SAP Business Workflow - Introduction

In SAP system, Business Workflows are used to execute business processes in applications. Workflows are a key component of SAP system wherein they help design the business processes - it can be a simple release or a complex repeated business process such as creating a material master, etc.

SAP Business Workflows are predefined in SAP R/3 system and the users can also create their new workflows. The workflow allows the users to manage business processes in an efficient manner such that it can be aligned with compliance.

Workflows ensure that right information is sent to the right person at the right time in a correct sequence.

To perform a complex task in SAP system such as invoice approval, purchase request, etc. involves going through different steps. These steps can be performed manually or by using some formal communication such as email, notes, etc. When the tasks are performed manually, there are some common problems associated with it, such as −

• Difficulty tracking the task status
• Dealing with inefficiency
• Difficulty tracking formal communications
• Managing a deadline

The above image depicts a SAP Workflow process. It is a tool for automating business processes and works uniformly across all the applications. As you can see, it is suitable where the business processes involve multiple people or a group of people.

Business workflows can easily be integrated with Organization Management and SAP NetWeaver BI for analysis purposes so it can easily determine the business processes that suits your organization.