The Problem
- Processes trapped in bottlenecks created by paper-based forms, scanning, Excel spreadsheets and Word documents
- Workflows that sometimes went awry, delaying project delivery, because all the stakeholders were not brought into the process at the optimal time
- Some work wasn't repeatable, resulting in a lack of consistency in quality of that work
- Handling global processes that required participation by staff in different business locations or project managers that were traveling to different client sites
- Paper-based requests were accidentally forgotten, causing delays
- Gaps in existing systems to efficiently complete some project-related workflows
The Solution
Initially, ProcessMaker was tested on a subset of Maptek's processes. These processes included expense and purchase requests, leave management, maintaining employee files, and managing and processing project timesheets. After the trial, positive feedback led to a decision to expand the adoption of ProcessMaker's Dynaforms to automate other workflows and processes. All processes were progressively transitioned to Dynaform-based workflows; supervisors would develop workflow solutions for their area and roll out when they were ready. Unlike other enterprise systems that had been implemented in the past. no issues of slow performance were reported when ProcessMaker was launched.
In addition to a greater adoption of Dynaforms, Maptek decided to use ProcessMaker as a key element in a quality management system (QMS), so all work would be repeatable, consistent, and measurable for continuous improvement. ProcessMaker Dynaforms provided the ability to automate selected processes, while a wiki described the QMS philosophy, approach, and policies.
ProcessMaker did not replace existing specialized tools that Maptek used to track bugs and manage projects for software development, manage project life cycle, and other software development activities. Instead, ProcessMaker was used to extend the functionality of existing systems to integrate more seamlessly with other departments and systems in the organization.
The Value Created
- Decrease in delays in completing requests with reduced scanning, printing, and signing of paper forms
- Increased consistency in quality of work, since steps were not missed
- Increased transparency into processes, since all stakeholders in process received relevant notifications
- Quicker and easier to manage processes that included traveling or remote staff
