Operational workflow – Examples and process management

An operational workflow, also known as a process, is a sequence of steps enabling a company to carry out a recurring or one-off activity. For example: process a request for quotation, validate a supply, recruit a new employee, launch an order or manage invoicing…

This sequence of tasks can be individual or multi-actor, linear or subject to conditions – creating branches of realization -, composed of manual and/or automated tasks. For example:

• Manual Task 1: An employee enters a new customer request into a form
• Automated Task 2: Create a new contact, a new company and a new opportunity in CRM
• Automated task 3: According to the criteria, a customer score is calculated.
• Manual task 4: The manager qualifies the request using all the information collected and automatically generated, then validates the processing.
• Automated Task 5:
  • If validated, automatic notification to the employee who initiated the request
  • If refused, an automated email is sent

In this example, we can clearly see a multi-actor case, mixing manual and automated tasks, which is what we call an operational workflow.

This can be done simply by following a written procedure, but workflow management software is available to streamline and centralize operations. These software packages, such as Lapala, can often be used without writing a single line of code, and are ideally suited to SMEs.

Definition of an operational workflow

Everything is a company workflow!

Just as an operational workflow is nothing more than a sequence of tasks, so all the activities of a company are nothing more than a set of workflows and processes. From processing a customer request to invoicing a customer, from managing recruitment to producing reports, they’re all just a sequence of steps.

The different types of operational workflow

There are different ways of making workflows exist and actionable:

• First of all, there are the written procedures in document format. This enables each employee to visualize how the process works, and to follow the various tasks involved step by step. Nevertheless, these documents are often forgotten, they are a source of errors due to habit, they are not easy to update and therefore several versions of the same procedure can easily exist.
  
• To solve these problems, workflow management software has emerged. Their aim is to create, through the use of an intuitive application, guided and actionable experiences for employees. Guided input interfaces and approval circuits make it easy to complete manual tasks, and basic automations are included, enabling previously entered data to be re-displayed, data to be easily searched, and assignments and handovers between employees to be carried out automatically.
  
• Last but not least, some software packages have gone a step further, adding advanced automation features to these functions. These allow you to integrate your existing software – ERP, CRM, HRIS… – into your business. Once connected, at any stage of the operational workflow you can choose to display data from these programs and retrieve their information. You can also automatically create or update data in these applications without having to connect to them. No more repetitive, non-value-added tasks.

No-code solutions that can be used without writing a line of code

Previously, workflow software required technical skills in coding, and therefore the support of an IT department. This prevented SMEs from equipping themselves with these tools. Now, workflow software such as Lapala is no-code, and any employee can create a process in just a few clicks.

Solutions that allow you to proceed at your own pace and in an iterative fashion

Whether you want to go step by step or transform an entire process at once, workflow software has the advantage of easily taking a step back from what has been created, and measuring various indicators of how the process is working.

If your teams point out that a guided step in the operational workflow could be improved, you can simply modify the step in a few minutes and republish it. In no time at all, you’ve streamlined your process. So you can start with a relatively advanced version and fine-tune it as feedback comes in.

Operational workflow modeling

Operational workflow software incorporates process modeling tools, the advantage of which is that it is always up to date, since it is structured around the workflow used by the teams in real time. In addition, as you can see above, they enable you to visualize steps, actors, automations, connected software, business rules and data input. The diagrams available in these tools have a number of advantages.

In some cases, however, you may need to create other views of the process. There are many possible ways of modeling a process: drawing on a sheet of paper, simple flow chart, SIPOC diagram, VSM, BPMN… It’s up to you to choose the one best suited to your constraints, or to use the process designers in your workflow management software.

Operational workflow management software is a rapid source of business gains: efficiency, reduced lead times, increased margins…

Workflow software can also be called BPM software.

It’s not uncommon to read the words software called BPM for Business Process Management. In the past, there was a real difference with workflow software, but today their functionalities converge towards a similar use. When choosing a tool, the important thing is that it is adapted to your needs and constraints.

Thanks to their 100% customizable, no-code functionality, SMEs can easily describe their business rules and operating principles. What’s more, with just a few clicks, you can set up automations such as automatic re-display of internal or external data, automatic task distribution, and the creation and updating of information in your existing software.

The 4 features of operational workflow management software

5 examples of operational workflow

An operational workflow is made up of manual and automated tasks. It enables end-to-end management of a process and rapid optimization. In this section, we present 5 examples of operational workflows built on Lapala workflow management software.

Example 1 – Purchasing approval workflow

Operational workflows for purchasing approvals help to reduce approval times and avoid the chaos of a communication process consisting of e-mails, telephone calls and sometimes paper documents. Automation also provides better visibility of all expenses incurred, and makes it easier to comply with compliance rules. By eliminating tedious manual tasks such as data re-entry or complex information searches, teams can concentrate on higher value-added activities.

Example 2 – Automating service management

Intervention processing workflow increases efficiency through improved resource planning, real-time progress monitoring and customer satisfaction. In addition, the dematerialization of intervention reports and their centralization in a single platform facilitate the analysis of historical data. By automating administrative tasks such as creating work orders, updating schedules or sending notifications, teams can devote more time to the work themselves, and to resolving complex technical problems.

Example 3 – Automating supplier invoice management operations

The automation of the validation circuit ensures perfect traceability of operations, while guaranteeing compliance with internal procedures, thanks in particular to the systematic application of control rules and authorization thresholds defined by the company. The centralization of invoices on a single platform, coupled with automatic extraction of key data, provides a consolidated view of financial commitments and facilitates accounting closing operations. Teams are freed from non-value-added tasks, and errors are eliminated.

Example 4 – Automating expense report entries

Digitalizing supplier invoices reduces errors and speeds up processing. Automation guarantees compliance with validation procedures. The centralization and standardization of practices results in productivity gains and improved financial monitoring and productivity.

Example 5 – Managing automated administrative requests

The operational workflow for administrative requests provides customers with real-time tracking of their requests. Task allocation is automated, increasing efficiency and speeding up processing times. Finally, a centralized system enhances service quality and customer satisfaction, while improving staff comfort.

How do you simply automate an operational workflow?

The digitalization of business processes is undergoing a veritable revolution. Gone are the days when only large companies could afford to invest in complex solutions requiring advanced technical expertise. SMEs now have access to affordable, high-performance tools, enabling their teams to automate their day-to-day tasks without any knowledge of code.

Here’s a four-phase methodology for a successful operational workflow automation project:

Phase 0 – Understanding how the current process works

If you’re reading this article, perhaps this phase has already been completed, so you can move on to the next phase. If not, here are some simple instructions on how to do it quickly.

Start by drawing up a detailed inventory of your processes, bringing together the key players in operational workflow. The aim of this workshop is to :

• Documentation of each process step
• Identifying stakeholders and their roles
• Sharing friction points and opportunities for improvement
• If necessary, the list of software and data required
• List of business rules and specific conditions

This preliminary analysis is important to avoid reproducing existing inefficiencies in the new automated process. Find out more.

Phase 1 – Design the operational workflow on your workflow software

Once you’ve analyzed your process, you can model it in your BPM software. Take a step-by-step approach. It doesn’t matter if the first version isn’t perfect, you can improve it in just a few clicks during the testing phase.

Start by modeling the most common standard process, then enrich it with special cases. In addition, be sure to break down each action into separate unit tasks to facilitate subsequent modifications.

Step 3 – Create the guided experience and automations for each task

This step consists in configuring what will be asked of the user for each task:

• For manual tasks, you can then build an intuitive workflow with input forms, approval paths, business rules and conditions, data transfer and display.
• For automated tasks, you can choose the type of actions to be launched, such as notifications, communications, data creation, data updates, document storage…

The aim is to create a seamless experience for users, while ensuring that your processes are respected.

You know all about operational workflow! Now it’s your turn!