Streamlining workflows: The complete guide to effective management

Introduction

A workflow management system steps in when you feel overwhelmed with your job responsibilities. From the project manager to a new member, everyone seems to be lacking time to complete their tasks on time. Inefficiency is widespread, and there never seems to be a way out. This is where workflow management systems appear as saviors. Taking time to get a hold of such systems may prove beneficial in the long run. Initially, it may appear cumbersome to learn new software, and for what? Benefits could not be felt as yet. But hold on, stay focused; it may take some time to get things in groove, but once they are, there will be no looking back. In this blog, I will tell you many things. What is workflow management? How do I know when to take help from a workflow management system (WMS)? features of such a system. I will also introduce you to WovVFlow, a cloud-based, unified, and lightweight WMS. I will also discuss its features and benefits. So, here it goes: I am laying it upon you. 

What is workflow management? 

Workflow management refers to the organization and harmonization of a set of tasks to produce a desired outcome. Workflow management deals with augmenting, refining, and automating workflows in an organization to remove bottlenecks, elevate output, remove repetition, and eliminate errors. It has a start and finish and may include any number of steps. It involves a combination of people, processes, and machines with the ultimate aim of efficiently completing the work with maximum output. 

How do you know when it’s time for a workflow management system? 

Here I have tabulated 10 indicators that indicate when it’s time to go for workflow management software. 

• Cash flow issues: Your organization is plagued with persistent cash flow issues, and there never seems to be a way out. 
• Employee inefficiency: employees don’t seem to get a hold of their tasks. They are either overworked or tired. 
• Customer Complaints: You don’t want to hear that; that’s your reaction to it. But it’s a tell-tale sign that everything is not alright. 
• Project delays A very striking sign that your projects are not on the right track and need streamlining. 
• Legacy systems: You hear so much about innovation in project management and around it, but your team is still using old-world spreadsheets and is paper-based. 
• Repetitive tasks: A recent process evaluation revealed that a lot of time goes into doing repetitive tasks like data entry. 
• Ad-hoc requirements: tasks don’t appear to be pre-planned. Sudden requirements force you to hire transient workers like contractors. 
• Miscommunication: The main project components don’t communicate with each other. There is even miscommunication between team members. 
• Lack of responsibility: employees don’t know what their managers expect from them. There is no clarity about roles and responsibilities. 
• Lack of collaboration: everybody is working, but there seems to be a lack of coordination amongst them. Lack of collaboration is creating many disadvantages. 

Features of an actual workflow management system 

Here I am delineating features that will help you choose the right workflow management system. 

• Creating workflow: Ease of use is a must in any WMS. So, when you create simple workflows, such as producing an NDA form or any other task, it should not be a burden on the people who are creating them. Workflow should stay compliant with regulations and drive efficiency and tuning through all stages with tracking and reporting features. 
• Flexibility: In a project, different workflows may govern different processes. This means an effective WMS should be flexible enough to allow defining, organizing, and changing workflows to best suit the project. 
• Notifications: This is a common feature in all advanced WMS. Such systems send customized notifications whenever required or as customized by you, without your intervention in any way. The system can send notifications in any form—through emails, push notifications, SMS, and others—about important events in the workflow, such as approvals and upcoming deadlines, to ensure smooth project execution. 
• Integration: A recent report in the Wall Street Journal says that businesses around the globe are using more and more applications for work. The average number of apps in an average organization may go up to dozens. The best workflow management software doesn’t work independently, it doesn’t work in silos, and there are no boundary walls. Therefore, your WMS should fit well with the existing tech stack in the ecosystem to create synergy. 
• Access permissions: A successfully employed WMS will have many stakeholders spread across roles and accessing it across many locations. This needs to be kept in mind. Many outside stakeholders, like contractors, subcontractors, vendors, partners, support providers, and others, will be accessing this system as well. This needs to be kept in mind too. The bottom line is that it should allow for managing access permissions. 
• Reporting: This is a key feature; without a clear, easy-to-use reporting feature, your WMS is not going anywhere. Well-chosen, pre-conceived reports are a must in any WMS; it should also have an intuitive, customizable, and flexible dashboard with analytics and insights based on which clever business decisions will be made. 

WovVFlow 

I have talked a lot about what workflow is and other related things about it. Now it’s time to come to the main point: I am introducing you to WovVFlow, a cloud-based, free workflow management software from WovVTech, which is a business productivity software company. There must be some reason why I have chosen it over so many other vendors. Well, the difference is in feelings, but here let me delineate for you some pointers. Features of WovVFlow 

What makes this workflow management tool preferable to others? 

• A single, consolidated view of all tasks, statuses, and communication 
• Free information flows to it, through it, and from it. 
• Create projects, work flows, and tasks simply through forms and create dynamic flows in minutes. 
• View tasks in the grid, board, and calendar. 
• Do task-wise time tracking and create a timesheet for employees. 
• Consolidated employee and time information Track activities and audit task journeys 
• Instant, timely, and multi-channel notifications for all important events 
• Available on mobile: Work on the move and manage from anywhere. 

10 benefits of using WovVFlow 

1. It eliminates project-related risks. Whether it is human resources or work completion, all risks are mitigated, and there is certainty. 
2. It provides a grip on projects. There is a better understanding of the workflow and a minimal need to intervene in the processes. 
3. When you configure your business processes in WovVFlow, you scrutinize them, leading to optimization and improvements in processes. 
4. Gives complete, end-to-end access to the processes from the top. Managers can intervene whenever there is a requirement. 
5. It makes everybody well aware of their responsibilities and the deadline by which tasks have to be completed. 
6. This workflow automation software will help you determine at the very beginning all the future estimates, like project completion time, cost, effort, and other inputs. 
7. Create transparency. Every stakeholder gets complete visibility into the relevant processes as and when required. 
8. Saves time, which can be channeled towards other important works like future strategy-making. 
9. Provides a complete audit trail of every activity. Keeps you compliant and on top of inefficiencies. 
10. Workflows are based on predefined processes and not on the whims of any person. This removes guesswork and brings certainty. 

Conclusion 

From simple task creation to complex portfolio management, an enterprise workflow management system helps you with everything. In this blog, I have taken you through different aspects of a WMS—what is it? When should I go for one of them? What are its features? And then I have also written about WovVFlow, which will save you time in zeroing in on a suitable WMS for your organization. Though I have covered the important points, there is still a lot to be explored by yourself.