Microsoft Sharepoint is a collaboration and document management platform that is based on the browser. Microsoft owns this platform. There are many companies that use this platform for creating websites, mostly for business websites.
Sharepoint is also a very reliable platform to gather, organize, share, and retrieve data from any device. The only thing you need to have is a web browser like Internet Explorer, Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome, or Opera Browser.
Other tools and products that arrive with SharePoint are Sharepoint Online, Sharepoint Server, Sharepoint Designer 2013, Sharepoint Foundation, and OneDrive for Business sync.
Extensive Range of Advantages that comes with Microsoft SharePoint
- Microsoft Sharepoint is a place that keeps command of the complete platform in existence. The manager can easily access the application management properties, system settings, monitor the Sharepoint provisions, create backups and restores data. It also manages privacy and security settings.
- It provides the teams all the special sets of implements they actually require to get the work get fully accomplished.
- Microsoft SharePoint is also helpful enough in keeping integration. It offers the team members to easily remain informed and stay connected throughout the whole life span of the project.
- Another very important advantage of SharePoint is the encouragement of site consolidation. It mixes up all sites under a single site while decreasing the total costs associated with each of the platforms.
- This platform is one of the most secure platforms ever developed by Microsoft itself. We should always appreciate the integrity it provides the users. It gives security at a board item level as well as the single item level.
- Microsoft SharePoint’s functions sound very complex but this platform is actually very simple and straightforward to apply. It will allow you to build up a business tool and solutions you require without the help of any developer.
Business Process Automation – Let’s Dig in
Enterprises and industrial sectors that deal with a lot of interrelated processes like document and asset management appreciate business process automation on a very high level.
With business process automation implements, firms can lower operational costs. It can increase the productivity of the employee.
This article deals with the automation of business processes with the help of Microsoft SharePoint.
Before heading on with the automation of business processes with the help of SharePoint, you need to be completely aware of the advantages and also the bad sides of SharePoint.
When do you Require this Process?
A firm may face many difficulties with its business processes and such times are the right moments to bring business automation processes into action.
Human-caused Error
A human error can take your business to an upset position or you may get to face a quality downtime.
There are many instances that show that human error is a common problem in many business sectors such as a little mistake while entering data on the system may cause a huge amount of loss. Or, an error can also occur when a person is transferring data in a manual process.
Extra Loss of Time
A repetitive task can take a lot of time including simple workflows such as contract lifecycle management. Thus, it may take a lot of time, more than one or two weeks, to make the approval of content by a sales department, an accounting department, a legal department and finally, signing it by the CEO of the firm.
High Probability of Violations of Agreements
This happens because of the deficiency of visibility into business processes and finally scanning and the installation of related security updates.
How to Automate Business Processes?
Workflows are the only things with which SharePoint helps to automate business procedures. The following components of the SharePoint workflow are liable for business automation processes.
Workflow Notifications
A workflow participant can get aware of all the changes made in a workflow. Therefore, they will not be able to manage to miss any of the new projects or a mattering update without having to keep a regular check on a SharePoint site.
Workflow Mailboxes
This element is very advantageous as reduces much time consumption. What it does is storing the emails related to the workflow on a separate panel.
Thus it helps to find out the mails more easily and quickly. Thus, these mails also become very easily within reach to workflow participants with relevant grants.
Task Management in the Workflow
The managers are able to allot work to the employees with the help of the application of Microsoft SharePoint task management. They can also fix the stating dates and the ending dates and keep a sharp look at the accomplishment of each and every task.
This is how a project turns out to be fully visible with their execution steps, time and the ones to whom the tasks are assigned. With the help of this particular component, the employees can have a look into tasks well-formed. This gives the employees the capability of plotting their activities in a simpler manner. Whenever needed, they can prioritize their tasks.
A company automates its business processes on the basis of the level of difficulty of workflows. There are basically two distinctive methods to automate business processes with workflows.
The Configuration of Built-in Workflows
In this section, you will get to have an idea about five different workflows that can be used in the process of business automation.
The Approval Workflow
This workflow encourages the building up of an approval process for documents such as invoices, policies, contacts, and so on. It also allows the structuring of lists and libraries in an institution. Adjoining a document to a list, library, or a category of content.
From the settings of this workflow type, you can specify workflow participants including several approval steps as well as many other options. A procurement master can approve a purchase contract, the chief financial officer (CFO), and the chief executive officer (CEO).
The Publishing Workflow
This type of workflow permits authorization of documents, lists, and libraries some fixed people for reviewing and approving.
This process takes place automatically. The next thing that the publishing workflow does is permitting posting approved content to a website for all users to see it.
The Signature Workflow
This is something that allows the collection of digital signatures to a Microsoft Word document or a Microsoft Excel spreadsheet.
A very good example of this is that it encourages adding a signature to an invoice after the finalization of the document.
The Feedback Workflow
If you are going for a teamwork project, this category of workflow becomes very useful. The reason behind this is, it tracks documents, lists, and libraries to a preallocated group of users who will be able to attach their comments, reviews, and queries to them.
These comments and feedbacks resides inside a significant list for making access and search easier and more straightforward.
The Three-state Workflow
Finally comes the three-state workflow which encourages to manage a document’s status, a list, or a library by going through three different stages.
When an IT team is getting assigned with a trouble ticket, it gets to pass through three stages which are Created, Work in Progress, and Completed respectively.
This automatically sends a notification to the owner about the approaching of the file through every phase. This is one of the most helpful processes in a business that needs tracing issues.
The Development of Customized Workflows
This is used for the automation of complicated and particular business procedures. There are various demonstrations for custom workflows.
- A weather forecasting workflow that allows automatic weather determination regularly.
- A sales tax collection workflow calculates sales taxes on products automatically based on the prices.
- An index tracking workflow tracks location, users, maintenance of the company’s various needs like automobiles or furniture.
Deterrents
There are a few limitations too. The two limitations that usually people face from workflows are:
- A very bounded reach of default workflows that do allow complex business automation processes.
- They are time-consuming and complex process involves a lot of money.
Epilogue
The facilities we get from the processes of business automation mentioned above hide the disadvantages it includes.
Business process automation has become one of the most valuable processes to make a brand shine at the top.
So, with this, I am ending this article. Hopefully, this made you aware of the facts you actually required to know. Comment your point of view in the section provided below.