Prior to automating the review and approval your business documents, you must define your workflows to ensure you have a smooth and successful implementation. Once you automate your workflow management, you will save valuable time and money. However, if you do not take the time up front to define your workflows it will take longer before you begin to see the benefits of these valuable improvements.
If you are implementing business process automation software to help you better manage your business processes, you will need to provide a complete outline of the processes to your software provider. Here are a few simple, yet critical steps to help you get started:
This will help you get a better understanding of the way information is currently routed.
These steps will ensure that you thoroughly understand why things are done the way they are today so that you can look at better ways to get them done tomorrow.
Remember, you can't always automate; sometimes you just need to document the process and procedures to enforce the process.
Remember to consult your legal department on any laws regarding the way information is stored, routed, and accessed to ensure you are retaining information correctly and for the required period.
When your business workflows are not flowing efficiently, you open the floodgates to high costs, inefficient processes, time-wasting bottlenecks, errors, accountability issues, compliance shortcomings, and impediments to customer relations. This guide opens your eyes to the seven ways workflow software and process improvement tools change the game for your organization by improving your information flow, cutting costs, eliminating bottlenecks, and reducing human error.