SharePoint Workflows: Types and Benefits

Are you a mid-sized company leader noticing a lapse in daily operations, signaling a need for organizational restructuring? In the trajectory of any mid-sized company, there arises a juncture when the daily routines of its workforce begin to slip from focus, signaling a need for structural organization. This juncture poses a challenge: deciding between investing in a sophisticated and costly workflow management tool or sticking with the familiar, cost-effective, and nimble email system. When confronted with the dilemma of an overburdened email-based system and the complexity of custom solutions, consider turning to SharePoint as your guiding captain to navigate you towards the optimal decision. This blog post explores the various types of SharePoint workflows and delves into the benefits they bring to businesses.

SharePoint offers five widely embraced workflows for implementation:

Approval Workflow:

The Approval Workflow streamlines and automates the series of steps needed to endorse or decline a specific item or document.

This workflow is instrumental in scenarios requiring a comprehensive review and approval process before content can be published or made publicly accessible.

For instance, it can be applied to the approval of new employee join requests by the HR manager or the endorsement of a new product by the management team before its launch.

Automation Workflows:

SharePoint enables the streamlining of business processes via Automation workflows, a versatile tool adept at automating various tasks.

This workflow is utilized to automatically create and update items in SharePoint lists, libraries, and content types.

Additionally, Automation Workflow proves valuable for tasks such as automated email delivery, task creation, and document updates, resulting in time savings and heightened operational efficiency.

Notification Workflows:

Workflow automation is frequently utilized in SharePoint sites to handle routine site-related activities. Notification workflows, in particular, play a pivotal role by triggering an email or other notification when an item undergoes a change. For instance, a notification workflow can promptly notify a site member when a task is assigned to them.

Custom Workflows:

As organizations establish varied processes, they often find it necessary to implement a combination of workflows, and this is where custom workflows come into play.

SharePoint custom workflows empower organizations to construct their own mini-programs tailored to specific needs, ensuring a seamless integration of multiple workflows to address diverse business requirements.

Status Workflows:

Status workflows are among the most prevalent types within SharePoint. These workflows are crafted to autonomously adjust the status of an item, be it a document or task, in reaction to alterations.

For instance, upon the creation of a document, the status workflow can automatically revise it to “In Progress,” “Updated,” or “Under Review.”

Benefits of SharePoint Workflows for Business

Process Automation:

SharePoint workflows automate routine business processes, reducing manual intervention and the likelihood of errors. This automation leads to increased operational efficiency and allows employees to focus on more strategic tasks, enhancing overall productivity.

Standardization and Consistency:

By enforcing predefined processes through workflows, SharePoint ensures that business processes are standardized across the organization. This consistency is crucial for maintaining quality, compliance, and adherence to company policies.

Improved Collaboration:

SharePoint workflows facilitate collaboration by streamlining the flow of information and tasks between team members. This promotes transparency, as stakeholders can track the progress of tasks, share feedback, and collaborate seamlessly within the platform.

Enhanced Visibility and Reporting:

Workflows in SharePoint provide a clear overview of the status of ongoing processes. Managers and stakeholders can gain real-time insights into the progress of tasks, enabling better decision-making. Additionally, the platform offers reporting features that help organizations analyze workflow performance and identify areas for improvement.

Auditability and Compliance:

SharePoint workflows contribute to better auditability by maintaining detailed records of each step in a process. This is crucial for compliance purposes, especially in industries with stringent regulatory requirements. Organizations can easily demonstrate adherence to compliance standards through the audit trail generated by SharePoint workflows.

Time and Cost Savings:

Automating processes with SharePoint workflows reduces the time required to complete tasks. This time efficiency, coupled with the elimination of manual errors, leads to cost savings for the organization. Businesses can redirect resources to more value-added activities, driving overall profitability.

We can incorporate additional explicit features that underscore SharePoint’s advantages over specialized systems:

User-Friendly Interface:

SharePoint stands out for its simplicity, requiring no intricate user training or external consultant assistance. Users can seamlessly navigate the platform without the need for extensive learning sessions.

Workflow Flexibility:

In contrast to specialized systems that often enforce rigid processes, SharePoint provides users with the flexibility to navigate workflows without strict rules. This adaptability allows for a more fluid and user-centric workflow experience.

Cost-Effectiveness:

SharePoint presents a cost-effective solution when compared to specialized systems, considering factors such as licensing, implementation, and customization expenses. The overall cost of adopting and maintaining SharePoint is notably moderate.

Guided Workflow Assistance:

SharePoint actively supports users throughout their workflows. While the system relies on human actions, it empowers users to follow personalized processes and ensures they don’t overlook any steps within the workflow. This proactive guidance enhances the overall efficiency of the workflow management process.

Conclusion

In conclusion, SharePoint workflows play a pivotal role in enhancing business processes by automating, standardizing, and optimizing workflows.

The platform offers a variety of workflow types to cater to different business scenarios, ensuring flexibility and adaptability.

The benefits of SharePoint workflows extend beyond efficiency gains, encompassing improved collaboration, visibility, and compliance.

As businesses continue to embrace digital transformation, the integration of SharePoint workflows proves to be a strategic investment in driving operational excellence and achieving organizational goals.

Happy Reading!