Recent posts about automation (2)

Think about the number of products you use that involve some form of liquid to produce, clean or maintain that product. Consider that almost about everything you eat and wear was washed multiple times before you came into contact with it. Your apple, jeans, the gel in your hair; the floors, walls and ceilings of your home and office - they have all received a variety of ‘liquid treatments’.

Most of us don’t think about this very often —however, when we do, it is difficult to imagine any product we encounter that has not been “delivered” without the involvement of some form of liquid.

One of our customers spends a great deal of time thinking about liquids. The business of Liquid Controls is the development and manufacturing of liquid process control instrumentation and measurement products. Through their products, companies effectively use water, adhesives, chemicals and a variety of liquids. A part of IDEX Corporation, Liquid Controls is dedicated to providing high quality flow meters and accessories for accurate liquid measurement in a variety of industries. Their reach is global, and their products essential.

Learning about their business and the impact of their products has helped shape our opinion about how workflow changes the way the world operates. Without ways to monitor and manage liquid distribution, our lives would be quite different.

Like most companies, Liquid Controls relies on its intranet to provide electronic forms and information for its employees — from policies and procedures to expense reports and sales quotas. Yet its intranet had also become more of a repository of data —and less of a tool for initiating and managing processes. In the eyes of Bruce Lawrence, Group Network Manager, the intranet had the potential to provide so much more value! He sought a BPM software and workflow software solution that could apply business process management (BPM) to make things easier and more efficient within Liquid Controls.

Lawrence wanted a system that would work the way that employees worked. He initially looked for ways to process online forms, then expanded the scope to include workflow solutions. Lawrence consulted with business users to further determine what they needed and found a variety of requests: Accounting wanted to control the process for capital expense (CapEx), a manual, paper-based process at that time. (As a result of misplaced documents, Accounting was missing audit deadlines.) QA wanted all of its quality procedures online. (One of its documents required 12 signatures – and it was discovered, on several occasions, that no one knew who had the form.)

Additionally, as an ISO-certified organization, any time there is a change in any procedure, Liquid Controls had to secure signatures approving that change— as well as track documents associated with that change to ensure that information access and distribution was seamless.

For this workflow initiative to be successful, Lawrence did not have time to waste cycles on extensive back-end development and integration. A fast roll-out was important!

The Liquid Controls team reviewed trial versions of Adobe and Microsoft forms builder. They did not address the company’s workflow needs to their satisfaction. The product that did was BP Logix's Process Director.

Liquid Controls is using Process Director for applications ranging from attendance and engineering change control to shop floor work constructions. Providing the appropriate workflows to ensure that a new hire could build a product to the same tolerance as a more senior employee was one initial challenge that the company successfully addressed.(Building a flow meter, for example, requires 600 work constructions. Changes to the process are now done through one workflow. Instructions are published in real-time which makes them available to shop floor employees immediately.)

According to Lawrence, “For us in IT, the world is one of nonstop projects. There is always a queue of people waiting for us to respond to a request.” One of the benefits of Process Director for Lawrence and his team is greater transparency and insight into requests, as well as opportunities to reduce redundant work, perform better parallel tasking and standardize on requirements.

An industry that is highly regulated also deals with audits. Liquid Controls is audited at least once a year for its ISO accreditation, as well as regular Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) requirements. Once ISO-certified, procedures must be available to anyone who needs to see them. Process Director helps with business process governance making the reporting, monitoring and auditing of processes seamless and gives authorized employees and auditors access to the information they need and the approval workflows 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, allowing them to focus on deploying other applications. And while 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 workflow.

Process Director enables Liquid Controls to drive from the results side backwards and to better leverage its investments. We invite you to consider whether Process Director can do the same for your business.

Learn more:

• Companies in a variety of markets are using Process Director to make their business more efficient. Read our BPM Case Studies from our customer experiences.
• Process Director offers a wide range of features. Learn more about its workflow management software.
• Get first-hand experience - we invite you to join us for a personal free BPM software demo of Process Director.

Process Director Productivity Gains Illustrated with BP Logix Value Estimator

Organizations thrive when they are productive and productivity comes in many forms. We can also measure productivity in a number of ways— for example, how quickly a task is successfully completed. Ultimately, however, business process improvement means producing more things in less time with fewer distractions.

The hope of every CEO is that productivity translates to greater profits and a less complicated way to arrive at that state of achievement. While that is an admirable goal, there is a lot of room for interpretation as to how productivity is calculated. Ask a Sicilian mother about productivity and she will tell you that a sauce needs MORE time to simmer, not less. Ask a widget manufacturer and he will tell you that more widgets in less time is the outcome he desires.

Is there such a thing as being overly productive? Can doing too much too quickly lead to quality issues? We think the answer to that can be a resounding “Yes!”

Many enterprises today are operating with too many people doing too many redundant things. If these companies were to apply business process management to their environments, they would likely find great savings in time and effort, all of which could be redeployed to other business-critical tasks.

Smart enterprises that seek to make improvements in productivity approach the task with specific goals in mind. They tell us that knowing what they want to achieve and having a tangible idea of what success looks like enabled them to construct a business process management (BPM) and workflow strategy to complement their efforts.

First of all, there must be synergy among the different organizational teams that are focused on improving productivity. Agreement on this means a unified vision and collaboration, leading to creating processes that all participants can use. For some organizations this can only happen by starting from scratch— or it could mean re-tooling long-held processes and habits. The hope is that instituting process change leads to eliminating waste, reducing redundancy and ultimately paving the way to better processes. That, in turn, delivers a greater sense of purpose and measurable increases in productivity.

Because productivity improvements are cited by so many customers as a goal, we have a keen focus on it as a business outcome. In our BPM Value Estimator, we provide customer examples that demonstrate these improvements as a result of implementing BPM software and workflow management software. Leo Burnett, the advertising and media agency, sought to gain greater insights into how internal data was processed and decisions made. The result of using Process Director to helps the Agency realize substantial gains in productivity as well as cost savings. Another customer, Multi-Plan, eliminated bottlenecks in with its 300+ contracts that were renewing at different times throughout the year – as well as replacing its Lotus Notes application with Process Director.

These, and customers like Multi-Chem have seen significant changes in their businesses as a result of focusing on how work gets done, determining who is responsible for it, and defining the results they need. For an organization that thoughtfully considers how to best manage its processes,  tangible changes to productivity can be observed—and measured. This may take the form of fewer people required to perform certain tasks, less time needed at decision points, greater transparency and, of course, greater flexibility.

We invite you to spend some time with our Value Estimator infographic. We think it provides insights as to what our customers are trying to accomplish and how Process Director helps them achieve their goals. The ultimate efficiencies and benefits result from process automation, a shift in corporate culture and dedication to change. We hope that the examples the Value Estimator provides will help you to see  some possibilities that your organization might also expect to achieve.

Product Excellence through Customer Satisfaction

We work hard to get prospects (including, hopefully, you!) to think favorably about Process Director —and encourage them to think about new ways they can leverage the product. In an effort to do that, we write material that describes the product, explains the market, and communicates how Process Director can be applied to achieve business goals. The content we produce is remarkably effective, but the greatest marketing and sales assets we have are our customers.

Our Chairman of the Board, Ed Skiko, once explained that we are focused on "...the duality of excellent products and keen customer awareness." Looking through the lens of many years of experience in this business, we know that customers demand excellent products, and excellent products can only be delivered if we know what customers need.

We spend a great deal of time with  BP Logix's customers and, while we are indeed in learning mode to understand how to help solve their business-critical issues, we also genuinely like them as people. Indeed, we have walked away from potential deals when we felt there was not a good fit. Our intention is to create long-term partnerships.  We want to know their stories, and to be reliable and useful for the long-term. It’s also nice to enjoy the relationships we create along the way.

Perhaps the best way to get to know us is through our customers — and to hear about what they are doing. Almost all of them began with needing to address specific problems: processes that needed to be automated, filing cabinets full of forms and documents that could not be accessed in a timely manner, a growing IT backlog, process development that required too many cycles of technical personnel, lack of consistent data in forms, and a host of other issues that kept CIOs and LOB managers awake at night —and prevented them from making meaningful improvements to their business.

The IT department at MultiPlan was looking for a better way to handle capital and major expenditure requests. Their existing solution (built on the old workhorse Lotus Notes) was outdated and incapable of meeting the growing needs of this healthcare cost management provider. The Finance department wanted to work with forms and documents that were based on the ones that had used for many years.  IT wanted to satisfy the needs of Finance, yet provide them with an application that offered other possibilities. (After the initial CapEx process went live, MultiPlan went on to create processes for Asset Management and Disposal, as well as Contract Management.) With the our Cloud BPM edition of Process Director, MultiPlan has met both objectives.  Employees are working with forms that mirror what they have known for years; they can easily identify the requirements for their procurement requests, then track and manage those requests through to the approval stage. With its robust workflow management software capabilities and predictive capabilities, Process Director has dramatically changed how MultiPlan handles some of the most critical parts of its Finance organization.

Vulcan Materials, headquartered in Alabama, is keenly aware of how increasing business efficiency can both help its customers prosper and directly impact its bottom line. The company continually seeks ways to optimize and improve its operations.  A few states to the west, IT management at the County of Fresno  in California needed greater insights into its business processes. Both companies had legacy systems that were still usable— but could not provide the level of analysis, reporting or awareness that was required. In addition, the assistance of technical staff was needed to update and maintain the systems. Both customers are champions of Process Director because changes to their underlying business processes enable them to operate more effectively, which have led to better customer experiences. These, in turn, have created greater alignment between the business owners and IT staff.

These are just some examples that we hope will start you thinking about Process Director. We encourage you to get to know our customers and to listen to their stories. You will learn what is important to them and how they view their "before" and "after" business and technology scenarios. Then, have a look at Process Director for yourself and let us know if we can partner with you to create your business story.

Part 2 of a 2 part blog

Business activity should be done with a purpose in mind. While not every group in a company will have a direct impact on the bottom line, everything that each employee does will ideally contribute to a better financial result for the enterprise.

There are tremendous benefits that result from the correct mix of purpose, methodology, tools and practice. When the right players become focused in a collaborative way— and towards a common goal— the entire organization can move forward effectively. For this to happen, however, the people within the organization need to be equipped with the tools that will help them in their efforts. In this case, the right tools are the ones that best match their skill set and enable them to produce results.

In Part 1 of this blog series, we explained how business goals are formed and how plans are created to implement them. Two particular items were identified as key to BPM software successfully moving an organization towards achieving its goals: 1) A process-oriented mindset, and 2) Tools that empower users to contribute their expertise and impact these goals.

At BP Logix, we know that Process Director can be a critical tool in this regard, because we have seen the impact it has made for so many of our customers. Process Director was, from its inception, built to be used by those who are responsible for effecting change. It is software, for sure — however unlike most enterprise software solutions, Process Director is intended for business users themselves.

We know that tools are most effective when they make the jobs of people on the “front lines” easier, leading to better results. Process Director is a rapid application development platform which requires no programming expertise from its users. Everyone talks about empowering employees— and Process Director makes that possible. The whole point of the product is to provide a business dashboard and navigation tool for those who need a way to codify and implement a structure for running a business. Because programming skills are not required, changes can be made ad hoc, leading to immediate results. Two important things occur as a result of this. The: 1) Solution is created by the person who can most knowledgeably assess the problem, and 2) Time required to make and implement changes is almost immediate. In an environment that equates speed with money, this means a faster time to savings and greater revenue potential.

Also critical to effective BPM solutions is usability. The demands on employees’ time leave little room for a long learning curve. Today's workers are accustomed to social media and highly interactive user interfaces. A BPM product like Process Director offers a graphical environment in which almost any user can function. Because Process Director has cloud BPM and mobile BPM capabilities, it is available when and where users choose to work.

Among the keys to achieving a company’s goals is the ability for employees to have an active role in helping to make those goals ‘happen.’ When they can organize their work tasks around actions that address these goals, employees have a greater (and more visible) stake in how the company performs. It is not surprising then, that empowered employees, equipped with the right tools, can do amazing things to support the company's vision. When this becomes part of daily operations, all pieces of the company can be focused on creating success for their organization.

Part 1 of a 2 part blog

Any organization that wants to be successful spends time carefully crafting its vision. Quite often, however, it defines that vision in terms that may be either unreachable ("to place our widgets in the hands of every executive in the United States), too broad ("to be the best software company on the planet"), or just not reasonable ("to change the way the world ties its shoes"). Smart enterprises not only avoid getting caught into the trap of hazy mission statements, they also apply rigorous and intelligent thought to aligning their purpose with specific goals.

To see those goals come to fruition and deliver demonstrable results, they need to be supported with business processes that enable employees to achieve these goals.

Neither the company’s nor departmental visions need to be lofty. They do not require a lot of ‘fancy language’ to convey what they aspire to do. In fact, it is often the simplest of messages that most easily translates into action.

It is also true that business processes are most effective when they are applicable - and can be used by the people who can benefit most directly from them. Said another way, one of the most advantageous things a company can do is give employees clear, attainable goals, tools to help them achieve those goals, and support that encourages attaining those goals.

Those in the executive wing can easily describe how achieving the company’s goals translates to increasing the value of the business. In reality, however, most employees are too far removed from those operations to understand how these goals are achieved. They have no skin in the game (unless management has included them in the processes that lead to success).

Most company goals focus on the bottom line. That makes good business sense. One good quarter, however, does not necessarily equate to a healthy business. As a result there can be a disconnect among employees who are close enough to the ‘action’ yet also know the difference between a quick win and a sustainable business practice. In fact many of us have worked in places where outside appearances indicate a well-oiled operation. Yet when the cover is lifted, they may reveal a dysfunctional, inefficient operation with a focus only on short-term wins.

This is why a business process mindset, and the corresponding tools, is so critical to achieving goals which translates to business success. With a clear definition of what needs to be done, people closest to creating actionable change can have an impact across the entire organization. Actionable change – this is truly the differentiator!

BPM solutions being sold today would have you believe that it can radically alter how your company operates. Yet a successful implementation of a BPM software solution requires two things: 1) The mindset we’ve been describing and 2) Tools that accurately reflect how users operate. Together they can truly affect the kind of change that translates into achieving goals.

Join us on the next blog for some examples of how that is done!

Capabilities that Can Dramatically Improve How You Work

Business process management (BPM) is used within organizations to address a variety of needs and requirements. And, as with BPM software, reaching some short-term goals often takes precedent over utilizing all the capabilities available.

Our customers tell us that BPM can impact a broad set of their operations and provide insights not previously available. They tell us that BPM is a way to run a business—and that the streamlining their processes (the P in BPM) are what make them successful.

There are three factors within Process Director that help organizations to become more efficient at achieving their business goals:

Processes in the context of timelines
There is no point in initiating a process without having an end point that signifies completion or success. As surprising as it may seem, most process tools have been created to achieve workflow and task-orientation alone— and neglect to consider that tasks are meant to be delivered according to time frames. This is not only limiting to the business, but also prevents users from becoming smarter about where to make changes and adjustments to running processes.

We, however, look at time as fundamental to achieving goals. The business process automation software component of  Process Timeline was developed to embrace the dimension of time — specifically time as it relates to completing a task. Irrespective of just how long something takes, our feeling is that at some point, deadlines, timelines and accomplishments rule the day (more than the process itself.) The work that people are doing needs to be understood in the context of how long it will take —and the timeframes that can be used to set expectations. Just ask anyone who's had to deliver something by the end of the quarter and they'll gladly validate the fact that, as Benjamin Franklin famously said, “Time is money”.

Predictive capabilities
With time being such a critical element to an organization’s processes, the ability to predict activities and deliverables provides a unique and competitive advantage. Intelligent, predictable timeframes result in realistic expectations and are key to better planning.

The best way to predict the outcome of your resources, processes and activities is through intelligence derived from what your processes do. In other words, through the actions that occur within the process workflows themselves. Probably the best intellectual property in your organization is contained within the data and decisions that transact your business processes. We have always believed that analysis of that data helps keep projects moving forward and suggests when adjustments need to be made due to timelines and milestones not being met.

The ability to anticipate and adapt makes your organization more nimble— and requires nothing more than adherence and attention to your own processes.

Coding not required
We developed Process Director for people who are responsible for the outcomes of business processes. We call them the process owners. The knowledge required to understand what an organization needs in order to deliver the solution resides with them — and they are key to their success. Historically many companies believed that any changes to a process required IT involvement (building requirements, coding the changes, testing them, then rolling them out.) With IT drowning in a queue of requests and application backlog, that paradigm no longer works. Process owners can mitigate this outdated system by making the changes to the processes that they determine are necessary.

There's also an issue of resources: why complicate things by involving people who do not have a stake in the success (or outcome) of a process? Process Director is FOR and ABOUT the people who benefit from (and are involved in) the processes. The process itself is not necessarily the goal; outcomes are! Process Director was designed to be a users’ tool. A unique Word-based Smart Form builder and an intuitive graphical user interface make building, deploying and managing processes easier. The result: greater time-to-value from your processes and business operations.

Everyone talks about ease-of-use, and there are many BPM tools that appear easy to work with. Process Director was always intended to be a tool for business users. We want them to take their knowledge and insight to create usable processes that make lives easier and their organizations more profitable. We have created Process Director to enable you, and the people in your organization, to become more insightful, impactful and purposeful.

Workflow is Changing how Government and Non-Profits Operate

Start-ups across the United States appear to be fat and happy as billions of dollars are poured into their accounts and astronomical valuations enable them to make acquisitions and pay hefty salaries. Yet while the economy is purring along with increasing vibrancy, there are still sectors that do not necessarily luxuriate in the spoils of a booming economy.

Government agencies and non-profit groups, on the other hand, frequently deal with shrinking budgets despite an increased demand for services. People want more, however resources are not always available to address their needs. And, although it can be a major factor, technology alone cannot do what is required. As a result organizations are seeking better ways to run their operations. Workflow and business process management (BPM) are being recognized by government entities and non-profits as providing a framework that facilitates sustainable change while contributing to significant cost savings and enhancing efficiency.

Most enterprises look to technology to solve issues of operational redundancy, process change and organizational innovation. We know that there are plenty of vendors who promise ‘change’ and bottom-line improvements —and ‘demonstrate’ how to achieve these “quickly and effortlessly”. In our world, there is no such thing as effortless change. Most governmental and non-profit operations are not looking to improve quarterly numbers nor meet earnings per share expectations. When looking at how a County, a health department, or a non-profit organizes around goals, that view looks quite different from those of a typical company.

Workflow and BPM provide something beyond just software and APIs. With effective use of workflow and processes comes a culture change within an organization seeking business process improvement— and not just the data-driven kind. This is where governments have started to embrace workflow as a solution that maps to their needs. Rather than just identifying numerically-driven performance indicators, organizations that operate for the benefit of specific populations must be able to address issues of better customer service, sustaining a high responsiveness rate, and being able to adapt and meet needs in the midst of budget changes and organizational shifts. Workflow and BPM allow, and in fact, encourage teams to think about solving problems, not just meeting numbers.

Take, for instance, the County of Fresno (CA), where the IT department was tasked with providing better services to residents and identifying where processes could be improved. To meet the requirements of a growing population (whose need for services increases exponentially), the IT Department needed greater visibility into the County’s business processes. Its legacy system was no longer able to provide relevant analysis, reporting, or insights into the status of IT projects. As a result, IT was unable to predict delivery timeframes with any degree of certainty, preventing Fresno's IT team from being responsive to the needs of its citizens. Those needs were real and critical to its operations.  Fresno wanted to approach the problem in a meaningful and judicious way, which workflow subsequently provided.

In the Milwaukee suburb of West Allis, WI, officials decided they needed a more efficient and responsive solution to processing licenses, permits, work orders, building inspections, and requests for services. West Allis wanted to help things move faster, eliminate red tape and be easier to work with. These needs align with what workflow does best, yet they are not one-off solutions. Each of the processes that West Allis sought to improve needs continual oversight and modification. Rather than employing a solution such as ERP (which would not truly address its requirements) West Allis has selected workflow to enable non-developers to adapt as needed.

In both cases, these teams were able to do those tasks that provide a better end result for constituents as residents and as taxpayers. Workflow and BPM provided cost-effective solutions that have deepened thinking and dedication to end goals. These teams, and those in other organizations like Memphis Light, Gas, and Water, and the National Institute of Mental Health, have created systems of improved communication, sharing of content, connections with third-parties and greater transparency to stakeholders, irrespective of where they sit in the organization.

These organizations will not announce quarterly numbers, nor offer dividends to shareholders, yet they are already recognized as using the valuable elements of workflow software and BPM software to create more efficient, cost-effective and sustainable ways to operate.

How business processes support internal policies and prevent data breaches

A recent breach of conduct by an employee has put Comcast in the hot seat for abusive and inappropriate behavior directed at a customer. Although a disgruntled member of the Comcast team changed the name of the customer (to a derogatory term) this is not the first time the company has faced these types of issues. Beyond being abhorrent behavior, this kind of action also damages the image and credibility of a brand.

It's reasonable to ask how Comcast could have avoided this situation. Like any organization of 150,000+ employees, there are some bad apples. Internal policies exist, however - and training teaches employees what is —and is not— acceptable behavior. Policies alone, however, will not prevent this kind of action from happening….

In every organization, policies are merely guidelines; they are not always widely known (we agree that they ‘should’ be) and are often difficult to enforce. Policy is, however, a legal shield— one that provides neither oversight nor accountability. And there will never be a policy that will cover every possible situation. Does your organization have a specific policy against changing a customer's name to an obscenity? Most likely, the answer is “ No.”

Even if no one in your organization (or Comcast’s) contemplated the ramifications of a customer name change during policy formulation, someone certainly analyzed it as part of process creation. That is why it is there, in the process where the solution resides.

Imagine that you were implementing a customer information change workflow application in Process Director. First of all, Process Director would record each change (just as it does for all actions) to ensure accountability. (As a result, if someone considered doing something ‘naughty’, he/she could expect to get caught.)

Second, you would want to build additional controls into the process. First-name changes are not a common occurrence in the scheme of things. You might add a level of approval to such actions before they are accepted. Or you might create a report that displays recent name changes (so the inappropriate names like the one in the article would appear at the top).

Perhaps you want to do something more sophisticated. In this case, the customer appears to have interacted with unusual frequency with customer service and technical support. You might build logic into your workflow that identifies such customers and makes note of (or requires additional approvals for) unusual changes to their accounts.

In today's social media- dominated world, it is simply too risky for a large organization to assume that none of its employees will do anything that reflects poorly on the company — and that results in nasty headlines. Policy alone can neither prevent nor repair such a mishap. It is at the level of the workflow itself that these situations should be considered and can be prevented!

The good news is that Process Director can provide you with all you need to create a strong defense against unwelcome behavior. Sure, Process Director provides you with greater control and insight into your business. In the end, however, what you'll appreciate most will be all the sleepless nights you never have to endure.

Part of every day at BP Logix is spent with our customers; learning how they use Process Director, understanding their issues — and listening to their (business) realities. When we started our company, paying attention to the customer was one of our core principles. To this day, understanding what drives them — and figuring out how to help them address their needs — forms the basis of our mission.

One of the things we have gained from our customer relationships is the ability to hold a mirror up to ourselves — and to hear how we describe what we do. We have heard from many customers and prospects that they do not necessarily think of what they are doing as ‘business process management (BPM)’ but, rather, as a way to facilitate how they ‘do’ business. In other words, they are (or were) not seeking a BPM solution per se. They wanted a way to improve workflow, enhance communications and increase transactions, both internally and outside the enterprise. Some equated that to BPM. Others describe what they are doing: developing smart forms with workflows, streamlining and automating their business processes. They don’t call (or care to call) that BPM. They say they are doing workflows or electronic forms or, simply, automation.

It is fair to say that BPM, both as a concept and term, may not be sufficient to explain what enterprises are trying to accomplish. Although some people have said that BPM is dead — or even less-than-relevant —we would not say that. Rather, we might suggest that the way BPM is being talked about may be outdated. And that fault lies with the vendors.

In reviewing today’s BPM software and product offerings, we know that most vendors are focused on selling a packaged solution that addresses a set of either vertical processes— or focuses on things that BPM case management software can deliver, perhaps workflows around SharePoint or another narrowly-defined target. What is needed is a new way of thinking about, talking about and using BPM.

BPM as a term implies that data, activities and participants need active management. At one time, that was very true— but with the onset of embedded social capabilities, cloud access, and data available through mobile devices and through the Internet of Things (IoT), the action of "process management" is now shared among any stakeholders who are involved in a business outcome.

Because of its expanding use and availability, the concept of BPM needs to be turned on its head —so that everything that happens in pursuit of a desired goal is included. The creation, governance, analysis and adaptation of business processes is not relegated to a piece of software alone. Far from it! Business processes are those things that support what the business is trying to achieve — and rely on the tools available to accomplish that goal.

No business can operate without a foundation of sound, yet flexible, business processes. Part of that flexibility comes from being able to do more things with processes that might have been previously intended for more narrow purposes. Take, for example, an experience from the world of retail. Imagine a marketing process intended to deliver email notifications to customers about upcoming sales. While that may appear to be relatively simple, underneath that activity are a series of connected processes that include pulling data from a user database, engaging writers, involving the graphics department, and scheduling the mailing on a calendar. The end result is more contact with customers— contact that is the result of connecting processes and workflows that ultimately involve partnering with stakeholders.

Increasingly users are accessing their ‘environment’ through mobile devices and social channels. BPM can deliver that access where and how they work and live. What separates BPM from many other enterprise apps is that it is supported and improved as a result of bringing the business process and workflow to wherever the user can best make use of it. This level of access enables people to be more responsive. For people and companies driving results, the ability to adapt and modify, review and approve in real-time, improves decision-making and keeps things moving forward. That is what it’s all about.

Is BPM dead? Is it outdated? At BP Logix, we prefer to look at a different question: how can businesses be improved as a result of better processes and workflows? If you want to call that BPM, or process management, or workflow-enabled processes, that’s fine with us. Our purpose will not change. We intend to help customers achieve their outcomes using our tools and insights to help them create the next chapters of their business stories.

Try it out:

• Request a free BPM software demo of Process Director.

Pat’s workflow implementation is eagerly awaited

These days, I feel like I'm on the trading floor of the NYSE. People all over the company are calling on me to ensure that their needs and requirements will be part of our workflow and process implementation. Word has gotten out —in a BIG way —that changes are coming and the sense I am getting is that no one wants to be left behind. I guess what you could say that I'm a victim of my own success. My evangelizing has clearly been successful— and the result is a lot of people frothing at the mouth to begin work with new workflow software. The only problem is, we haven't even launched this yet.

We have done our exploratory work and are wrapping up requirements for this project. I'm not a sales person per se, but I've spent considerable time all over the company talking to different groups to explain what we're going to be rolling out and how it will affect them. The response has been overwhelmingly positive. After years of paper-based communication, undocumented processes, and loose triage for decision-making, plus a host of other legacy ‘systems’ for conducting business, our employees appear eager to let those things be handled for them, enabling them to focus on business goals(rather than photocopying documents and waiting for approvals that may never come.)

The things I've explained resonate with the people here because, while we may be a bit outdated with some our business practices, our intentions have never changed —our goal has always been to deliver great results for our customers by conducting business with integrity, intelligence, and a passion for doing the right things. It is with great interest that colleagues are watching the progression of this project. They see advantages that will come from a comprehensive workflow solution, and they know that rolling it out in a judicious and measured way will help them be more successful in their roles. And I have promised that we should experience vast changes that include:

1. Project modeling and implementation: Employees who are project owners will be able to list the activities associated with their projects, estimate their durations, then drag-and-drop information onto those activities that must completed before subsequent activities can begin. They will essentially become their own project managers and process owners. This is significant because it represents flexibility they haven’t had before — plus the ability to centralize (but adapt), and to decentralize (when appropriate) process creation, management and change at the departmental and team level.

2. Parallel processes: As many activities as possible will run concurrently, without the need to explicitly specify parallel behavior. Things move fast around here —so this kind of thing will encourage a more integrated approach to decision making.

3. Status and updates: Process status can be determined at a glance. At any point — even the moment the process is launched — the system can determine which activities, if any, may not complete by their due date.

4. Analytics: The system we implement will record and estimate execution times each time a process is run, and create estimates accordingly. Insight and transparency can help eliminate any issues that we (or the system, actually) uncover.

Clearly, when all this was explained, it led to some big expectations — and I'm starting to feel the heat to roll out sooner, rather than later. Add to that some confusion, or mis-information, about what we're actually doing. Our project is not just about launching a "thing". Yes, it's workflow and process automation for sure, and it's a solution that probably could even be called a "platform". But it's also a mindset and a methodology on which just about every activity our people perform will be supported. This is critical — because workflow doesn't really exist as an app; rather, it IS the human instance of the app— and that sometimes needs to be experienced rather than explained.

I'm also spending time reminding eager execs that much of the success of our project will be in the flexibility it offers. That flexibility kind of exists now— I mean, anyone can do pretty much whatever they want to achieve a desired outcome. Having workflow, however, will give us a structure and framework with triggers, actions, steps, decisions etc. that can be managed, analyzed and updated. Repeatability will occur when desirable, but so too will change (and the accompanying change management as well.)

Things are heating up and while it’s creating stress for my team, it also means engagement and buy-in. These are things we can’t provide with requirements and guidelines alone. Anticipation comes from the pairing our goals with our expected solution. While exhausting and exciting, this is where we need to be! Beyond just the challenge of delivering according to schedule and expectation is the need to continually add to the foundation of what we’re trying to accomplish. As we keep telling our colleagues this won’t be a one-time delivery. It will be a fundamental shift in how our business performs and the way we operate long-term.

Learn more about Process Pat's quest to improve his company's business operations:

• Preparing to Move Forward: With approval to proceed with his project and approach, Process Pat prepares for the upcoming changes
• The Task Before Us: As Process Pat and his team prepare to implement BPM and workflow, he gives serious thought to how his team will move their project forward

Try it out:

• Request a free BPM software demo of Process Director

Learn more:

• Workflow Management Software Features
• Case Management Solutions Capabilities

“Eating your own dog food” is a phrase that techies love to throw around — and while I have never loved it, it is apt in its intention. That well-worn phrase is aimed at describing the extent to which companies actually use their own products: the idea being that if it is good enough for them, it should be good enough for the public.

Not every product is meant for every situation, however. I do not think that Facebook wants its employees continuously looking at friends' pictures and posting updates on their lunch plans (especially during business hours.) Yet, there is certainly truth in the concept of truly knowing your product— and being your own customer certainly provides those insights. Having to rely on your own creation forces you to consider how others may use it. In the case of workflow and business process management, if what you create is not helping you run things more efficiently, then it probably is not doing much good for anyone else either.

As a company obsessed with workflow and business process management (BPM), we take our own internal operations very seriously. If you were to spend a few days with us, you would see a group of people who are focused, yet flexible. We recognize that there is power in using Process Director BPM software to meet goals, however not every problem can be “solved” with software. Our goal is to deliver a usable product. We also know, from our own experience, that a willingness to adapt to a new way of working will make the biggest difference. To paraphrase tennis great Arthur Ashe, “Our plan is to start where we are, use what we have, and do what we can.” At the end of the day, that is what workflow and BPM is all about - getting us closer to achieving our business objectives.

BP Logix is a BPM company that's culture is steeped in flexibility — and the recognition that implementing better and more automated processes helps us improve as an organization. While we have received numerous accolades from customers and analysts, they are not for being dogmatic about one specific way of doing things. Sure, we have deep and abiding faith that Process Director will enable any organization to collect, collaborate and operate with greater efficiency and better outcomes. We do not, however, advocate buying Process Director on the basis of a datasheet and 20 bullet points describing its workflow management software features — or even its benefits.

Rather, we come from a more consultative mindset that results from seeing how so many businesses, across many industries, handle their own processes and workflow. We have been astounded at some — and amazed at others! There are instances where we marvel at how a company got to $500M in revenue operating through an inefficient, paper-based environment that lacked any formal process. Rather than think of our job as one of selling, we prefer to think it as a learning process, and that process is somewhat of a journey. Along the way we teach, we acquire deeper understandings, and we apply them all in the kinds of BPM solutions we advocate. This perspective is what makes our jobs so fascinating and what helps us to better serve the needs of our customers.

Our product team recognizes that implementing new solutions is challenging for any organization, which is why we work collaboratively with prospects and customers to learn about their businesses: what constitutes "business as usual" and how it could be improved. What are their pain points, and are those pain points solvable? We seek to understand those things before we can have a substantive conversation.

The world of business constantly moves forward. Progress often occurs as a result of looking at what “could” be considered fire drills, mistakes or failed approaches. Those results are, however, simply the by-products of living and working in the real world.

Yes, we do eat our own proverbial dog food. We prefer, however, to know what our guests think of it— so we can serve up better batches and keep our customers happy.

Operating a company can be like taking a family vacation. While the kids find ways to distract themselves and everyone else, the parents are focused on getting from Point A to Point B with as little disruption as possible. Arriving at the destination does not mean margaritas and frolicking in the pool for the parents, either; there is parking, checking in, unpacking and feeding the group, just for starters.

So too for those who run processes and operations within a company. If they were to be asked, "Are we there yet?” the answer would be, "We're NEVER there." That is truly the right answer, because business never stops. Processes start at the beginning, finish at the end, and then do “it” all over again...and again...and again.

The remedy that ensures smooth transmission of all data through an organization to its intended destination is workflow. Workflow used to be the domain primarily of large enterprises, armed with efficiency consultants. Now, however, solutions like Process Director provide a framework for fast implementation and flexible change management. We have detailed the value derived from workflow in our BPM Value Estimator in terms of things like increased efficiency through automated routing, more productivity as a result of improved decision-making capabilities, and more effective change management, due to easy-to-change rules and process updates.

Beyond metrics, however, we find that workflow is best able to be effective when it is matched with a willing and engaged organizational culture.

We can demonstrate the effectiveness of workflow software by sharing some existing BPM case studies of our customer experiences, however your success is predicated on having a thoughtful and well-formed strategy for implementing and managing your processes and operations. That means laying out what you want to accomplish and creating the roadmap (much like our parents did for their road trip). Process Director executes the plan, but an organization must be prepared and it is essential for decision-makers to be focused on the following:

Readiness: Let's assume your organization wants to be more productive. Is it ready to organize around workflow tools that encourages productivity? That's a different question. To understand the degree to which your company can be helped by workflow, consider these things:

• • Is your team adept at prioritizing projects and processes?
  • Does your company operate with a flexible mindset that allows it to adapt to changing business needs?
  • Do executives understand how workflow can help your organization?
  • Do you have the skill set internally to identify where workflow should be applied?

Intention: Workflow can do a lot of things, but to be effective it must implemented whole-heartedly. More often than not, we see groups within a company adopting workflow because they saw it successfully implemented in other areas of the company. We also see instances where workflow is implemented, but not adopted. It is critical that the people using workflow are prepared to use it, and that it is adopted as part of their normal working behavior.

Rules: For workflow to do its intended job, it needs to operate according to rules. Process Director is great at taking complex rules and defining processes with them, however those rules have to be outlined and created. Doing this ensures that documents ‘arrive’ where they are supposed to go, documents are approved, compliance adhered to, and timelines are met. If these things do not, or cannot, happen, then the role of workflow should be reconsidered.

Workflow will undoubtedly change the way your organization works. The advantages that come from it are huge. Setting your company up for success requires focus and serious effort, but much like a family vacation, after all the preparation and running around, there comes a point where you get to sit back and see your work pay off.

[embed]https://youtu.be/HduhwGtEMKI[/embed]

How an organization operates can be captured through things like org charts and project timelines. In fact, there is no end to the kind of tools available to give all of us those important “business insights.” These tools, no matter how good or thorough they appear to be, do not, however, always capture the things that ultimately dictate business outcomes.

For businesses to perform optimally, organizations need both the tools and the resulting behaviors that encourage efficiency and optimize operations. That foundation is not something that is packaged and downloaded. Instead, it is created when there is a pairing of great tools and a willingness to adapt. At BP Logix, we recognize that dynamic can only happen when we understand what our customers actually do - and where they are trying to go.

Our first job, to borrow from Stephen Covey, is to “seek to understand.” Listening to our customers is, for us, the most critical part of working with them. Learning about their goals and how they operate provides the foundation for discovery and collaboration. From there we can recognize the “if and where” we can partner.

Our customers do not talk as much about projects and implementations as they do about organizational changes and behavioral shifts. They are not just responding to a new technology. Instead, they have made it their business to cultivate a new approach to their operations.

To put this into context, let us consider a customer that manufactures widgets. BP Logix does not have any particular expertise in the manufacture, shipment, use or maintenance of widgets. It IS, however, helpful for us to talk about how workflow management software can help streamline processes for manufacturing widgets and provide better ways of capturing and routing data captured in the forms that are the basis for moving the widgets across and within the company. Workflow software and eforms software are only solutions if they can be used in a relevant and useful way within the organization. Finding that spot is what we listen for – and, when we can help, it is where we thrive.

A widgets manufacturer thinks that the heart of their business is, well, widgets. That makes sense, and it is true. We think that the heart of the business is the underlying structure of how widgets (or jeans, coffee, medical equipment, or any product or service) are made and how that widgets company realizes a profit.

There comes a point where our message has to find harmony with customers’ goals. A PowerPoint that just says, “Workflow, workflow, workflow” does not provide any indication that we know how that workflow maps to customer needs. One might think that workflow for widgets is pretty straightforward, but that widget maker, just like any company, is complex and requires solutions that meet its unique requirements.

We hear stories of warehouses filled with paper files and approval queues that are backlogged; this used to be the stuff of "BPM solutions". Today we look to at where, within the organization, there are bottlenecks that impact decision-making. These are problems that workflow, smart forms and document management systems can (and do) address. When the customer, provider, and users are in synch with the issue, a more efficient way of doing things can, and will, unfold.

Will an organization become more efficient as a result of implementing BP Logix smart forms and workflow solutions? Ask our customers and there will be a resounding "yes". With Process Director, is it possible to recognize, fix and adapt to business issues? Certainly. The stories our customers tell us are about embracing change and pushing through the discomfort that comes from disruption. That is an enlightened approach; in fact we find that thinking that way helps promote more and better change over time.

Multi-Chem, for instance, rolled out a document tracking, electronic notification, and electronic signature solution with Process Director. The company is now looking to use the same business process mindset to provide better processes in other parts of the organization. Members of the Data Analytics and Software Integration team at Memphis Light, Gas and Water told us about issues related to approvals and signatures. Process Director was put to the task, and because of its success, will be used for other issues.

These companies, like so many others that we work with; have come to realize the need to continuously innovate, and to use the resources at their disposal to be able to do this. They are using the intelligence and skills of their employees, and are deploying resources and data appropriately and intelligently.

The outcome of applying smart, long-term vision to business process improvement is, well, it's an improved business. More engaged employees, better business insight, greater efficiency; these things make for a great business story. For us at BP Logix, there is no benefit to just selling a product. We want to sell a product only when it provides demonstrative value.

How Document Management Helps Automation, Workflow, and Efficient Business Operations

There are common terms that are typically part of any conversation about business process management (BPM): business process automation, workflow automation, document management solutions and efficiency are among them. These are natural outcomes of BPM and drive the exploration and evaluation phases organizations go through in their quest to operate more effectively. After learning more about how and where BPM software is used, it often becomes clear to these organizations that the advantages they stand to gain go far beyond “only” measurable business goals. With business process management software, they come to realize they can become more responsive and agile— and ultimately gain a significant advantage over their competitors.

The Connection Between Document Management Solutions and BPM Solutions

We believe that BPM software is a necessity for any business seeking to deliver demonstrable and sustainable results. In addition to improving processes (the immediate goal), organizations have come to realize that the benefits of BPM in being better equipped to identify, capture, evaluate, retrieve, and share all of an enterprise's information assets. Irrespective of the company's business, having an accessible and integrated repository of key information (document management) is essential to adequately govern and grow the company. It is also smart business. When we talk with managers, business architects and CIOs, they may not always speak specifically of effective document management solutions as a goal. As we get to know their business more thoroughly we and they generally realize that BPM solutions and document management solutions are appropriate bedfellows. The BPM and document management connection is pivotal to achieving the ongoing task of automating and monitoring both the content and processes that move and change within and across the organization. As we learn what these customers want to do, we realize the challenge is one of management, manipulation, change and modification of knowledge. There is huge value in having the information — but unless it can be acted on, it provides no value.

As corporate managers, we are steeped in the mindset of looking for document management solutions to improve ‘inefficiency.’ Our foundation in document management translates into a deep and broad understanding of how to integrate workflows, electronic forms, reusable business rules and predictive analytics into existing systems (like ERP and CRM) to run the business in a smarter — and more productively. When a company eliminates bottlenecks and unnecessary actions, what results is a more sane and intelligent way to work. Once that happens, no one wants to go back to the "old way."

Another reason why we see shifts in the culture of an organization has to do with BPM facilitating deeper insights into the details and behaviors of every business process. Process owners get smarter, which subsequently enables them to refine processes and ultimately optimize them. Our flagship BPM platform product, Process Director, learns about an organization's processes as it manages them. By introducing the dimension of time to predict the impact of changing business conditions on a running process — and by then applying the resulting business process intelligence to decisions about those processes, more effective and appropriate outcomes result. That makes for a smarter organization.

Stewart Brand famously noted that "information wants to be free." Information is knowledge, and knowledge IS an organization. Nothing is built, serviced, shipped or fixed without complex amounts of information being applied to make it happen. Each day and with every action, more knowledge is acquired. When that knowledge is then captured and managed, it can be used to its greatest advantage. The possibilities for an organization that does that are endless.

"Time is the key as to why we implement BPM in the first place." --Scott Menter

Business processes are generally adapted (or implemented) to help organizations become more organized and purposeful, ideally leading to better outcomes. Even highly structured companies can easily get off track if they then fail to adhere to goals that business process management (BPM) helped them achieve in the first place.

BPM is applied to improve results - results that come from business activities - and to ensure that the right governance and guidelines are in place. These things alone help an organization become better at delivering against its business goals, yet they presume that a business has an unspecified amount of time in which to deliver on these goals.

Time is a critical ingredient within any business process as it enables an organization to gain more control over those processes while creating the ability to predict how later stages in a process will be impacted by earlier actions. This predictive capability changes the entire nature of how we perform those tasks. Early notification leads to early intervention and response, which results in a more comprehensive view of alternative actions, the players that can affect them, and how processes can be changed as a result of changing requirements. This is why BP Logix' patented business process automation technology, Process Timeline, has become a defining element of our product - and why it provides our customers with a particularly unique view into how processes truly run.

In some corners, workflow is often considered a substitute for BPM. While the association is apt, there is not a one-for-one mapping. Here lies a critical difference in how we think of BPM and how our competitors do. For the most part, other BPM vendors see a timeline as either purely at the methodology level (consideration for a reasonable amount of time for an activity to take place), or as a pre-defined and allotted amount of time (any particular task should take X amount of time). At BP Logix, we are a BPM company that recognizes that while time moves, the amount of time needed to complete, route, authorize or perform any number of actions for a given activity is dependent on other activities in that process and may need to be adjusted as the process evolves.

The more valuable aspect of the timeline is in how reliable a picture it provides of the future. This is where Process Director stands apart and is why our customers can use the predictive capabilities to make smarter decisions and adapt as needed. We created Process Timeline to help customers measure and predict process execution times and build flexible and executable processes. Users can design process according to how they answer two important questions for each step of the process:

• What must complete before this step can begin?
• How long will this step take to complete?

We refer to these, respectively, as dependence and duration questions. Each activity will begin as soon as its prerequisites, if any, are completed. The result is a solution with many valuable features:

1. Modeling is greatly simplified: project owners list each activity, estimate its duration, and then drag-and-drop it onto the activity or activities that must complete before it can begin.
2. As many of the activities as possible will run at the same time, without the need to explicitly configure parallel behavior.
3. The status of the process can be determined at a glance.
4. At any point — even the moment the process is launched — the system can determine which activities, if any, may not complete by their due date.
5. The system records actual versus predicted execution times each time the process is run, and adjusts its time estimates accordingly.

Organizations look to our patented business process automation software technology, Process Timeline, to help them deliver better results with more addressable solutions. The benefits from Process Timeline include:

• Faster time-to-value: The simplified model gives businesses the opportunity to go from discovery to full automation faster than was previously possible.
• Proactive response: The earliest possible notice of potential delays (and the resulting missed deadlines) — even for tasks that haven’t yet begun — means that your business can predict a future problem, adapt to changing circumstances, and succeed in overcoming those obstacles.
• Improved business process governance and BPM compliance: Every approval, every piece of data entered, and every step of every process is permanently stored by Process Director, and can be made available to internal or external auditors, regulators, or risk management personnel.
• Rapid changes: Business processes must respond rapidly to changing requirements. Process Director is configured through a simple, intuitive graphical interface, requiring no programming skills. As a result, Process Director makes it possible for your processes to change at the speed of your business.

When a business goal is addressed through a realistic application of governance and execution, the likelihood of success increases dramatically. When a reasonable timeline can help identify potential issues and predict outcomes, the organization can adapt and be flexible in how it handles the situation.

Better workflow, automation and forms management helped Memphis Light, Gas and Water dramatically improve company operations and the customer experience.

Memphis Light, Gas and Water Division (MLGW) is the largest three-service municipal utility in the U.S. with more than 420,000 customers. Owned by the city of Memphis (hence its name) MLGW has provided electricity, natural gas and water for residents of Memphis and Shelby County since 1939.

The Utility also operates one of the largest artesian well systems in the world that delivers water to more than 254,000 customers over a distribution network that measures more than 4,650 miles.

Supporting and managing the IT efforts for this vast network of services is Cynthia Jones , Supervisor of Data Analytics and Software Integration. Her team of 12 assists 2500 employees who need access to web applications, forms, policies and “how to” documentation. All of these are delivered through iHub, the company intranet.

Problem
Top on the list of business process management priorities was a workflow software solution for automating the workflows and complex system of forms that are used to manage MLGW’s business . Jones wanted to dramatically reduce the sheer volume of paper documents and put an end to delays caused by routing bottlenecks and the need for multiple approvers across different locations.

Jones recalled that “An average form that MLGW uses has three signatures – and could have a maximum of eight. We typically wait a minimum of one day for documents to transfer between locations. As a result, one form could take two weeks to get all the signatures from the approximately 20 locations – and, at any point in time, we could be routing 100 different forms. The need to find a more effective and efficient solution was obvious.”

Solution
Jones’ IT team began with Google searches and contacted 12 BPM vendors to request free BPM software demos. After seeing the demos the team short-listed four then sent an RFP to that short list. Among the most important factors were that the solution be:

• Browser-based to support both internal and external users
• Integrate seamlessly within MLGW’s existing environment
• Provide electronic routing and approval at multiple levels
• Use LDAP authentication
• Facilitate electronic signatures
• Convert electronic templates easily
• Send out notifications via GroupWise
• Provide a publication process
• Reside on MLGW’s hardware
• Be competitively priced

While IT were champions of the initiative, the Environmental Engineering department became a key contributor from the business side – and worked closely with Jones’ team to develop the cost-justification as well as the requirements. BP Logix's Process Director, met both the technical and business criteria and was selected by MLGW.

Implementation
To facilitate an early win, Jones’ team decided on a phased approach to automating workflows and forms. Phase 1 BPM implementation included the document workflow processes for network and systems security access cards, project cost justification and equipment requests – and a total of 25 of the most commonly used forms. “The ability to authenticate users and provide electronic signatures was a critical aspect of our decision. Equally important was the ability to delegate approval, encrypt data and send email notifications to approvers, ” Jones observed.

With the initial phase completed, the team then took requests from a variety of internal customers. As a result, it already has 22 smart forms in production and use – and more in the planning stage. The MLGW team has found it can do a lot more than initially anticipated. The flexibility of Process Director is one of its strengths and, according to Jones, “One of the benefits we are aware of already is that it will be easier to survive audits!”

As people are moving to smart devices being able to approve documents on-the-go without a physical piece of paper is invaluable.” I think moving towards mobile devices is the way companies will remain competitive – and we are a service-oriented company,” Jones said.

In Process Director MLGW has found a BPM software solution that enables the company to provide the output of a development organization without the overhead. To learn more about the organizational and operational advantages the company has achieved with Process Director, read the Memphis Light Gas and Water customer profile.

Learn more:

• BPM in Utilities and Energy: BPM helps pipeline companies, utility providers and distribution organizations manage, monitor and continuously improve internal business activities.
• BP Logix: A KMWorld Magazine 100 Companies That Matter
• Request a Free BPM Software Demo of Process Director
• BPM Value Estimator: Just where do you find value with BPM?

Multi-Chem works with BP Logix to solve internal processes and help make their organization run with greater efficiency.

There is a good chance that your commute this morning was enabled, at least in part, by work done by Multi-Chem, a BP Logix customer. A global company that is a service unit of Halliburton, Multi-Chem develops and manufactures oilfield products, gas well treatments and pipeline solutions that enhance oil production. The company’s products address the chemical challenges associated with producing, processing and transporting oil and gas. A rapidly-growing company (50-70% for 10 consecutive years), Multi-Chem has a longstanding record of creating solutions relied on by some of the world’s largest and most respected energy companies.

Internal operations depend on communication — and the processing of essential documents with partner companies and customers. Efficiency is also highly valued. Working with companies around the globe, and with tight timeframes, Multi-Chem needs to be responsive to all requests-- and for its employees to be armed with the most current and accurate information.

Jim Honea is Multi-Chem's Director of Technology, responsible for software acquisition, integration and internal development. His team supports 700 internal users, and in addition to software acquisition and integration and internal development Jim was also responsible for streamlining its document approval process. That was an area that would benefit from automation, as Multi-Chem employees relied on reviewing and approving hard-copy documents – and the processes that drove them were inefficient. Jim wanted to put in place a workflow solution that would reflect the processes employees were currently using, control the workflow of those processes and identify the specific location and status of documents. “Many of our processes seemed to go into a dark hole. We needed something that was electronic, much more precise than email, and that would control the workflow of the processes. We wanted to be able to ask the question: Where is the document and who has approved it?” Honea remarked.

Finding the right tool for Multi-Chem began with a review of SharePoint, InfoPath, Adobe and Process Director. Jim and his team had done their due diligence and were very specific regarding their requirements. The workflow management software solution they needed had to include document management software for document tracking, electronic notification, eForms that provide electronic signatures, ensure standardized information, and designate roles for viewing and submitting forms. It also had to mirror -- and improve on -- existing business processes, be reasonably priced, and not be disruptive to end-users.

We spent considerable time learning about and understanding Multi-Chem's needs. As is typical when we engage with a prospect, we wanted to be confident that Process Director represented a good fit. It is important to us that we deliver what the customer needs. In the case of Multi-Chem their needs mapped very well with Process Director’s features. "We were confident that Process Director could do everything we wanted and more–and comfortable that BP Logix provided the best value proposition,” Jim said.

The team implementing Process Director rolled it out under the name, "eDocs" and began by creating a variety of new eForms. The first was the Personnel Request Form (PRF), which was used for hiring and employee ‘events’. As an indicator of what was to come, the PRF dramatically changed the way Multi-Chem employees worked. Approvals could be done remotely and on mobile devices, and the IT team was able to track and monitor document progress. As a result of email notification, documents pending approval are more visible – and more easily tracked. This set the model for additional forms to be created and shared by employees across the company; in turn the new document workflow has facilitated a more effective organization.

“It is obvious that we are a lot more efficient. We can now quantify employee hours worked and vacations, properly assign company vehicles based on title, and enforce company policies. If we needed to hire a new sales person and did not have the ability to route the forms electronically, it could cost us lost opportunities – and that translates to money,” Jim commented.

The greatest benefit that Multi-Chem has received, however, is that it has standardized its business processes. And while the initial impetus for implementing an electronic workflow and approval process belonged to the IT group that is no longer the case. Selecting Process Director was an IT decision that has helped the business – and continues to do that every day.

Learn more:

• BPM in Utilities and Energy: BPM helps pipeline companies, utility providers and distribution organizations manage, monitor and continuously improve internal business activities.
• BP Logix: A KMWorld Magazine 100 Companies That Matter
• Request a Free BPM Software of Process Director
• BPM Value Estimator: Just where do you find value with BPM?

Technology pundits have been furiously typing away over the past couple weeks trying to explain the significance of Google's $3.2 billion acquisition of Nest, a thermostat company. "It will change how we manage our lives," say the early adopters. "It will give Google knowledge of our every movement," say the detractors. Around the halls of BP Logix, we feel like we have been in the catbird’s seat as an observer, and now a participant, in this event because one of our recent customers, Crestron Electronics, has (like Google and Nest) seen the future —and is already delivering on it.

Crestron has a well-earned reputation for product leadership in the development of advanced control and automation systems. The World Bank, Space Needle, Hearst Tower, Microsoft World Headquarters, Johnson & Johnson Belgium, the situation room at the Pentagon and the American Red Cross in San Diego, among others, rely on Crestron devices to manage offices, schools, hospitals, hotels and homes. The company’s integrated solutions control audio, video, computer, IP and environmental systems so they can be managed from a Web browser, mobile device, or other types of touch screens.

While the world questions how Google will apply the products and vision of Nest, Crestron has already figured out how to deliver intelligent automation systems globally. This puts them almost in a class by themselves! They are innovators who are adept at understanding how technology can be applied. This is validated by a 45- year history of success and progress.

We have thoroughly enjoyed learning how this New Jersey-based company runs. While it started out as a manufacturer of laser-leveling devices to help automate assembly lines, with the enthusiasm of a true tinkerer, founder George Feldstein continued to find opportunities to use electronic devices to automate just about anything and everything. As we have learned more about Crestron we have come to appreciate how the company operates. Crestron is a class organization, and one with which we are proud to be associated.

People like Sherwood King, Senior IT Director for the company, look for BPM software and workflow solutions that enable the company to continue innovating and executing. As a result of its rapid growth and staffing requirements, Creston needed to update policies and procedures. The former system (a combination of Microsoft Word, Visio, and Excel) was no longer manageable. King wanted a product that could be IT-centric, understood and used by business users, and facilitate more collaboration and communication company-wide. He selected Process Director to support those objectives.

In Phase I King and his team will be automating and streamlining the company’s onboarding process, as its dynamic growth translates to lots of new hires. Phase II will involve more complex processes around support and approval systems. Improved workflow processes and greater business process automation are anticipated as a result of deploying BPM capabilities from Process Director.

We are always delighted to have customers reiterate that choosing Process Director has been the right decision. It reminds us that the work we do is meaningful and valuable. When a company with the stature of Crestron chooses to partner with us to help them deliver award-winning products to the world, it reminds us that the best output is a byproduct of well-managed, considerate and intelligent decisions and actions. We are proud to be that kind of partner.

See For Yourself

Process Director from BP Logix will empower your organization for all the reasons above and so much more. Ready to see for yourself? Learn more about our free BPM software demo of Process Director and contact us today for a demonstration from a BP Logix business process management expert.