Why End-Users Must Be Involved in Workflow Design
Automated workflows have been around for longer than user-friendly interfaces have. If you are old enough to remember interacting with the C:> prompt using MS DOS before Windows was invented, then you probably remember the feeling that your computer wasn’t so much a tool as a magic box that you operated by knowing which secret […]
Can Automated Workflows Improve Employee Engagement?
When employees are engaged in their work, everyone benefits. The employees themselves benefit from a sense of accomplishment and of having contributed to something greater than themselves, while customers benefit from an elevated experience. And companies benefit too, to the tune of a 21% increase in productivity and a 22% increase in profitability. Employee engagement […]
How Strong Document Control Can Transform Government Offices
Government organizations are document-heavy and they must work with tight budgets most of the time. While the paperless office is mostly realized as a myth at this point, it is certainly possible for government entities to drastically reduce their use of paper, which automatically reduces costs for supplies, storage, and the time spent retrieving paper […]
How Strategic Workflow Design Offers Checks and Balances for Operations
Workflows are expected to do many things flawlessly. They must orchestrate tasks so they finish on time and to completion, and many of them collect data for use in reports and other applications. Some small business owners think that workflow automations are only for big businesses with complex operations, but nothing could be further from […]
At What Point Should Online Forms Be Incorporated into Workflows?
In business, just about everything is a workflow, no matter how simple it is. One could argue that a person completing a form for a building key and submitting it to the person who distributes keys is a workflow, even though it is simple and straightforward. There are times when the completion and submission of […]
How Defined Workflows Help With The Hiring and Recruitment Process
The US Department of Labor estimates the cost of a bad hiring decision at 30% or more of that employee’s first-year earnings, so naturally, every business wants to avoid inept hiring practices. Particularly with a small business, the cost of a single bad hiring decision for a non-entry level position can threaten the entire company’s […]
5 Ways to Use Workflow Software to Trim Operational Costs
While it’s always good to monitor costs and identify areas where they can be cut painlessly, sometimes we’re put in a position of having to cut costs even if it causes disruption. Rather than taking a “slash and burn” approach, which can lead to unforeseen problems later on, it’s better to take time up front […]
Well-Designed Workflows for All Aspects of Healthcare Delivery
Increasing healthcare costs affect patients, insurers, providers of medical care, and many far-reaching aspects of the economy as a whole. Electronic health record (EHR) systems are more common than they used to be due to incentives for medical practices to adopt them. While EHRs can literally be life-saving because of their ability to coordinate care […]
What Is LDAP Synchronization and How Does It Improve Workflows?
The acronym LDAP stands for Lightweight Directory Access Protocol. It is a special set of software rules that allows people to easily locate files, devices, individual accounts, and organizations on a network. The network could be public, like the Internet, or it could be a private network that is only for use by a single […]
The Synergy of Forms and Functions
You’ve heard the phrase “Form follows function,” which are words attributed to architect Louis Sullivan more than a century ago. While it was said in reference to architectural form and function, it applies to countless other aspects of life. You can also take the phrase quite literally, using it to refer to actual forms that […]