Running a business is not easy, as any business owner or manager will attest. But we are fortunate that there are now tools that can streamline every project and process; one of them is workflow management. In today’s economic climate, the use of workflow management systems and tools is a must. This article is for every manager who wants to improve their workflow and productivity.
What you will get from this article:
Better understanding of project management workflow
Why workflow management systems are so important
What to look for in workflow management software and/or systems
Examples of the best workflow management software
Workflow management is a simple concept that is crucial to a successful business. In this article, we explore the specifics of workflow management and the related systems and software that facilitate its implementation.
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Why is there a workflow?
The history of workflow (and future workflow software and workflow management tools, if you will) goes back to the 1920s. And its roots are related to - as always - the search for a solution. A solution to solve the problems that currently exist in the manufacturing industry.
Frederick Taylor and Henry Gantt, when researching how to manage work effectively, used a graphical diagram to visualize the workflow, or they created a chart that outlined the most important stages, schedules, and dependencies.
Later, Henry Gantt adapted a Polish version of the horizontal bar chart, called harmonokroma. Henry Gantt transformed the chart, invented by Polish engineer Karol Adamiecki, into what we know today as the Gantt chart.
A brief history: A workflow is a visual diagram of structured, predefined tasks that achieve a desired result. A workflow consists of stages, resources, responsibilities, dependencies and rules, the people and skills needed to complete the stages, and how they depend on each other. A workflow specifies start and end points, the order(s) of movement, where decision points may be, what you expect the results to be, and possible alternate steps.
The role of project workflow management?
In this section, we would like to draw your attention to a good understanding of this topic. Why? If you are looking for inspiration, solutions or even a workflow management system - it is better to have a full scope of the problem (even if it is in general terms) so as not to waste time on something unrelated.
What workflow and management mean separately is something everyone can imagine. To make it less complicated, we will avoid defining management and focus on the second term. Workflow refers to the actions that need to be taken to achieve some goal, even a very small one. Or, in project management terms, the actions that are intended to complete a task. It can also be said in another way. Workflow:
It is the space between the beginning and the end, made up of stages, processes, and the people involved in them.
Before we get into the main term, we need to make one more note. A little bit of a distinction needs to be made. Gartner, an analytical and research company specializing in strategic technology use and technology management, points out the dual meaning of workflow management.
The first is the integration of external and internal processes; "a workflow approach that allows you to define business processes that span multiple applications, including those from different vendors. This typically requires a standards-based commercial workflow development environment."