How Will Workflow Software Benefit my Organisation?

Online workflow software speeds up processes

No matter what industry you are from, or what services you offer – all businesses can benefit from online workflow software.

A simple workflow can be in the form of the list or  the flow-chart you create to help yourself get on track with all of your tasks. If you are a sole-proprietor, a simple flowchart will work well. However, workflow software starts to make more sense when you need to manage staff, tasks and clients.

Let’s take a Graphic Design company as an example. In this case, there are five key players.

1. Marketer
2. Business Owner
3. Graphic Designer 1 (Logo Specialist)
4. Copywriter (Writes Sales Copy)
5. Manager

The business owner wants a brochure and a logo. The marketer presents the confirmed request for logo design and a brochure. The Graphic Designer contacts the business owner, confirms the brief, and designs the logo.

The manager contacts the freelance copywriter and leaves a message on their mobile phone.

The graphic designer completes the logo and sends it to the manager for review, one day ahead of the deadline.

The manager then realises that the copywriter has not returned the initial call…

It turns out that the copywriter is on holiday. The marketer did receive a message from the copywriter earlier in the month – but things got too busy and the message was forgotten.

The marketer had to contact the business owner and explain that they were unable to meet the promised deadline.

Had this Graphic Design company used web-based, real-time workflow software – they would have immediately been able to see an overview of the task and realise that the copywriter was missing.

Web based workflow software is a vital component of your workflow management. Many businesses are outsourcing tasks and are often unaware of how the task is progressing.

Online workflow software allows you to see, at a glance, what tasks are outstanding. It can send reminders to all involved parties before the task is due and it can alert you when a deadline has been missed.

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What is Workflow?

Basic workflow

What is workflow? A workflow is a logical set of steps that a system or person  must perform to reach an objective. Wiktionary defines workflow as a process or procedure in which tasks are completed, or the rate at which a flow of work takes place.[1]

Simply put, workflow is about always getting the right work to the right people at the right time on a consistent basis. An everyday example of workflow is a flowchart that defines players, actions, results, decisions and pathways.

For example, assume your company needs to get a website developed. Where do you start? Your employees are savvy enough to do the job, but who does what – and when?

Ask yourself these questions:

1. What is the work?

• A clearly defined action: build a website

2. Who needs to do the work?

• The Design Team: Kim and Paul

3. What do they need to do the work?

• A photographer and product specs

4. When do they need to do the work by?

• Deadline: 30 June before new product launch on 15 July.

5. Who needs to approve the work?

• Team leader: Kerry

6. Where does the completed work go?

• The IT team: Shirley and Ben

7. Who uploads the site?

• The IT Team: Shirley and Ben

8. Who tests the site?

• The IT Team: Shirley and Ben
• The Design Team: Kim and Paul
• The Leader: Kerry
• Sales Team: Janice and Jim
• Rest of staff

Once you have answered these questions, you have workflow. A simple, once-off workflow like building a website may only require one process, or a simple flowchart pinned up on your office wall.

But what happens when you need to produce 100 websites? Or 1,000? How do you keep track of it all?

More soon, Flo 🙂

www.webandflo.com

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[1] http://en.wiktionary.org/wiki/workflow