With the increased use of technology in the workplace, it can be baffling to know what form of digital transformation is right for your tribe. Tech comes in all forms of implementations — from automated digital workers to software solutions — so pinpointing which best suits your needs is important before undergoing a large-scale deployment. The good news is there are plenty of solutions available that can work alongside your existing technology.
For tribal leaders who need tech to save time around existing, well-structured processes, workflow automation drives efficiency around these types of applications and financial transactions. That said, when it comes to more dynamic assistance on complex operations requiring human intuition and judgment, case management software possesses more agility and adds value beyond driving A to B processes.
Read more below to discover which solution is best for your government:
Workflow Automation vs. Case Management
Depending on your needs, workflow automation or case management solutions may suit your tribe better for its operational efficiency, organization, and growth.
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Workflow Automation |
Case Management |
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Boosts efficiency for structured processes |
Offers flexibility for a variety of processes |
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Predefined routing for invoices and approvals |
Dynamic routing to complete the task in many different ways |
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Focuses on speeding up individual tasks |
Centralizes data in multiple systems for easy retrieval |
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Constant improvements are implemented based on logic and stats |
Adaptation is implemented since tasks through this aren’t standardized |
Use Workflow Automation for Quick Wins
If your tribe has a solid grip on the sequencing of information and experiences frequent, high-volume tasks, workflow automation is a powerful solution designed to boost efficiency. Just like the name implies, workflow automation has a primary function of automating common business processes that are accomplished the same way every time. This allows you to scale and save time and money along the way as you grow.
A few examples where workflow automation is highly beneficial can include the following:
- Onboarding new employees
- Accounts payable
- Documentation
Many times, these sequences are visualized with swim lanes and assignments to properly map out the precise order where things will be routed. The image below from Laserfiche illustrates one way to build a workflow for Accounts Payable.
This ensures alignment on the operational aspect of how tasks are planned out and iterated over time, and you can always adjust and make changes when needed. The advantages around automation’s simplicity and routing function make documents get to their destination without the risk of being lost.
Use Case Management for More Complex Processes
While the structured aspect of workflow automation has its benefits, case management takes the spotlight when it comes to being both agile and flexible. There are times when cases don’t always have one clear-cut solution or structure since new information is always changing the situation. This requires a different, nuanced approach to your casework and other tasks — often requiring human intervention to progress.
A few examples where case management is highly beneficial can include the following:
- Employment paperwork and compliance
- Investigative cases
- Training new employees
Case management helps with the intuitive side of problem-solving; situations that require more judgment and empathy than artificial intelligence can replicate. For example, you can automate forms that are sent to a new employee or an application for a summer camp program, but if there’s new information available that requires updating a child’s enrollment status, that’s where case management truly shines. Housing a repository of data gives a person easy access to compile and make informed decisions for the tribal government. It’s this easy access and stored documentation that case management aids with searching and updating files in real-time.
Getting the Best of Both Workflow Automation and Case Management
Both workflow automation and case management complement each other when it comes to operating efficiently in a tribal government. You can apply each strategically to truly get the most mileage out of your digital transformation and ongoing scalability over time. First, you must weigh the benefits of both and pinpoint processes that will help solve day-to-day problems.
Intertribal Software has served more than 50 tribes since 1993. We strategize the best way to centralize your reporting and personalize your processes to best fit the software, not the other way around. Contact us or request a demo today to get started.
