This article covers everything you need to know about workflow automation to make the most of your business processes. To streamline your work processes and develop an efficient workflow that helps you increase your productivity, we have put together a simple 5-step process. Read on to get a better idea of workflow automation basics and learn more about how workflow automation software can benefit your business.
1. MAP IT OUT
Determine all the documents and information that run through your company, then lay them all out via process mapping. Use the following language when process mapping:
- Start: designates the commencement of the process
- Process Step: specifies the action of the process.
- Data: designates the supporting facts of the process
- Decision: designates an evaluation in the process
- Connector: designates the progression of steps in the process
- Role: assigns the participants in the process steps
- Terminate: defines the end of the process.
2. TRIM THE EXCESS
Most business process redundancies result in errors, which open that dangerous door to revenue depletion. Because a business workflow maps out each step, it is easier for you to highlight the weak links in your company’s operations. Eliminate waste and inefficiencies by nixing, replacing, or revising uneconomical business processes that add no practical value to your organization.
3. SINGLE OUT THE DUPLICATIONS
In any company, from small startups to Fortune 500s, communication lapses happen. It is unfortunate, yes, but an undeniable facet of human nature. Miscommunication between departments often culminates in team members either duplicating their efforts, reviewing items that have already been reviewed, or skipping over a crucial step because they were under the impression that it was completed.
These communication hiccups may be accidental, but the negative consequences they unleash are pretty unforgiving to your organization’s productivity. Hashing out these hiccups is so important and much easier when you take the time to do it right.
Workflow management includes finding redundant tasks, mapping the workflow to an ideal state, automating processes, and identifying bottlenecks and improvement opportunities.
4. MULL OVER THE RISKS
A successfully illustrated business workflow not only provides powerful insight into the risk factors your organization faces but also pinpoints the areas from which these risk factors originate. This is key to determining whether eliminating a step in your process is a good idea.
In the long run, the business’s objectives are all dependent on the smoothly flowing workloads that support these objectives. In this modern environment of hyper-competitiveness and digital transformation, there is no margin for error. Automation is no longer a nice-to-have element but an essential part of any organization’s success.
5. PICK A PLATFORM
Even with an established and visualized business process in place, internal and external deliverables are bound to become disorganized over time. No solution works forever: Shortcuts and miscommunication are inevitable, both in the business realm and in the “outside world.” Your organization is not stagnant, so your business process workflow should not be either. Enter: your document management system augmented with workflow management software.
If you involve the employees in the process, the development and implementation will be even smoother. Automating workflows is one of the most important business decisions, so make sure you involve your employees to make it as easy as possible.
Parallel workflows consist of doing things in one step and then in another, and this can be done in a workflow automation software that shows you what progress is being made. Automating workflows can help teams focus on growing the organization rather than spending time on mundane tasks. This can give teams time to work on more creative and challenging tasks and support groups of people to coordinate their efforts better so that disorganization can no longer be considered.
TO WRAP IT ALL UP
Create an application that your organization needs to automate your workflow, and you create a business – defined roadmap to get there in the most efficient way. It is about making sure you document the productive usefulness and regulatory need of each task, get multiple perspectives on each step’s relevance, and use customizable workflow automation software to optimize your business process continuously.
By integrating existing hardware with SaaS-based forms and document management – companies can automate manual-intensive steps. Consider how to optimize your office processes, eliminate redundant steps in your workflow, and automate the approval process.
Our Tracker is a process and workflow automation solution based on BPMN2. It allows organizing, sequencing, and parallelizing activities, assigning responsibilities and performance targets. You can customize forms and various integrations, facilitating automation and supporting employee and other business workflows. Tracker will also help you modernize legacy systems, optimizing past investments.
KNOW MORE AND EVOLVE RIGHT NOW
Reference:
https://technologyadvice.com/blog/information-technology/top-10-workflow-automation-software/