The Benefits of Workflow

Because organizations are made up of a series of intricately intertwined business cycles, these cycles are a logical place to look first when attempting to streamline. According to the Workflow Management Coalition, almost 90 percent of all time that is used to perform tasks within the business setting is classified as transfer time, whereas 10 percent is used for the actual performance of those tasks. The objective of workflow analysis is to redefine and then reconstruct the components of lengthy business cycles so that the time required to execute a task is minimized and the transfer time between tasks is eliminated entirely.

Other key benefits of workflow management include:

• Improved efficiency through the elimination of many unnecessary task steps.

• Better business process control achieved by standardizing work methods and creating audit trails.

• Improved customer service from predictable processes and responses.

• Flexibility bred from software control over processes, which enables their future redesign in response to changing business needs.