Workflow Defined

The GartnerGroup defines work(flow) management as “a series of software products and services that pertain to workflow structure not only in terms of the flow of information but also with regard to the interaction of the business and manual processes that generate this information.”

Adaptation to the Translation Industry

In the translation industry, the workflow can be described as the movement of documents/files through the various steps of the translation job process. Documents and the attached data follow a defined route based on the data entry at each process level.

The Technology

A workflow tool is composed of 3 major components: the process design, the role set design and the application layer.

The first component, the Designing Tool, enables you to represent your organizational processes in computerized code. This tool helps developers by providing a graphical interface for the rapid creation of new applications or the modification of existing ones. A lot of the software packages available on the market are programmed so that you can create complex processes easily. The role of a workflow engine is to receive structured data (manually entered via electronic forms or other computer programs), to validate the data against the rules structure of the workflow and then to forward the documents/files to the next step in the process.

The second component, the Role Set, establishes all of the various roles involved in the process as a whole, i.e., the client, the project manager, the translator, etc.

The last component, the Application Layer, defines the overall process that reflects your individual set of business processes. All the steps and rules that your organization adheres to in dealing with a translation project will be coded with the help of the designing tool. The main objective is to insert as many as processes as possible into the workflow. The quality of a workflow route is determined by its ability to manage the exceptional processes that affect your day-to-day operations. The more time you spend designing the application layer, the more effectively your objectives will be realized. This is the reason that organizations are compelled to prioritize their needs in what could otherwise degenerate into an endless project development phase—after all, there will always be new elements to add.

In some cases we can also add a fourth component, the Integration Process, between the automation process and the external program. A workflow application is usually regarded as the backbone of an organization, and the motto holds true: the more bone you attach, the more efficient you become. By linking other computer programs to the workflow application, you maximize the automation and provide human participants with better information so that they can make more informed decisions. In the translation industry, workflow can be linked to a variety of peripherals: translation memory tools, machine translation tools, accounting systems, mainframe servers, web servers, etc.

History of the Technology

Workflow tools first appeared in the 1980s as software programs designed to support the automation of business processes in document imaging projects. Fortune 1000 organizations found themselves confronted with a huge amount of paper records (e.g., accounting documents, application forms) and increasingly scarce storage space. The solution: the documents were scanned and stored electronically and paper records destroyed. To assist the flow of those images within the organization, software companies started deploying workflow development applications.

As the technology evolved and the functionality expanded, more than 50 software companies emerged designing and selling workflow tools to corporations and system integrators.

To help the industry promote integration among vendors, two associations were born, the AIIM (American Information and Image Management, www.aiim.org) and the WFMC (Workflow Management Coalition, www.wfmc.org). The former is an industry association with the objective of promoting standard and quality products from vendors. The latter is an association with a focus on promoting standards among workflow vendors.

The Difference Between Workflow Tools and a Workflow Application

A workflow tool is a software product enabling you to design your business processes into automated functions. A workflow application, on the other hand, is a solution that has been developed using a workflow tool to automate a specific process. The approach is similar to a spreadsheet program: when you open a spreadsheet program, it is only useful when you enter the data and formulae which reflect your business processes. A workflow tool is a package sold by a vendor that allows you to create sophisticated automation processes, resulting in the end in a functional application. Over the past 2 years, workflow tools and applications have been created for the translation industry and tailored to reflect the industry’s special needs.

The Benefits of Workflow Automation Processes

Organizations are striving to automate core processes so as to achieve dramatic improvements in quality, speed, service and profitability. The workflow applications designed for translation providers are tailored to the flow of documents in each and every step of a translation project. The power of workflow combined with the Internet enables users to integrate new participants—the client on one side and the translator on the other—producing a fully integrated “Total Supply Chain Management” system.

Translation provider applications and processes are continuously affected by changes in the economic, regulatory, competitive and technological environments. By constructing a workflow application, translation providers can rapidly modify their internal process to reflect the evolution of their business—adding a new service, adding a new tool to the process, etc.

The translation industry is increasingly focusing on acquisitions and strategic alliances. The organizations involved need to ensure that their respective processes are compliant. Translation projects need to follow a similar path between participants, all branch offices and various partner organizations.

Project managers are at the heart of any translation process. They communicate with your clients, manage the flow of tasks for all your projects and deal with the critical resource of any translation organization—the translators. Logically enough, a workflow application ensures that all the necessary data required to produce an optimum result is forwarded to the project manager. The workflow will also eliminate low-level or non-value tasks, thus giving priority to high-level tasks and increasing efficiency. This results in better client service and better relations with translators.

However, this equation does not take into account the training and the learning curve associated with the implementation of a fully automated workflow application. Workflow systems require an organization to standardize all of its processes, thereby decreasing the learning curve for new employees and providing an application that centralizes all decisions and processes on each participant’s desktop computer.

Typical workflow applications allow all participants to enter data on electronic forms, web forms or desktop applications. Raw data can be displayed in powerful management reports to help translation providers make informed decisions: What are my translation revenues by language pair? What was the increase in French to German translation jobs over the past 6 months? Those questions can be answered by collecting raw data as you process your jobs, utilizing the analyses to make well-founded decisions.

The Implementation Methodology

The implementation of a workflow application is a major project to tackle. It will completely change the way you do business today and inevitably create a period of disruption that you need to manage carefully. By answering the following key questions, you can make sure the start of your workflow project is as successful as possible:

• Is it a strategic project with which I can achieve a leadership position, competitive position, industry adoption, etc.?
• Will I buy the software tool and develop it further in-house or buy an application package?
• Do I have the development team I need to start developing the application layer?
• Will I be able to support the evolution of the application and add increased functionality?
• How long am I willing to wait to have an end-to-end automated process? Am I striving for complete integration or a step-by-step approach?

A sound workflow implementation project involves some basic steps to good results:

• A comprehensive business analysis which evaluates internal objectives, high level processes and strategic directions. This document can be prepared by an external consultant, but it will need strong input from decision makers.
• A requirements profile which identifies and describes in detail the major processes to be automated.
• Functional specifications designed to help software developers actually code the rules and tasks to be automated.
• A project plan which enables you to manage the development of the application. The project plan will also cover the installation, the training and the rollout phase with clients and translators.
• A pilot implementation phase in which you select key customers and translators to include in initial deployment. It is vital that you test the workflow application for a certain period before full deployment; this is especially true where applications are developed in-house.
• A full deployment phase in which you train your staff to deal with client and translator questions. In this phase, your developers will also modify the workflow processes where necessary to better reflect your day-to-day operations.
• A next-phase plan covering later additions and modifications. The implementation of any workflow application is usually done in phases. A subsequent phase can be the integration of translation memory, a link to your workflow application or your existing accounting systems, or added functionality to better serve your clients and translators.

Return on Investment (ROI)

The development and implementation of a workflow application can be quite expensive for any organization. Owners or top-level decision makers need some reassurance regarding the return on their investment. To establish an ROI for this type of project, you need to look at your organization with a combined “hard-dollar”/”soft-dollar” approach. The hard-dollar benefits—sometimes termed tangible benefits—are usually found by looking at the reduction in overall costs associated with automation.

Typically you look at:

• Reduction of clerical staff
• Elimination or reduction of low-level tasks
• Elimination of storage costs

To make an accurate ROI calculation, you need to gather time statistics for all your employees over an adequate period of time (23 weeks). Alternatively, you could also base your calculation on the experience made by other organizations that have implemented a workflow solution. Either of these methods should suffice to conclude positively that workflow is strategic for a translation provider’s future growth.

On the soft-dollar side—so-called “intangible benefits”—you will find a more elaborate list. These items, however, usually make it very difficult to determine a real dollar value. Typically you can consider the following factors:

• Enhanced client relations: clients can send documents more easily, inquire about the status of a job, get faster turnaround, etc.
• Faster job processing
• Reduction in staff and training costs
• Increased job satisfaction
• Better change management: adaptation to new services and competition
• Easy ISO certification
• More informed decision making
• Increase in project quality

Workflow Pitfalls

In any workflow project, you need to have a clear vision as to where your organization is heading. The implementation of a radical business process model must be reflected in your strategic direction.

The implementation of a workflow process involves commitment at all levels of the organization. The new system will completely transform manual tasks into a computerized process. Your employees are the only individuals that really know the day-to-day operations of your business, so they have to be involved in all of the steps in the design of the automation process.

If you decide to develop workflow tools in-house, you need a substantial period of reflection for the requirements profile and the development stage. This is critical to ensure that all participants transfer their knowledge into the automation rules.

Do not consider the initial implementation as the end of a workflow project. There will always be processes and tasks to add or eliminate as your organization evolves.

For this reason, you need to develop your workflow applications to be as flexible as possible and to maintain good documentation on the original development process—in the event that you need to modify or add to some functionality. This also applies if you decide to hire an external firm to implement your workflow system. Make sure that you are able to have access to the source code.

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François Roy
Vice President
GENER-X
893, Guimond boul.
J4G 2M7, Longueuil, Québec, Canada
Tel.: 1- 450 442-2379; Fax: 1- 450 442-4801
Web: www.gener-x.com
E-mail: froy@gener-x.com