Workflow:

winners,

automatically!

Workflow automation’s role in the digital transformation is already predominant. While many companies recognize their advantages, they have trouble when comes time to select the solution and its deployment. Independent automation systems exist already. Nevertheless, can one really make do without an ERP at the start of an automation process of one’s workflows?

Within companies, the integration of software solutions has become the norm. Their rapid development requires technical support to continue to grow and free up more time for essential tasks.

In this context of productivity gains, the most effective element is the automation of workflows. The term describes technological applications where human intervention is minimized. This includes business process automation, IT automation, personal applications (such as home automation), etc. These workflow management systems are also called Workflow Management Systems (or WfMS). These automation solutions are often referred to as Smart Tech solutions since they use artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Designed with flexibility in mind, workflow automation can be applied to virtually any department in a business to manage and automate processes. This is the case, for example, of the automation of the processing of purchase orders, new employee onboarding, online purchases, expense reports, recruitment, invoicing, incident reports, from leave authorizations, etc., to communication campaigns. In short, there are as many possibilities for automation as there are tasks to be performed in a company. A workflow management system makes it possible to speed up production time, identify inefficiencies in existing links and, for previously sequential processes, to operate in sync.

These days, automation encompasses software, industrial and commercial processes. The growing complexity of business information systems has also made it necessary to develop the functionalities of workflow management systems. Among them:

– Integration of form generators to create user interfaces for entering workflow data.

– Report creation features can generate and collect data from different departments and users to create reports with metrics, and thus develop actionable insights and enhance good decision-making.

– the ability to automate tools such as Gantt charts allowing users to visualize what their tasks, schedules and workloads are, so as to highlight deadlines and prioritize the most urgent tasks.

Administrative time spent:

1,300 hours less!

DirecTV is an American digital satellite television provider for the United States and Central America. The company uses a network of contractors and subcontractors to provide satellite television services to more than 32 million users in their coverage area. The company needed to automate its workflows to speed up delivery and organize administrative tasks within its network of contractors. The solution needed to be scalable, reasonably priced, and cloud-based. DirecTV opted for a workflow solution. Result: DirecTV saved over 325 man-hours per quarter in the first year of use.

ERP and WfMS, how are they different?

Typically, ERP systems serve a specific set of predefined functions within the different departments. They are often good at managing support for transactional workflows where data types are standardized, but are more difficult to set up to collect custom data or handle specific routing of workflows between coworkers.

Workflow management systems increase the efficiency of ERPs differently. Rather than focusing on ERP data that business functions will need, a workflow management system takes care of organizing and executing a workflow. However, there are downsides to using a workflow management system alone: the business won't get the data integration that an ERP can provide.

The perfect alloy: ERP and Workflow Automation

Some ERP systems include a level of ready-to-use workflow automation. In some cases, that is enough to respond to the minimal needs of an organization. However, ERP administrators may feel trapped by those tools, as ERP workflow automation features designed on minimal bases cannot manage mor customized and complex flows. One solution to this limited ERP workflow automation feature consists to use a workflow automation working independently of the ERP but, can be integrated to it if needed. This combines the management of native workflows designed for an easy integration with the backend power of an ERP system. The ERP remains the recording database while the independent workflow system carries the data and connects the people; whatever the complexity of the required process may be.

Automation within a ERP: inventory management

The use of a centralized system to manage operations reduces workload and streamlines daily inventory maintenance tasks. The key benefit: higher productivity. Inventory management systems integrated with the ERP solution provide much of the information essential for automation. It is proven that when workflow automation is integrated into an ERP system, its data is more accurate and associated tasks are executed faster.

In conclusion, the automation of workflows is essential for a company wanting to take full advantage of the advantages of digitalization. The combination of ERP and Smart Tech automation solutions is a beneficial practice for standardizing repeatable processes and increasing the operational visibility for all employees. If the ERP system is used as a back-end platform to execute the main transactions and store the essential data, then workflow management solutions automate, control and visualize the tasks to be carried out so as to significantly gain in efficiency.

By Jonathan Lascaux, co-founder of FiveForty°

Share this article:

Workflows:

winners,

automatically!

Workflow automation’s role in the digital transformation

is already predominant. While many companies recognize

their advantages, they have trouble when comes time to select

the solution and its deployment. Independent automation systems

exist already. Nevertheless, can one really make do without an ERP

at the start of an automation process of one’s workflows?

Within companies, the integration of software solutions has become the norm.

Their rapid development requires technical support to continue to grow and free

up more time for essential tasks.

In this context of productivity gains, the most effective element is the automation

of workflows. The term describes technological applications where human intervention

is minimized. This includes business process automation, IT automation,

personal applications (such as home automation), etc. These workflow management

systems are also called Workflow Management Systems (or WfMS).

These automation solutions are often referred to as Smart Tech solutions since they

use artificial intelligence and machine learning.

Winning time

Designed with flexibility in mind, workflow automation can be applied to virtually

any department in a business to manage and automate processes. This is the case,

for example, of the automation of the processing of purchase orders, new employee

onboarding, online purchases, expense reports, recruitment, invoicing, incident reports,

from leave authorizations, etc., to communication campaigns. In short, there are as many

possibilities for automation as there are tasks to be performed in a company.

A workflow management system makes it possible to speed up production time,

identify inefficiencies in existing links and, for previously sequential processes, to operate in sync.

These days, automation encompasses software, industrial and commercial processes.

The growing complexity of business information systems has also made it necessary to develop

the functionalities of workflow management systems. Among them:

– Integration of form generators to create user interfaces for entering workflow data.

– Report creation features can generate and collect data from different departments and users

to create reports with metrics, and thus develop actionable insights and enhance good

decision-making.

– the ability to automate tools such as Gantt charts allowing users to visualize what their tasks, schedules and workloads are, so as to highlight deadlines and prioritize the most urgent tasks.

Administrative time spent: 1,300 hours less!

DirecTV opted for a workflow solution. Result: DirecTV saved over 325 man-hours per quarter

in the first year of use.

ERP and WfMS, how are they different?

workflows between coworkers.

The perfect alloy: ERP and Workflow Automation

Automation within a ERP: inventory management

and associated tasks are executed faster.

By Jonathan Lascaux, co-founder of FiveForty°

Sources:

What’s the Difference Between ERP’s and Workflow Management Systems? | Script app

Workflow Management Systems and ERP Systems: Differences, Commonalities, and Appli-cations (PDF) | Wright State University