Workflows have been a part of business life since the dawn of commerce. While the term might be a newer buzzword in the business world, businesses have been progressing and growing thanks to business workflows ever since people began trading. The easiest way to describe business workflows is this: businesses have goals, and workflows are there to guide them on their journey.

Business process management isn't an easy task, especially as your business grows. Keeping on top of how each team and all of your employees work towards your ultimate business goals is a big task on top of your own role, and managers need as much of a helping hand to keep things moving as possible.

Thankfully, we live in a world where automation has eased the pressure on businesses, and that makes workflow management much more simple.

What is a workflow management system?

A workflow management system gets your business set up to monitor and get the most out of your business workflows. It's a system for ensuring your business workflows are working hard for your business - usually software that allows managers to keep track of everyone's progress on tasks. Your workflow management system lets you refine your processes and streamline workflows to reach your ultimate business goals, and your business needs to invest in one.

Workflow management systems come from the need for all businesses to track and optimize their processes, ensuring everything that's happening both in and outside of the office keeps the ultimate goals and core values of your business in mind. No business that's aiming to make life easier for working moms in Mississippi wants to find out their latest marketing campaign has been targeting working moms in Montana, or that it's being fronted by a public figure who basic research shows doesn't resonate with moms from Mississippi, right? Workflow management systems keep teams - and managers - accountable for their processes, and help make things a little easier, too.

While there are many businesses that are yet to feel the sting of digital disruption using manual workflow management systems, the real benefit can be found in automated, digital systems that allow for everyone to keep track of workflow across the business. It's no secret that manual systems of any kind are a lot slower and more ineffective than those that are boosted by the powers of automation - think Trint versus manual transcription. There's a range of top software packages out there that are great investments for any business hoping to unify its processes and manage business progress effectively and efficiently.

Your workflow solution can help you manage and oversee every process in your business. There are different systems available to you that monitor your staff's progress specifically - known as human-centric workflow management systems - that focus on the human element of your business and the processes that are owned by the people at your business, like creative brainstorms.

You can also invest in integration-centric workflow management systems, which focus on integrating automated systems and solutions to streamline your business processes and cut time off your tasks. Productivity is key to your business growth, so be sure to take a good luck at how business workflow management systems can boost your organization.

Workflow management systems can be your business' superpower, but they can also be terrible. Take a look at the kind of workflow management systems you should be avoiding here.