Evaluating Workflow Characteristics - Karl Doyle

    Workflow automation requirements at the enterprise level require the integration of production, ad-hoc and e-mail-oriented workflow solutions for specific     requirements. Workflow-enabling applications will not be enough to satisfy productivity-conscious organizations. The intelligent management of workflow will rise     to the top of the list as the prime directive of workflow solutions. Specifically, workflow will be an invaluable asset by being responsible for the achievement of     optimum productivity throughout the enterprise.

    All workflow products have five basic characteristics that should be evaluated independently:

    • How is information assembled?
    • How is work routed?
    • How transparent is application integration?
    • What level of workflow is offered and to whom?
    • What level of customization is required?

    Each of these characteristics may have varying degrees of importance to a specific workflow implementation and should be weighted accordingly during an     evaluation.

    Information Assembly.

    Information assembly is the function of making the necessary documents, notes and data available to each user in a workflow process, and to the workflow     software. The techniques vary widely in different workflow software solutions. One of the most significant characteristics to watch for is the ability to support     any data type: image, COLD (Computer Output to Laser Disk), video, audio, word processing files, mainframe data and spreadsheets. The other characteristic to     be aware of is how data communication is handled. This may be done via the management of queues between different systems or packaged into a single item in     object-oriented software solutions. The benefit of object packaging is the reduction of network traffic for communicating data as well as the ease of management.

    Work Routing.

    One function common to all workflow solutions is the routing of work to users. The variety of techniques seems endless ¬ from e-mail to shared databases. Work     can follow a sequential path, a series of manual selections by each user, or dynamic rule-based routing calculated at runtime. Work can be routed to an individual     user, a group of users or a shared queue supporting a specific user task, server process or device. Work needs to be returned, rerouted, delegated or shifted to     special priority or exception handling routes.

    Application Integration.

    Individual actions in a work process may involve many computer applications and human actions spread over a range of platforms, from common desktop     applications to client/server databases to host-based legacy systems. Workflow software that actively integrates these applications into a process, allowing them     to function in a coordinated manner, provides much more value than messaging services alone. Many products support multiple development environments or     communications interfaces ¬ such as Microsoft's Dynamic Data Exchange (DDE) or Object Linking and Embedding (OLE) ¬ but some do not, so be cautious.     The wider the range of applications that can be integrated will dictate an easier implementation now, and it will usually protect against future obsolescence as new     development and communication standards evolve.

    Workflow.

    The greatest benefits of workflow software come from its workflow capabilities. These capabilities include tracking, reporting, modification and administrative     functions. "Where is my loan application now?" or "What's still missing?" are questions a customer service representative can answer immediately over the     phone. Abilities such as dynamic load balancing to smooth out the peaks and valleys of volumes of work or seasonal factors should be easily monitored and     modifiable.

    Customization.

    Workflow software is either packaged as a set of tools and services for application developers or as customizable turnkey solutions for end users; ideally, both     methodologies should be offered. Packaged tool sets can be more attractive short-term but quickly fall short of expectations, because nearly every organization     has unique requirements. Look for tools that can be easily customized but also have most of the basic functions packaged for rapid implementation.

    Intelligent Workflow.

    A new level of management control is achieved by combining all data, process instructions and status into a single work object that can be managed throughout     the enterprise-wide information system. It parallels the benefits of manual workflow methodologies combined with those of classic automated production     workflow into a whole new realm of automated workflow. The intelligence is in the packaging and communication of work. The workflow is in the easy assembly     of component software (business tasks) into an automated business process. The management capabilities provide the ability to analyze, report and modify     instances or selected groups of these work objects in real time.

    Workflow automation is a process, not a project. More than 50 percent of all productivity increases will likely be a direct result of the ability to react to required     process changes in an expedient manner. Minimizing the time to deliver automated workflow becomes paramount to a successful implementation and to insure     that the automation satisfies current business requirements.

    Benefits of a successful workflow implementation in a corporation are enormous because of the broad reach of this technology to manage business process     productivity. The best way to measure the return on investment for a workflow automation project is to track actual costs associated with business processes     before and after workflow automation. Costs involving development, time to market, support, implementation, training, modification, reporting and management     are just some of the variables that can be tracked in both manual and later automated methodologies. Direct savings will be specific to design goals and actual     implementation, but overall benefits will be realized by both IT and Line Of Business management.

    The benefits to IT include:

    • Increasing the speed of implementing new applications.
    • Easing the integration of existing and future technologies into enterprise-wide business processes.
    • Decreasing support costs through improved response time to business requirements.

    The benefits to Line Of Business management include:

    • Increasing profitability through improved work productivity by automating and managing business processes.
    • Improved understanding of the current process and user efficiencies through real-time reports.
    • Improving the accuracy, timeliness and completeness of work accomplished through tighter controls for modification of work in process.

    Karl Doyle is director of product marketing with FileNET Corp. (Costa Mesa, Calif.; www.filenet.com), a developer of Internet and client/server-based     integration document management (IDM) software for workflow, document imaging, electronic document management and report management (COLD)     solutions.