Automating Workflow Management

Automated workflow management, especially in manufacturing, speeds up the time new hires take to adapt to different working conditions. Instead of manual processes that delay projects, automating employee workflow tasks makes production more efficient.

Automated workflow management tools assist manufacturing supervisors when it comes to employee turnover on the floor, temporary workers and employee movement. Instead of tracking down training manuals, how-to documents and mechanical drawings on paper, computerized systems compile all the necessary management tools in one place. Just as machines replace human labor, automated workflow capabilities replace manual processes. Even computerized processes already in place can move toward more automated systems to speed up employee efficiency.

IT Network Validations

Suppose an employee needs to access a different network account in the plant. That person sends a request via email to a supervisor. Then the waiting begins as the supervisor passes on the request to the IT department. Instead, an automated workflow management tool can step in to validate the worker's change request. This system occurs when manufacturers have better security systems in place that guard proprietary information. The network can automatically decide whether someone should have access to software within the plant based on the tasks at hand.

Security

Computer access may lead to security issues when an employee leaves the company. Managers must disable employee accounts as they leave, otherwise company secrets may get out in the open. Automated workflow management software can remove an employee from all access as soon as the person leaves the job.

Audits

Access rights given to individuals manually creates an inefficient audit process. Computers may not track everyone who logged into a computer on a certain day if people write down passwords or have someone else's codes. Automated workflow management speeds up the audit process by tracking access passwords, knowing who should have authority to view certain terminals and which employees accessed certain files on a particular day. Timestamp and PIN access points provide manufacturers with efficient ways to track who sees what when it comes to company audits.

Preset Automation

The key to automated workflow systems lies in setting up checks and balances beforehand using company policies as a guide. Managers can input protocols for approvals, PIN access codes, supervisory overrides and security measures in master files from the office. Each computer terminal along the line allows certain employees access to files they need based on preset authorizations. When someone switches over to a new task, a supervisor simply has to authorize one set of protocols and the computer determines what the employee sees after that.

Implementing Changes

The key to effective automated processes remains planning and implementing changes. Discuss potential problems with any changes as employees adapt to new ways to access information. Inform employees why these changes occur, what happens to people with unauthorized access and how workers go about making requests through the system. Everyone should know when the switchover occurs.

Automated workflow management represents just one component of a manufacturer's overall productivity. However, this process is vital as integrated technology rapidly changes the manufacturing landscape.

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