Workflow, or more correctly business process flow, is the application of technology to automate and measure the processing function within an organisation. For example, in the above scenario where equipment is being ordered, the workflow may be represented as:

Here the purchase order has been requested and subsequently undergoes a process of authorisation prior to its completion. Workflow is the electronic processing of this order from its inception to its routing and final completion where the goods are requested and accounted for. All the rules involved in deciding who should authorise the request and how best it is referred are configured into the business logic. Likewise, even the authorisation signature itself can be made electronic and secure so that business and regulatory needs can also be met. 

Benefits of this technology

Clearly some of the major benefits of this new technology are :

• Speeding up the manual processes - the necessary information should all be made available as part of the process flow. 
• Controlled and audited - the rules and criteria governing the next actions are pre-defined and agreed. This way, the business process flows in a particular direction which has been agreed to and audited as part of any regulatory requirement - for instance all payments greater then £50,000 require directors approval.
• Measured - managers and users alike will be able to identify and measure particular bottle-necks within their processing as each stage can be timed and monitored.
• Streamlined and Focused - by ensuring that all the information is available for a particular task, more of the effort should go into the actual task instead of the overall management and gathering of the data.

Things to consider

As with all innovations, there are key points which should be considered:

• Cost - whilst the obvious benefits are there, these should be carefully analysed so that the returns can be gained. The process of defining and managing workflows needs to be carefully measured as it may not be appropriate to automate some of these tasks.
• "System Takes Over" - whilst it is important to have specific procedures and rules to follow, within the real world challenges can be both difficult and different. Any system must be able to cater for the more extreme of situations as well as the more standard ones. This way there is real thought and consideration given which will in turn enable the whole process to be refined and developed further.
• Business driven not technology driven - whilst technology is providing the tools, it is for the business that they are being deployed and used. Clearly, there is little point in having flashing lights and zooming pictures if it does not aid the business moving forward.

Our offering within Workflow

Every association continues to develop its businesses as quickly and as efficiently as possible. With the ever increasing demand for information and cost reduction, automation can often be the only viable solution. 

However, incorporation of new technology is not simply about installing a piece of software or new hardware. It is time consuming and does require tight project management and qualified resources to ensure that the benefits are quickly realised.

At ILLY we regard our business clients as our partners and to whom we offer a guaranteed service which is based on our three founding principles:

Customers are the reason we exist

Quality is not for compromise

Focus and Delivery are our Strength

As a professional software house, we believe in delivering a production quality solution to our clients using a tried and tested methodology. This includes:

	Clearly understanding the business and technical requirements.
	Recommending business solutions which will meet the requirements and enable future expansion using the most up-to-date technologies.
	Guaranteeing a fixed price and delivery to meet our client's expectations.
	Tailored training and service levels to ensure independent usage of the system.

 

There are a range of technologies available to provide a streamlined and focused work environment. At ILLY, we have a range of pre-built components that can be tailored and interfaced in relation to an association's requirements. Below are a few examples of these including: