process management

Traditional budgeting often resembles a marathon full of spreadsheets, manual reconciliations and time-consuming data collection. However, modern companies need agile, data-driven solutions that allow for transparency, efficiency and strategic foresight. Digital technologies such as digital twins, dashboards and process mining initiate this possibility: they transform the budgeting process from a static set of figures to a dynamic, simulation-capable management tool. Instead of getting lost in detailed work, companies can use them to analyze processes in real time, simulate scenarios and make well-informed decisions.

Many departments have already recognized the enormous increase in efficiency and personnel relief from routine activities through process automation. These digital thought leaders have begun to automate office processes using new technologies such as Robotic Process Automation (RPA), low code in the Microsoft Power Platform or in SAP. However, the positive experiences often remain in individual departments. Due to the lack of a strategic superstructure, companies as a whole have not yet succeeded in systematically transferring the added values to all areas. The organizational solution for this is called a "Center of Automation". Sometimes it is enough for the team to consist of two members to bring an overarching, digital process mindset into a company. (Only in German)

Right now, there’s virtually no single issue impacting the mechanical and plant engineering sector as profoundly as that of the “smart factory.” In fact, according to an industry survey conducted in 2019 [1], as many as 68 percent of the respondents reported that they had already launched initial smart factory initiatives. According to the Capgemini study “Smart Factories @ Scale” [2], by the end of 2019, a third of the factories had already been transformed into intelligent factories. This article presents insight into how leveraging the advantages of a cloud-based solution can ensure that the flow of information within a network of smart factories can be managed effectively.

The presented QuickCheck enables a short and efficient analysis, understanding and modeling of as-is business processes in mid-size companies. Root causes of elaborated optimization potential of those analyzed business processes will be identified. Needed actions are qualified using an effect to cost portfolio analysis by relevance. Based on the portfolio analysis human resources can be utilized effectively in resulting projects which can be executed efficiently.

GloNet is a research project co-funded by the European Commission which aims in supporting small and medium sizes enterprises to collaborate in the frame of virtual organisations. The cloud-based GloNet platform supports the efficient organisation of business processes involving suppliers and customers in the product lifecycle. The solution will allow for the maintenance of complex, individualised, and extended products. This article presents a use case from the solar ranch, summarises process requirements and elaborates on the architecture and important features of the GloNet platform.

The development of medical high-tech products is associated with high costs for documentation as well as for risk and quality management. In addition, they are subject to tight regulations and licensing procedures. To meet these challenges, the use of new methods and information technology tools is worthwhile, especially in the medical device industry. The product life cycle management approach, which was developed in other industries, offers med-tech companies the potential of being sustainably innovative in the global competition.

Process innovations should be planned at least just as systematically as product innovations. The process roadmapping is a methodology for illustrating development of processes and process variants in the future. Rising dynamics and increasing complexity let the availability of different process variants appear necessary. Roadmapping supports the procedure of defining process variants.

Within structured wikis we can combine the web 2.0-advantages - flexibility, collective intelligence, self-organization and participation - with process oriented knowledge work. These wikis are able to use process structures to support complex processes. Thus, a structured wiki supports knowledge work in know-ledge intensive processes. Users are not bound to strict processes as the wiki technology enables creativity by definition. This paper shows the differences between traditional and structured wikis by example.

Against the background of complex and volatile value chains the success factor quality is gaining increasingly in importance. Today, product quality and process quality as well as their continuous improvement are the basis for entrepreneurial success. Thus quality controlling becomes a central function in order to assure competitiveness of companies. New approaches are in demand in order to fulfil quality requirements along value chains and in order to link quality management systems with quality controlling. By an inter-divisional and company-wide implementation of Quality Gates these requirements can be met.

Continuous attempt for improvement as well as the permanent impulse to explore and eliminate failures and flaws belong to the classical quality mindset, which is also reflected in CIP approaches. However, it is often difficult to systematically identify improvement potentials with minimal expenses, especially in knowledge intensive business processes. A purposefully combined disciplines and instruments of quality management, process management and knowledge management enables the development of a maturity model adjusted to the needs of SME. This maturity model, based on the methods of CIP, serves to uncover the potentials in the knowledge process. The following contribution demonstrates the development, application as well as the value of employing the quality-oriented maturity model for knowledge intensive business processes.