Workflow systems that improve information management in companies are enjoying unflagging popularity in Poland. Meanwhile, in the West, there is a slow shift away from the narrowly defined management of documents alone – Electronic Data Management (EDM) towards Business Process Management (BPM), i.e., managing entire business processes.
One of the main reasons for this state of affairs is undoubtedly the misery of our economy, as companies cannot afford comprehensive BPM-type computerization, spending money an order of magnitude higher than the costs of an EDM system. Another reason is – and here is the paradox – the relatively modern ERP IT systems functioning in large Polish enterprises. They were introduced relatively recently, and company boards are not yet deciding to replace them. We are currently observing rather a supplementation of ERP system functionality with elements derived from BPM.
Business Process Management systems are relatively young – this trend in IT and management appeared in its crystallized and defined form a few years ago. ERP evolves from detailed processes in a company (such as: HR, accounting, finance, etc.) towards a more general view of the processes occurring in the enterprise, while BPM, on the contrary, moves from the opposite direction – from a general view of management processes to detailed solutions necessary for the proper functioning of the company.
An example of the first approach is SAP, in which a knowledge management module has appeared, and this is necessary for constructing a BPM-type model. On the opposite side, we have the FileNet system and the P8 architecture, in which the widest set of ECM (Enterprise Content Management) functions on the market is offered, thanks to the combination of information resources, processes, and communication. This combination has one goal: solving actual problems that arise during business operations.
The FileNet P8 business object concept uses the assumption of an “event-driven system architecture,” which allows companies to directly respond to changing customer demands and system events. Thanks to this, it is possible to increase the speed of reaction within the entire organization of the company, as well as to use information resources with the appropriate structure as an “intelligent,” active part of business processes.
The offer of companies whose names are practically unknown here meets the increased interest in BPM or ECM (Enterprise Content Management) systems. In addition to recognized enterprises such as IBM, BEA, SAP, Microsoft, or Documentum, there are, among others, Hummingbird, Ixos, Open Text, or Hyland Onbase. In Europe, companies such as Saperion, Ceyoniq, and SER are also known. In Poland, the scale of problems is much smaller, hence the greater interest in smaller EDM or Workflow systems.
Workflow systems were created as a result of the development of IT technology, enabling the management of the flow of electronic documents. Modern Workflow management systems implement in practice the idea of a “paperless office.” They cover in their scope much more issues than just DMS (Document Management System) or EDM (Electronic Document Management) document management systems. In these systems, there is an analysis of the processes carried out by the enterprise.
Workflow is defined as a platform for automating processes during which documents, information, data, or tasks are transferred between participants of these processes. These can be both applications and people. Thanks to this, it is possible to perform specific activities in accordance with business rules.
The WMS (Workflow Management System) is responsible for the organization, control, coordination, registration, and execution of individual tasks in business processes. In Poland, the most popular systems used are: Lotus Domino Workflow, WebSphere MQ Workflow (IBM), Oracle Workflow 11i (Oracle). On the other hand, every, even the smallest, document circulation system must be equipped with a module implementing the Workflow function. Therefore, one can also speak of Workflow modules appearing in EDM software. Here, an example can be the DDM9000 Workflow module of the DDM9000 system from Logotec, which is its own Workflow platform for Logotec software. Workflow-type mechanisms are also contained in Microsoft Exchange or Novell GroupWise platforms.
Among Polish companies operating on the EDM market, it is worth mentioning: Rodan System (Office-Objects), MIS (MIS Partner), Logotec Engineering (DDM9000, Web@DDM), Exell (Korespondencja, Co-Liber, Archiv@rius), AutoID (Documind), and several others offering both partial and specialized tools for automating the circulation of electronic documents.