I am a huge fan of workflow and “digitizing” (using information technology to transform “paper-based” processes). An article in Industrial Distribution Magazine (Justifying Going Electronic” ) states ”automating just one business transaction can make a big difference in your bottom line”. The article goes on to talk about the cultural changes that occur and then go through the economics of digitizing the invoicing process. The article also points out that the process of automating processes is not just for “big” business. ”When asked why they still use manual processes, a popular answer for many companies is “we are not large enough to justify the costs or reap the benefits of electronic processes.”
“Going electronic”, digitizing, or automating processes does not require installing SAP or some other monster ERP package, it can also mean using popular “office” software suites and some simple information technology tools. I see some HUGE possibilities in collaborative technologies and in particular open source workflow tools as well as GOOGLE’s new WAVE especially for knowledge-based processes.
What do you think? What are some examples of process digitization you have participated in? What are some proejcts you can forsee?
