Every business has some sort of document workflow process inuse. Whether that process is limited to a single individual ormultiple people, a series of steps is completed to formulate theworkflow process. Document workflow can consist of an invoice,order processing, email, snail mail, or other document, and itoccurs every single day in every single business. Once therealization occurs regarding how often document workflow occurseach day, one begins to consider ways to improve and streamline thedocument workflow process to maximize time and cost savings.

Where to Begin

Simply stated, workflow is the step-by-step procedure takentocomplete a job. To begin considering the possibilities of automatedworkflow using document management, a realization that a problemexists must be present. This usually manifests itself as some pointof 'pain' in the physical process of dealing with paper.

Some points of contention when dealing with paper mayinclude:

• Loss of documentation
• Unable to quickly locate information for customer serviceresponses
• Meeting compliance requirements for audit or security
• Rising costs of additional staff to process paper-basedworkflows
• Efficiency in managing the paper-based workflow for trackingand status purposes
• Movement of paper between a remote office and a corporateoffice

Once the decision has been made to improve workflow, thequestion becomes, "Where do I begin?" The obvious answer is at thebeginning. The first thing to do is choose one document process towork with. Often times the biggest mistake a company makes istrying to improve all processes at one time. This seldom works andmany times ends up with a failed attempt to automate anyprocess.

After selecting the process to improve, begin by breaking theprocess down into the actual physical steps. Take the businessprocess and physically follow it from beginning to end. Spend timewith each person involved along the way and find out what actionitems occur at each step, what the exceptions for each decision areand where the document goes once it leaves that step. The endresult of this will be a clear understanding of what takes placefor the entire process under review.

As the review is taking place, imagine the process beinganalyzed residing in an electronic workflow. Think about how thephysical process will work electronically or if it will workelectronically. For example, one step of the process may involve anoutside entity applying a signature to the piece of paper. How willthis work if the document is electronic? Make note of any potentialpitfalls of applying electronic technology to the workflow process.This list of requirements will come in handy when selecting avendor/product for implementation.

A workflow diagram outlining the process is also verybeneficial. This diagram will provide a visual representation ofthe workflow process and often aids in the understanding of theprocess as it moves from point to point. This drawing will also bevery useful for the software vendor as a representation of theworkflow process. Many easy-to-use software tools are available toaid in the creation of the workflow diagram including MicrosoftWord, PowerPoint, Visio, and many others. It is not necessary topurchase a specialty workflow diagramming tool to complete thedrawing. Even a hand drawn diagram on a piece of paper or on awhiteboard is extremely useful.

Choosing the BestTechnology

Now that the workflow process is understood and the requirementsare gathered, it is time to begin the process of product selection.Begin by putting together a product feature list and specifyingwhether the feature listed is required or optional. This list canthen be sent to various vendors for response to your needs. Basethe list on the information gathered as the workflow process wasanalyzed and the workers interviewed. A checklist can look similarto the below:

Document Workflow RequirementsChecklist

Ensure that the selection process includesgathering of the following information from the vendors as yourequest information.

• System hardware requirements—this information is important toensure that the correct computing infrastructure is in place to runthe software efficiently. Without proper hardware, the software maynot run at optimum performance, thereby negating any time savingsanticipated from implementation of an electronic process.
• Requirements for any specialty hardware such as signature pads,scanners, or Web servers.
• Cost for software maintenance and technical support.
• Availability of technical support.
• Reference accounts for similar size companies.
• How is the data backed up?
• Training programs offered.
• Availability of professional services for integration andcustomprocesses.
• Is the software proprietary or is it built on an openarchitecture?
• Is a software development kit or application programminginterface (API) available to allow for integration to existingsoftware products?

Vendor/product selection should not be based solely on cost. Theproduct should meet the critical functional requirements and havethe flexibility to grow with your business. Ease of use and speedof deployment are also key factors to look for when selecting aproduct. Avoid products that require excessive customization andprogramming services to make the basic functions of the workflowprocess work.

This step alone can cause major delays and cost overruns. Themajority of items on your requirements list should be available'out of the box.' Customer service and support availability arealso extremely important elements of the total solution. Theproduct selected may perform well but without service and support,undo frustration may arise when the need for help is warranted.

Quantifying the Results

When you make the transition to automating document workflows inyour business you should be able to measure improvement in yourprocesses. An obvious starting point is the time it takes tocompletely process documents from start to finish.

If you perform a simple time study on a process before and afterimplementing your electronic document workflow solution, you cancompare the average process time from start to finish. If thesystem you choose provides a management console for monitoring andmanaging the documents processed by each of your groups andworkers, you will be able to quantify performance of individuals,giving you the ability to adjust workloads and enable people toimprove their performance.

There are other benefits of automating your document workflowprocesses which are more qualitative and more difficult to measure.One good example is the "missing document." This is a frequentissue with paper-based, and even with electronic documents, thatare not stored in a controlled repository. A document is handed toor emailed as an attachment to a person for review and approval.That email or document is subsequently lost or accidentallydeleted.

Now there are many problems that can arise. Who will know thatthe document is missing? Will the person who sent it know to followup and request the approval? If so, will that person be able tore-create the lost document? Studies have shown that the averagecost to re-create a lost document is $250. And what if thisdocument was a customer order or an important equipmentrequisition? These "missing document" episodes happen every day inmost businesses and they create a tremendous toll, both financiallyand in damaged customer service and competitiveness.

Conclusion

There is really no reason for businesses to continue usingoutdated and inefficient workflow processing methods given today'savailability of affordable and easy-to-use software technology. Thetrick is getting started and having a plan.

Pick a single workflow process. Analyze this process at eachstep and create a diagram to document the process. You can do thisfor multiple processes, but you should be weary of getting toobogged down in the analysis stage and creating a risk of neveractually getting around to the implementation stage.

With this documented process workflow, you can now enter intodiscussions with potential document workflow software vendors tofind the solution that is best for you. This approach will put youon a solid path toward continuous improvement of your businessworkflow processes to make your organization more efficient andmore competitive.

Abe Niedzwiecki is VP Technology of document managementsoftware and workflow provider, Cabinet NG (www.cabinetng.com). He is anexpert in consulting and implementation of technology as itrelates to business process automation and specializes inapplication integration and streamlining business workflows.He can be reached at [email protected].