should be.

Companies and colleges have tried something so far.
In Japan, there was a gentleman's agreement which was called 'Agreement for Recruitment'. It is enacted in 1952, but the rule has never been complied until it is abolished in 1996. Even in the 21th century, A variety of approaches have been made such as 'Charter of Ethics' by companies, or arrangement between colleges. However, those were not enough to achieve the self-control of both them as well. I must say, it could not limit the activities of "companies that want to ensure new graduates at an early stage" and the "college student Look for employment desperately" as if "men and women who fall in love with love".

Spring of 2013, Prime Minister Abe summoned the economic organizations and requested a "further delay" on the recruitment period, said "it cannot be overlooked that students losing the opportunity to extend their capacity". Speaking short, ' those company explanatory sessions be held later than spring break (March, which is the end of the school year in Japan) of the third grade.' A " New Charter of Ethics" will be established by the economic organization soon, and will be determined "Spring Break of 3 graders (March)" which is three months later than currently "winter break of the third grade (December)".

It is necessary for companies that no choice but to (formally) comply with the gentlemen's agreement, to change more smoothly in the "recruitment work flow".

[Recruitment workflow]

When you talk about Workflow, it is Expense Claim.

For a business person, claiming the expenses is quite cumbersome. Although, only you have to do is to steadily input every time it comes out such as travel expense, entertainment expense, so on and on...

In the following workflow, a Process will be started 1st day of each month.
That is, to be allocated a Task of 'Expense Claim of this Month' to all the employees. The deadline is the end of that month. It is as if 'handing out an Expense Claim form paper on the first day of the month' in the real world. After that, employees input expense data each on occasion and save it. The Process will not go forward. And when it comes to the end of the month, and all input is completed, click on the [Claim] button.
The rest of the process is clear at a glance over the flow diagram. It must be approved at [2. Supervisor's Approval] and [3. Accounting's Approval]. If there are correction needed, Task of [1a. Correction and reclaim] as referring back will occur.

By the way, this Business Process is defined to create PDF file automatically after the claim has been approved. The Workflow product (BPM product) must be capable of outputting PDF using business data.

* Of course, we strongly recommend you Questetra BPM Suite.

[Expense Claim Workflow]

Fax, in the first place, is " transmitted data" through telephone line. It is such a waste to print out received data. It will never be worthwhile to reconvert digitized data into analog. Why do I have to walk around the office with paper in my hand? It could be easier to pass out, even through Workflow if the data had left in digital as it was.

The following is a Business Process which receiving faxes on a Cloud-based service, circulating it through Cloud-based Workflow, and back up to Cloud-based storage in PDF format.
It will be backed up to "Google Drive", the Online storage, eventually. Automatically backed up for example, purchase orders from the customer to "Fax Order folder", quotations from suppliers to "Estimates of Purchase Fax" folder. All that Who, When, viewed which fax will be recorded.

[Circurating Online Fax flow]

I'm afraid to say that there are only few companies that have visualized the issuance of their 'Quotes' and 'Invoices'. There are not so many of the personnel in charge who can answer immediately to the question about

How many Quotes have been issued now?
How many Invoices have been issued now?

In most of the companies, personnels of Sales or Accounting create each quote and invoice manually in Excel, print them out, get approved by manager, copy them for backup, enclose them and finally post them... With all their effort they created them with the computer, but eventually they are handled in an analog way. And they are hard to be aggregated.

The 'Invoice Issuance flow' below is so to speak a "Billing system".
The 'Billing Data' that has been entered into Workflow will be approved through Workflow. Using the data, the Invoice PDF is generated. In other words, Invoice PDF will not be created except from this system. You can centralize management of issuance of invoice PDF. When you could develop a Business Process this far, for example you can download business data of 'Issued date', 'Billing company name', 'Billing amount' in CSV format. That means you can create a 'Real-time Billing Ledger' anytime.

By the way, the excellence of this Workflow is to throw backup of 'Invoice file' automatically to a specific folder in "Google Drive", the Online Storage.

[Invoice Issuance - Auto Backup flow]

Before improving the "Business Process", you should learn the tool to do it.

'Of course, that's right...', so this time, I would like to show you a quite simple usage of it.
The Workflow definition below is a job of 'writing an email'. It already is not to be called a 'flow of job'. It has just one processing step (Task). Only one person to handle it. Neither remanding, nor Looping.

[Email Sending flow]

To ask someone a tiny 'job'. It quite happens daily.

Most of the cases, these are handled with the 'Magic Tool' called "Email". That is, Mr.Jack the requester sends an email to Mr.Smith the requestee to ask;