Solutions Blog

http://www.mitsui.co.jp/en/

Mission
Mitsui (41,761 employees, 160 offices in 68 countries) taps an expanding global network to access strategic information and harness business engineering capabilities. Main businesses include sales, manufacture, export / import, international trade and services in the following fields: metal products and minerals, machinery, electronics and information, chemicals, energy, consumer products and services ―retail, foods, textiles & fashion, general merchandise and various services, and financial markets and logistics & transportation. Mitsui is also diversifying services, exploring for and developing natural resources, making commercial investments, developing technologies in new businesses and much more.

Testimonial
“By selecting WorkflowGen we were able to spend less than 12 months from the tool selection to the production. The development efficiency of the workflow definition and the .Net Web Forms is very high. The concept of the WorkflowGen product is excellent: it enables the focus on the workflow function, it’s robust design facilitates the quick implementation of new functions, it leverages the core Web technologies (.NET, XML, RSS Feed, Web Services, etc.), the degree of flexibility of development on the user side is high, the cost performance is also good.
The tool is easy to use, the design and various settings of WorkflowGen are intuitive and comprehensible. WorkflowGen offers convenient ready to use components. The user interface is refined, and the usability is high.
WorkflowGen facilitates the customization of all aspects of the workflows (routing, email notifications). Advantys the vendor of WorkflowGen showed flexibility and responsiveness to our specific requirements and the Help Desk support was quick.” .

Masaki Takahiko
Global Information Systems Enhancement Dept.

Business Challenge
As a global corporation Mitsui wanted to implement the next generation Business Process Management system in order to standardize trading subsidiaries business processes, strengthen internal control and integrate with the new ERP system (SAP).
The scope of the deployment was global with a target of more than 70 sites in North America, Europe, Asia and Oceania.
The initial roll-out included 7 companies in North America, 700 users, 500 requests/day and more than 40 processes.

WorkflowGen functional solution
WorkflowGen enables the users to easily perform 40+ business and accounting processes with a tight integration with SAP.

WorkflowGen technical solution
Mitsui has deployed WorkflowGen version 5 (with .Net Web Forms) including the following features:

- Real time integration with SAP (ECC 6.0)
- Real time synchronization with SAP of all 40 WorkflowGen .Net Web Forms.
- Real-time update processing from WorkflowGen to SAP
- Single Sign On via the SAP Enterprise Portal
- Task list display on SAP Enterprise Portal (via RSS feeds)
- Web Farm Architecture with load balancing
- Time zone Management (Time zone setting by user by location)
- User Synchronization (User information is synchronized with user database of authorization hierarchy at job starts)
- Form configuration synchronization with Add-on Tables
- Dynamic Selection of line managers

Benefits
Internal control strengthening
About 40 business processes were standardized with WorkflowGen to meet the requirements of internal control such as efficient process, strict access control, storing vouchers, and monitoring (internal audit).

Efficiency of communication between organizations
Instructions to SSC from remote locations of each company were integrated into WorkflowGen, and the whole business process became more efficient.

Real time integration with SAP
End users can access and register SAP data from WorkflowGen in real-time without logging on to SAP manually.
SAP menu and WorkflowGen menu were integrated into SAP Enterprise Portal, and thus users can access both functions without knowing the difference.
By defining user interface and workflow routing on WorkflowGen and business logic on SAP, the maintenance of the whole system became more flexible.

Fast implementation
About 40 workflow forms were implemented with effective functions and technologies including SAP integration in a short period of time (12 months).
Ease of development, customized training, and quick online support greatly contributed to the success.

http://www.deloitte.fr/

Mission
With 3000 employees in 80 branches, Deloitte France provides a complementary offer ranging from quality and information safety to financial transactions.

Testimonial
"After we defined the processes to automate, we launched the WorkflowGen solution within a week. The product is very easy to use especially thanks to the graphical implementation interface. WorkflowGen enables us to implement the processes without programming. It takes usually half a day to implement a new process. More than 200 processes have been identified for an optimization with WorkflowGen.
We also use this product as a gateway to our ERP applications because the workflow features provided by ERP systems are usually too complex and cumbersome to implement."
Gauthier Boulot, Web Department Manager .
 
Business Challenge
Already running an Intranet, several core applications and an ERP, Deloitte wanted to optimize procedures that were still processed manually or through unstructured e-mail flows (leave applications, IT clearance applications, conference call number reservation, salary advance applications, etc). Those procedures considered individually were relatively simple ones and neither justified a custom development nor the adaptation of an existing ERP type of application. However, all those procedures together corresponded to a significant operational cost due to the manual processing time they represented.  The business challenge was to automate and optimize those procedures, while complying with the existing IT infrastructure and seamlessly integrating into the Intranet Portal.
 
WorkflowGen Solution
Functional Solution
The implementation of WorkflowGen enabled the Human Resources Department and the IT Department to launch their processes within a few days.
Based on the rapid success of those first processes an enterprise wide study was made to identify all the processes that could be improved by WorkflowGen.

Technical Solution
The SQL Server version of WorkflowGen was installed as well as a connector for the HR ERP to automatically synchronize and retrieve the user details.
The Portlet module enabled Deloitte to populate the Intranet Portal with data that came from WorkflowGen (actions to do, current requests, past due requests, etc).
 
Benefits
Immediate productivity gains
The implementation of the processes with WorkflowGen enabled the reduction of paper flows, and low added value activities.  Above all, it  dramatically reduced the average processing time per request.   Processes that usually took days to be completed are now completed in a few hours. The real time statistics module enables the Process Administrators to precisely monitor the activities and also measure the ROI. 

Fast deployment
After a simple installation on a Web Server, the Process Administrators are able to implement their processes after a simple 2 days training.

Ease of use
The end users access WorkflowGen via their Web browser and launch their requests without any need for training. The user friendly interface and the use of PDF forms ensure ease of use and instant adoption by the end-users.

http://www.smh.ie/

Mission
Saint Michael's House (Dublin, Ireland) provides a range of specialized day and residential healthcare services in 110 different locations to approximately 1500 people.

Testimonial
"We had developed our own in-house solution which highlighted the benefits of having a web-based workflow solution but quickly realised that the cost of developing a scalable and robust solution that was as powerful as WorkflowGen was not realistic.
We looked at several systems including solutions from Adobe but found that WorkflowGen offered a the best combination of functionality, ease of use and critically low costs both in the short-term and long-term. This decision has been strengthened by the excellent support that Advantys has provided."
Neil Kelly, IT Consultant.

Business Challenge
SMH is a large organisation nearly 1,500 employees and 110 offices spread across a wide area. To efficiently and effectively manage such a large number of employees and the infrastructure that supports their day-to-day operations it was necessary to put in place a web-based solution that would ensure:

• that information is captured only once in the organisation
• only the relevant participants are involved in handling the eForm, i.e. information is intelligently routed throughout the origination
• captured information is immediately available throughout the organisation - i.e. no waiting for post + database updated immediately upon approval
• reduced/zero error rates - no re-entering of information, logic built into eForm (e.g. If YES then skip to next question)
• allowing changes to be made to forms without the need for reprinting and distributing paper based forms (reduce costs)
• that correct procedures are always followed
• that there was an audit trail (important for quality)

 
WorkflowGen Solution
Functional Solution
WorkflowGen is used throughout the organisation. It supports operations in:

• Finance (Submission and approval of Mileage forms, Petty Cash, Invoices etc.)
• HR (Human Resources (Request and approval of Job Advertisements)
• IT (Creation and maintenance of security profiles and access rights for all employees - these require approvals from different managers + requests for new equipment and Office Applications)
• Health Services (Creation and updating of patient records - needs to be highly regulated and auditable - WorkflowGen delivers this. Also enables SMH to ensure that proper procedures are always followed)
• Training (Request and approval of Training courses)
• Health and Safety (Incident/Accident Reports, includes routing to different managers based upon severity of report)

Technical Solution
WorkflowGen runs on Windows 2000/2003 based servers with clients running Windows 2000 and XP Pro. Database is SQL Server 2000 SP3a.

WorkflowGen has been tightly integrated with several core solutions within SMH, these include:
- Microsoft Great Plains / Dynamics e.g. Approval of Month-end, expenses and salaries
- Business Objects Crystal Enterprise 10 e.g. granting access to specific data sets down to row and column level
- In house databases e.g. Controlling the creation and updating of key data
 
Benefits
Feedback from users
Very positive, the technology is so transparent that users rarely ask about the underlying technology and focus on the benefits that the eForms solution will deliver to them - this is a testament to the ease of use and good design of the WorkflowGen solution.

ROI
The ROI will be considerably greater than a purely financial one - it is expected that WorkflowGen will revolutionise the efficiency and effectiveness of the organisation by ensuring:

• that information is captured only once in the organisation
• only the relevant participants are involved in handling the eForm, i.e. information is intelligently routed throughout the origination
• captured information is immediately available throughout the organisation - i.e. no waiting for post + database updated immediately upon approval
• reduced/zero error rates - no re-entering of information, logic built into eForm (e.g. If YES then skip to next question)
• allowing changes to be made to forms without the need for reprinting and distributing paper based forms
• that correct procedures are always followed
• provide an audit trail (important for quality)

In summary the cost of the solution is only a small part of the benefits that WorkflowGen will deliver and therefore calculating a ROI does not fully capture the significance of the solution. We are expecting that once fully operational that the organisation will process literally tens of thousands of eForms every year - the solution will therefore pay for itself within months.

http://www.zf-trading.com/

Mission
With 1300 employees worldwide, ZF Trading is a strong company in the automotive aftermarket. The main brands are Sachs, Boge and Lemfoerder.

Testimonial
"While re-organising our processes, we had the desire to implement an application, that supports us in integrating them into our IntraNet quickly and easily. The tool had to be web-based, lean and very easy to use. We found all of these attributes in one solution named "WorkflowGen". It's a very practical tool with a lot of possibilities. Thanks to the SDK, even our existing applications (e.g. ERP, Microsoft Exchange) could be connected without any problems."
Stephan Hubner, IT-Coordination and Web-Applications
 
Business Challenge
Already running an IntraNet, several core applications and an ERP, ZF Trading wanted to optimize procedures that were still processed manually as paper or unstructured e-mail workflows (launch of new products, work-leave applications, training reservation, user appliance, etc). The business challenge was to automate and optimize those procedures, integrate them into the existing IntraNet and create the required interfaces to existing applications and the ERP system.
 
WorkflowGen Solution
Functional Solution
The Implementation is very fast and uncomplicated. Identification of existing or new workflows is an ongoing process that runs along side the implementation. For highest effectiveness, there are process administrators in the IT as well as in every major department.

Technical Solution
We are using the SQL Server version of WorkflowGen together with the Microsoft Exchange Connector to synchronize user data. We will switch to the Active Directory Connector in the future. The Software Development Kit is a useful 'add-on' to build interfaces between workflows and existing applications.
 
Benefits 
WorkflowGen is completely web based, so the integration into existing IntraNets can be done rapidly with all the assets of the thin client approach.

• Two days of training enabled the process administrators to build up the first simple processes within a few hours.
• Now there is the possibility of integrating nearly any existing or new application thanks to the SDK.
• Excellent support of Advantys for installation and implementation of the first processes.

Process
The employee completes the expense report. He sends it to the supervisor, who approves or rejects the expense. When the expense is approved, it is forwarded to the accounting department, which gets the expense reimbursed.
You can enhance the process by using an upload action to attach an invoice receipt to the expense form.
 
Workflow with WorkflowGen
1/ The employee opens his/her browser and logs on to WorkflowGen.

2/ He/she clicks “New request” and selects "Expense report”. He/she then accesses the “Action follow-up form”.

3/ He/she clicks "Initiates” and the form corresponding to the selected request is displayed. The employee completes the form and clicks “Submit form”.

4/ At this point an e-mail message is sent to the employee with the subject line reading “One new action has been allocated to you”. In fact, in this process the two fisrt actions are done by the requester. He/she clicks "View action" in the email.

5/ He accesses to the "Action follow-up form" and clicks "Upload". The second action he/she has to do is to "Upload" the invoice related to his/her request. He/she clicks "Launch action". eFormGen Doc-Upload is displayed, he/she clicks "Browse" to select the invoice file on his computer. After having chosen the right file, he/she clicks "Send the form".

6/ By clicking "Assign this action to a person" list, He/she assigns the third action to his/her Supervisor.

7/ An email message is sent to the Supervisor selected with the subjet line reading "One new action has been assigned to you".

8/ By clicking “View action”, the Supervisor accesses the “Action follow-up form”. He can consult the joined invoice by clicking "Invoice". By clicking the action assigned to him/her (here, a validation), the form opens again. The supervisor complete the appropriate areas to approve or refuse the application, before clicking “Send form”.

9/ There are now two options:
- if the Supervisor doesn't approve the expense form, the process is closed and the employee is notified by e-mail.
- if the Supervisor approves the request, it is forwarded to accounting, which gets the expense reimbursed.

10/ In the case of Supervisor approval, the accounting participant is notified by e-mail  that an action was assigned to him/her. By clicking "View action" he/she accesses "Action follow-up form". He/she consults invoice receipt then he/she clicks "Creates" and the form is displayed. When the reimbursement check will be created he/she will fill the field "Proceed" "YES" into the form and will click "Submit form".

11/ An email notifies  the employee that his/her request is closed and he/she will be refunded soon.

http://www.rouen-formation.fr/

Mission
Based in Rouen, RFE is a SME specialized in the education of the young
people, and in the professional training in IT, personal development and languages.

Testimonial
"Within our ISO 9002 certification project, WorkflowGen is the tool we were looking for to automate our procedures quickly. Thanks to the ease of use of WorkflowGen we were able to implement the quality procedures with a minimum of communication and training for more than a hundred of our trainers who, from now on, use the quality processes in a transparent way ".
Alexandre Martini, General Manager.
 
Business Challenge
During the ISO 9002 certification project, RFE was looking for a solution to digitize the heavy volume of paper procedures and to automate the repetitive administrative tasks.
 
WorkflowGen Solution
Functional Solution
In 2 weeks only the Quality Department was able to go live with the first processes (requests for paid-leaves, constitution of training files, teaching declaration of incident, etc). All processes being described by the certification project, it was then very easy to create the PDF forms and to implement the processes with WorkflowGen.

Technical Solution
The technical implementation was very fast because WorkflowGen had the same environment has RFE's : Intranet with IIS, ASP, SQL Server and Active Directory. 
  

Benefits
Fast and easy to use
With limited manpower and a tight deadline, RFE was able to set up WorkflowGen and it's first processes in just 2 weeks for more than 100 users. No programming and user friendly modules were the key factors of success.

Quick Return On Investment
The ROI is estimated to be reached within the first year because of the productivity gains on administrative tasks.  The implementation of WorkflowGen enables a single person to manage the quality program and procedures for the whole company.