Introduction

Digitalizing business processes in modern organization provides benefits of increased productivity, organization efficiency and enables management on real-time data basis. Depending on the digitalization platform implementation is achieved by using developers and/or BPM experts which can result in significant costs and longer time to production as these kinds of personnel can be limited to find. Modern BPM solutions, like Sky.Flow BPM, offer higher level of BPM design with can result in implementation performed by a trained IT personal, but still requires a bit of specialization. All this can result in organization implementing digitalization in core, most impacted business processes. With Sky.Flow On-demand Workflows we what to enable end users in covering all other use-cases. Functionalities that are not big enough, not specific enough or just would cost too much to go through standard cycle of feasibility, requirements, implementation, testing and more. This functionality still provides the same enhancement to organization efficient organization as well as an implementation of core processes. This can include from simplest “approve me some ad-hoc activity”, “approve this document” or creating a chain of tasks to complete a process not covered in current application.

What can you achieve

Some of the simple on-demand examples can be:

  • Replacing single on-demand approvals from e-mail: Request activity from an employee or approval from management for activity. The requested person will still get an e-mail, but the activity will be tracked by BPM system. This includes message of request, creation time, assignment and outcome. System will also periodically notify requested person on assignment that has not been completed.
  • Replacing on-demand e-mail activity for a group of persons: Instead of sending approval request to a large group of employees at the same time by e-mail, request can be split in smaller groups of employees or a list of individual activities performed by a sub-group

  • Replacing approval of document from e-mail: E-mail system can be a security problem in sharing information as it cannot implement the same level of security as BPM or DMS system. Simple approval of document can be used to keep document in its intended place – DMS/BPM and utilize Sky.Flow On-demand Workflow functionalities on execution of business process. This can include keeping all comments, reporting, additional documents and other information in the same place linked to the same approval.

  • Implement follow-up of documents: Create follow-up activity when a document of certain type is entered in the system. Creating of the document can trigger simple follow-up assignment to one user or a list of users all which can perform some actives for the document. Or even just direct the activity to the appropriate person. For example, department assistant can receive all documents for the department that are not covered in business process implementation (organization usually implement processes for invoice processing, contract management, etc.). Then assist can forward workflow activities to the responsible person in department or just archive something if it is irrelevant.

Functionalities

Sky.Flow On-demand workflows can be started in three ways: user starts new workflow using ‘Start workflow’ available on ‘My tasks’ page and application menu; right-clicking file in repository and selecting ‘Start workflow’ or attaching workflow definition to Sky.Flow DocPortal class. When attached to class system will start workflow each time new document is classified as selected class. Workflows started from repository or by system upon classification automatically have document attached. Users can view attached document when executing workflows’ tasks. If workflow is initiated from user document attachment is optional.

Workflows can be customized using several properties:

  • Set arbitrary number of tasks to be performed

  • Each task can have single assignee or multiple candidates or completing task activity

  • Workflow can have assignment description and each task can have specific description

  • Pre-approving/assignment options for users designated with a task:

  • Pre-approving enables users to request pre-approval from a person or a list of persons not defined in workflow definition, and when that person completes the task, or all persons in list, workflow is return to initiator of pre-approval. For example: before manager approves invoice for payment, he/she can request pre-approval of invoice for equipment from a person ordering the equipment

  • Assignment option replaces current assignee of the task with one or more persons. For example, department assist can distribute incoming department documents to appropriate persons

  • Using pre-approvement and assignment workflows can further be customized to match on-demand functions

  • Using ‘Return to me when finished’ initiator of the workflow can be notified and assigned a task when all steps of the workflow are complete

  • Reporting options: add additional shared texting option for users’ execution tasks, along with commenting individual tasks. This can further be used to generated documents reporting on workflow.

  • Each workflow can have identifier that can provide the custom reporting on multiple workflows

Other functionalities that are described on Sky.Flow Online documentation site, link provided on the end of document.

More…

Sciomagis Sky.Flow On-demand Workflows can be customized for each specific customer. If you have specific request, contact us using options below and we can work on requirements with you and propose you a solution.