Trade Article on Document Workflow Management

Transcription

1 Trade Article on Document Workflow Management Conductor of the Document Orchestra Conductor of the Document Orchestra Create, format, convert and output producing documents is a complex interplay of many different programs that does not always run smoothly, and every change requires time consuming reconfiguration. Not so when you automate and control the processes with higher level software. Even when print jobs come from different sources or different customers, certain patterns emerge. With invoices, for example, the incoming data stream is processed and converted. A logo is added and each individual document formatted. Later the documents are sorted for output based on optimal mailing and logistics, and finally the data is directed to the best suited system for printing. In most companies, different programs handle these tasks. Now and then a single work step may involve multiple applications, such as conversion. The typical scenario goes like this: suddenly a new data stream is added that the old software cannot process. So yet another program is quickly thrown into the mix. The problem is that individual programs often have to be started manually, most of the time in a very specific order. The disadvantage: multiple pending print jobs cannot be processed in parallel, but only one after the other. The result: bottlenecks or idle time, especially when projects are complex. Sequential processing of orders isn't always necessary though. Documents can be sorted at any time prior to printing, for example. Monitoring and analysis is also more difficult. If errors occur in the process, all the log files of all the programs used have to be individually analyzed. Imagine this: From a data stream of 10,000 documents, 9,998 are generated and sent correctly. But what about the other two? Where and why did they get stuck? Was it a formatting error? Were there problems with the conversion? Locating the error is like finding the proverbial needle in the haystack. Compart AG Otto-Lilienthal-Str. 38 Headquarters in Böblingen Böblingen/Germany District/Registry Court Stuttgart HRB Tel Chairman of the Board: Reinhard Hamburger Fax Executive board: Harald Grumser (CEO), info@compart.com Christof Mayer, Jörg Palmer

2 Page 2 Everything under one roof What's missing is a single "instance" that reliably logs when, where, and how each document was processed. A software application that controls and monitors all the programs could do the job. It would optimally distribute the load across the existing software and hardware resources, check the results, and combine all the log files for analysis. If an error occurred, the user could go directly into the affected application and determine the cause based on the process log. In the industry, these applications are known as "document process management solutions", and occasionally even "ERP systems for documents". Similar to ERP (enterprise resource planning) software that integrates inventory management, sales and accounting into a single system, these solutions map the overall output management process of a company. They enable the automation of all software supported processes. Third party systems can be connected, for example, allowing a printing provider to "dock" with a customer's system. Even order entry and invoicing could run fully automatically. It's the interplay that counts The depth of such integration should not be underestimated; the interaction of the many different programs is fraught with risk. Often the interfaces don't work quite right; the data isn't always passed from one application to another "cleanly". Unfortunately this often gets discovered at the very end of the processing job. In a document workflow management system, on the other hand, the programs are queried after every work step to ensure everything ran correctly. This allows the operator to step in immediately when problems arise. It's not about replacing the applications themselves, but optimizing their interaction and automating the associated processes. Take this example: print providers receive documents (brochures, mailings, posters, etc.) from their customers mostly in the form of PDF files. They are not always perfect sometimes fonts are missing, the images are not the correct resolution or the wrong color systems were used. The problem: the PDFs typically are not checked until just before printing. Not such a big deal, you would think. But what if the print job needs to be finished the next day and the customer is not available to answer questions? These situations are completely avoidable if, for example, you have at your disposal a tool that checks the incoming PDF for plausibility and completeness immediately on arrival. The responsible employee is immediately notified, e.g. by SMS, of any problem. These types of automated control mechanisms are quite easy to install within document management systems. No need to start over from scratch Document management systems also have the advantage of being easy to configure via a graphical user interface. Using individual modules, the

3 Page 3 user can individually build his or her process with only rudimentary programming knowledge. It takes just a few clicks of the mouse to specify which data streams are converted to which output formats or which documents are output via which channels. It's also easy to expand document workflow management systems with additional modules. If one work step changes, for example, a new printing/finishing line is set up, or if customers with new data streams are added, it is usually enough to graphically adjust the established workflows to the new conditions. If needed, an existing workflow can simply be copied and modified. The overall system remains operational at all times. Without such tools, you would have to reconfigure the entire workflow (analysis of the incoming data stream, conversion, formatting, spooling, etc.) for every little addition or change. Document workflow management systems link and control the individual steps required for complex production in one fully automatic process. The advantages for the user: Flexible completion of all work steps based on specifications Parallel processing of multiple orders Priority processing of time critical orders Freely definable steps for manual intervention and releases Optimal utilization of all software and hardware resources across the entire facility Comprehensive log file analysis across programs for quick error location Modular construction for adapting to existing processes Easy creation of new workflows. You are the "conductor" who unites the "soloists of document production" to create one harmonic whole. Worldwide workflow for World Cup ticket sales. A case study for automated document process management Match Hospitality AG, the exclusive rights holder for the FIFA World Cup hospitality program, tasked event and mailing service provider GM Consult with mailing the VIP tickets, or "hospitality kits". 350,000 orders needed processing around the clock and with numerous variable parameters. Orders were required to be sent out within 24 hours.

4 Page 4 Meeting the customer's specifications orders to be processed in Madrid via Stuttgart and printing in South Africa was a logistical challenge. Up until that time, after all the documents were printed delivery slips, tickets, invoices, etc. the service provider would assemble them manually on site in Germany and enclose them with the articles. But now orders were being taken and shipped from two very distant locations. The provider therefore set up a document process management system to control production in South Africa via Germany: processing, delivery slips, shipping and product information, calculation of mailing quantities and weights, linking the shippers through data interfaces, right up to the fulfillment center five independent companies in all. The system prepared the necessary data and controlled every segment of production through a central server in Kapstadt. A backup system was set up in Stuttgart to cover any server failures. From there, every order was monitored via Internet. Is everything being printed correctly? What is the order status? Are deadlines being kept? Were there problems printing, and if so, why? Ordered in Madrid, printed in South Africa GM Consult was concerned about how to quickly switch print centers in the event of breakdowns. With a document management system, however, changing over to an alternate location is effortless. The system automatically controls formatting the data so it can be output on a different printing/finishing line. Even though there were occasional problems with the Internet connection, specifications were met overall and tickets sent out correctly. In future, GM Consult plans to use the system not only for handling events, but in other business areas as well. In the meantime, 95% of the processes have been standardized; the rest are up to the individual business. Compart and Océ Océ, a world leader in digital printing and workflow solutions, and Compart, specialist in optimizing data streams in document and output management, have been cooperating for some time. The partnership is aimed at supporting customers of every size and in every industry in automating their business processes. The products of the two partners complement one another. Compart, for instance, offers DocBridge Pilot, a

5 Page 5 database driven software application that can be used to produce customized mailings for every type of output. Data streams can be sorted and grouped, the delivery can be optimized for the carrier and attachments can be added dynamically. Even office documents, locally generated on the PC, can be routed to the central mailing pool and output for a specific recipient in print, fax or electronic form (download file, E Postbrief, etc.) The COSMOS document workflow management system from Océ manages the interfunctionality of DocBridge Pilot with up and downstream programs. The user can specify, for example, that documents be automatically sent to DocBridge Pilot as soon as they are ready for central output via different channels. This eliminates the need to start the software manually each and every time. Harald Grumser, CEO at Compart: "Compart and Océ share the same view on how efficient document processes need to look today. The trend is toward automation since the resulting cost savings are enormous." Compart's well founded know how in the conversion and formatting of data streams from varying sources hence benefits Océ customers as well. Background Compart is a leading manufacturer of scalable and platform independent software solutions for the processing and optimization of documents and data streams from different sources and for all common output channels. The DocBridge product family enables the flexible and efficient processing of highvolume data streams and documents they can be prepared for transfer to required output channels such as printers, archives, , hybrid mail solutions or Web portals. These include solutions for the optimization and conversion of document formats or their modification, the display of these documents, and the comparison of documents with the same content but a different format. Due to their high degree of vertical integration and independence from operating systems, Compart products also meet superior requirements in terms of reproduction quality, performance and platform independence. Therefore, Compart products support almost all standard system platforms, from Windows to UNIX or z/os in the mainframe market segment. Compart solutions are used in medium and large scale companies across all industries. The implementation and maintenance of these solutions is guaranteed through accompanying support and consultation services as well as project management by the company s subsidiaries, Compart Deutschland GmbH, Compart North America Inc., Compart Iberia S.L., Compart Nordic ApS., Compart France S.A.S. and a number of partners.