Group-centered activities, on the other hand, are more ad hoc and often relate to the organization's office environment. Most organizations conduct review and approval processes that can be automated once analysis has determined the optimum set of tasks to be performed. More complicated, but potentially more significant, is the automation of creative work activities, such as report preparation, in which component assembly is needed. Tools to support this type of automation are fairly new. The most tested and implemented of the workflow automation tools are imaging systems from companies such as FileNet, IBM, and Wang.
Startup companies provide most of the other products for administrative and production applications.
Implementation of workflow automation is difficult for managers because of cultural resistance. Since workflow analysis and then automation can change the way individuals and workgroups act, some employees may find the process threatening. The threat may be perceived as a job loss or a skills downgrade. Corporations and government agencies must carefully prepare for workflow automation if the benefits of increased productivity are to be achieved. This article provides an overview of workflow activities and implementations with some coverage of available tools to acquaint readers with this evolving field.