e-book business process automation ch4 final

8/8/2019 E-Book Business Process Automation CH4 Final

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Managing Cost in Your Enterprise

David Chernicoff

Susan Perschke

Business

ProcessAutomation


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Contents

Business Process AutomationManaging Cost in Your Enterprise

Chapter 4: BPA Tools 1 Executive Overview 1 Key Features of BPA Tools 1

Guidelines for Selecting a BPA Platform 1 Usage Scenario 1Desktop BPA Application 2

Usage Scenario 2Designing Workflows with a BPA Server Application 5

Case Studies 8

Power Company Uses BPA to Resolve Data Backup Challenge 8

Medical Technology Manufacturer Speeds Financial Reporting with BPA 9

Summary 9

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Chapter 4:

BPA Tools

Executive OverviewIn chapter 4 we discuss the specific capabilities of business process automation (BPA) tools in

more detail and provide you with guidance for selecting the best BPA software. We provide some

usage scenarios; and finally, we review case studies that show how two companies have imple-

mented BPA to solve real-life business challenges.

Key Features of BPA ToolsIn prior chapters weve discussed how BPA can benefit organizations by streamlining andimproving workflow processes. BPA as a concept has been around for some time, but most tra-ditional methods for implementing BPA use disparate tools and require extensive knowledge ofprogramming. Newer-generation BPA software products now let you streamline, optimize, andautomate key processes within a unified development environment.

With todays top-shelf BPA tools, your organization can create or improve workflow pro-cesses at multiple levels, from high-level business workflows to simple infrastructure tasks,

without anyone having to learn new automation languages or spend valuable time writingcode. These processes can range from application integration, to data transformation, to work-flows that span geographically dispersed networks.

Guidelines for Selecting a BPA PlatformBPA tools are available in desktop and server versions. The differences between the two varyamong vendors, but the best desktop tools offer a comprehensive list of built-in actions that

will let users quickly automate processes without having to write any code. Desktop BPA toolsshould include the capability to interact with the Windows system, perform both simple andcomplex file operations, and allow for conditional logic.

BPA server products typically offer additional features, such as client/server architecture,workflows, multi-machine execution capabilities, and reporting. BPA server tools should allowthe development of orchestrated solutions that span across logical and physical lines of business

and IT architecture. Look for a BPA server tool with the following features: Cost justificationYou dont want to spend a fortune on an automation software package,and you need it to pay for itself in weeks, not months or years.

No code requiredYour automation software should not require your staff to learn a newprogramming language; instead, you should be able to realize the benefits of automationimmediately through easy-to-understand drag-and-drop tools.

Visual interfaceLeading software packages include a visual interface that lets you harmonizework processes with IT infrastructure.

Feature rich toolsMake sure the package you choose has a wide range of tools for auto-mating common tasks.


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2 Business Process Automation


Support for standardsAny automation platform you invest in needs to integrate with yourexisting environment and offer support for common standards such as FTP, HTTP, XML POP3,SMTP, and SNMP.

OrchestrationMost organizations have multiple machines, and you need an automation toolthat can intelligently coordinate automated execution across these servers.

Multiuser supportIf you have a team responsible for designing, building, testing, and main-taining automation in your organization, the tool you choose must let you delegate work andkeep track of each team members progress.

CentralizationYou need an automation package that lets you centralize automation andsimultaneously execute it in a decentralized way.

Relevant reporting and informationA good automation suite should provide you withmeaningful and actionable information regarding important automation events.

Installed baseYou should evaluate tools that have a sizeable installed base in a variety of

environments. Third-party endorsementsYou may want to look for endorsements and reviews by knowl-edgeable, independent third parties, such as analysts and trade publications.

Both server and desktop BPA tools should be flexible enough that you can adapt them toyour business requirements and deploy robust automation applications without the need for alarge staff of developers. They should also include the capability to reuse objects such as tasksand conditions, to support easy editing and incorporation of those objects into new workflows.

In the next section we look at a couple of usage scenarios that demonstrate some of thecapabilities of good BPA tools, both at the desktop and server levels.

Usage Scenario 1 Desktop BPA Application

This example uses a BPA desktop application to automate a workflow process that combinesdata from two spreadsheets, uploads the results to an FTP server, and sends a confirmatione-mail. The exact sequence of steps used in the process follows:1. Create a temporary folder on the local drive.2. Locate two Microsoft Excel spreadsheets on separate network drives.3. Copy these two files to the newly created folder.4. Create a new blank spreadsheet.5. Combine data from the two original spreadsheets into the new spreadsheet.6. Upload the combined spreadsheet to an offsite FTP server.

7. Create and send an email message with the result to multiple recipients.

The application were using to automate the process has a number of built-in actions, and westart by selecting Create a Folder from the File menu on the left, as you see in Figure 1:


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Chapter 4 BPA Tools 3

This action opens a wizard that will guide us through the next several steps to build ourfirst automated process. First, we type in the folder name and specify any error handling we

would like for this step. We can select from a number of error messages; for this example, wewill have the various tasks notify us of any problem that may occur. We then specify what to dowhen an error does occur; in this case, we are going to generate an email notification to the IT

administrator.Next, we select the file to look for and what action to take if it doesnt exist (in this case, we

ask that an email be sent to us).Then, we select Copy File form the File menu, and we specify to copy the file only if the

source file is newer than the destination file. To complete the copy operation, we repeat the stepsabove to locate our second spreadsheet file and then copy this file to the same directory where

we copied the first spreadsheet.The next order of business is to create a new blank spreadsheet in the temporary directory

using a template from the BPA software, as Figure 2 shows:

Figure 1:Create Temporary Folder on the Local Drive


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Now that the new spreadsheet has been created, we add a couple of easy steps to input thedata from the existing two spreadsheets into the new spreadsheet. We now have a new spread-sheet with merged information, ready to be uploaded via FTP to the remote server.

We use the wizard to create the FTP action, which adds line items for logging on to theserver, uploading the file, and logging off. Once the FTP transfer is completed, we send an emailto ourselves and to the recipients who need to access the spreadsheet on the remote server.

This series of steps completes the wizard portion of the BPA process. The next step is tochoose a trigger that will automatically run the new process. As you can see from the screen inFigure 3, we have a number of options, and two in particular might be useful for our example.

The first one (Schedule watcher) is simply to create a schedule that copies the file on a set

schedule, such as every hour, week, or day. The other option (File watcher) is to wait for the filesto appear and let this action trigger the new process.

Figure 2:Create Spreadsheetfrom Template


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Creating this BPA process took less than 30 minutes and replaces a daily process that takesat least 30 minutes to do manually. The entire process now runs in about 30 seconds and can bescheduled at a convenient specified time or when the files are available.

Usage Scenario 2 Designing Workflows with a BPA Server Application

As we discussed in the introduction to this chapter, when you select BPA software, it is importantto find a tool that allows for a high-level representation of your IT or business processes. Oneof the higher-level processes involves designing workflows. The best way to do this is through auser-friendly GUI interface that encourages collaboration between business units and ITmanagers.

By creating a visual representation through graphical workflows, your organization can gainbetter insight into these processes. Workflows should be more than graphical diagrams; they alsoshould contain the actual information, such as logic, error handling, and notification that youneed to automate complex IT and business processes.

As we discussed earlier, a good BPA tool should include a large number of prebuilt actionsthat will allow for the construction of tasks without anyone having to write code. The flow-con-trol objects should allow for the inclusion of complex logic within the workflow, and for condi-tional branching. It should also have the inherent capability to span multiple machines within theorganization.


Figure 3: Choose a Trigger


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The screenshot in Figure 4 shows a workflow designed to run a variety of tasks across mul-tiple machines, represented through a graphical workflow design surface.

The main components of workflow are conditions, tasks, and flow-control objects. Conditions

are network or system events that can initiate workflow execution, or provide the basis for con-ditional, event-based decision making. Tasks are instructions for executing a series of processingsteps.

The workflow represented in Figure 4 uses a scheduler to launch a series of tasks. The work-flow process begins by initializing a database, fetching job instructions, and proceeding to exe-cute a number of tasks at different locations. Conditions specify actions to be taken upon successor failure of each step. Your BPA tool should let you drill down into each element of the work-flow to examine the process behind it. For example, by double-clicking the Initialize databasetask (Figure 4), you should be able to open a task builder that represents this individual task, as

you see in Figure 5.

Figure 4: Workflow Design Process


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This level ofdetail shows thetask as a System-level task under

Available Actions.You can view addi-tional details aboutthe task by drillingdown to the next

levelthe actualprocess behind thetask -- as Figure 6shows.

Through thisdialog box, you can

view and configurethe task at the detaillevel. Note thatnone of the levels


Figure 5: Task Detail

Figure 6: Task Configuration Dialog

associated with the task, fromdesign to configuration, requiresprogramming knowledge on thepart of the workflow designer. This

simplicity facilitates workflow col-laboration without anyone havingto get sidetracked on tedious pro-gramming tasks.

Now lets take a look at twocase studies that show how BPAsolutions have streamlined andautomated workflow processes inreal-life business environments.


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Case Studies

Power Company Uses BPA to Resolve Data Backup Challenge

A multinational power-generation and wholesale marketing company1 manages the productionand delivery of energy resources over a wide geographical area. One plant alone monitors morethan 1,500 measurements in real-time, 24/7. These measurements are recorded via TCP/IP on adozen computers, where the information is processed and logged. The IT staffs real work begins

whenever a gauge malfunctions or a reading surges past the safety threshold. The goal of theworkflow process is to detect and resolve the problem before a small incident escalates into amassive power outage.

When a problem occurs, the IT staff first looks at the server event logs in an attempt to pin-point the source. In the past, doing this was easier said than done because all logs were writtento tape backups, and it could take hours to retrieve the dataa less-than-ideal setup during an

emergency. To address this problem, the company attempted to build a homegrown applicationthat would retrieve the data, but the application kept crashing because it could not handle thesheer volume of data. When the application crashed, the data was frequently lost; even worse,the IT staff often didnt know the data had been lost until they needed it during an emergency.

The head engineer, who is not tech-savvy, was tasked with finding a solution. He decidedon a BPA solution that would give him a user-friendly, drag-and-drop interface to automate rou-tines. After just a few days, he had created an automated routine that sorts, compresses, archives,and deletes large event log files daily. Now the data from each computer is readily available incase of an emergency. In addition, he has been able to automate a backup task that previouslyrequired an experienced operator to interact with the GUI, thus saving time and giving the com-pany the peace of mind that the data is safe and secure.

The bottom line for this company is that it has reduced data loss by 100 percent: it has lostno data since it implemented the BPA solution. The diagram in Figure 7 shows a simplified viewof a similar backup operation.

1 TransAlta Corporation, Ontario, Canada

Figure 7: Simplified View of Backup Operation


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Medical Technology Manufacturer Speeds Financial Reporting with BPA

To collect, compile, and analyze daily financial data and produce its daily reports, a large medicaltechnology company2 needed 18 hours of manual effort every night. This process often required

both IT staff and a financial analyst to stay past 11 pm to collect and consolidate spreadsheetdata from five different offices in Latin America. Each office maintains its own ERP system, and

because of version incompatibilities, no direct link is possible. The company considered both anew data-collection program and an in-house automation solution, but it found both options tootime-consuming and expensive.

The IT director decided it was time to find a different solution, and she had decided early onthat automation was the way to go. She initially considered assigning the task to in-house devel-opers or outside contractors but had rejected this solution as also too time-consuming. And shedid not want her IT staff spending valuable time maintaining custom scripts. The team eventuallydecided on a BPA tool they could use to automate the cumbersome data-collection and reporting

process.With the best-of-breed BPA tool they implemented, IT rolled out the new automated processin just two weeks. They created the automation sequences in just a few hours and spent the restof the time testing the solution. Now, at each countrys local time of 7 pm, a task is automati-cally launched to collect the needed data from each divisions ERP system. When this task hascompleted, a connection is opened to the FTP server, and all the data is transferred via FTP toa server stateside, where the data is combined and posted to the proper directory locations onthe publishing server. Each division has the capability to monitor its individual processes; in theevent of a problem, alerts can be sent via SMS, email, and SNMP.

With this BPA solution, the company freed up the staffs after-hours duties and in the pro-cess achieved compliance with corporate reporting requirements. There was no custom code to

write because all tasks were preprogrammed and simply dragged and dropped into place, whichsaved the company tens of thousands of dollars in custom development costs.

SummaryIn this eBook weve shown how BPA solutions can leverage your existing IT assets and applica-tions to accelerate the flow of information, reduce operational errors, and eliminate delays. Inchapter 1 we introduced the subject of business process automation (BPA) and explored thedifferences between BPA and business process management (BPM). We discussed the three dif-ferent activity classes that define a BPA solution: integration, orchestration and automation, andBPAs impact on business workflow.

In chapter 2 we talked about the benefits of BPA to IT and how BPA can reduce the impactof human error. We showed how BPA assists organizations in improving collaboration and infor-mation sharing while optimizing both IT and business-level workflow processes. By helpingimprove IT response times and delivering on Service Level Agreements (SLAs), BPA can give ITa competitive edge. Chapter 3 focused on how to set up and implement a BPA solution, and theimportance of planning, design, and deployment. Finally, in this chapter we have discussed whatBPA tools can do and have offered guidelines for selecting the best tool. In addition, we havepresented real-life case studies from organizations that have already successfully implementedBPA.

2 Stryker Corporation, Michigan



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Throughout this eBook, our goal has been to demonstrate how, with good BPA tools, youcan streamline, optimize, and automate key processes that drive value for your organization and

your customers. BPA as a platform or engine can reduce costs and free up workers to focus

on higher-level tasks. With automated business and IT processes, you can more easily maintainquality control and uptimeand make better use of FTEs. All this translates to better value forthe organization. In addition, any other application that becomes part of a BPA process also

becomes more efficient, proving even further ROI.The right BPA tool can make a significant difference in the success of a BPA deployment.

BPA tools with inherent multi-machine capabilities support better cross-departmental collabora-tion, making the entire organization more efficient. By selecting a BPA tool that lets you design

workflow processes in a logical, user-friendly graphical environment, IT can show instead ofjust explain its value to business units and users. Small-to-midsize businesses (SMBs) that usestate-of-the art tools to leverage the power of BPA also can compete more effectively with larger

enterprises.In todays environment of budget cuts and the need to do more with less, companiesincreasingly are finding BPA an indispensable partner as they create more efficient organizationsthat drive value for their business and customers alike. Planned and executed properly, BPA canlead to significant costs savings, productivity gains, improved SLA performance, and better cus-tomer service and satisfaction throughout your enterprise.


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