Definition
Business process and workflow is defined as the ability of government agencies to codify, automate, and standardise business processes and rules, including the orchestration of multiple workflows and management of extended business processes within a digital environment.
Business process and workflow exist at various levels within an entity and are part of a broader operational practice. Examples of common business process and workflow may include:
- APS Employee Onboarding: Onboarding APS employees ensuring they have the necessary tools to perform their roles effectively.
- Invoice Processing: Managing the receipt, approval, and payment of supplier invoices.
Purpose
Business process and workflow enable entities to align processes with business goals, increasing efficiency by reducing errors, automating tasks, and optimising workflows. It offers end-to-end visibility, which assists in identifying bottlenecks and making informed decisions.
Utilising business process and workflow can reduce operational costs through process optimisation and automation. It offers scalability by allowing the modification and optimisation of existing processes to manage increased workloads or changing business requirements.
The capability of business process and workflow is realised through:
- Enterprise Workflow Engines that orchestrate workflows, often spanning multiple systems, to control and audit the beginning-to-end process outcomes
- Rules Engines that dynamically define and control the application of complex sets of conditions that can be executed remotely by systems to ensure consistent application of rules without duplication.
Objectives
The objectives of Business Process and Workflow capability are to:
- adopt, where suitable, low-code to no-code solutions that allow the development of complex workflows and rulesets through a human centred interface rather than programmatically
- implement build-once-use-many solutions that allow for consistent application and maintenance of rules and workflows across different systems and channels
- ensure traceability and auditability across complex systems and processes without having to embed these functions in all parts of the solution
- reduce implementation risk through the reuse of proven modular designs within government
- ensure that new Business Process and Workflow solutions draw efficiency from preceding investments, implementations, and learnings
- consolidate and standardise Business Process and Workflow solutions with aligned functions to increase efficiency and reduce the complexity of government service delivery
- establish whole-of-government purchasing arrangements for Business Process and Workflow products and services.
Whole-of-government applicability
The Data and Digital Government Strategy (DDGS) sets a vision for 2030 to deliver simple, secure and connected public services for all people and business, through world class data and digital capabilities.
Suitable handing of business process and workflow as a capability supports the DDGS missions of:
- Simple and seamless services: Be digital by design, engage people proactively, and guide them to the services they might need.
- Delivering for all people and business: Embed inclusion and accessibility, ensuring all services meet the latest Web Content Accessibility Guidelines and that the Digital Service Standard is implemented to embed best-practice service design and accessibility across the APS.
Policy Elements
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Develop a comprehensive understanding of the business and workflow processes targeted for automation
Detailed analysis of agencies’ business processes will help determine the requirements and suitability for automation before starting any technology investigation.
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Check for existing re-useable business process and workflow designs before engaging in new development processes
Utilising existing business process and workflow solutions in public sector services will assist agencies in reducing risk, enhancing consistency, expediting delivery, and lowering costs by adhering to established standards and designs before considering new developments.
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Build for reuse
When reuse is not feasible, agencies must provide evidence of examined government systems, including details on usage, users, scale, and security classification. Additionally, it should be considered how new investments can be adapted for future reuse and able to support agencies with similar requirements.
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Lower development and maintenance complexity of government solutions
Evaluate the suitability of low-code/no-code documented processes and business rules from different channels and systems before developing a standalone, independent applications.
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Understand the existing technology environment
Initiatives using business process and workflow solutions must show how the solution fits within the technological environment, guiding technology decisions and implementation.