What Is Workflow Management? Definition & System Examples
When you wake up in the morning and follow a set of routines, you’re following a workflow process; same with your service provider when you reach out with a complaint, and you’re directed to different departments to address your issues.
Read on for further answers on what is workflow management. We’ll also look at its systems and notable examples. In addition, we’ll point out how to help you better use workflow management systems in attending to multiple tasks in your business process.
Ready? Let’s dive in!
What is workflow management? Our definition
In our attempt to define workflow management, we might be using some technical terms, but worry not! We’ll try to make them easy to understand.
So, back to the question of what’s workflow management. Simply put, workflow management is coordinating and automating a sequence of operations or processes inside an organization to effectively and efficiently accomplish certain goals.
It entails planning, carrying out, monitoring, and optimizing the sequence of operations necessary to complete a specified job or obtain a specific result. It involves managing workflows to reach your company goals per moment or the overall vision for the company.
Let us make this really simple with a relatable example.
You get home from work as a young nine-to-five worker trying to start something on the side. You’re exhausted. You fling your keys on the couch, undress, and make your way to your bedroom, fall face-first on your bed, and are off. You wake up in the evening to attend to the business you are building. This has been your routine for about two years now. This is a simple illustration of a workflow. A series of steps you take to accomplish a series of tasks.
In this case, the tasks here include resting and working on your business. It’s become repetitive, and it’s easy to see that this is not the best workflow to help you drive more order and productivity in your life and for your business. An effective workflow system will boost productivity and ease the business process through automated workflow.
A simple tip to improve the above workflow example would be to build an effective workflow management system; you’ll need workflow tools for that purpose.
In the example above, a key rack for your keys and a basket for your clothes might need an alarm to remind you to have your bath and set up your workstation before you sleep. This helps you automate some of the repetitive actions you would usually take, like flinging the keys on your couch. Now you have a rack for your keys.
In good business process management, workflow management ensures fewer bottlenecks and an easier workflow unhindered by non-essentials. This will involve workflow automation for repetitive tasks within the workflow process.
Now that we know what workflow management entails, what is a workflow management system, and how does it work?
So, what is a workflow management system?
Before jumping into technical terms again, a workflow management system (WfMS) simply refers to the structure that shapes your business workflow or the workflow of a process at a particular time.
Workflow management systems (WFMS) facilitate the automated and smooth execution of workflows. These systems empower users to articulate and structure workflows while establishing specific parameters related to deadlines, budgetary constraints, and execution environments. Subsequently, WFMS assesses these user-defined criteria and effectively carries out workflow tasks within the predefined limitations.
By implementing a workflow system, it becomes possible to automate several procedures sequentially based on predetermined business criteria. A workflow system can automate tasks, whether machines or humans perform them. However, this depends mainly on the system being implemented since not all types of workflow management strictly follow a sequential order.
More often than not, the workflow tools used in managing their process define the workflow management systems. To this end, there are a lot of online project management software used by businesses to achieve their aims.
In this regard, there are a lot of proposed workflow software tools that don’t meet the full criteria of that description. A simple Kanban board software that helps you visualize the workflow process does not fulfill the role of a complete workflow management system software.
It plays a vital part, just like workflow management in a business process management system. Understandably, it’s easier to go for the best workflow software on the market, and this is because you can better manage workflows with the right workflow management system.
A workflow management system is a software-based solution that enhances operational efficiency by automating various processes. The implementation of these streamlined workflows not only contributes to optimizing essential performance metrics but also significantly boosts overall business productivity.
In addition to these advantages, workflow management systems are pivotal in orchestrating tasks, ensuring seamless collaboration among team members, and tracking progress at each process stage. This real-time visibility into workflow status empowers businesses to make informed decisions, allocate resources judiciously, and maintain a competitive edge in today's fast-paced business environment.
Why is the workflow management process important?
You need a workflow management system, but why should you choose the right workflow process management system? The truth remains that the world is gradually evolving, leaving past technologies and processes behind and moving forward into more agile and effective means of executing tasks.
Workflow management is one of these innovations, and it is an inevitable process for businesses that want to keep efficiency at the core of their process and better hit their business goals. There are numerous benefits of workflow management processes, especially when executed the right way. Knowing these benefits can help you better understand how workflows work.
More streamlined and efficient processes
Generally, workflows increase productivity as stakeholders can ensure the removal of bottlenecks and use workflow management to achieve faster results.
With a simple workflow diagram, an employer or stakeholder can easily visualize the entire process to carry out specific tasks or business processes and identify repetitive tasks that can be automated using automation platforms or unnecessary tasks that can be simply eliminated.
If this isn’t done, the efforts of team members could be spent working on areas where they are least efficient or carrying out tasks that contribute little to the overall outcome of the particular workflow process.
Better transparency and accountability within your team
It’s not just your processes that benefit from a good workflow management process; your team also stands to gain a lot. A significant cause of team discord is a lack of clear roles and responsibilities.
When roles are unclear, it becomes difficult for team members to contribute effectively to the main workflow from their various quarters. There is also a problem of monitoring team tasks and activities in a system without a defined workflow. This could cause a manager or team head to micromanage his team, eventually dampening the morale of every team member involved in a task.
Effective workflow management eliminates this problem, providing clear structure and defined roles for each member. Because roles are defined, team members feel more responsible for their tasks as they understand how they contribute to the overall business goals. This will improve productivity in the long run.
Team leads can also better supervise the progress of their members because they can quickly notice the task statuses of each member as they carry out their roles.
Less manual and human errors
Manual processes are essential, but they can be riddled with errors because they depend on human effort, which could be error-prone. Sound workflow management systems boost efficiency by automating tasks and standardizing processes.
For example, your finance team can automate the process of sending out invoices. This speeds up the job and makes it less likely that mistakes will happen compared to entering data by hand. When there are fewer delays, less downtime, and better use of resources, efficiency goes up.
Basically, good workflow systems often include automated processes, which in turn reduces wasted energy and improves productivity.
Clearer communication
A frequent problem that is not given enough attention is poor communication in the workplace. Because it affects practically all company tasks, clear communication is essential. A workflow system provides more insight into the process flow, significantly enhancing workplace communication.
That said, an effective workflow system helps team members see their roles and responsibilities in each process and how it affects every team member, can better communicate their needs, and help their fellow teammates improve the workflow in the organization.
Better customer service and improved customer satisfaction
There is no business that does not value a satisfied customer, and efficient, error-free processes always lead to improved customer satisfaction.
When internal and external workflow processes are managed with the right workflow system, it becomes easier for your products and services to meet customers' needs. Utilizing workflow management systems in corporate operations facilitates the optimization of processes and speeds up handling client complaints and inquiries.
The timely resolution of customer inquiries or complaints helps to improve customer service and increase customer satisfaction.
Adaptability and scalability
What better way to look at scalability than at the employment process?
When a new employee is hired, an automatic onboarding process usually guides the new employee into the company. This process often has multiple stages, including submitting documents, which are handled by the company’s document management systems, training new employees, and helping them adapt to the company’s culture and business rules.
Imagine a company that hires periodically and has to repeat the task with increasing employees. It would be a frustrating endeavor for HR to deal with this onboarding workflow themselves consistently. A good workflow system lets you build task sequences that automate this process, such that no matter the number of new hires you have, the onboarding process remains the same.
Workflow systems may also be modified to meet changing business demands. Workflows are easily adaptable to changing market conditions or client expectations. By being flexible, a company may remain competitive and take advantage of new possibilities as they present themselves.
Deeper insights and visibility of processes
Understanding the workflow of a process is greatly enhanced by a detailed mapping of its component steps. Even though your company procedures are clearly laid out, knowing how effectively they’re doing and whether or not they may be even better is essential.
One of the primary objectives for using a workflow management system is to obtain more visibility into process status and performance.
Better decision-making is enabled by real-time visibility into process progress. Managers may detect bottlenecks, direct resources to where they are most needed, and make educated decisions to optimize operations. Visibility into a supply chain's inventory levels and order statuses helps organizations avoid stockouts and increase order fulfillment.
Workflow management techniques
There are various types of workflows to help deal with problems in organizational structures. These workflow management techniques apply to various situations and can be used by different teams within the same business process.
An overarching technique might eventually be used to govern the business management process. Other techniques could subsist in smaller workflows within the overarching business management process. Here are four major workflow management techniques.
Sequential workflows
This is the kind of process that is commonly recognized by the majority of individuals. In this sort of linear workflow, actions are carried out in a predetermined order, with one activity having to be finished before the start of the next. It is appropriate for controlled, step-by-step procedures such as document approval and quality control. The Sequence of tasks in this technique is driven towards a specific outcome.
Parallel workflows
Parallel workflows entail the simultaneous execution of different tasks or steps. This speeds up processes by removing wait times and is optimal for duties with no interdependence. For example, when HR hires a new employee, they can ask the finance team to buy equipment and software and ask the legal team for paperwork, signatures, and contracts at the same time.
State machine workflows
State machine workflows are flexible and event-driven. They center on the principle of "state" rather than "task." In other words, the process progresses from one state to the next rather than from one task to the next.
Good examples are Agile or Scrum workflows, which allow you to shuffle between groups of tasks depending on the state of particular phases of other tasks or events. This type suits dynamic processes with multiple possible outcomes, like order processing.
Rules-driven workflows
Rule-based workflows rely on predefined rules or conditions to determine the flow of tasks. They are sometimes seen as the most complex of the available workflow types. The result of a task workflow under this technique would vary based on the guiding rules of the workflow. These are "if/then" conditions that could result in workflow automation.
For instance, customer support inquiries may be assigned to agents based on their area of expertise.
Workflow management systems examples
There are no restrictions to the types of examples of workflow we can have as the application of workflow management systems varies across niches and industries.
Employee Onboarding
No doubt, this is a popular workflow management system example. One of the most difficult tasks within a company’s various business processes is onboarding new employees. It’s an essential process but also very time consuming as a result having the process automated gives a huge benefit to companies.
There’s a lot of internal and external communication involved in the first tasks of an onboarding cycle. Workflow management allows for automatic alerts and approvals to be triggered upon the completion of each activity, doing away with the need for continual back-and-forth. Some of the best employee onboarding systems also double as employee management systems.
Help Desk Management
Help Desk Management, which is a type of Workflow Management System (WFMS), is a structured way to deal with questions from customers or internal users, technical problems, and requests for help. Each request creates a separate ticket that can be monitored and handled individually.
Workflow rules are automated to determine how tickets are assigned, prioritized, and escalated. Support staff and customers may both benefit from a knowledge base that works in tandem with this approach to expedite the resolution of issues. Email and live chat are two examples of communication technologies that help support personnel engage with their users.
When a consumer submits a ticket, information about their request and their contact information is recorded. After that, tickets are automatically assigned to the right support agents or teams, prioritized, and distributed.
The system monitors developments, records interactions, and guarantees uniformity in problem-solving procedures. If a ticket is not addressed within a certain amount of time, an escalation process will be activated. Closing tickets is the last step, and part of it is gathering customer feedback. The best help desk management systems perfectly execute this workflow giving immense benefits to your business and your customers.
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP)
VoIP (Voice over Internet Protocol) isn't typically used as a workflow management system; its primary function is real-time communication over the internet. However, it can be integrated into workflow management systems to streamline communication processes.
For instance, in a customer support center, a VoIP system can route calls and provide real-time communication capabilities, while a dedicated workflow management system automates task assignment and tracking, creating a more efficient support process.
This combination of VoIP and workflow management enhances overall communication and process efficiency within an organization. The best VoIP options easily integrate with other workflow systems to improve customer relationships and team communications.
Workflow organization best practices and tips on how to manage workflow effectively
There are a couple of workflow management best practices to keep in mind to help you get the best out of your process management workflow. These are basically things to keep in mind when using workflow management software. They make it easy to execute a new process or a new workflow, and they can help you find ways to improve your workflow system.
Take stock of your current workflow process: The fact is that you cannot improve on what you don't measure. You have first to ensure you know how your current workflow works. It is then you can identify if it is working, what parts need to go, or if you need a complete overhaul.
Document your process: Documenting the process of tweaking and improving your workflow shortens the curve when there is a need to duplicate your system. This documentation is also a way of finding ways to improve on your system when reusing it in a different setting.
Prioritize tasks: After you have been able to analyze your current workflow, you'll be armed with information on your most and least important tasks. You can then arrange these tasks in order of priority. Focus on automating repetitive tasks and implementing the right systems on higher priority tasks.
Communicate with workflow stakeholders: Workflow stakeholders are not just the managers in a company, but they include all members with an interest. This includes your team members, customers, clients, managers, and more. Communicating and carrying your stakeholders along with a new workflow will help them better adjust and know their roles in a new workflow management system.
Train and upskill employees: Implementing a new workflow in your company might involve new and alien processes. You and your employees might need to add some new skills to meet the new demands of the workflow.
Delegate tasks to teammates: After training and upskilling, it is easier to have teammates perform more complex tasks than before. Delegate important tasks that you cannot carry out yourself so that team members to play vital roles in the workflow process.
Minimize unnecessary interruptions: In order to maximize productivity, it is important to minimize distractions for employees. One way to achieve this goal is to reduce the number of meetings and other forms of unproductive contact. It's also important to reduce the number of tasks that are assigned to the wrong persons or that are unneeded. Including, but not limited to, setting strict deadlines for each assignment. It's crucial that everyone's time is used effectively.
Test out your new workflow: After you have upgraded your employees and tweaked and improved your workflow process, it's time to test it out. Errors can be avoided with proper testing of the workflow; before committing to a workflow automation platform, make sure you can verify that the workflow is functioning as expected. That way, you can fix any issues before they affect the workflow.
Keep monitoring and tracking: No process is ever truly perfect, and you'll continue to fine-tune your workflow to serve your business and your customers best. The more you do this, the better your results.
Our conclusion on managing workflow
Workflow management is a broad concept that could be confused with other similar systems like business management systems. Now you know that workflow management is part of the business management process. It is also vital to recognize how workflow control can affect your productivity.
Properly implementing safe practices and ensuring that the right technique is used for the right set of tasks will ensure long-term progress and relevance with your business.
FAQs
What is the difference between process and workflow management?
We’ve looked extensively at workflow management, its benefits, and applications. But what‘s the difference between workflow and process management? There are multiple differences between both options. However, the key difference to note is their scope. Process management encompasses a wider range of processes in which workflow management falls in.
Knowing a key difference is good, but what is process management? Process management refers to the systematic approach of designing, implementing, monitoring, and continuously improving business processes within an organization to achieve specific goals and objectives. It involves overseeing and optimizing the way work is done to enhance efficiency, reduce costs, ensure quality, and increase overall effectiveness.
What are the 3 basic components of workflow?
There are 3 basic components of a workflow. They are the input, the process, and the output. They are also known as the trigger, the work, and the result. These basic components simply follow a three-step process that follows from feeding information to seeing the result of the information.
The Input refers to the very beginning of the workflow process, where data or information is being fed into the workflow management system. The process, as the step indicates, refers to the steps, tasks, events, or actions performed as a result of the input and on the input with a certain objective in mind.
The output is the result of the result of workflow process; it refers to the outcome of the process in line with the instruction of the input.
In which technology is workflow management incorporated?
There is no one technology into which workflow management is restrictedly incorporated into. Rather workflow management is incorporated into various technologies including cloud computing, Business Process Management (BPM) software, Human Resources Information Systems (HRIS), Project Management Tools, Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP) Systems, and plenty of other technologies.
Its incorporation with cloud computing is somewhat unique as many other workflows rely on cloud-based workflow systems to ensure the smooth running of their varying workflow systems.
