The work process is decomposed into steps and dependencies. Workflows can be simple or complex. Imagine the work and the process through which a company accomplishes its business as a river. Employees alter, detract, or add to this flow as it begins at the initial customer contact and ends with the product shipment or dispensed service. For example, a purchase order must be routed from the requester to one or more managers to the purchasing agent to the supplier and back to the requester.
Different purchases require different levels of approval.
Workflow software can automate these processes that are now decided manually. Business cycles can also be shortened. Instead of managers tracking work through engineering, assembly, and marketing, for example, workflow software can monitor its progress, allowing people to concentrate on the specifics of their jobs. Managers and workers can know where a particular item resides in the process. Workflow software can help identify and eliminate bottlenecks.