Recent posts about business process management (4)

What does workflow solve? A lot, it turns out, but only if you give it the consideration it deserves

A simple, but often unacknowledged truth about the modern corporate world is that it is rife with doses of irrationality. For a segment of the economy that is supposed to operate with precision, it is surprising how many managers at enterprises across the globe lack what we call  “common sense”. Even in the best-run companies, there are times when best intentions go awry and people are left wondering, "How did we EVER get here?”

Is implementing a workflow and/or a business process easy? Not necessarily. It can, however, be simple —and simple leads to less stress, more control, and a greater likelihood of meeting expectations. "Simple" does not mean that the approach is lacking in sophistication, as simplicity is an admirable goal when pursuing a better way of doing business

We know that best-laid plans may often go astray — as competing demands can distract and turn “simple” into a multi-headed beast. Take heart. It is rare to be able to consistently adhere to defined policies and steps in the face of “unintended issues.” Our thought, however, is that it is beneficial to have a  list of considerations to discuss, in advance, with your team — so that all of you can think through, and act on, the steps necessary to prepare your workflow and its  implementation.

Here are those considerations:

First, it is important to recognize that plans are not reality. They are an effort to create an optimal future. No matter what you put into a spreadsheet, it will not likely end up exactly as planned. Different strategies may assist in the preparation (think: agile, waterfall, checklist.) Irrespective of how you do it, a good rule of thumb is to anticipate that you will encounter every possible consequence you have not considered. And, because it wasn't something you planned for, you can expect to waste days dealing with it.

A better use of your time is to identify:

Your concept of success: This is far more than a mission statement. Implementing a workflow does not mean just arriving at a single goal. Successful implementation and management means that your company executes an infinite number of actions according to a predefined (yet flexible) framework. It does so in order to move in the direction of greater efficiency and better results. You need executive approval of what constitutes success: Is it financial, is it based on what IT can deliver, does it mean better use of employees' time, or does it have to do with extending your business to a broader ecosystem? Perhaps it is a combination of these things. Know what it is — then drive towards that goal.

Players: Who are your primary stakeholders? What do they NEED and what are they likely to REQUEST. Those are two different things; you need to be judicious in what you agree to deliver. Part of your job will be to have people understand the nature of your project (at a macro level), not just their part in it. A myopic approach can lead to an enhanced sense of self-interest, which can lead to each person/group thinking its issues are the most important. If you ignore this, however, you will have disagreement before you even have requirements.

Risks: Doing certain things incorrectly will create major issues. Sound simple or silly? Understanding the trade-off is not enough. Not doing certain things (you will know what they are) will cause delays. Think through, in a linear and interconnected way, where the pain points are likely to be — and how you can avoid them.

Granular vs. high-level: As former Netscape CEO James Barksdale used to say, "The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing." You always need stakeholders to step back and remember the ultimate goal. You and the project team must ask yourselves repeatedly, "Is this action leading us towards our goal?” By not asking, you are more likely to move the project in an unintended direction.

Build requirements for the business and technology teams: There is a need to align business and IT goals, but reaching a successful outcome for those two sides of the house may involve different skill sets and requirements. That is perfectly normal and expected; there is a symbiotic relationship between IT and business —and ultimately they are both trying to achieve some level of complementary results. But make sure there is an effort to articulate goals and acceptable practices for achieving them from the start. By identifying, up front, where the responsibilities reside and expectations in terms of deliverables, these groups can better support one another to achieve their common goal.

Fail forward: It is easy to say that you can learn important lessons from failing, but when you have deadlines and a budget, few executives are interested in allowing you time to fail, then learn, when things need to come together. Does the workflow you create with 100% compliance reflect the requirements you had at the beginning— or does it reflect changes in your business that may have occurred along the way? Is 100% compliance with your initial requirements still valid? Seek ways to determine if certain forms do not work well with their corresponding processes. Uncover preconceived ideas as to how things are done. Are there outdated ways of doing things that should not be considered in the new environment? Do things – and do them with purpose! That will enable you to uncover your potential for failure yet the ultimate outcome will be better.

You undoubtedly want to change how your company works, in whatever form that takes. That requires thinking through many scenarios, while keeping your eyes on the prize. The prize, however, will likely change the working lives of everyone in your organization, so take care to give your workflow tools the attention that all prizes deserve.

The advertising industry long ago shed the style dramatized in “Mad Men”— and the same can be said about the ad agency workflow process of old. Rather than Scotch-fueled strategy sessions, ad agency conference rooms are now more likely to be occupied (and surrounded by) iPads, tablets, smart phones and the ever-present latte.

What has not changed is the strict focus on the needs of the clients. As a service-based business, ad agencies can only grow when they have built a solid reputation for delivering on strategies that make their clients successful.

The unveiling of new designs and ad concepts is highly visual —and evokes an immediate response. Clients have come to expect and appreciate that. The ad agency workflow for each project includes decisions, actions and tasks that enable a campaign to be highly successful are the invisible, but crucial, pieces that need constant attention for the ad agency.

In order for an ad agency to "get it right" for their clients, the creative process calls for the right people to collaborate. Additionally, there is a cast of others who provide review and approval for copy, budget, staffing etc. Every action has an impact, and when there are problems, they can lead to delays. In a deadline-driven, "get-it-done-yesterday" environment, time and decisions are of the essence and there is a premium placed on reducing bottlenecks. Business process management provides a huge advantage in streamlining the efforts of ad agencies and media companies.

For the advertising industry, one of the most noticeable areas that workflow successfully addresses is marrying a digital structure with a traditionally paper-based environment. Even today, most ad agencies rely on forms and paper to drive internal processes. Reviews, sign-offs, decisions and client expenditures are among the many elements of daily life in advertising. And as client demands grow, it becomes increasingly more challenging to keep up due to inefficient processes.

Moving from a paper-based environment to an ad agency workflow solution like Process Director smart forms means that stakeholders can easily access vast numbers of forms and data— and these documents can then become part of an integrated approval workflow that helps to manage content, ensure collaboration and provide access to information needed for decision-making.

Lag time in decision-making creates delays which stymies the ability to deliver concepts to clients and execute a tight project plan. With ad agency workflow software, an organization can start to rely on an automated set of processes for tasks, routing of content, approvals and decision-making. Rather than requests sitting in in-boxes, alerts, rules and notifications can be created to streamline and automate the process. Workflows enable organizations to be flexible and accountable as they seek to meet the demands of their stakeholders.

Leo Burnett, a BP Logix customer, provides an example of why routing and rules-based workflow is so important. Two members of the team that implemented Process Director, said, “We needed and ad agency workflow solution to route estimates for the work that every client requests from us - and for every brand and sub-brand. All estimates we create on behalf of clients must go through a process. Additionally, we need to update estimates along the way and to set up rules based on brand and dollar amount – and to control the process."

It is easy to see that, without a foundation and an ad agency workflow system for creating and updating processes, internal stop-gaps could easily prevent an agency from meeting deadlines and delivering its best work.

Producing higher quality materials under ever-tightening project deadlines, integrating new technologies and becoming both more agile and collaborative are some of the benefits of workflow. In an industry that relies heavily on relationships, the more important benefit, however, comes in the form of accountability to its clients.

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.

Our primary goal in understanding how we can best assist our customers, and prospects,  is to learn what they do and understand how they are doing it. We need to get a clear picture of their current environment or, in other words, we want to know their story.

Yet before a prospect is ready to engage with us, we also know they often want to kick the tires — to get a sense of our story—and to validate that they want to spend time with us to do that. We believe we have a compelling story and we love having that opportunity. This ‘conversation’ enables us to start a dialogue that enables us to understand where we and you, our prospect, intersect.

The BP Logix story is a somewhat ‘typical’ scenario. Our business emerged, and grew,  as a result of the inefficiencies we observed among vendors delivering  BPM solutions. The timing was 2008 and 2009 – and we had been developing enterprise software solutions for almost 10 years at that point. We recognized that business process management (BPM) is, and was, not simply a one-size-fits-all approach that is implemented once, upgraded when necessary and managed daily. There certainly is BPM software at the core of our solution. There are also, however, other aspects to consider. These include cultural change and adaptations to company behavior.

When we work with either a prospect or customer, we believe in creating a partnership.  We work collaboratively to deliver something bigger than software or upgrades. There are a number of pieces that we address at both the product and relationship levels—and we do this in a way that is neither overly complex, nor arduous.

Following is a quick roadmap of who we are and what we do - in essence, the basics of the BP Logix story:

1. Knowing your business: The first thing to know about us is that our way of determining if and how we can potentially help  begins with getting to know you.

2. Understanding challenges: We have spent considerable time understanding both the market — and our customers’ needs. A desire to be more efficient, the need to get colleagues on the same page, then getting the green light to making something happen  are common challenges and goals our prospects and customers face. We understand  and can help you articulate and address those challenges.

3. The value of BPM and workflow: Until you actually see numbers that are the results of actual customer experiences (outcomes), it may be difficult to think through the possibilities that can be result through a better way of working.

4. The heart of the matter: Reading BP Logix BPM blogs can help you understand how we think about business process improvement, what we have created with our smart forms, how workflow underpins every process — and how to conduct business in a more efficient and profitable way. Our blogs represent our thoughts as to what is working and where progress can be made. They reflect what we hear from our customers and prospects — and what we learn as a result of those relationships.

5. Process, personified: Maybe the best way to understand what we do, and how you might benefit from partnering with us, is to get to know Process Pat.  Read and view the path he has undertaken to achieve his objectives through business process management and workflow automation.

6. Process Director: We talk a lot about how workflow and process automation can effect change, but it is important to understand the actual BPM platform on which that is built. It is an award-winning platform, to be sure — but it is the reason that our customers are also winning awards. Customers like Johnson & Johnson who were just awarded Gartner’s Global Excellence in BPM award for 2014.

7. Try it: Get to know what BPM and workflow look like. Request a free BPM software demo — and let’s start to get to know one another.

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

With approval to proceed with his project and approach, Process Pat prepares for the upcoming changes

When we got funding for our business process automation and workflow project, a certain level of anxiety crept into my daily routine. After all, this approach was being seen as an overhaul —not just in technology but also in how we run our business. Now that executives have started to take notice, you might think that my stress level is off the charts. Actually, the opposite is true; now that we know our direction, I'm helping my team get focused, create checklists, and develop an actionable plan. When I see how this is unfolding, it moves the needle from “freaked out” to ‘measured excitement.’

This project won't happen overnight, nor will it be onerous. Our plan is to build requirements over the next month, develop new processes after that, then roll out the workflows for an initial application. We'll assess, review requirements, and then tackle the next application. Overall, we have a goal of modifying the way we work through automating and streamlining our processes and workflows over an 18 month period. When all is said and done, my company will enable internal employees and external stakeholders (partners, customers, and suppliers) to collaborate and coordinate to make better decisions, move forward faster, and, with luck, leapfrog the competition. Our remote workers will be as productive on the road as those at headquarters— and they will feel more connected as well.

While I'm feeling confident about where this is headed, I know that this is only going to be successful with buy- in across the company. We know that the processes, and their associated workflows, have the greatest opportunity for success when matched with a willing and engaged organizational culture. Our company is nimble and able to quickly adapt, but change sometimes brings frustration— and frustration in a corporate environment means lost productivity. The LAST thing this should do is limit our ability to get things done. The whole purpose is to enable the company to grow as a result of better process, more transparency, and involving more of the right people.

Thankfully I have executive support. That's a great start, but the execs aren't the ones being asked to get comfortable with something new. It will be the project managers, analysts, business managers — in fact almost anyone who has a stake in an outcome will be part of this new process and workflow implementation. I'm realizing that we are in good shape in terms of morale, but I'm keeping my eye on a few things that will help me guide us towards a successful roll-out:

Are we ready to change?: This is not just the first question to ask, but it's also the most important thing to assess and re-assess throughout our entire project.  Committing to change is easier before the change actually happens. So my job is to know how comfortable we are and how well we maintain progress towards our goals. I'm asking myself these questions:

• Is our team adept at prioritizing projects and processes?
• Can we operate with a flexible mindset that allows us to adapt to changing business needs?
• Do our executives REALLY understand how processes will be streamlined and workflow applied across the organization?
• Do we have the skill set to know when the time is right to add additional apps?

Is disruption going to help us improve— or will it be a distraction?: The fact is, some organizations just cannot make the shift to a new way of conducting business. That's not a criticism, and in fact, in some cases, those businesses are better off not changing. I know that we are fully prepared to begin this project, but can we sustain a longer term change in our culture and how we do business? My sense is that, with a well-prepared roll out and the right planning, we can. Part of my job is to be an evangelist.  I've been going to different groups within the company to make them aware of what we're doing and the impact on them. So far, the reception has been good, but I've been grilled a few times. I have no problem with that. I'm actually glad because that means that our employees have a stake in what we’re doing! That will make acceptance and focus easier.

Are we flexible when we need to be?: There is an erroneous mantra that gets thrown around. It says “Everyone needs to be flexible.” I agree with that, but only to a point. Ultimately, if everyone is simply flexible all the time then we don't adhere to guidelines or stick with consistent processes. So part of this planning process is to get to know those places in our organization, and in our processes, where we need to reward and operate according to consistent business practices— and those places where we can continue to change by being flexible. I recognize that this is one of the benefits of implementing workflow; we eventually get to understand how to be more flexible where it will provide an advantage, but then not worry about it in places where it makes no demonstrable change.

Automating our processes and streamlining our workflows will undoubtedly change the way our organization is going to work. And that is exciting. Our Execs are always looking at our bottom-line.  They expect that we will eliminate inefficiency. The anticipated advantages are going to be huge— but only with oversight and a lot of preparation. The next step is…well, the next step is to get moving and kick things off!

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

My company has had five consecutive quarters of incredible growth: profits are up, we're hiring across all departments, and the team feels excitement building. This success is the result of delivering innovative products and executing with smart marketing. Like everyone here, I’d like to see that continue— and I’m in the fortunate spot to be able to have some impact on that. It’s the job of my team to develop business solutions to enable the company to be more efficient — and to support the teams helping us meet and achieve these goals.

While I'm sharing that great feeling, I’m also beginning to get twinges of anxiety that are gnawing at me and keeping me awake at night. To keep up with all this change, I’ve suggested an approach that will change the way our company works— and for which I’ll be responsible. Talking about putting myself on the line….

You see I've requested, and received approval, to automate processes across our entire enterprise to make us more efficient and effective as an organization. I recognize that without a proper solution we will not ‘get’ to where we want to be. The resulting project is going to be rather unique for our company — and I'm the guy responsible for making it happen. So while I'm happy about our company's growth, I'm sweating the details right now about how we're going to implement a better way of doing business.

My plan is to implement a business process management (BPM) system for our processes that provides a standard for communication and collaboration for the entire company— and will incorporate smart forms and automate our workflows. This system will need to be flexible and agile, adaptable to different teams and projects, and I want it to be something that doesn't require a technical skillset to develop — or to use. I'm looking for a software-based solution that solves our real business problems— but without the intermediary step of initiating a new project for each change that we make. In other words, this solution should help my colleagues work more collaboratively, trigger each step in the decision process, make better decisions (based on better information), and provide an ongoing record of the results. And in the end, I’m going to believe that business will be done more quickly.

Beyond just being a solution, this approach I’m taking has to have ‘permanence’ (as much as anything is permanent these days). My expectation is that within one year of launch, we will no longer rely on our outdated processes; we will enable remote workers and third-parties to access our system from both outside our firewall and with mobile devices. I believe there will be a comprehensive document management system that includes easily creating and managing smart forms, with alerts and updates being sent automatically to the appropriate people as needed. Clearly, this will be no small endeavor.

Another thing that makes this challenging is that, while the goal of our project is generally accepted, there are two schools of thought about how to get it done (aren't there always at least two?). Our growth has some people in a state of frenzy, and they want this ‘thing’ done as soon as humanly possible. I, however, prefer to build the solution that can launch over some period of time with minimal disruption and the best opportunity for success. After thinking this through in great detail, and talking with colleagues, I recognize that we will need to be judicious in our approach in order to create a viable and sustainable solution.

I also recognize that it may take time to train employees in new ways of working. Those colleagues who suggest that we make all our preparations and launch in a single "big bang" aren't taking into account that its success will ultimately be based on how many people use the new solution. And to encourage usage, we need to begin by making our employees partners in the process.

Am I stressed about the magnitude of what we’re embarking on? Not completely. I've been through a number of projects — not quite like this but with the goal of becoming more efficient and competitive. Over time I've come to learn what's effective when you're implementing solutions that may require some new behaviors or changes to long-held processes. Even before all of this I had been pushing for better ways for our employees to communicate, collaborate, and transact business. I always viewed that as being part of my job; I shouldn't BE a bottleneck, I should fix bottlenecks! Having worked in a variety of organizations, with varying mindsets about change, I feel like I have a Ph.D. in both operational and corporate inefficiency.

So yes, things are going well here. And yes, I'm a bit worried. But as long as I can commit to a realistic timeline, keep this thing on budget, ensure a smart roll-out and empower employees, then we will be on our way to achieving even more growth and success.

We get to work with some really innovative and interesting companies. Before we talk at any level of detail with a potential customer, we do a significant amount of research to learn more about their business, industry, organizational structure, and where they have had success. It is sometimes challenging work, but is always incredibly helpful, as it gives us a foundation to understand that organization and to identify both needs—and wants.

The truth about a company and its culture, however, does not usually come out until we have had a chance to meet with the people who will be implementing the workflows and organizing their business processes to work in this new way. We find IT managers and systems architects to be motivated, goal-focused individuals who are bent on doing things better. They have given serious consideration to the work they are preparing to do, and take pride in the foundation they have laid for that effort.

We also have observed that so many of the managers we talk with operate from a similar set of ideas and guidelines as to what they want to accomplish.

Following are five things we have heard that our customers do when planning for workflow implementation. We feel that they comprise a wise and judicious way of moving forward—and invite your feedback!

1. Establish lines of communication: Before positive outcomes can result from changing your business processes, the’ beneficiaries’ of this change need to know they have a voice —and will be a part of decision process. While all companies have tools for communication (email, meetings, wikis, internal portals), only those who have defined processes for how and when things are communicated actually realize the benefit of this collective input. Allowing people to have a voice and giving them the proper channels to hear that voice is pivotal to successfully implementing any new concept, methodology or product.
2. Distinguish between business and technology requirements: Ideally, there is an alignment between tech and business goals. In implementing workflows, however, there may be differences in what each group identifies as ‘what’s needed’ —and who has the expertise to provide ‘it.’ The business side needs to be very clear and detailed about who will touch the workflow activity and what results should come from it. That needs to be articulated to the tech team who needs to ensure integration with existing apps and the roll out of a usable interface. By identifying, up front, where the responsibilities reside and what expectations there are in terms of deliverables, these groups can better support one another to achieve their common goal.
3. Seek failure: Most smart companies do not truly seek to fail, but they do encourage innovation— and that sometimes results in failure...at least, until they get it right. That IS smart. If everything goes according to plan the first time, we may not be fully prepared for when there is a glitch in the workflow, or a document type is not allowed, or our reports miss an important metric. During planning and implementation, kick the tires. You will find probably not bring down your entire business with even a dramatic mistake. More importantly, you will learn more how your stakeholders will use their new business processes. THAT is valuable information!
4. Eliminate redundancies: The whole point of doing this is to make your business more efficient. With that in mind, it makes sense for you to give serious thought as to where bottlenecks have occurred previously and seek to eliminate them through ‘smarter’ workflows. Building a more efficient communication, approval and routing model into your workflow provides users with a more efficient way to operate —and a more agile way to conduct business.
5. Prepare for phase 2: You will not know what you cannot do until you begin doing what you can. Smart organizations plan with the future in mind— and are inclined to leave their process management to grow and change with them. If you become a victim of success with one project, you will likely get requests to adopt similar processes and workflow to other projects in other parts of the company. That opens the door to new processes, activities and decisions — and that can be exciting and exhilarating.

Each organization's needs are unique — paying attention to these five things will help form a mindset that prepares you for success and adaptability.

Try it out:

• Request a free BPM software demo of Process Director

Learn more:

• Workflow Software
• Workflow Management Software Features
• Business Process Automation Software
• Case Management Solutions

“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.

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