Organizations want to grow and prosper, but the process efficiency they rely on is not always optimized to get them where they want to go. Just like any system, a change of focus or direction creates an inefficient use of the underlying foundation. While we all expect to be able to adapt to the new environment, we still have to run our business. Stopping to re-tool does not always seem to be a prudent step towards improving business processes.
BPM software and workflow software provide great value because, done the right way, it can integrate organizational behavior and legacy systems in a flexible way. As your organization changes, business process management and process efficiency can adapt with it.
Perhaps you are at a point where, “what got you here won’t get you there.” That is a natural state for an organization because it reflects growth. That is good. The fact that you recognize the need to operate in a different way is also good. This is the right time to think about how your organization and your business processes can be improved with BPM software.
Liquid Controls Improves Business Processes With Process Director BPM Software
Liquid Controls, a division of IDEX Corporation, has been a leader in flow measurement and process control instrumentation for over 50 years. The company serves a variety of industries from adhesives and beverages to cosmetics and pharmaceuticals. Its products are used in fields as diverse as agriculture, manufacturing, the military, textiles and printing ink. Liquid Controls relies on in-house designs and a network of strategically located distributors to ensure that global customers are supported with technology tailored to each industry’s particular requirements.
Problem
Like most successful companies, Liquid Controls (LC) has an intranet that employees access for the forms and information they are seeking – from policies and procedures to expense forms. Employees wanted to make changes to these documents to reflect changing business processes, however the existing system could not accommodate those changes.
In addition, the Intranet provided a sales quoting tool that was used daily. While the form itself was appropriate it did not include a workflow management software solution. As a result employees would complete the form then submit it for manually processing, resulting in many documents being lost or misplaced.
With so many forms on the intranet being static and manual, Liquid Controls’ intranet appeared to be more of a repository than the dynamic portal it was envisioned to be.
Solution
To address the business process efficiency need, Liquid Controls needed a system that would address the work the way that employees worked. They began searching for electronic forms software and document workflow solutions. The search was quickly expanded to include workflow solutions, however, as it became apparent that addressing the underlying need for business processes efficiency was very important. Additionally, the IT group wanted a solution that did not require extensive back end development. IT wanted :
•A fast implementation and roll-out.
•A product that would be easy to rewrite or change as business processes changed
•Version control capabilities.
•A workflow tool that would allow IT to process user requests rapidly.
Liquid Controls is using Process Director for workflow applications ranging from attendance and engineering change control to shop floor work constructions. One challenge was to provide the appropriate workflows to ensure that a new hire could be able to build a product to the same tolerance as a more senior employee. Building a flow meter , for example, requires 600 work constructions. Changes to the process are now done through a workflow. Approved instructions are published in real-time which makes them available to shop floor employees immediately.
The IT department lives in a world of non-stop projects. Liquid Controls is in expansion mode always, with new companies being bought all the time. There are also gaps between the old and new ERP systems. Process Director helps to fill the gaps.
And then there are the business process governance issues. Liquid Controls is audited at least once a year for its ISO accreditation, as well as undergoing Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) audits. Once an organization is ISO-certified, procedures must be available to anyone who need to see them. Process Director BPM platform aids in business process efficiency by automating reporting, monitoring and auditing of processes seamless and gives authorized employees and auditors access to the information they need and the approvals that were given.
Perhaps the biggest advantage Liquid Controls has gained from using Process Director is that the IT team does not need to write code due to rapid application development, allowing them to focus on deploying other BPM applications.
Liquid Control employees appreciate the user interface and friendliness of Process Director. IT appreciates the business logic that lets them dive as deep as necessary to be consistent with their business process. Process Director is a low code BPM solution that enables Liquid Controls to improve their business process efficiency to drive from the results side backwards and to better leverage its investments.
The roadmap is simple, and we are here to help. Contact us and schedule a free BPM software demonstration today.