Workflow Sample

What is BPO? (Business Process Outsourcing)

It is, basically, 'to outsource' the so-called indirect business. Or, in some business conversation, it often refers to "a contracting service in response to the commission". Anyway, the company entrusts the duties such as general affairs, human resources, accounting and welfare and telephone correspondence to the trustee. These outsourced duties are essential, even though they do not produce any profit directly.

BPO in Japan, there are three major businesses which are "Customer service" "Order Management", and "ICT systems management".

The following workflow is "antivirus operations" which is the most costly in the "ICT systems management". Most notably point is that it admits use of personal belongings as an information terminal device, in order to ensure the convenience of employees. These are cases of companies in the so-called "BYOD" (Bring Your Own Device) framework, that are judged to be conducive to business improvement (quality / delivery / cost) in the core business even in light of the information leakage risk.

(However, "anytime email confirmation" has been realized in many companies nowadays. In that sense, I probably should not note it as "special mention".)

In this outsourcing operation, it has been devised to reduce the overall cost by the cooperation of commissioning side and the trustee side. To be specific, each user him/herself to actively report "security status" of the devices which have been registered in advance. For example, users can attach a screen capture of virus scan history, or describe the inconvenience and worries on the utilization. On the Trustee side, as well as checking the overview report of all employees, they would perform investigation and correspondence individually, if necessary. Really, it's sophisticated.

[Device Security Report flow]

The specific Business flow starts by 'certain movement' of human limbs...

When the Commander raises his hand for Advance, then report to the Headquarters...
When a bank clerk is holding up her hands and froze, then the Security system...
When a taxi driver makes an abrupt steering, then auto-detection report to the accident response team...

What?

Well, in the first place, there aren't so many operations, which being started by 'Human behavior'. (I wonder why, dangerous scenes only come up when I try to think up some examples...) However, if 'Wearable sensors' become inexpensive, utilization methods as 'simple input device' will be considered.

For example, Moff Band, which is sold as a toy in about 50 USD, is an 'Input device'.

Using this product, even the people who are working on a job that impossible to type keyboards or tap the Smartphone would be able to send signals to IT system. Or, conversely, IT system would be able to detect an event that is difficult for automatic detection. I'm sorry for my 'odd delusion', but I have figured out some solutions for some operations.

A cashier in a supermarket slightly taps the floor with her foot when she felt congested. And then the Manager makes the instruction according to the situation.
When a hospitalized patient moves from the bed, a notification is sent to the nurse, and then the nurse will report it to the attending physician.

The following is a Business Process example, that to receive notification from the 'Motion sensor' (via Smartphone app), and to Start an Operation triggered by the notification. Of course, a variety of applications can be considered in the downstream process.

[Sensor Start Operation]

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]