Document Workflow Management
Why your business needs a document workflow solution
Virtually every business has documents that flow through some kind of work process. Expense reports, purchase orders, and travel requests are some common examples. As the document passes from one person or department to the next, someone acts on the information and files it or passes the document on for review or further action. The process of accurately tracking the document’s progress from its originator through to its final destination is known as document workflow management
How can automating document workflow help your business?
Many of the processes involved in document workflow are repetitive and time-consuming. However, they are essential to your business and require that accurate records be kept. Consider something as simple as a purchase requisition. In this case, a form is usually filled out with information about an item that is needed, along with its estimated cost. The form is taken to accounting and, assuming that some standard criteria are met, a purchase order is generated and returned. The purchase order is approved for the item to be acquired up to a specified cost.
The workflow for the aforementioned document began with the person who generated the requisition, progressed to the purchasing authority in accounting, and ended back at its source. While the document’s journey sounds simple, such paperwork is easily mishandled or lost when it is just one in a stack of many. An electronic workflow system prevents mishaps by tracking the document’s progress through to completion. This becomes increasingly true when the document requires signatures from multiple individuals who may be sidelined for a host of reasons.
Here are a few example documents whose workflows must be tracked:
- Manufacturing
A manufacturing firm might handle packing slips, purchase orders, invoices, item receipts, bill of materials, engineering change orders, and others.
- Service Business
A service business, such as a heating and cooling firm, might have call records, work orders, parts inventory, item receipts, and other documents.
- Professional Services
A professional services firm, such as an accounting and bookkeeping service, might maintain tax records, invoices, payments, and any number of transaction-supporting documents.
What type of workflow system do you need?
As you can imagine, the efficient flow of documents through any organization is essential to remaining competitive. Misrouted, misplaced, or lost documents can cause a number of problems that impact productivity and cash flow.
The document management and workflow solutions previously found on custom mainframe-based systems for large corporations are now available on PC platforms and are cost-effective for almost any small- to medium-sized business. The efficiencies they provide are enormous and typically provide a return on investment in less than 12 months.
An effective workflow system has the following characteristics:
- A central repository where documents are stored and indexed.
- A security system that allows only the appropriate personnel to view cabinets, folders, and documents.
- A flexible workflow methodology with rules that mirror manual processes, and can adjust the flow of information dynamically based on logical criteria. For example, “If a P.O. is more than $100, route to Joe for approval.”
- The ability for knowledge workers to have anywhere, anytime access to the documents they need to get the job done.
- Integration with popular office applications; for example, it might have the ability to view supporting documents for a transaction from within your accounting system.
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