At its heart, workflow management exists to answer four basic questions about any given task within the workflow: 

• What needs to be done?
• Who needs to do it?
• When does it need to be completed?
• How should it be accomplished?

Correctly applied, workflow management brings together clear visibility, process automation, and support tools to guide people and processes. Additionally, teams that operate within reliable workflows see greater productivity and efficiency and are more goal-oriented than those who do not. This comes from having easy access to workflow data, allowing for increased visibility into the steps and processes involved and which roles are responsible for which actions.

Just as workflows bring together people and processes, projects are the situations in which multiple workflows operate in tandem to achieve a specific result. Project management describes the tools and strategies associated with guiding and optimizing these projects. For example, where workflow management may help illustrate and optimize the processes needed to onboard new employees, project management would instead detail and govern the tasks necessary for recruiting, hiring, and onboarding a specific new hire.

On the other hand, given the growing sophistication of workflow management software, there may be a great deal of overlap between these two disciplines. In fact, the best workflow management systems available today can perform nearly all the project management duties a company might depend on. 

Given the size and complexity of most modern business processes, coordinating and tracking tasks and people associated with workflows demands effective tools. Workflow management systems are software solutions created to help businesses better streamline their workflows. These tools generally include built-in functionality making it possible to automate repetitive tasks and processes, schedule reminders and follow-ups, alert users about uncompleted tasks, track performance metrics, and work from a comprehensive view of every aspect of the workflow.

Essential features of workflow management systems

From beginning to end, there is a lot that goes into effectively managing a workflow. Top workflow management systems must be capable of optimizing every aspect of the workflow and supporting human users on all levels. As such, workflow management systems depend on a range of advanced features and capabilities, including: 

• Analytics tracking
• Automated notifications
• Cloud based computing
• Code-free workflow designer
• Drag and drop tools
• Data integration with third-party applications
• Low code app development 
  
• Parallel branches
• Report generation
• Role based access control
• Service-level agreement (SLA) status indicators
  

Different approaches to workflow management are typically categorized based on how tasks are structured and completed. Each type offers a different approach to organizing tasks, which can range from simple, linear processes to more complex systems that allow for flexibility in certain operations. The four main categories are: 

Sequential workflows 

In sequential workflows, tasks must be completed in a specific order. Each step depends on the previous one being finished before moving to the next. This type is ideal for processes that have clear dependencies, like an approval process where one person’s sign-off is needed before moving forward. 

State-machine workflows

State-machine workflows offer more flexibility, allowing tasks to move back and forth between steps without a strict order. This structure is common in iterative processes like product development, where tasks may need multiple revisions or approvals from different teams before completion.

Rules-driven workflows

Rules-driven workflows follow conditional logic to determine how tasks proceed. These workflows adapt based on "if this, then that" rules, separating into different paths depending on specific circumstances. Due to their complexity, businesses often use automation to manage the multiple task branches. 

Parallel workflows

Parallel workflows involve running multiple tasks simultaneously, allowing for faster completion of independent activities. When several teams can work on different aspects of a project at the same time, they can reduce delays and improve overall productivity without waiting for other tasks to finish. 

Workflow management software tools are designed to handle most of the heavy lifting associated with your workflows. That said, the effectiveness of any tool depends heavily on your ability to put it to proper use and get the most out of what it has to offer. As you work to implement a workflow management solution for your business, consider the following best practices: 

Get buy-in from leadership

Workflows can extend beyond the boundaries of individual departments, involving people and processes throughout your organization. And because these solutions will likely impact your business company-wide, it is imperative that you get backing from company leadership. Discuss workflow management with managers and C-suite executives, and make sure that you have their support before you commit. 

Identify and collaborate with stakeholders 

In addition to company leadership, you will also need to involve individual stakeholders. Identify who will be responsible for various tasks within the workflow. Work closely with these individuals to ensure that everything is in place to effectively guide processes end-to-end. 

Map and prioritize workflows

Mapping is a crucial aspect of workflow management, but not every workflow carries with it the same urgency or importance. Priority workflows (those related to finance, IT, HR, etc.) and customer-facing workflows should be your primary concern. These need to be agile, fully operational, and efficient. Once these are in place, you can then prioritize supporting workflows. 

Automate extensively

Automation is the key to effective workflow management and should be applied wherever possible. Comb through your workflow to locate any simple, repetitive tasks or approvals; these may be well suited to automation, and can help free up employees to perform other, more-strategic actions. 

Eliminate redundancies

Mapping out workflows provides a birds-eye view of exactly what tasks are involved. This can help you identify redundant actions that take up employee time but provide no additional benefit. Work closely with your stakeholders to review workflows, locate areas of duplicate effort, and remove them.

Track KPIs

Many workflows may need to be reassessed and revised after deployment. Establish relevant metrics and monitor key performance indicators (KPIs) to ensure that everything is proceeding optimally and that individual processes are functioning as anticipated. This will help you identify potential problem areas which you can then work to improve. 

Govern the process

Although advanced automation technologies can create workflows that drive themselves, it is always better to have a human overseeing the process. Govern your workflows, make course corrections where necessary, and use the insights you develop to further optimize your business.

While workflow management can improve efficiency, several common challenges may arise during implementation. Addressing these obstacles early on is essential for optimizing workflows and ensuring successful outcomes:

Employee resistance

People like to stick with the way they’re already doing things. Unfortunately, when employees resist changes to their established routines, it can slow the adoption of new workflow systems. To overcome this, clearly communicate what benefits they stand to gain—such as reduced frustration and improved efficiency. Additionally, involve employees in the design process wherever possible to encourage buy-in and ownership. 

Ineffective communication

Poor communication between teams leads to delays, misunderstandings, and missed steps, all of which disrupt workflows. Set the stage for better coordination by fostering a culture of open communication where updates and questions are encouraged. Implement tools that enable real-time collaboration and provide visibility into workflow progress for all team members.

Limited resources

Workflows demand resources, and resource constraints (such as time, budget, or staffing) hinder workflow efficiency. Regularly reviewing and optimizing workflows can help businesses make better use of limited resources. Automation can likewise alleviate resource strain by reducing manual work and allowing employees to focus on more strategic tasks.

Unclear processes

Vague or poorly defined workflows create confusion as employees may struggle to understand tasks and responsibilities. Address this problem by clearly documenting all workflows, outlining each step, resource, and role. Ensure that expectations are communicated, and provide easy access to reference materials to help eliminate ambiguity. 

Better productivity

Workflows provide clarity by defining each task, its dependencies, and the people responsible for them. This reduces confusion and downtime, allowing teams to focus on core activities. By automating repetitive tasks, workflows free up employees to concentrate on more valuable, high-impact work, resulting in a significant boost in productivity.

Streamlined processes

Mapping workflows exposes inefficiencies and bottlenecks, revealing areas where processes can be improved. This makes it easier to eliminate redundancies and reduce unnecessary steps, leading to faster, more efficient task completion. Streamlined workflows help businesses save time and resources, increasing overall operational effectiveness. 

Increased accountability and transparency

Documented workflows assign clear roles and responsibilities to each task, ensuring that everyone knows what they are accountable for. Increased visibility into workflows also allows teams to monitor progress in real time. This transparency ensures that tasks stay on track and issues can be quickly identified and resolved.

Improved compliance 

With detailed workflows in place, businesses can ensure that tasks are completed in accordance with legal and regulatory requirements. This structured approach reduces the risk of non-compliance and allows for easy auditing, keeping organizations safe from the legal penalties and reputational damage that can come from non-compliance. 

Optimal resource allocation 

Effective workflow management provides insights into which resources—personnel, equipment, time, etc.—are needed for each task. By optimizing resource allocation, businesses can avoid resource bottlenecks and ensure that all available assets are being used efficiently. The result is a more balanced set of workloads and better distribution of responsibilities.

As technology continues to evolve, advancements in artificial intelligence are transforming workflow management. Already organizations are seeing how intelligent systems can be used to help automate even the most complex tasks, accelerating processes and effectively eliminating inaccuracies. More advanced AI capabilities have the potential to provide real-time analysis of workflow data, identifying inefficiencies and offering optimization suggestions. By continuously learning from patterns and outcomes, AI can guide businesses toward achieving peak operational efficiency. 

In the years to come, AI will also enable greater personalization within workflow management systems. AI-powered dashboards will offer tailored task views, helping employees prioritize their work more effectively. Additionally, intelligent systems will recommend workflow improvements based on individual performance and preferences. This shift toward personalized, AI-driven workflows will not only enhance productivity but also empower employees to work more efficiently and collaboratively, and in the way that works best for them.

Processes drive your business, and how you manage your workflows can define how effectively those processes function. ServiceNow, the leader in IT management systems, is taking workflow management further than ever before.

Built on the award-winning Now Platform®, ServiceNow workflow solutions combine low-code capabilities and out-of-the-box functionality with advanced AI and supporting tools, all remote-accessible from a single, centralized location. Quickly and accurately build custom workflows that scale across your enterprise. Integrate with existing data and tools. Define and track essential metrics and KPIs. Establish variables and workflow branches. And through it all, apply revolutionary automation to keep everything moving in the right direction. 

See for yourself how ServiceNow redefines workflow management. Request a demo today!