Workflows are considered a vital element in any successful business. The smoother and more organized they are, the more capable the business will be to achieve its strategic goals efficiently and effectively. But what exactly are workflows and what makes their role so essential?
To answer these questions, let us begin by defining what workflows are.
According to Investopedia, the term “Workflow” describes the steps in a business work process through which a piece of work passes from initiation to completion; and how these steps can be executed and automated according to a set of procedural rules.
To put it simply, workflows are used to achieve the task or project in the best way possible. It is worth mentioning that workflows can be used in people’s everyday activities, not only business activities. In business, they are described as business workflows, or simply workflows. Another name for them that means essentially the same as “business processes”. So, work in organizations is performed in processes, i.e. business process, aka. workflows.
Workflow/Business Process Management Systems
To make workflow management a more automated and streamlined task, a new type of software tools was created known as Workflow Management Systems. As its name suggests, a WMS is a complex and integrated piece of software. They are also known as business process management software.
The best tool you can get for your business is a tool that focuses on the core business and the efficiency of the processes that make your business up and running.
In order to streamline your business processes with optimal efficiency, you need to consider using a Workflow Management System. It comes with advanced tools that will allow you to make a visual representation of your processes, determine the sequence of each task, assign all the dependencies, budgeting, managing approvals, and much more.
Benefits of Workflow management systems
You might be thinking, why should I consider automating my workflow?
If you know its great impact on your business, you will be actively looking for one, if you aren’t using one already, and see how it will benefit your business. Below are some of the main benefits that a Workflow system can do for you:
Reduce errors
Computer systems are excellent at automating repetitive tasks and doing them exactly the same way every single time. They don’t get tired, distracted, or “bored”. Upon creating an automated workflow, certain actions are set to be performed automatically according to pre-defined rules and conditions. By so doing, human errors can be reduced significantly and almost eliminated.
Save time and effort
Automated workflows are responsible for automating actions and responses, which will reduce the time and effort required from employees to perform such actions. Since a lot of the tasks in organizations are performed repeatedly, managing them using an automated workflow system will ensure saving time and increasing productivity.
Improve communications
When most of the actions, responses, and notifications are being performed automatically, the need for follow-ups, reminders, and statuses is no longer an issue. Automating your business processes minimizes the need for person-to-person communications and the need to keep reminding each other to take that next step to get the process done. In addition, using a workflow management system, you can set automated notifications to be sent to whoever needs to be notified via any digital channel possible. You can notify relevant stakeholders via, for example, pop-up notifications within the system, email, or SMS.
Increase efficiency
Since automated workflow systems are automatically handling repetitive work tasks, processes, and workflows, employees can focus on more productive tasks that require creativity and innovation. Workflow automation thus enables employees to focus on improving the core business flows and encourage them to accomplish their tasks efficiently and optimally without worrying about those boring repetitive tasks that can be distracting and time-consuming.
So, these are the benefits your organization can get when implementing workflow or business process management systems. However, what are the key features to look for in such systems to realize these benefits? Below are the essential features every workflow/business process management system should have.
Key features
To guarantee having a successful workflow system that will benefit your business, you should make sure that the system you will consider buying have at least the following features:
Process Designer
A good workflow system shall allow users to define and build their business process according to different criteria; such as the company size, industry, and many more. The system should allow users to automate the business processes and dynamically create the proper steps and flows based on their specific business needs. It should provide a graphical representation of the process being created to help process designers optimize it.
Form Builder
This feature is very important because it allows people to convert all the paperwork to digitalized forms. The system should allow the design and creation of relevant forms through an intuitive interface that can be easily used by business users. What makes this feature awesome is that it doesn’t require any code-work.
Organizational Chart Creator
One of the interesting features to be included in the workflow system is the organization charts builder. Using this feature, you can define the details of your organization chart based on the company’s hierarchy, departments, and job functions. This can be put to use in the Process Builder module of the system.
Security and Access Control
Business process management systems can involve every department in the organization. Also, a lot of the work in these departments involves confidential information that only a limited number of people shall have access to. Therefore, in addition to providing a secure environment to prevent unauthorized access to the system, the system should also support different levels of access rights that can be easily configured and immediately enforced.
History and Advanced Reporting
Effective workflow systems should provide you with full access to all the data stored on your workflow tool where you can monitor all the actions that were performed. Moreover, it should provide you with a history of the changes that were made by users to the business processes so you can keep track of who changed what in your business workflows. In addition, you should be able to generate the necessary reports as needed.
Choosing the right workflow system is very important; it puts your business on a fast track to success. Check out ESKA Workflow, a dynamic system that provides powerful digital acceleration for enterprises.
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