For example, a memo sent out did not help productivity because actions were not tracked and results verified. Many companies and government agencies process high volumes of paper or electronic forms. Business processes includes input, manipulation and completion of the form's information. This type of activity is not only routine, but contains significant rules and standards regarding the data and the processing itself. Claims processing, personnel records handling, ordering and inventory control are examples of document-based activities.
Document automation is one of the oldest workflow activities.
Contents were quickly rearranged since the terminal screen often could not handle all the data on a form. About the same time, workflow processes themselves were addressed by linking various screens to specific tasks in the flow of a transaction. Imaging, as technology evolved, became the dominant format for workflow. Major hardware and software vendors, such as FileNet, IBM and Wang, provided most of the products and services. Workflow activities centered on moving a document through scanning into editing and then to processing by clerk or analyst.