What to look for in a workflow solution
Shorn of all the jargon, what can workflow
automation actually do for your business? Here is a
list of the top 5 things to look for when evaluating
a workflow solution.
- Automation of communication
processes: Most business communications
are offshoots of the organizations processes. Yet
employees spend a considerable part of their workday
in sending out routine emails and waiting for replies.
Look for workflow software that supports 2-way interactions
with messaging such as email, SMS and instant messaging.
This simple communication process allows your workflow
to integrate with almost any external system.
- Don't forget your developers:
Too often, the perceived package functionality
is selected over the ability to extend and adopt
the package. Workflow is an underlying framework
that provides a service across all applications
and business processes in your organization. The
ability to build upon this framework enabling your
developers to use this rich functionality for internal
business applications requires a fully functional
Workflow API. Don't be fooled by SDK's exposing
selected functions, check that the API supports
all Workflow functions.
- Verify there's a Business
Activity Monitor: Business Activity Monitors
rescue processes from falling into organizational
Black Holes by giving you the exact status of a
workflow process. This level of auditing also allows
for analytics to identify potential areas of improvement
in your processes.
- A Windows Workflow Services
Strategy: Microsoft is releasing WWF later
next year. It's important your workflow platform
has a roadmap to integrate with WWF in the future,
and better still ways in which it can extend the
WWF functionality.
- Don't complicate the User Experience: Many workflow solutions have sophisticated workflow designer tools and end user dashboards. We see the deployment and training of the business users as the largest hurdle for a successful implementation. Identify workflow solutions which can be embedded inside your existing applications rather than replace the user experience completely.
Ultimately, the success of a workflow implementation depends on how usable it is by business users. Skelta Workflow.NET, the MSD2D 2005 People's Choice Award winner for workflow and Skelta SharePoint Accelerator, the Best of Tech-Ed 2005 Award winner in Software Components & Middleware category, delivers on its promise of being the most user-friendly workflow software solutions in the market. Click here for more details
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