Workflow Solutions Features – 1

Today we can continue our discussion on workflow solution features and advantages of workflow features.

1. Log: The system maintains a log of every workflow activity. Log reports can be generated and viewed by the administrator. Details such as the name of the user who performed the task, the date on which the task was started and completed, the current status of the task etc. The log enables the administrator to keep track and monitor the activity within the application.
2. Other Tools: Various tools such as reminders, schedulers etc can be integrated with the application to aid in the workflow activities. Users can set alerts/reminders for any pending tasks etc. For online business company who is selling blinds, vertical blinds, roman shades online, and other tools is most important part of workflow solutions. Reminders of anniversary of vertical blinds company is nice example of online blinds company using workflow solutions.
AdvantagesImplementing open source workflow management software solutions in applications offer the following advantages:
i . Structure: Defining a workflow for a process streamlines and adds structure to a process.
ii. Definition: The roles of the user within the activity as well as the application are clearly defined. Users can concentrate on their activities.
iii. Accountability: Having a workflow in place enables the tracking of user activity. Accountability is most important aspect of online blinds business if we talk with reference to a vertical blinds store online.

Open Source Development has implemented workflows in a variety of applications enabling clients to enjoy the benefits that open source workflows management software solutions have to offer.

Ref: workflow solution

Workflow Solutions Features

FeaturesThe basic features of a workflow implementation include the following:
1. Role based access: User’s access within the application is restricted to the roles assigned to them. Roles can be assigned on the basis of the tasks that the user has to perform within the application. Administrator roles can be assigned to users who have full control over the applications.

2. Workflow Definition: Our solutions provide administrators with the options to define the workflow that is to be followed in performing the tasks. The administrator can define the various steps that are to be followed and the users/user groups authorized to perform the role. The various statuses that can be set for workflow activities can also be defined by the administrator.

3. Workflow Activity: The workflow process begins with the first step defined by the administrator. The user group assigned to the first step can access the application and perform the necessary tasks. They can assign the task to other users. On completion, the task moves to the next step in the workflow.

4. Task List: All the tasks that have been assigned to user are displayed in the task list for the user. The user can view the details of the task and perform any necessary action. The task list displays all the pending tasks available for a user.

Ref: workflow solution

Workflow Solutions

Today we are going to discuss on workflow solutions. Workflow incorporated in solutions enables the tracking of user tasks within an application. Workflow defines the steps or approval levels that a task has to go through before it is complete. In the realm of web publishing, a workflow can be defined for publishing content on a website. The administrator can define the workflow steps – Step1 – publisher can create the content item. Step2 – the content item is sent to the reviewer. Step3 – In case of any problem the reviewer can send the content item back to the publisher or to the editor. Step4 – On approval the content item can be sent for publishing.

At Open Source Development, we help clients in implementing and incorporating workflow within their solutions thereby enabling them to track and monitor activities/processes. For example, a blinds company who is selling vertical blinds, roman shades and faux wood shades online, proper workflow from order receive to goods delivery to the customer is most important part of any workflow solutions.

Open Source Development has implemented workflows in a variety of applications enabling clients to enjoy the benefits that open source workflows management software solutions have to offer.

In our next post we will discuss on workflow solutions features.

Ref: workflow solution

Workflow Management Tools-1

Worker empowerment is one of the traditional tools employed for managing workflow. It is seen that this empowerment involves doing away with the difference between designing and carrying out the concerned work. In this, the worker is allowed to manage as well as design their work. In such a scenario, the worker is not carrying out a series of tasks that is already programmed, but made to judge the suitable tasks that are required to be carried out at a specific time in order to accomplish customer satisfaction.

Several web-based solutions allow an organization to effectively manage its workflow. This is a very useful tool that could be used for creating jobs, ensuring timely completion of projects, storing important information, in short, having the control of the organization. It also increases productivity and thus profitability of any organization.

Workflow management tools can be used to control long-term scheduled transactions that are to take place on specific dates. Workflow management tools are designed to control all projects within the organization.

Workflow provides detailed information on Workflow, Workflow Software, Workflow Management, Workflow Automation and more. Workflow is affiliated with Workforce Management Solutions.

Ref: workflow management

Workflow Management Tools

Today we are going to discuss on important part of the workflow management and that is workflow management tools. The information about workflow management tool is very helpful for any organization as well as every small business. Workflow is the manner of managing office work based on the specific requirement of the individual work item. It thus involves timely and effectual response. For example for a blinds company who are selling vertical blinds, roller shades, faux wood shades. For them workflow is to get order form customer, confirm measurement, get products of customer order and deliver it to customer. Hence this assures analyzing, providing solutions and expediting all transactions.

Workflow has to focus on the entire transaction and not just single transaction or part. The end result of any workflow is customer satisfaction. This involves empowerment of the worker, resulting in proper management of the workflow. Workflow of any organization is also based on relationships that exist between the partners.

In some offices and work places, there is a dominance of point of view of a workflow. There is no set flow in the work schedule and the exigency and character of the incoming procedures restrain the job. It is noted that in such a work atmosphere, events that occur are given a lot of importance and the entire action is aimed at reacting to them. We can take example of Term life insurance Rates Company who provides term life insurance rates online. For them there is no set flow in the work schedule. Major parts of their business are done on internet.

Ref: workflow management

Workflow Open Service

The Workflow Open Service Interface Definition (OSID) is an O.K.I. specification which provides the means to define a Process composed of Steps. OSIDs are programmatic interfaces which comprise a Service Oriented Architecture for designing and building reusable and interoperable software. Each Step has Input Conditions and Output States. A Process exists to advance Work from an initial to a terminal Step. The advance is affected by events that are performed as part of a Step, the result of which is a new Step Output State. Work events are the result of Agents performing a specific role in the Process.

Part of the service providers responsibility is to define the Process and its Steps. Other parts of the service are intended to capture the events of a user in the Process. Separate applications for designing and using Workflow are likely to be written, each of which will rely on one or more OSIDs.

The Workflow OSID provides an application, or set of applications, with the means for coordinating and managing workflow based on some predetermined logic, among one or more actors (Agents). Abstracting and separating the workflow from the application insulates the application from changes in the workflow logic. Common tools for displaying, monitoring and maintaining workflow could be used in conjunction with the application, saving the application from delivering this functionality.

Ref: Wikipedia

Workflow Application-1

Today we continue our talk on workflow application. Languages that can be used for workflow definition in this way include:
1. Job Definition Formats
Another approach to develop workflow applications is to use a programming language in conjunction with libraries and interfaces that capture abstractions for task coordination. The following are examples of such libraries and interfaces:
1. Windows Workflow Foundation
2. Workflow OSID
It is also possible to use languages designed for business process modeling (e.g. the Business Process Modeling Notation) to specify workflows. However, to fit the purpose of workflow specification, such notations need to be enhanced with additional constructs to capture data passing, data transformations and routing conditions, to bind tasks to their implementation, etc... Indeed, business process modeling is about capturing business processes at a higher level of abstraction in order to enable their analysis through methods such as simulation. For example, for a blinds company who manufacture vertical blinds and roman shades blinds, taking customize side order from customer till installing blinds, that require proper workflow management. Meanwhile, workflow specification is about capturing processes at a level of detail that is sufficient to enable their execution.
For the purpose of static analysis, e.g., to detect semantic errors at design-time, it is also possible to represent workflow in a mathematical form using formal notations such as Petri nets. For any business weather it is life insurance agents or motel, manufacturing or servicing, work flow management is most important part of business.

Workflow Application

A workflow application is where various applications, components, and people must be involved in the processing of data to complete an instance of a process. For example, consider a purchase order that moves through various departments for authorization and eventual purchase. The orders may be treated as messages, which are put into various queues for processing. It is critical that the state of the queues are captured.

A workflow process involves constant change and update. You can introduce new components into the operation without changing any code.
There are two ways of developing workflow applications. The first one is to design workflow models in a dedicated language and then to link the tasks in these models to worklist handlers (for human tasks) or software applications (for automated tasks).

Workflow languages usually come with an associated graphical notation, but some are textual or XML-based. Languages that can be used for workflow definition in this way include:
Dedicated workflow specification languages:
1. XPDL
2. YAWL
3. SCUFL
Executable process definition languages based on Web Services:
1. BPEL
2. BPML
3. WSFL
4. XLANG
5. Wf-XML
6. SWSL

Ref: wikipedia

Workflow Operation

A workflow is a depiction of a sequence of operations, declared as work of a person, work of a simple or complex mechanism, work of a group of persons, work of an organization of staff, or machines. Workflow may be seen as any abstraction of real work, segregated in work share, work split or whatever types of ordering. For control purposes, workflow may be a view on real work under a chosen aspect, thus serving as a virtual representation of actual work. The flow being described often refers to a document that is being transferred from one step to another.

A workflow is a model to represent real work for further assessment, e.g., for describing a reliably repeatable sequence of operations. Another example of workflow operation is online business of roller shades, woven wood shades, blinds store; they also need to have proper workflow than and than they can do business online. More abstractly, a workflow is a pattern of activity enabled by a systematic organization of resources, defined roles and mass, energy and information flows, into a work process that can be documented and learned. Workflows are designed to achieve processing intents of some sort, such as physical transformation, service provision, or information processing.

Workflow concepts are closely related to other concepts used to describe organizational structure, such as silos, functions, teams, projects, policies and hierarchies. Workflows may be viewed as one primitive building block of organizations. The relationships among these concepts are described later in this entry.

The term workflow is used in computer programming to capture and develop human to machine interaction. Workflow software aims to provide end users with an easier way to orchestrate or describe complex processing of data in a visual form, much like flow charts but without the need to understand computers or programming.

Workflow Features

1. Modeling: Workflow problems can be modeled and analyzed using graph-based formalisms like Petri nets.
2. Measurement: Many of the concepts used to measure scheduling systems in operations research are useful for measuring general workflows. These include throughput, processing time, and other regular metrics.
3. Specialized connotations: The term workflow has specialized connotations in information technology, document management and imaging. Since 1993, one trade consortium specifically focused on workflow management and the interoperability of workflow management systems has been the Workflow Management Coalition.
4. Scientific workflows: Found wide acceptance in the fields of bioinformatics and cheminformatics in the early 2000s, where they successfully met the need for multiple interconnected tools, handling of multiple data formats and large data quantities. Also, the paradigm of scientific workflows was close to the well-established tradition of Perl scripting in life-science research organizations, so this adoption represented a natural step forward towards a more structured infrastructure setup.
5. Human-machine interaction: Several conceptualizations of mixed-initiative workflows have been studied, particularly in the military, where automated agents play roles just as humans do. For innovative, adaptive, collaborative human work the techniques of human interaction management are required.

Workflow Improvement Theories

A workflow is a depiction of a sequence of operations, declared as work of a person, work of a simple or complex mechanism, work of a group of persons, work of an organization of staff, or machines. Workflow may be seen as any abstraction of real work, segregated in work share, work split or whatever types of ordering. For control purposes, workflow may be a view on real work under a chosen aspect, thus serving as a virtual representation of actual work. The flow being described often refers to a document that is being transferred from one step to another. A blinds company with roller shades and woven wood shades product require giving steps by steps instruction document to the end user.

The key driver to gain benefit from the understanding of the workflow process in a business context is that the throughput of the work stream path is modeled in such a way as to evaluate the efficiency of the flow route through internal silos with a view to increasing discrete control of uniquely identified business attributes and rules and reducing potential low efficiency drivers. Evaluation of resources, both physical and human is essential to evaluate hand-off points and potential to create smoother transitions between tasks. Several workflow improvement theories have been proposed and implemented in the modern workplace. These include:
1. Six Sigma
2. Total Quality Management
3. Business process reengineering
4. Lean systems

As a way of bridging the gap between the two, significant effort is being put into defining workflow patterns that can be used to compare and contrast different workflow engines across both of these domains. For example, motels-hotels have different workflow than term life insurance Company. Workflow improvement helps in generating more profits for any business.

Workflow Features and Phenomenology

1. Modeling: Workflow problems can be modeled and analyzed using graph-based formalisms like Petri nets.
2. Measurement: Many of the concepts used to measure scheduling systems in operations research are useful for measuring general workflows. These include throughput, processing time, and other regular metrics.
3. Specialized connotations: The term workflow has specialized connotations in information technology, document management and imaging. Since 1993, one trade consortium specifically focused on workflow management and the interoperability of workflow management systems has been the Workflow Management Coalition.
4. Scientific workflows: Found wide acceptance in the fields of bioinformatics and cheminformatics in the early 2000s, where they successfully met the need for multiple interconnected tools, handling of multiple data formats and large data quantities. Also, the paradigm of scientific workflows was close to the well-established tradition of Perl scripting in life-science research organizations, so this adoption represented a natural step forward towards a more structured infrastructure setup.
5. Human-machine interaction: Several conceptualizations of mixed-initiative workflows have been studied, particularly in the military, where automated agents play roles just as humans do. For innovative, adaptive, collaborative human work the techniques of human interaction management are required.

Workflow Components

A workflow can usually be described using formal or informal flow diagramming techniques, showing directed flows between processing steps. While talking with owner of Roller shade blinds and woven wood shades blinds company, he says Single processing steps or components of a workflow can basically be defined by three parameters:
1. Input description: the information, material and energy required to complete the step
2. Transformation rules, algorithms, which may be carried out by associated human roles or machines, or a combination
3. Output description: the information, material and energy produced by the step and provided as input to downstream steps.

Components can only be plugged together if the output of one previous (set of) component(s) is equal to the mandatory input requirements of the following component. Thus, the essential description of a component actually comprises only in- and output that are described fully in terms of data types and their meaning (semantics). The algorithms' or rules' description need only be included when there are several alternative ways to transform one type of input into one type of output – possibly with different accuracy, speed, etc.

When the components are non-local services that are invoked remotely via a computer network, such as Web services, additional descriptors (such as QoS and availability) also must be considered.

Contemporary employment -1

1. A more skilled executive assistant may be required to type at high speeds using technical or foreign languages, organize diaries, itineraries and meetings and carry out administrative duties which may include accountancy. An executive secretary / assistant may also control access to a manager, thus becoming an influential and trusted aide. Executive assistants are available for contact during off hours by new electronic communication methods for consultations.
   
   
2. The largest difference between a generalized secretary and skilled executive assistants is that the executive assistant is required to be able to interact extensively with the general public, vendors, customers, and any other person or group that the executive is responsible to interact with. As the level that the executive interacts with increases so does the level of skill required in the executive assistant that works with the executive. Those executive assistants that work with corporate officers must be capable of emulating the style, corporate philosophy, and corporate persona of the executive for which they work. In the modern workplace the advancement of the executive assistants is codependant on the success of the executive and the ability of both to make the job performance of the team seamless whereas the job place evaluation is reflective of each others performance.
   
   
3. Executive assistants are normally required to maintain job skills at the current state of the art. It is a normal requirement of the executive assistant to be required to complete continuing job education on their own time, with reimbursement for tuition and class supplies.

Contemporary Employment

In a business many job descriptions overlap. However, while administrative assistant is a generic term, not necessarily implying directly working for a superior, a secretary is usually a personal assistant to a manager or executive. Other titles describing jobs similar to or overlapping those of the traditional secretary are office coordinator, executive assistant, office manager and administrative professional.

1. At the most basic level a secretary may need only a good command of the prevailing office language and the ability to type, and may spend a large part of his or her time filing and fetching papers (or the equivalent regarding electronic files and database information) or answering telephones.
   
2. A more skilled executive assistant may be required to type at high speeds using technical or foreign languages, organize diaries, itineraries and meetings and carry out administrative duties which may include accountancy. An executive secretary / assistant may also control access to a manager, thus becoming an influential and trusted aide. Executive assistants are available for contact during off hours by new electronic communication methods for consultations.

Secretary in General Terms

We are talking about secretariat in couple of previous post. If we compile our all talks and present it in simple language than we can have following talks on secretary. If we consider directory definition of secretary than it says A secretary means one employed to handle correspondence and manage routine and detail work for a superior or an officer of a business concern who may keep records of directors' and stockholders' meetings and of stock ownership and transfer and help supervise the company's legal interests or an officer of an organization or society responsible for its records and correspondence.

As the role of technology continues to increase in offices and businesses, the role of the office secretary has greatly evolved. Use of Document organizer software and other office automation increase the responsibility of secretary. New a days office secretary are suppose to play a role of traditional manager. More administrative and more communication is routine part of secretary. Secretary are suppose to plan and schedule meetings and appointments; organize and maintain paper and electronic files; manage projects; conduct research; and disseminate information by using the telephone, mail services, Web sites, and e-mail. We can count many more work as part of responsibility of secretary.

Secretaries and administrative assistants use a variety of office equipment, such as fax machines, photocopiers, scanners, and videoconferencing and telephone systems. Many organizations give in house training to their secretary to use new technology and tools. Arizona off duty police officer is the best to use technology and tools. With the used of modern technology secretary keeps them self with the new trends in the business and industry.

Contemporary employment

A secretary is either an administrative assistant in business office administration, or a certain type of mid- or high-level governmental position, such as a Secretary of State. The executive secretary (sometimes called administrative assistant or associate) has a myriad of administrative duties. Traditionally, these duties were mostly related to correspondence, such as the typing out of letters. The advent of word processing has significantly reduced the time that such duties require, with the result that many new tasks have come under the oversee of the secretary. These might include managing budgets and doing bookkeeping, maintaining websites, and making travel arrangements

In a business many job descriptions overlap. However, while administrative assistant is a generic term, not necessarily implying directly working for a superior, a secretary is usually a personal assistant to a manager or executive. Other titles describing jobs similar to or overlapping those of the traditional secretary are office coordinator, executive assistant, office manager and administrative professional.

At the most basic level a secretary may need only a good command of the prevailing office language and the ability to type, and may spend a large part of his or her time filing and fetching papers (or the equivalent regarding electronic files and database information) or answering telephones.

ref: wikipedia

Office Secretary

With time, like many titles, the term was applied to more and varied functions, leading to compound titles to specify various secretarial work better, like general secretary, financial secretary or Secretary of state. Just "secretary" remained in use either as an abbreviation when clear in the context or for relatively modest positions such as administrative assistant of the officer(s) in charge, either individually or as member of a secretariat. As such less influential posts became more feminine and common with the multiplication of bureaucracies in the public and private sectors, new words were also coined to describe them, such as personal assistant.

In a business many job descriptions overlap. However, while administrative assistant is a generic term, not necessarily implying directly working for a superior, a secretary is usually a personal assistant to a manager or executive. Other titles describing jobs similar to or overlapping those of the traditional secretary are office coordinator, executive assistant, office manager and administrative professional. At the most basic level a secretary may need only a good command of the prevailing office language and the ability to type, and may spend a large part of his or her time filing and fetching papers (or the equivalent regarding electronic files and database information) or answering telephones. For example, A doctor's Secretary not need to wear Medical Scrubs.

A more skilled executive assistant may be required to type at high speeds using technical or foreign languages, organize diaries, itineraries and meetings and carry out administrative duties which may include accountancy. An executive secretary / assistant may also control access to a manager, thus becoming an influential and trusted aide. Executive assistants are available for contact during off hours by new electronic communication methods for consultations.

Secretary

A secretary is either an administrative assistant in business office administration, or a certain type of mid- or high-level governmental position, such as a Secretary of State.

The executive secretary (sometimes called administrative assistant or associate) has a myriad of administrative duties. Traditionally, these duties were mostly related to correspondence, such as the typing out of letters. The advent of word processing has significantly reduced the time that such duties require, with the result that many new tasks have come under the oversee of the secretary. These might include managing budgets and doing bookkeeping, maintaining websites, and making travel arrangements. Secretaries are supposed to get good salary. Kentucky Real Estate gives good example of it.

Secretaries might manage all the administrative details of running a high level conference or arrange the catering for a typical lunch meeting. Often executives will ask their assistant to write original documents for review and also to collaborate with others. They may also do personnel paperwork which used to be thought of as a Human Relations function; this might also include understanding the complex rules regarding Visa and Immigration.

To be successful today the executive assistant must have a broad level of skills and be creative in managing new situations. As such a 4 year degree (Bachelors of Arts) is often preferred and a 2 year degree is usually a requirement.
We continue our talk in next post.

Role of Personal Assistance

We are talking Personal Assistance and need of personal assistance for rich and non rich people. Today we are going to talk about Role of Personal Assistance.

The Personal Assistant job is associated with two contradictory images. The first is that it is an easy, fun, and glamourous position, granting access to the friendship and luxurious lifestyle of celebrities and high-powered or wealthy people. The other is that personal assistants are merely unskilled "gofers" who perform menial and degrading tasks.

In fact, to do their jobs well, Personal Assistants must apply excellent organizational skills, tact, diplomacy, effective communication skills, maintain confidentiality in sensitive matters, and display excellent judgement. These are the same "soft" skills required for many other professional roles, such as middle management, public relations, and high-level administrative assistance. Like DC Ranch Homes for Sale is not work of personal assistants. The best Personal Assistants have the ability to anticipate their employer's needs and take care of them before they are asked to do so. There is always the possibility for advancement and some Personal Assistant jobs may "morph" into other positions within the organization.

Some Personal Assistants are asked to consider full time positions elsewhere in the company depending on the level of ambition and education required/desired. It is true that many employers will not see the potential for a Personal Assistant immediately and thus the Personal Assistant will remain in that position until other positions become available.