Workflow Sample

* Series; Can be used immediately, part 2.

Considering the introduction of the workflow system... I want to evaluate Workflow products by running data that is even a little significative.

In the second of the series, I would like to pick up "Daily Report" as the theme. The following "Daily Report flow" which I would like to present, is also very convenient. The Flow diagram is simple enough, and you can start using it in any organization from a small team to a large company. And also, it is good that you can start it smaller without affecting the main business.

[Daily Report flow]

* Series; Can be used immediately, part 1.

Considering the introduction of the workflow system... I want to evaluate Workflow products by running data that is even a little significative.

However, even how much you look for, there is no business sample that fits completely in the business of your organization. I mean, the "Business Process To Be" will differ greatly because it depends on the company size, the business industry and the department in the company. So you will download a Business Process Definition sample (Workflow Sample) that is too simple, and you activate in the Workflow system, and end up inputting something nonsense like 'test' or 'foo bar'.

I would like to present you "Suggestion Box Workflow" in the following, which is very convenient as a workflow to be run during a trial period of Workflow product. The Flow diagram is simple enough, and you can start using it (if you wish) in any organization of a small team to large company. More than anything, it is good that you can start it smaller without affecting the main business.

[Suggestion Box flow]

'Want to collaborate in reply emails'
'Want to visualize the progress of creating reply emails'

A flow of Contact Support is complicated. Many companies have their complicated splitting flows such as, "Escalation", "Technical survey", "Committing to Sales section" or "FAQ registration", etc.. Also, it varies according to the company scale. Even in the same business industry, the flow will be totally different in organization with 10, 100, 1000 personnel. That is, Contact Support operation is one of the businesses that you want to explore "the way it should be" for your own. Nowadays, you better make your attempt to optimize the business flow using a 'Business Process Management tool' (BPM tool).

However, even though 'Modifying and Improving' is the specialty of "BPM tools", they are less good at usability of the input screen. For example, the importance of each item cannot be known even if they have been carefully set to fit the business of the company, because it looks flat.

"Questetra BPM Suite" is equipped with a feature that you can customize 'Input Form screen' exhaustively.
Though you will need knowledge of HTML, you can continue to explore 'an Input screen which anyone can handle' or 'an Input screen that allows quick responding'. That will make even rookie employees to play active roles. (Advanced Layout feature)

[Contact Replying flow]

'Book purchase' on the company. It happens often.

Like Research institutes, R & D department, Marketing department... Books are indispensable for survey works.
Like Software company, Designing company, Construction company... Latest books are also indispensable for those creative businesses.

It's alright that 'someone buy books when he or she needs them', but information about those books which purchase on the company should be shared within the company. If there is an environment that anyone can see 'who and when bought which books' quickly, you may not have to buy books that you think you need. You may browse a book which you think not worth paying for at the office next door.

The following Workflow is a Book Purchasing Request. Not only for 'Purchase Request', you can use it for 'Report after the fact'. In other words, all the book purchase will be recorded, and that will become a Database of in-house library.

[Books Purchase Request flow]

Considering "a Workflow" to be incorporated into "a Workflow". (What?)

That is, "the jobs on which professional skills should be exerted cross-sectoral". Although it may differ greatly depending on company size or its Business Activities, these are in varieties such as "Typo Checking", "Document Translation", "Trademark Law Violation Check" and "Presentation materials brush up", so on.

The following Workflow definition is, a "Document Translation flow" for a company in which 'Japanese -English document translation' would occur in many different sections. It is excellent because it is designed to be called (be incorporated) from another Workflow. Moreover, it will send translated document data, back to 'the Process of the original' on completion of translating. It is a mechanism of "Subroutine" speaking in terms of the old IT terminology. We might call it "Subprocess call" in BPM basis.

This team, we should call it "Translation Center in-house", is a group of specialized technicians. Defining 'Inputs to them' and 'Outputs from them' will greatly contribute to improvement in business efficiency. (It might suggest for telecommuting system.) By the way, it could often be controversial that 'it should be outsourced to focus on our own business', but there is a big difference in the work quality because they have a deeper knowledge of in-house term and specialized term.

[Document Translation flow]

"Business Trip Application" is complicated and cumbersome.

You may be required 'Prior Approval', or may need 'Advance Expense (cash prepayment)', or the company may arrange certain type of tickets ... The proceeding is troublesome than anything. If you try to extend the schedule as personal trip, you will totally not understand what you should submit.

On the other hand, your Boss or Accounting personnel who receive the "Business Trip Application" won't be so happy. It will be hard enough only to check expenses and detailed travel plan. The words of "travel plan" are already nonsense because anyone can change their reservation at anytime, anyplace. Also in Expense Settlement processing, there no longer is a necessity for advance cash because most of the purchase can be paid with 'Company credit card'. If you need a settlement, you'll claim it in Travel Expense Report of afterward.

In the Workflow below, it is focused on 'abolishing Advance cash', and on giving Prior Approval on [Overview of Travel].

What is excellent on this workflow is, destinations of the travel plan (place name) that entered can be referred in Google Maps. Because "travel route" and "travel cost" can be understood with one click, "person who gives approval (the Boss)" or "person who does audit" can understand the business trip summary instantly.

[Business Trip Approval flow]

There are two types of Decision Making; 'pros and cons on one proposal' and 'choose from several proposals'.

"RINGI", a traditional unique Japanese business practices, is a Workflow that is to make a decision over 'one proposal', to approve or not. (Collecting signatures (stamps) from a terrible number of people. So the paper almost looks red.)

In the other hand, the following Workflow is a example of a Selecting Workflow to choose from 'multiple choices'.
In this example, "Host City candidates" will be enumerated in the upstream operation together with study on benefits and problems of each them. And in the "Host City" is determined in the downstream operation. You can put it to practical use such as a serious business of "selection of the seminar venues" or 'choosing destination of company outing', an easy one.

As a matter of course, the options for the final decision will differ each time. That means, even if you want to show the options in the selection interface at the downstream operation, they will not be the same depending on each matter in question. In such a case, I use a technique that to display data which was entered in each line of "String type multiple line" in the upstream process, as "options of the downstream process". For example, if texts in three lines;

Tokyo
Madrid
Istanbul

are entered in the [Host City Candidates] at upstream operation, 'Tokyo/Madrid/Istanbul' will be listed in the Selectbox (or Radio button) of [Host City] in the process of downstream.

[Olympic Games Host City Selection flow]