Workflows automatically move documents or items through a sequence of actions or tasks related to a business process. They can streamline the cost of coordinating common business processes, such as project approval or document review, by managing and tracking the tasks involved with those processes.

MOSS provides built-in workflow templates to automate approval, review, and archiving processes. With MOSS, you can also create, maintain, and analyse custom workflows, enabling you to streamline your collaborative processes.

Electronic forms provided through InfoPath Forms Services are an integral part of such workflows. These electronic forms designed in InfoPath make it easy to collect and validate information that drives your business processes. You can also collect and validate this information right from the Microsoft Office client applications you use every day.

InfoPath Forms Services, which is part of MOSS, extends your reach to organisations or other departments that do not use Microsoft Office InfoPath 2007 by allowing you to fill out forms in a common browser or even an HTML-enabled mobile device.

Common business problems are:

• Paper based forms (PDF, Word or Excel) that aren’t up to date or can be lost
• Manual processing – emails or walk paper forms around for approval
• Poor auditing controls around approval processes
• Information is not easily accessed as it exists in paper form 

What are the risks of these problems?

• Poor overhead or inefficiencies
• Approvals take a long time due to inefficiencies and slow processes
• No auditability
• Confusion around status of process. (e.g. is the request approved) 

To resolve these issues:

We create custom process automation solutions utilizing the Microsoft Platform: InfoPath browser-based forms to collect information about the process and the SharePoint workflow engine as the business logic and routing engine.

Our Business Analyst consultants work with the Business users to understand the business case and process and then recommend and implement the appropriate technology to solve the problem

Sample automated business processes:

Employee on-boarding to streamline the hiring of new employee’s by using a workflow to pass a ‘new hire’ form to the relevant departments to fill in their section ultimately ending up with the new hired employee.  The process can perform processing tasks to automatically create Active Directory accounts, interface with HR systems and provide checklists to ensure task don’t get forgotten.

Capital Expenditure requests to ease the approval processes for expense claims.  A request form to be filled in with detailed information including attachments, cost details and full business case.  The submitted form is routed to the appropriate management staff via the business workflow logic for approval and signature (digital signatures are available).  The workflow process can be simple (single manager) or tiered to several managers based on the cost of the expense and other criteria.

Automate collaboration for document review.  A workflow can be used informally to review documents with colleagues.

Training & Event requests.   Myriad’s Training and Event request solution, allows both internal and external users to register for events and courses.  Logic is inbuilt to determine the eligibility of all attendees, manage reminders, booking procedures, as well as location directions.