Workflow Automation in Government Supply Chain Operations
As in most organizations, DOD supply chain operations require numerous administrative review and approval steps to ensure broad communication across a large enterprise. Automated work-flow systems are an ideal way to efficiently process administrative procedures and document each individual step. What options exist in tackling such an automation project?
The concept of workflow is a large one with thousands of articles and books written on the subject. In this short article, we attempt to categorize workflow and define some of the strategic approaches to implementing a workflow automation system.
What is Workflow ?
The term “workflow” is commonly used, but one that has many meanings. In this article, we define workflow as a series of actions carried out within an organization for a defined purpose. The actions in the workflow process are not necessarily sequential. They can occur in parallel. Also, the sequence of actions can vary based on any number of variables.
A common example of workflow is a simple approval process. The request information is entered by an employee and submitted for review and approval by the employee’s manager. The manger reviews and rejects or approves the request. If approved, the request is sent to another process approver who has ultimate authority. If approved, the workflow process is complete.
Workflow processes can be as simple as the example above and contain only a few steps or be extraordinarily complex and contain hundreds of steps with many branches and conditions.
Methods of Implementing Workflow
Workflow implementations can range from simple workflow processes with simple rules that span a small department of a company to complex workflow processes with dynamic rules that span the entire globe.
OTS (Off-the-Shelf) Workflow Packages
Many software vendors offer ready-made workflow solutions that can handle a wide variety of workflow situations across many industries. Most of these packages are configurable to specific client needs. More configurable software is usually higher cost due to the amount of work required to add the flexibility into the software. Many packages are designed to work with common business email platforms like Microsoft Exchange and can work over the Internet or your network using standard communication protocols. Depending on the sophistication, packages may have configurable routing rules so that you can define the logic of the workflow process. OTS Workflow packages can usually be installed on one network server within the department or company and can be effective for 3-100 users. Costs range from 5 thousand to 100 thousand dollars for software, hardware and services to configure.
OTS (Off-the-Shelf) Enterprise BPM/SOA Software
BPM (Business Process Management) and SOA (Service Oriented Architecture) software packages are aimed at larger or more expansive enterprises in which workflow processes may involve hundreds of people and span physical locations. They can support sophisticated workflow logic using powerful rules engines. Rules engines are dedicated applications that support definition, storage and processing of complex routing rules based on information in the workflow or from external systems. OTS Enterprise systems can also interface easily with many different systems such as an Oracle database or IBM AS/400 as needed. Such systems use SOA and web services to define standardized interfaces and message protocols for the exchange of information between the workflow software and outside systems. Enterprise workflow systems also provide business process measurement statistics and consoles for management and monitoring of current workflow processes. Such enterprise software applications can become a central hub of information flow for business processes throughout the enterprise. These types of systems are effective for any number of users. Cost for software licensing, hardware for running applications and services to install and configure can range from 100 thousand to many millions of dollars.
Custom Workflow Software (for small or Enterprise implementations)
Custom workflow applications can implement any workflow feature that can be achieved by OTS software. Workflow development libraries are available for many common development languages, including .NET and Java. These libraries provide common workflow functions to the developer so that the developer can focus on tasks that are more specific to the application.
In most cases, it makes sense to seriously consider OTS workflow packages, especially for enterprise wide initiatives. However, in smaller departmental workflow scenarios, custom development can make sense, especially if the needs of the workflow are not easily met by OTS packages.
Brady and Associates consulted with the DOD in 2005-2006 on evaluation and implementation of custom and OTS workflow applications for medical supply chain management across all branches of the armed forces.
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