‘Lightweight’ Digital Transformation

This article first appeared on the Fluix blog.

Every person in business relies on documents to get work done. You create them, collaborate with others on them, share them for “FYI” purposes, wait for approvals on them, and file them. 

This is the definition of document workflow, even if we never really talk about it. Orchestrated, repeatable patterns of activities to transmit documents (and maybe even data) for decision-making, auditing, and compliance. 

Document-based workflow may not be turned into a company policy, though. It may be as simple as a one- or two-step process: 

You create a document. You share it with me to get my feedback or approval. We then publish or present or submit the document to others, and we file the document for later access. Or some combination of these things, with additional stakeholders involved. 

Every document has a document routing workflow. It just happens without us thinking about it. But when do workflows hinder progress? When do you need document workflow automation?

Here’s Where Document-Based Workflows Become Problems

McKinsey & Company reported (registration required) within just the last few years that the global paper and paperboard industry continues to grow despite so many purported ‘digital transformation’ and paperless initiatives taking shape in enterprises. Paper demand remains high — despite the costs in labor, waste, and the negative impact on climate change. 

The more printed documents we require from others, the more costs we incur for our businesses. Reportedly, in the U.S. alone, businesses are spending $8 billion annually just managing paper. 

Digital Transformation is Overkill, if Done Wrong

Ignoring these hard and soft costs, especially in today’s competitive world, is ignoring a massive opportunity to streamline operations. 

Meanwhile, “digital transformation” sounds daunting. Like a time-consuming, expensive process. That’s because it is, for many enterprises. IDC reports that worldwide spending on these types of initiatives will top $2.3 trillion by 2023. 

Change agents inside major corporations often persuade executives to embrace end-to-end workflow software solutions and the behavior changes that require the successful adoption of that software. Three years and millions of dollars later (or more), the software isn’t fully utilized or even fully deployed. Maybe change agents make these recommendations for reasons tied to company innovation and progress. Maybe they make them for personal reasons involving job security.

But right now, in 2020, do you want to be the one who recommends a ‘fix’ that will take years to implement and see an ROI from?  

Making Digital Transformation Easier 

We have a different approach to this at Fluix. What’s different about our take on digital transformation is we believe in user-first thinking. 

We believe, as far as document sharing and repetitive form submissions are involved, especially in ‘analog’ industries — where employees often work offline, or on job sites or production lines — that the best approach to digital transformation is in thinking lightweight: turning manual processes into digital ones, with document management workflow software that is user-centric, yet powerful. 

Over the last six years, we’ve seen first-hand how enterprises in numerous industries have transformed their organizations into 100% paperless companies by thinking lightweight. They’ve wiped out hard costs, streamlined decision-making, and greatly reduced time spent waiting for documents or data. 

This is document workflow automation: 

Taking a nuisance, manual business process that “we’ve done this way for years” and deploying a digital evolution of that process across hundreds or even thousands of employees in a matter of days, instead of months. 

Imagine software that your employees who don’t live in software all day long actually enjoy using, and look for additional ways to use. 

Imagine daily standup meetings, safety inspections, and repetitive maintenance checklists being fast to conduct, with the document and data transmitted in real-time, with a few taps. 

It’s amazing this isn’t more common. Software that doesn’t give employees 43 choices of actions to take on-screen at one time, just a few. 

This is our take on digital transformation. It beats spending millions and months to change your organization. We think you’ll like it.