This is the second post in The Workflow Series, which shows how workflows can enhance and automate different areas of IPM to suit your business processes better. Of course, due to the nature of workflows, you can decide how and where you use workflows, so these are only examples in an almost infinite list of possibilities.
Last week, I outlined the use of workflows in the creation of forecast tracking reports, used to track the changes to your forecast to complete figures as the project progresses. This week I’m going to talk about how workflows can help you ensure meeting minute items are followed up and actioned on time.
Do you find yourself, after every meeting with architects, subcontractors, general contractors and the like, constantly chasing up attendees to ensure they have actioned the items on the agenda they are responsible for? Or setting yourself countless outlook reminders and scribbling on post it notes in the hope that nothing will slip through the cracks?
Well, you will be pleased to know that as this is a blog about solutions, there is an easier way to manage your meeting minute items. And, you guessed it, the answer lies with Microsoft Dynamics CRM workflows. In other examples we have shown you of workflows, they have been set to run on demand or when part of a record is changed. But workflows can also be created when a record is created. This is perfect in the case of meeting minute items, as it means that each time you create a meeting minute item, a workflow can kick off and constantly run in the background. One way you can use this is to have the workflow regularly check today’s date against the due date on the meeting minute item. If the due date rolls around and the item has not yet been actioned, the workflow can then automatically send an email reminder to you, and the person responsible for the item. So all you have to do is create the workflow and add your meeting minute items into IPM as you normally would, and it will do the rest for you. No more chasing people up, setting countless outlook reminders or scribbled post it notes.
We have plenty more tips and ideas for workflow uses, so keep checking back for more in The Workflow Series.
