Workflow Sample

Isn't there any 'Fraud' in the reimbursement flow?

For sure, internal control which involves other sections is important, such as 'Job rotation' or 'strengthen the Auditing system'. However, fundamentally 'to steadily continue improving own operations on a daily basis' is the only thing that would raise the existence value of own.

In this article, I would like to consider how to lower the risk occurrence by the workers themselves.

First of all, 'activities to lower the risk occurrence' begins with 'activity of assuming the risks'. Let's make a list of 'Fraud' that could occur in reimbursement.

[Create] Insertion of Incorrect Data

Creating fictitious receipts in the computer!
Asking for making fake receipts to a familiar store!
Resale or return and refund, after actually paid out-of-pocket!!

[Update] Overwriting with Incorrect Data

Modifying the handwritten Price part of the receipt!
Miscalculation in summing plural receipts!
Entering larger amount than the price on the receipt into application data!!

[Delete] Deletion of Correct Data

Forgetting to make a request!
Missing the receipts in Accounting!
Boss covering-up his man's request deliberately!!

In fact, as you can feel it if you tried in "familiar workflow" such as Reimbursement Request practically, "assumption of risks" itself is not so difficult. For the people who are involved in the Business flow on the daily basis, it will be easy to list five ten risks.

Whereas, the bar will be raised when it comes to ""Controlling the Risks". (Basically, there is no choice but to diligently learning in the designing examples of Business process.)

The following Workflow is plotted Risk reduction by mutual restraint. The first major ingenuity is 'Requesting on the occurrence'. It will be checked while the memories of persons concerned are new because reimbursement requests are to be made on occurrence of payment made on behalf each time, rather than batch request at the end of the month. Another ingenuity is 'Scan & Save'. It will allow more people who concern to check concurrently, because the digital images of receipts which are paper evidence have been attached.

[Reimbursement Request for Out-of-pocket Expense]

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]

Few days until the end of 2014...

Thanks to you reader's support, I could achieve "Weekly posts" somehow. This entry will be 52nd in 2014, 411th in total proposing Business process.(*) Taking this opportunity, please allow me to express my sincerest gratitude to the readers of Workflow Samples, especially who gave me requests to write specific Processes, and who gave me comments and impressions on my posting.

*) 51 titles in 2014, 52 in 2013, 53 in 2012, 186 in 2011, 68 in 2010
*) One or two business samples [QAR] attached to each article, so the total number of the samples has become approximately 700.

Looking back, people talk about me that 'I'll be a quitter soon', especially the very beginning of this blog. Well, indeed, there is some proposition of Business Process which are 'no big deal' among them. But I'm willing to continue writing articles. So please help me by giving me 'pep talk' and 'straightforward feedback'

Articles Most Read in Japanese in 2014

Making an Extensive Agreement History List with an Agreement Workflow (2010-11-12)
Split Conditions are a Basic Concept in BPMN (2011-04-03)
A Simple Flow Against Complaint (2011-06-06)
A Workflow Definition that Guides Daily and Weekly Report (2011-11-07)
Returning a Prompt Initial Response Is Crucial (2011-04-02)

Articles Most Read in English in 2014]

Improving Your Accounts Payable Process in Steps (2011-05-13)
Reporting Each Client Visit Right After Returning to the Office (2011-02-15)
Visualization of Testing Process in Software Development (2010-12-20)
Workflow Across The Enterprise, From Quotation To Payment Confirmation (2011-06-05)
Is Complaint Management Perfect for Training New Employees? (2011-04-01)

Well, now,

The following is the last introducing of Business examples in 2014, which is a very simple 'Blog Entry flow'.

[Blog Entry flow]

'I leave the rest to you!'

In the article before, I introduced several patterns about 'Postal Matter system' as Backend. These were mechanisms which "Postal matter file and Addressee" are conveyed through

An employee makes a request in the 'Input screen' at upstream Step
Another Workflow transmits via API

On the Backend side, tasks of 'Printing out documents, Signature, Enclosement and post' are carried out systematically.

It will never depend on the circumstances like 'tough negotiation on descriptions in agreement'. It's a mission of a backend that sending by post, solemnly without mistakes without delay. (Truly a 'Behind the scenes role')

Well today, we often see or hear the word "Backend" in a phrase of 'Backend as a Service'. That is, focusing on development of Smartphone App which End Users face directly, and leave the processing on the Backend side to 'Backend as a Service'. That is, focusing on development of Smartphone App which End Users face directly, and leave the processing on the Backend side to 'Backend as a Service'. Therefore, the development period of the whole system becomes shorter.

There are a lot of needs for Smartphone App Development in the world of Business Apps.

For example, implement a BEACON transmitter in the office. A smartphone throws the time that detect for the first time of the day towards Backend as 'Attendance time'. Also, when it doesn't detect the signal more than two hours, it will send the time that beginning of not detecting towards Backend as 'Leaving time'. There are enterprises which actively utilizing the Apps that adopted Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) technology for their Business improvement.

Then, into the following Workflow for 'Daily Report', what kind of APIs should we add to automatically incorporate these 'Attendance time' and ' Leave time'?

[Daily Report Workflow]