Workflow Management Explained

Workflows underpin business processes and are steps performed in a predefined order to achieve an agreed outcome. Workflows show you the status of tasks, what work is in progress, what is complete, and who is responsible for each task. Workflows can make tasks more efficient and less error-prone and make your working practices more transparent. Workflows are building blocks of business processes.

A good example is a document approval workflow, where:

• A document is created and submitted for review
• The document is reviewed by an appropriate individual
• If approved, the document moves to the next stage; if not, it’s sent back to the author for revisions
• The process repeats until final document approval is given.

Workflow management is the set of systems, processes, and tools organizations use to design, run, monitor, and improve workflows to make processes more effective, efficient, and consistent. It involves mapping out business processes from end to end, identifying stakeholders, triggers, inputs, and outputs, defining roles and responsibilities, and assigning resources to fulfill each task within the process.

Workflow management adds structure to process-driven tasks and encourages automation. This includes real-time event and alert management to manage performance and identify blockers and areas for improvement.

The key components of workflow management include:

• Workflow design
• Process mapping
• Automation
• Task assignment
• Real-time monitoring
• Performance metrics
• Continual improvement
• Reporting.

What are the different types of workflows?

There are two main types of workflow:

• Sequential workflows – where each step depends on completing a previous step. A good example of a sequential workflow is an IT service request management process. For the process to progress, each step must be followed in order. A colleague requests new equipment, their line manager approves it, the IT organization checks to see if it is in stock, etc.
• Parallel workflows – where multiple tasks are carried out concurrently. An example of a parallel workflow is a new hire process. Human resources (HR) will have tasks such as sending offer letters, contract creation, and reference checking. The IT organization will have tasks such as account creation and equipment sourcing and configuration. The payroll department will need to set up the new employee on the payroll system and ensure the correct tax details are correct, among other things.

The importance of workflow management is multifaceted, including:

• Improving efficiency and productivity – streamlining processes and automating repetitive tasks
• Ensuring consistency and standardization – thanks to standard operating procedures
• Enhancing transparency and accountability – with clearly defined roles and real-time monitoring
• Facilitating collaboration and communication – through collaboration features and centralized information
• Improving flexibility and adaptability – well-managed workflows are scalable and can easily accommodate growth or business changes
• Providing data-driven insights – workflow performance data helps organizations identify areas for improvement and make informed decisions.

Ultimately, workflow management enables better business processes because defining each stage of the process, what tasks need to be completed, and in what order reduces the potential for human error, duplication, and rework.

The key components of a workflow include:

• Tasks or activities – the individual units of work, such as approving a service request, that must be completed within the workflow.
• Sequence or flow – the order in which tasks ar ee performed. This can be linear, parallel, or conditional.
• Participants or roles – the people, teams, or systems responsible for performing the tasks.
• Inputs and outputs – the data or resources required to perform tasks (the inputs) and the results generated by tasks (the outputs).
• Conditions or rules – the logic that determines the path of the workflow based on specific criteria or conditions.
• Start and end points – the initiation and completion points of the workflow.
• Triggers – the events that initiate or advance the workflow.
• Notifications and alerts – automated messages sent to participants to inform them of task assignments, deadlines, or workflow progress.

Visualizing workflows

The ability to visualize workflows is an essential part of workflow management. It helps people to understand, review, and improve business processes.

Expanding on this, the primary reasons why workflows should be visualized include:

• Improved understanding – visual representations make complex processes easier to understand. Breaking down a process into visual elements simplifies understanding each step and how they interrelate.
• Enhanced communication – visuals act as a common language that all can understand, providing a shared view of the process.
• Identifying issues – visual workflows help in quickly identifying bottlenecks, redundancies, and inefficiencies in a process.
• Standardization – visual workflows help ensure that everyone follows the same process.

Some methods of visualizing workflows include:

• Flow charts – the visual representation of each step in a process flow. Flow charts use shapes to represent the different steps and decision points in a process.
• Gantt charts – a project management tool that displays tasks or activities against a timeline.
• Kanban boards – an agile tool designed to visualize work, limit work-in-progress (WIP), and maximize efficiency and flow. Each Kanban board is a visual representation of a work stream where a column represents a stage and a card represents a work unit or change.
• Mind maps – virtual tools that visualize workflows more flexibly and non-linearly.
• SIPOC (suppliers, inputs, processes, outputs, customers) diagrams – a way of providing a high-level view of the workflow that’s helpful in Six Sigma and other quality management methodologies.
• Business Process Model and Notation (BPNM) – a standardized method for creating detailed process diagrams.

Building workflows

The build and deployment of workflows can be approached in several ways, each with methodologies and best practices. The main approaches include:

• Manual workflow design – using flowcharts, process maps, and documentation tools like Microsoft Visio or Lucidchart.
• Workflow management software – using specialized software to design, automate, and manage workflows.
• Business Process Management (BPM) – a more holistic approach to managing and optimizing an organization’s processes using BPM principles and tools.
• Robotic Process Automation (RPA) – using software robots to automate repetitive and rule-based tasks within workflows.
• No-code platforms – no-code workflows enable users with little to no programming knowledge to create and automate processes using visual interfaces, widgets, and pre-built templates, making it accessible for business users to implement solutions rapidly.
• Low-code platforms – low-code workflows offer more flexibility, allowing users with technical skills to create and customize processes with minimal coding, balancing ease of use and adaptability for moderately complex requirements.
• Pro-code platforms – pro-code workflows are designed for technicians and developers with advanced coding skills. They provide complete control and customization to build complex solutions tailored to the business’s specific needs.

The last three approaches – the trinity of no-code, low-code, and pro-code – offer similar but different capabilities. The selection will ultimately depend on the capabilities of the people designing workflows, with it possible to provide all three approaches to facilitate a spectrum of workflow creation personnel.

Some key benefits of workflow management include:

• Support for automation – automating routine tasks enables people to focus on more complex, value-driven tasks.
• Improved efficiency and productivity – workflow management helps organizations streamline processes by identifying and eliminating bottlenecks, reducing variation, and improving efficiency.
• Cost savings – workflow management can help companies identify and eliminate inefficiencies and waste, such as duplication, unnecessary process steps, and rework.
• Process efficiency – workflow management reduces errors, improving quality and customer satisfaction.
• Improved consistency and quality – ensuring that tasks are performed consistently and according to predefined standards and quality criteria.
• Improved resource allocation – effective workflow management helps ensure resources are used efficiently.
• Clear roles and responsibilities – defined workflows clarify who is responsible for each task.
• Real-time performance tracking and monitoring – workflow management systems enable performance tracking, providing visibility into the status of tasks and the people working on them.
• Flexible and scalable processes – well-managed workflows can be easily and quickly modified to accommodate changes and scaled up to handle increased volume.
• Better governance, risk management, and compliance – workflow management helps ensure processes adhere to industry regulations and standards.

Workflow tips and best practices include:

• Working with the business to agree on priorities. While it can be tempting to try to automate everything, if you don’t have the proper focus, things can go wrong, and any errors will increase in scale. Work with business stakeholders to prioritize which workflows should be created and automated first, so your focus matches the business.
• That preparation is everything. Ensure that the workflow you’re designing is well documented and that all the activities and handoff points are understood. If there’s confusion around the workflow or you get a step in the wrong place, it’s much easier to fix while it’s still “on paper” versus being in a tool used in a live environment.
• Language, labels, and naming conventions. Work with all the stakeholders involved in the workflow to ensure the language and naming conventions are consistent with what’s used in live operations. Ensure your workflow has a name that clearly defines it – for example, request fulfillment, employee onboarding, or procurement process.
• Identifying and documenting dependencies. Make sure you identify everything you need for your workflow to run correctly. Ensure all the appropriate resources and capabilities are captured.
• Identifying roles and owners – some steps can be automated, but others will need human intervention. For example, escalating a request after a complaint from the business or manually checking the price of IT equipment with a supplier. Make sure you have all the roles identified to keep everything on track.
• Mapping out all tasks and putting them in order – before committing your workflow to the tool, map it out and ask for volunteers to review it to ensure it is fit for purpose. Sometimes, when creating a process or workflow, a person is so focused on the task that minor steps can be missed, causing issues in a production environment. Ask your reviewers to follow the steps and walk through the process to ensure nothing is missed.
• Defining your triggers, inputs, transfer points, and outputs – capture the activities or tasks in the workflow. What resources will be needed? How will the workflow manage handoffs to other process flows? What acceptance criteria are in place so you know with certainty that the right outcome has been reached?
• Testing – always test your workflows to ensure they work. Have you captured all the trigger points? Does everyone understand their role and the activities they are expected to carry out? Are the proper outcomes being accomplished?
• Checking before adding your workflow to the tool – before you communicate that a workflow is live and available, have someone double-check the content to ensure that everything has been captured correctly and nothing has been lost in the upload process.
• Reviewing and improving – work with the process owner to undertake regular reviews so you can adapt to changing business needs and respond to any feedback

Workflow management, project management, and BPM are distinct but interrelated concepts, as shown in the table below.

In short, workflow management focuses on automating and streamlining specific tasks, project management centers on the successful completion of projects, and BPM aims to optimize entire business processes as part of continual improvement.

The three capabilities can be used together. For example:

• Workflow management and BPM – workflows are often components of BPM systems, automating specific tasks within broader processes.
• Workflow management and project management – project management can include workflows to manage repetitive tasks within a project.
• BPM and project management – BPM can include project management for implementing process improvements as projects.

Choosing a workflow management software

When choosing a workflow management solution, you must ensure the product works for your organization. Some of the critical functionalities to consider, although not all will be relevant to your organization’s needs, are as follows:

• Automation. The ability to automate routine and repetitive tasks like status updates, approvals, or work handoffs – enabling people to focus on more complex actions that add the most value.
• Flexibility. The ability to create and edit workflows to align with specific business needs.
• Automated notifications. Enabling the checking of task progress and status.
• A low-code workflow designer. This enables non-technical colleagues to contribute to workflow creation, optimization, and management.
• Integration with third-party applications. APIs will enable the integration with existing CRM, ERP, calendar, and document management systems in real time to increase efficiencies.
• Support for mobile devices and apps.
• Service-level agreement (SLA) status indicators. Automation and continuous monitoring should enable the tool to track performance against SLAs in real-time.
• Status dashboards and automated alerting. People can prioritize their tasks and identify potential issues before SLAs are breached.
• Role-based access controls. To set permissions by role to support workflow security.
• Built-in audit functionality. To track changes over time, make workflows secure, and help meet governance, risk management, and compliance obligations.
• Support for collaboration.