Today there are workflow softwares that are able to deal with any data type. There are three types of workflow. Administrative workflow usually has some routing rules associated with it. One example is an expense report process that has to move through several defined steps. Production workflow relies heavily on parallel processing and conditional routing and has the ability to handle large volumes of work.
Parallel processing enables many people to work on the same work package at the same time.
In a paper world, many processes are serial in nature because the file folder must move from desk to desk. Through a work analysis, certain work steps are identified as not being dependent on the step before. Therefore we can send the same work to multiple people at the same time and thereby greatly reduce overall cycle time of the process. The work packages are then brought back together at the end of the process. Complex conditional routing enables invoices over a certain dollar amount, for example, to be automatically forwarded to a specific person or department.