Why are companies of all stripes automating document processes with digital workflow? "With the expense of reprints, manual tracking, mailings and other practices, it typically more than pays for itself in reducing those costs alone, especially in today’s economy. There are massive cost implications for high volume environments," says Alan Sullivan, IBM Printing Systems consulting & integration services practice leader (www.ibm.com/printers), but digital workflow is turning up in a variety of other situations, including short-run applications and print-on-demand operations.

"The beauty of an approach like IBM InfoPrint workflow is that the same ‘backbone’ can be used to automate any output management application," says Sullivan. He can cite numerous examples of ways organizations have creatively used digital automation to improve operations and profitability. A major book retailer implemented digital reproduction for more manageable POD costs and control. The nationally known chain uses the same workflow backbone for just-in-time ordering, printing, binding and mailing.

From Airport Maps to Government Brochures
With a backbone-based approach, operations use the same tool to handle the movement of data and check status of hardware and processes such as binding in POD and inserting for transaction applications. The IBM InfoPrint workflow model allows users to add or remove functionality as needed, and the engine gathers information and shares it with other components automatically.

In another diverse application, airport maps for pilots are assembled and updated electronically for improved safety and reduced liability. Changes are made automatically and consistently, and the integrated, intelligent workflow keeps track of who has what version to ensure flight personnel receive the most current and appropriate maps.

A federal government agency printed and stored brochures in quantities of 1,000, and employees had to physically locate and retrieve materials as needed. Eventually the agency could not find a building large enough to house the ever-growing inventory, so a backbone-based solution was put in place to digitize publications. Now printing, binding and shipping are handled on request, and inventory woes are greatly reduced.

Common to many of these and other digital workflow applications is the blurring of the lines between output management and customer relationship management (CRM), or more simply, response management. Digital workflow is letting companies link production processes with response processes for greater efficiency and better service.

Better Information Exchange Must Include Staff
Whether application-specific like sorting automation or claims processing, or a cross-functional enterprise-wide process such as computer-integrated manufacturing, digital workflow is about controlling and automating information delivery. Efficient, accurate information exchange is critical across all areas of an organization, and digital workflow is making it easier to automate information management.

Yet there is one area where information delivery and processing frequently gets short shrift. Often-overlooked when implementing digital workflow is the impact on operators and other staff who must deal with the tools on a daily basis. "Most companies don’t consider the complete production environment and staff when implementing digital workflow. Typically, a customer wants their workflow to do everything, but you find that the document staff can’t absorb it all at once, and they won’t know what to do with it," Sullivan notes. "Digital workflow should be implemented in stages to allow operations people to gain experience and knowledge in an evolutionary, not a revolutionary process."