Pick the workflow
Choose repeated work with a clear trigger, an owner, and an observable end state.
Flowwiz / Guides & evaluationA practical start to
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A practical start to
finance operations.
The workflows to pick first, the controls to set, and the numbers worth measuring.
Define the controls
Decide which exceptions and actions require a person before anything is enabled.
Measure the outcome
Record a baseline and a period, then compare the work and the result together.
Evaluation
Three decisions before you start.
Most disappointing automation projects picked the wrong first workflow, or never defined what success was going to look like.
Choose well
- Repeated, not one-off
- A clear trigger exists
- One named owner
- An observable end state
- Measurable volume today
Avoid for now
- Processes nobody owns
- Rules that change weekly
- Work requiring negotiation every time
- Anything where the exception is the norm
- Judgement calls with no policy behind them
Controls
Decide the review points before you switch it on.
For each action the workflow can take, decide who may perform it and what context they need to see.
- 01List the actions
Everything the workflow could do, including sending email and scheduling payment.
- 02Set the bounds
Amount thresholds, categories, and vendors that can proceed without review.
- 03Name the approvers
A person per boundary, not a shared queue.
- 04Walk one case
Follow a single exception end to end before enabling the workflow.
- 05Record the outcome
Confirm the audit trail explains the decision to someone who was not there.
Measurement
Activity is not value.
Emails sent and hours saved are easy to report and easy to game. Compare the work against the finance outcome you set out to improve.
Measure
- Baseline and evaluation period
- Work completed without intervention
- Exceptions still unresolved and their age
- The finance outcome you targeted
Be careful with
- Volume of reminders sent
- Hours saved estimated after the fact
- Percentages with no baseline
- Results measured on a different basis at each end
FAQ
Before you go further.
Who should be involved in the evaluation?
The workflow owner, the controller or approver, and someone who understands the system connections. Missing any one of the three tends to stall the decision.
Is activity the same as value?
No. Compare completed work and exception quality against the finance outcome you intended to improve, measured on the same basis at both ends.
How long before we see a result?
Long enough for the workflow to run through at least one full cycle of the process: a month for collections, an invoice cycle for payables.
What should we bring to a demo?
Your finance priority, the systems involved, who approves what, and the outcome you want to measure.
What if the first workflow does not work?
That is what the evaluation period is for. Start with one process, measure it honestly, and expand only once it holds.
Start
See it with your team’s context.
Bring your workflow, your systems, and who approves what.