Automating document workflow processes in a company where for years they operated on the principle of “this is how we’ve always done it and it worked well” is not merely the implementation of an ECM system; it is, above all, a shift in habits and routine actions, leading to a revolutionary change in how processes are perceived within the company.
Often, a concern arises among company employees: if the system will automatically process tasks that previously required my involvement and knowledge, my position will likely become redundant. Nothing could be further from the truth. The process will still require the interaction of the same employees, but in a more structured manner. Automation can address manual steps that, for example, require the creation of a laborious report or the preparation of a preliminary document version from a template. However, it remains merely a tool in the hands of the same individuals, who will now be able to view their work from a slightly different perspective.
Process automation brings numerous benefits. The first dimension that comes to mind is time – we expect things to move faster. This is not necessarily always the case, although routine tasks or laborious reports can often be automated through technology. An underestimated aspect of Rockawork implementation is employees’ awareness of how complex our business is and how many actors are involved in these processes. Rockawork and process automation foster a new approach to work – individuals who previously performed only a segment of tasks in a given process now have the opportunity to engage in its improvement and become its engineers.
The costs of printing, copying, and storing paper documents, as well as managing archiving and document access, are not solely monetary. Other aspects also arise, such as the time spent locating them, customer dissatisfaction due to difficulties in obtaining information about their matters, employee dissatisfaction, or lost opportunities due to the inability to make quick decisions. This is not to mention the costs of duplicated, scattered, and hard-to-access information that unnecessarily occupies space in various IT systems. Furthermore, what about the costs associated with risk, control, ensuring compliance with internal and external regulations, and managing access and permissions for documents, which are often confidential?
The key to successful implementation of an ECM system will be the identification of roles within the organization and their responsibility for individual process stages. It is worthwhile to involve all key employees in the analysis, as they possess knowledge of how our organization operates today. Their knowledge is essential for defining both the data flow map within the process, observing and defining steps, and also for determining key process parameters. These parameters will enable them to monitor in the future how efficient or inefficient the process is, draw conclusions about its weaknesses and bottlenecks, and, by controlling business rules, streamline these areas.
We can distinguish processes specific to a given company department, processes spanning across the organization, and global processes affecting all employees or required by law. We can also divide them into:
Examples of processes in the first group include sales support processes (related to handling and circulation of requests for proposals, offers, orders for products or services), as well as processes related to handling incoming correspondence, or those concerning project management and all associated documentation.
In the area of supporting processes (back-office), there is most often a need to control the circulation of cost invoices, agreements with suppliers, settlement of business trips, handling leave requests, or other HR requests. These processes can, and most often do, have mutual relationships. The most typical and common example is the so-called purchase-to-pay process, which is a procurement process related to order handling (optionally preceded by a requisition process including analysis of offers submitted by suppliers), managing the circulation of cost invoices, and submitting them for payment. An element of such a process most often also includes activities related to the handling and circulation of agreements with contractors, along with the secure archiving of all documents processed within this process.
Let’s take a detailed look at what the implementation of an ECM system in an organization changes – using several scenarios from various company areas, supported by the Rockawork solution.
In the purchase invoice approval process, several stages can be distinguished: invoice document registration, substantive description and approval, financial description and approval, and invoice posting. Each of these stages involves a different scope of actions to be performed and a different range of information to be processed.
Document Registration – Invoices can arrive at the organization in physical and electronic forms. In the former case, the invoice should be digitized, i.e., scanned. Scanning typically initiates the document workflow in the electronic system. In most cases, initial invoice information is entered into the application: supplier, dates, amounts, preliminary description, etc. For a very large volume of documents, data entry can be facilitated by so-called “intelligent” OCR, which learns various invoice formats from suppliers, significantly improving data extraction from invoices.
In the case of an electronic document, such as a PDF invoice, it typically arrives at the organization via email. In such cases, the system can monitor the mailbox, automatically download documents, and initiate their workflow.
Substantive Description and Approval – This step is usually performed by the person responsible for ordering goods or services. The Rockawork system, having access to objects from the ERP system (e.g., SAP), allows for cost allocation by selecting objects from a dictionary (Cost Centers, Orders, Goods Receipts, Contracts – depending on the invoice type). The system automatically synchronizes data between ERP and Rockawork – this is imperceptible to users.
Financial Description and Approval – This stage is carried out by the finance department. In this step, the remaining invoice information required for automatic posting is completed. All dates (invoice, basis) and dictionary fields must correspond 1:1 with those used in SAP or another ERP system to process the document without error.
Invoice Posting – Posting is also performed by the finance department. It occurs automatically in SAP ERP (SAP S/4HANA or other ERP system). All data required for posting the document in ERP was already completed in Rockawork. The financial document is transmitted and linked to the scan in Rockawork instantly.
Employee E-File is a classic application of ECM systems in the HR area. HR process automation proves effective in onboarding and offboarding processes, where documents are generated from templates. There are usually many of them – from the contract itself, various circulation cards, access requests, or tool requisitions. Where an organization can control the document generation process, there is room for improvement. Imagine placing a barcode in the corner of a document with an encoded employee number and document type. Thanks to this, when scanned employee documents are stored, the system could automatically place them in the appropriate employee folder, in the correct section A, B, C within their file.
Another way to automate HR processes can be the generation of requests for access to IT systems, requisitions for workwear, preparation of work tools, and all other – numerous – tasks that fall upon managers when a new employee joins their department.
The same idea as the employee e-file can be applied to cooperation with contractors. Any correspondence sent to a contractor, or a letter from a client, e.g., informing about a change in master data, can be stored in the client’s e-file.
Quotation and sales processes are accompanied by many documents – from correspondence to responses to requests for proposals, and contract negotiations. ECM systems are often equipped with contract and offer generators. Having access to SAP SD pricing modules, they can significantly accelerate and standardize the generation and archiving of these documents. A client e-file can serve as a unifying element for all master data and processes related to customer service. ECM will not replace CRM systems – it is not designed for that purpose – but where a large volume of client documents, contracts, and offers are processed, the automation of these processes brings real improvements, and ECM fulfills its role.
Rockawork is a unique combination of a content management system (managing and archiving all types of electronic information generated and processed by an organization) and a workflow system on a single platform; thus, in ECM, one can manage not only incoming and outgoing electronic documents but also the processes that are executed in the context of these documents. Advanced functionalities and extensive expansion capabilities form the basis for building a single, coherent information management system that is consistent across all departments within the organization.
Rockawork features a unique architecture based on so-called logical systems, allowing for the separation of data that, due to its business significance, must be stored with secure management mechanisms. This finds application in managing documents and processes within capital groups or, for example, when sharing documents with external entities (e.g., clients, business partners), while simultaneously involving them in workflow processes.
The Rockawork solution is designed for organizations that want to manage documents securely and flexibly, including electronic archiving and the workflow of all types of documents.
Rockawork was developed with the strategic intent of serving as a client-managed platform, rather than standard software that, in the long run, might require high financial and organizational outlays for application change management processes. This is why Rockawork emphasizes configuration and business administration, rather than rapid availability of standard features and subsequent higher development costs.
Rockawork provides full capabilities for self-configuration (documents, system fields, user roles, workflow processes, etc.) to adapt the final solution to the company’s needs, i.e., defining virtual documents, managing access and permissions, modeling processes, managing change, etc. System expansion, new processes, virtual documents in the archive, or managing configuration changes do not require the involvement of SNP (currently All for One Poland) and can be carried out independently by the client’s personnel.
Rockawork is available as a SaaS service based on a private cloud in a data center managed by SNP, not by an external (third-party) entity. This significantly minimizes business risk for companies using the solution, enabling the maintenance of very stringent SLA times. SNP’s data processing center has a certified integrated quality, information security, and IT service management system based on ISO 27001 and ISO 20000.
Rockawork is the only ECM class tool in Poland that possesses a certified set of additional ISO 27018 requirements, dedicated to cloud solutions. For Rockawork clients, this means the highest level of cloud application security management, including proactive application monitoring, regular security tests, the highest possible performance, and compliance with GDPR.
Rockawork is entirely accessible via a web browser – it does not require installing any applications/add-ons on the user’s workstation. By standardizing the way of working across the entire organization, this minimizes the time and financial investment required to onboard new employees (it does not require advanced application training). It offers so-called multilingualism as standard; thanks to this feature, it is possible to work with the same document in a workflow process in multiple languages.
Rockawork is a system that allows for expansion through integration with various external systems. The use of Web Services allows ECM to integrate with systems based on Microsoft, Java technologies, or other services, e.g., on the internet. ECM can invoke Web Services during routine administrative tasks (e.g., triggered daily, monthly, etc.) or in automated process steps. This is a great convenience and one of the biggest advantages of this solution, offering the possibility of real automation of tedious steps, reduction of errors, and drawing data from multiple databases available within the organization.
ECM can connect with multiple systems simultaneously, for example, to retrieve the number of vacation days employees are entitled to from an HR system (e.g., SAP HR, SuccessFactors, or eNova) when creating a leave request, or to retrieve a list of controlling objects, orders, and contractor data needed to post an invoice.
