Workflow automation - Your new best friend

An interesting thing happened on the way to the cloud... Enterprise systems, big iron that was used to crunch numbers, store and retrieve data and render reports, developed a new trick. And it's a big one. Sometimes the biggest shifts are the most subtle, and I have to say, I think this one sort of sneaked up on everyone. But now that it is here, Workflow Automation is a big deal and about to change your life.

What is Workflow Automation? More than the buzzword from a caffeine-addled 20-something's term paper, Workflow Automation (let's call it WA) is the next step in making Systems actually useful to the people who use them. Let's review.

As I mentioned earlier, computer systems were first developed to handle routine but laborious computational tasks. Hence the name Computers. Then, in the late 70s storage devices began to be developed that allowed computers to get better at storing lots of data. A little later, relational databases were developed to manage, query and report on that stored data. And since then, almost all enterprise systems have been built off of finding new types of data to store and report on, sometimes combining that with computational power to do things to that data.

I contend that Workflow Automation is a whole new type of use of computing technology that can dramatically transform the lives of people who use systems to run organizations. What workflow automation is, quite simply, is ability to set up rules, events, conditions, roles, and tasks that allow the system to guide users through multi-step processes. A workflow is, of course, a series of steps required to accomplish something, for example, hiring a new employee. Workflow Automation allows you to define those steps ahead of time, indicate the order of the steps and who is responsible, and remind and prompt those people when they need to perform those steps. It automates many of the processes that an organization needs to do, so that people in the organization are freed up to think.

For organizations interested in creating processes and making sure those processes are followed consistently and that a record of that is maintained, WA is crucial and extremely helpful. For individuals who would like reminders and want to be thorough in how they carry out their work, without the crushing burden of post-it notes and calendar reminders on every available surface of their office, WA is the ticket.  For organizations with that are highly dispersed, or even virtual, that also need to manage risk, workflow automation can be a savior.

Most importantly, for personnel departments that are constantly bombarded with date-driven, business-critical tasks with low tolerance for error, Workforce Automation can be essential. Whether it is the benefits review process, the hire/fire process, time off request process, performance review process, payroll process, or any of the many other duties dumped on the backs of payroll, accounting and HR administrators, workflow automation can be the ticket to greater peace of mind and higher departmental performance.

See? Technology really can be your friend. It just took a little while....

Software-as-a-Service. Really?

One new-ish term of art that has always bothered me is the curious label of Software-as-a-Service. To that, I say, Really? Software as a service? I don't think so. Software as a Subscription, maybe. But Service? Whoever invented that term obviously wasn't from the service industry. Hmmm, maybe they were from the software industry....

No doubt that delivering software over the internet has made our business lives easier. Fewer upgrades, less worry about backups, no more hardware upgrades or software incompatibilities. But let's be honest, getting the software delivered to your desktop (or smart phone! - see previous post) is a subscription, and only a start.

Any enterprise level software worth its salt needs to have human expertise supporting it to make sure customers get the most out of the software. Otherwise, systems languish, are underutilized and end up not delivering on their promise. They become a disappointment.

Service, real service, around software delivered via the cloud helps customers configure the software to their unique needs, answers subject matter questions relating to the use of the software, and finds ways to extend the usefulness of the software throughout the user's organization. In the end, real service attached to software-as-a-service helps a business get better, more efficient and more productive by intelligently using the software. Simply sending a user id and password and considering the job done doesn't get you there.

Enterprise software companies have created huge new business value and opportunity by delivering their product over the internet. Those companies that think that their job ends there will find that value greatly diminished over time as their customers struggle to implement these powerful tools. Those companies that figure out that the job has just begun when the customer hits the On button will find significant opportunity to develop loyal customers whose businesses are transformed by their new, true Software-AND-Service partnership.