Written by: Cory (cory@jimirig.com)
Recently I was searching the web for workflow and found many different types. Workflow is automation to be plain and simple. Think of it sort of like an assembly line, different parts get put together by a machine and then BAM! you have a finished product or process. Adobe has workflow, Microsoft, IBM, K2, and they all serve a different purpose. Here at Jimirig, we specialize in Microsoft workflows, and K2 workflow, using Microsoft SharePoint and Microsoft InfoPath. The way that we use it is for business process automation. We aren’t building cars. Business workflows are organzied to streamline some activities in business and create more effiecient processes. Workflows can also be designed to make business decisions. An example of that would be purchase orders, if the requested amount is less than $10,000.00, approve, if more, notify a manager for approval. That is a very simple example since the technology can do much more.
Some businesses depending on that they do could use a different technology to achieve efficiency. Some may be fine just using SharePoint workflows, which can do many things with documents, lists, etc. Document approvals, email notification, retention. Others may need more “umph” for the process and may use more advanced workflow built on the Micrsoft Windows Worfkflow Foundation in .Net or K2 BlackPearl for even more robust workflows which can tap into different systems like SharePoint, BizTalk, SAP, or Oracle. All depends on the situation. Workflow is still a young technology so-to-speak even though it has been around for quite some time.
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
A workflow is a depiction of a sequence of operations, declared as work of a person, work of a simple or complex mechanism, work of a group of persons,[1] work of an organization of staff, or machines. Workflow may be seen as any abstraction of real work, segregated in workshare, work split or whatever types of ordering. For control purposes, workflow may be a view on real work under a chosen aspect,[2] thus serving as a virtual representation of actual work. The flow being described often refers to a document that is being transferred from one step to another.
A workflow is a model to represent real work for further assessment, e.g., for describing a reliably repeatable sequence of operations. More abstractly, a workflow is a pattern of activity enabled by a systematic organization of resources, defined roles and mass, energy and information flows, into awork process that can be documented and learned.[3][4] Workflows are designed to achieve processing intents of some sort, such as physical transformation, service provision, or information processing.
Workflow concepts are closely related to other concepts used to describe organizational structure, such as silos, functions, teams, projects, policies and hierarchies. Workflows may be viewed as one primitive building block of organizations. The relationships among these concepts are described later in this entry.
The term workflow is used in computer programming to capture and develop human to machine interaction. Workflow (management) software aims to provide end users with an easier way to orchestrate or describe complex processing of data in a visual form, much like flow charts but without the need to understand computers or programming.
