Processes which will benefit most from managed workflow are those that will find advantage in a defined or controlled process as well as profit from the integration of that process across coordinated systems. Typical candidates are those processes which are document intensive, include lots of hand-offs among participants, and require high process integrity. However, simple and/or ad-hoc processes can also benefit from managed workflow if they are implemented with a corresponding simple and flexible workflow management system.

The following criteria for spotting processes which might benefit from workflow management have been suggested by James G. Kobielus in Workflow Strategies.¹¹

• Speed: Prolonged processes are often the first to get attention when looking at workflow solutions. Complaints from customers, suppliers and managers (“Why does this take so long?”) often provide the incentive for improvement.
• Cost: Costs to be aware of include high labor costs and frequent routing of simple tasks to high-priced personnel.
• Accuracy: Danger signals might include complaints about process integrity as well as problems pertaining to accurate record keeping.
• Quality: Is the quality of the end-product inconsistent?
• Customer Satisfaction: Does the process generate a steady stream of complaints or citizen confusion?
• Flexibility: Rigid procedures will usually benefit from allowing some sort of employee override, as long as the staff is required to explain and justify their actions.

Once candidates for process reengineering are identified, priority can be given to those solutions which will most positively impact the organization. One method is to prioritize an organization’s critical success factors (perhaps from the above list) and then obtain consensus on which projects will address the highest ranked items.