Business Process Master TemplateThe initial task in the use of the process control system is the creation of the process template definitions. A process template provides a foundation upon which future process sequences will be created.

An example of a process template record might involve the general procedure for the approval of purchase orders. The master template would provide a standard definition for the approval of purchase orders including the departments and employees involved in the approval.

When this master template is used to create a process for a specific purchase order, the high security user can make any level of editing in the process sequence record for the specific purchase order.

Business Process Costing Although the business processes do not provide a specific accounting control function, as in the production routing definitions, the employee, equipment and material charges to a business process will be recorded as normal employee charges. Using the inquiries and reports a specific process's cost may be accessed at any time by reference to a user defined business process code.

Business Process Control Sequences As the instructions for a specific process control entry may differ from the original process control template, the sequence notes and document pointers may be revised at the time that the process record is created.

Using the throughput hours specified in the process control template, each sequence in the process flow will be scheduled down to the minute based on the start date and time of the new process definition.

Business Process Control TransactionsThe business process control transaction routine will record the movement within a process and will provide a historical record of process movements, process costs, and departmental and employee efficiencies. As an optional feature of every defined process, any number of individuals may be notified as to the status of any ongoing process during all process movements.

Following the completion of a process sequence, the employee must indicate that a specific process sequence has been completed. This transaction entry will then generate email messages to the employees specified in the next process sequence (if so indicated in the process definition) that the process requirement has arrived at their department.

The sequence completion transaction would automatically move the process to the next sequence. The user entering the transaction also has the option of moving the process to any sequence in the process, including backward to a previously completed sequence. This flexibility also extends to the opportunity of creating a new sequence within the process definition.

Administrative ProcessesTo cover the administrative functions within a company that are not related to the previously defined business processes, the business process control system also includes administrative process templates. These templates do not have a structure and are available to indicate the resources required for functions not covered by the business processes.

If a labor capacity plan is run including administrative functions, the administrative processes will provide a picture of those resources and hours that are required for administrative activities.

Business Process Control Setup ProcedureWith the prerequisite of having employees and departments defined, the only requirement for the use of the process control system is to define one or more process control template records.
The system will then continuously look for appropriate process control templates, and if a match is made, a process sequence will be created and the initial employee(s) in the sequence will be notified.

Process Analysis Function The INFO.NET business process system provides a proactive self learning ‘expert’ tool that enables users to design new processes and will permit the INFO.NET system to refine the existing process parameters while the process is in use in the business environment.

The INFO.NET business process analysis routine will continuously examine the results of the process control system and will be reevaluating the data inputs From this evaluation, the analysis will be available to suggest corrections to the various process standard throughput times, to the resource classes assigned to the process sequences and to their standard times.

Spreadsheet DownloadingFrom all of the system queries and reports, an option will be available to download the results of the query into a spreadsheet. The column headers of the query will also be included in the download.

From all of the inquiries, reports and from the SQL query routine (SQL Peek), the displayed data can also be downloaded (without the data headers).

The downloaded spreadsheets are loaded in a .CSV format (Comma Separated Format). As is obvious from the acronym, the downloaded data is separated by commas and will result in a filename extension of ‘.csv’. This type of file can be displayed in all spreadsheet and word processing programs. .