| Commercial organizations
have long appreciated the benefits of business process automation.
From banks managing mortgage applications, to utility companies
tracking bill payments, they have learnt that much of their day-to-day
business can be described by a set of well-defined business processes.
They have also understood that if they use technology to automate
these processes, they can eliminate time-consuming and error-prone
manual intervention. This allows them to achieve more, in less time,
with fewer mistakes. However, the real benefit is greater competitive
advantage, as costs are reduced and productivity is improved. |
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Workflow systems are now also being
used more and more to help the biotechnology, pharmaceutical and
chemical industries manage the vast quantities of data that pass
through many stages of processing and analysis. Data that may
be captured in the field with handheld devices needs to be fed
into the pipeline so that calculations can be performed and reports
generated. Information on individual samples must pass between
scientists and support staff with different roles (such as quality
control, curation and analysis). A workflow system to co-ordinate
the whole process can ensure that data is processed, or passed
on to the next stage, in a timely manner. Automatic notification
and web-based reporting can ensure that all parties have full
access to the status of samples within the system.
The need for regulatory compliance is an increasingly
significant driver in the implementation of workflow systems.
In many industry sectors there is a requirement to comply with
external agencies who examine adherence to operational rules.
In addition, legislative changes such as the US's Sarbanes-Oxley
Act (SOX), will soon force many organizations to invest in proving
that their processes are sound. These needs for compliance make
workflow systems essential. |
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Workflow: automating business processes