From your experience, what are the right and wrong ways to use workflow?

To be honest, I find workflow to be a pain. Especially workflow assignments. But other people seem to like workflow, so I wonder if I'm just not using it correctly.

Rather than ramble on about how I'm using workflow, I'd like to hear what the right or wrong ways to use workflow are (from your experience). Related question here: Workflow: pros and cons?

Thanks.

#AssetandFacilitiesManagement
#Maximo

Asking if there is a right and wrong way to use workflow is like asking if there is a right and wrong way to do work.  Some aspects of it may be right, some may be wrong. There are good practices, and there are bad practices, but there is no one right way to use workflow.  Some folks use it for automating very simple approvals and do nothing else. Some will wall-paper the room with processes and it works fine for them since they have highly regulated environments and if they DID NOT use workflow it would be wrong.

What works well for one organization will kill another.  This is what Business process analysis is for and is all about.  What do you do that you need to automate to take the guess-work out of the process and speed it up?  What gaps in your organization, lead to guess work rather than using defined solutions for a reliable outcome of the flow of your work?  Identifying those areas are unique to your human experience with technology.  A very well organized manual process can sometime be preferable to a new technology for the simple reason that the work gets done quickly, efficiently, you have good documentation, and everyone involved is aware of and agrees upon the process.

Using workflow to support the organizational objective of cost reduction and repeatable outcomes should be the goal. If your implementation is not addressing this aspect then you may want to work with a professional to guide you through this process.

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Bradley K. Downing , MBA
IBM Certified Adv. Deployment Prof. Maximo v7.6.1
IBM
Bakersfield CA
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Original Message:
Sent: Sun February 28, 2021 04:14 PM
From: User1971
Subject: From your experience, what are the right and wrong ways to use WORKFLOW?

From your experience, what are the right and wrong ways to use workflow?

To be honest, I find workflow to be a pain. Especially workflow assignments. But other people seem to like workflow, so I suspect my organization just isn't using it correctly.

Rather than ramble on about how my organization uses workflow, I'd like to hear what the right or wrong ways to use workflow are (from your experience). Related question here: Workflow: pros and cons?

Thanks.

#AssetandFacilitiesManagement
#Maximo

Hi,

I work in Maximo Support for IBM.   As Bradley says, it is a big question you ask with many answers.    We do have some basic WF training at:

https://www.ibm.com/training/watsoniot/

Search for "maximo workflow" and you will see Course - Maximo 7.6 Workflows

If you google "maximo workflow best practices" you will see lots of advice.

Some basic things are to avoid making assignment directly to individuals, instead use Roles.    That way when one person leaves you don't have to modify all of your WF processes to replace that person with the new one.
Use substitution variables in assignment descriptions so in your WF Inbox you don't see just "Approve WO" but rather "Approve WO DPC617".   You can add more to show any field on the workorder such as Location or Asset or even Description if you have enough space.
Some very simple WF processes can even be replaced with Escalations.

While in a support Case we will not design your WF process or debug it, you can always open a Case to discuss a specific point.

regards                                        .................dick


------------------------------
Dick Chertow
L2 Maximo Support
IBM
Littleton MA
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Original Message:
Sent: Sun February 28, 2021 04:14 PM
From: User1971
Subject: From your experience, what are the right and wrong ways to use WORKFLOW?

From your experience, what are the right and wrong ways to use workflow?

To be honest, I find workflow to be a pain. Especially workflow assignments. But other people seem to like workflow, so I suspect my organization just isn't using it correctly.

Rather than ramble on about how my organization uses workflow, I'd like to hear what the right or wrong ways to use workflow are (from your experience). Related question here: Workflow: pros and cons?

Thanks.

#Maximo
#AssetandFacilitiesManagement

Hopefully adding on to what Bradley and Dick have covered, and knowing the other thread talks about some of the limitations of the product and the requirements specific workarounds. 

Thinking through "getting it right (or wrong)" from implementing workflow over the years with clients:

• start with the organizational objectives and focus scope on workflow strengths (see thoughts below)
• describe current gaps (around efficiency, communication, effectiveness)
• set expectation that workflow is not 100% automation, design for user interaction & decision points
• take the time for design, iteratively, with input from all stakeholders
• layout workflow in a really solid structure, implement as with any good code with master and sub-processes with common library processes
• agree on revision process/test cycles/roll-out given history and active assignments

Why workflow?

• repeatability of a standard process, does not rely on individual memory, institutional knowledge, user preferences, training, ie. capital PR approval vs expense approval
• flexibility within a structure, ie. manager can choose how to route a safety incident
• visibility into current status of the record process, ie. where is my work request
• efficiency particularly when there are timing constraints, ie. flag parts rush order, make that visible to e-approvers, follow-up prompts with escalation
• financial control and audit trail, ie. was there PO approval before parts arrive on site, print approval history on PO internal copy kept for the auditors
• process management - structured design, versioning, ready for process documentation
• remove dependencies on individuals in the process, ie. role based assignments, including assignments to groups that can require 1 or all users to complete, workflow assignment escalation, email notification
• facilitates coordination and communication across departments, ie. fewer balls dropped
• reduce admin effort for senior managers who need to be in the loop, ie. MFM email approval 

Richard


Richard Hoath
Inform Solutions


Original Message:
Sent: Sun February 28, 2021 04:14 PM
From: User1971
Subject: From your experience, what are the right and wrong ways to use WORKFLOW?

From your experience, what are the right and wrong ways to use workflow?

To be honest, I find workflow to be a pain. Especially workflow assignments. But other people seem to like workflow, so I suspect my organization just isn't using it correctly.

Rather than ramble on about how my organization uses workflow, I'd like to hear what the right or wrong ways to use workflow are (from your experience). Related question here: Workflow: pros and cons?

Thanks.

#AssetandFacilitiesManagement
#Maximo