BizDoc – FAQ

BizDoc is a Web centric workflow solution and tools suite for any digital document approval process, such as procurement, personnel travel, customers’ sales order, job order production, and engineering change orders. BizDoc/PRS is a BizDoc implementation fully integrated with Progress based applications and database using Progress WebSpeed for high performance, and stability.

No. BizDoc enables enforcement of complex procedures for any approval workflow process or form, whether for procurements, personnel, customers’ relations, finance, or engineering.

BizDoc also provides extensive budget monitoring feature (the budget matrix).

BizDoc routing is based, not only on organization structure, but also on any data source available, such as budget account, item, project, site, etc. A rule term can restrict the rule to a certain group of accounts. Each account can be assigned function holders such as Account Manager.

Users can be replicated on a regular basis from any storage (Active Directory, Excel, ERP, HR database) utilizing either push into BizDoc or pull utility of BizDoc.

BizDoc maintains users profiles that determine users authorization to view, modify, and execute transactions (authorization, trays, fields, operations). Such are not a part of ERP data.

In case there is any database of personnel information, BizDoc provides a utility to import that information.

Direct modification of other systems is a known mistake resulting excess of integration overpaid by customer.

By using standard APIs we guarantee validation of information, and database integrity, without modification of the other system programs.

Most enterprise applications provide such API’s to minimize re-customization on every new version or system upgrade.

Another benefit of customers by using standard API’s vs. hard coding is that by using standard API’s the customer is less dependent on the implementing vendor.

Can be done if the customer requires it. There are BizDoc customers who implemented a creation of PO within BizDoc, commonly when no ERP system is available. Usually there is an advantage in creating a PR since it enables the purchasing department, or the buyer, to consolidate PR lines into a PO.

Most PO implementations are customized and more complicated than PR implementations; therefore programming a creation of a PO consumes more resources than creating a PR.

PO issuing has more to it than copying requisition data. The buyer is responsible of comparing prices, changing vendor if needed, validate with agreements, handle exceptions; a large percent of the purchasing requisitions are often non-stock or needs to be updated with item.

A multi vendor solution allows the customer to maximize and benefit the various advantages of the different technologies.

Microsoft tools are more commonly known therefore most customers do have that technology in-house.

Yes. BizDoc supports SAAS by managing a single copy of the system while maintaining a separated database for each customer and their custom applications.

As a rule, we always look for the best performance connectivity as required to integrate Microsoft ASP to the other technology. It depends on the system load if one may suggest using ODBC, or another tool. For example, BizDoc uses ODBC for BizDoc Administrator’s connection to Progress RDBMS, however we found that the best BizDoc-to-Progress RDBMS connection for web-users, with medium to heavy loads, is Progress WebSpeed.

Performance.

Scalability.

Stability.

Fast development using Progress WebSpeed-4GL.

Lines of the budget matrix reflect statuses and it is possible to add and modify lines according to customer’s needs.

Matrices, periods, lines and other settings can be done using the Administration tool.

“Drill-up” enables authorized user to view higher levels of budget accounts, such as groups and patterns of budget accounts. (e.g. organizational units, department, project, plant, company, corporate).

When “drilling-up” to corporate level of a distributed organization there is a specific need to consolidate data from distributed databases and sources.

Yes. This can be done automatically or as a response to use action. ECO procedure, for example, can open parallel routing process to obtain and confirm items price and update the running ECO.

Manual correlation example of “all or nothing”: you associate a Travel request with a Procurement one to determine that if one of them is rejected then the other must not be rejected as well.

It is a matter of convention and not a must. In general whoever develops a form should minimize the number of keystrokes.

Any combination of any data can be used. Including data fields of the form, retrieved database data or implicated data.

BizDoc can use the customer’s budget accounts structure. Budget accounts may be segmented, having defined pattern used by the customer for various needs such as aggregations.

BizDoc also allow grouping of budget accounts. “Drill-ups” are possible by setting patterns and groups of accounts.

Yes. From within the BizDoc Administration tool. See other comments about the BizDoc implementers` course. Simple actions and statuses can be set by the Administration; more complex actions require scripting.

Purchase Requisition and Expense Clain are only two of many implementations that BizDoc can be used for, e.g. any approval process/form, as well as enforcement of management procedures.

BizDoc provides rich and dynamic routing capabilities by any combination of data source. You may define general rules and then use them for a specific or all defined forms. Note this sub-schema workflow feature is a standard feature of the non- programmable administration UI.

Forms can be developed, and modified by customer. Most important is to consider it to be natural; easy to use; self- understood; and requiring as few key strokes as possible.

3rd party’s application licensing is not required unless you are using 3rd party’s application software for integration. Depend on the version, BizDoc require Microsoft Windows Server, and MS SQL server.

System level authentication of the web server and network (OS, SSL, other).

Security in BizDoc includes: authentication of user by ID and password; appointment of substitute user; delegation of authority; not all users must be ERP users.

Documents are kept in private trays and visible to involved personnel only; viewing or modifying document data is secured by authorization of users, user groups and functions.

Trays, actions, forms, reports and other application objects are secured as well.;

BizDoc keeps audits of user actions as approve, reject, etc..

Application registers users by their activities, whether on behalf of their own, as a substitute of another user, or in the name of who authorized them.

BizDoc can save versions of the document when the document is modified.

For securing connections from certain workstations, BizDoc can optionally enforce specific IP address.

Define ‘Small’.  As a managing tool for creation of proper and stabled business culture within the organization it is always easier to implement BizDoc while company is relative small and then grow with the company’s growth. Therefore BizDoc is recommended also for very small (less than 50 users) organizations.

BizDoc forms library is growing to include samples of everything Moding has done before. For example: PR, PO, SO, HR, HD, Travel, etc.

Occasional BizDoc users can set their profile to receive an email alert linked to BizDoc for any document waiting for them to execute.

Heavy users may decide not to use that function and to login BizDoc at their discretion.

Yes. Some customers do it while other prefer to enable initiation, and leave budget approval to executives, or budget managers on route.

BizDoc pricing is based on active named-users, site license, or corporate license. License may be permanent or annual.

BizDoc has been integrated with SBO, Priority, QAD MFG/PRO, Oracle Applications, Baan, Hashavshevet, and other customer proprietary applications.

BizDoc installation, configuration, and training of BizDoc administrator and users is a matter of a couple of days.

BizDoc implementation may last about a month, where actual working hours required are 50-150 depending on the complexity of forms and integration with other enterprise applications

Yes. Consult BizDoc Environment Prerequisites document that fits your version.

A signer can be defined as a regular signer; only for notification (info.); a required signer – there has to be a valid user attached to it, otherwise the route will fail; parallel signers – with two options: all of them must sign in order to move to the next signer, or only one of them is enough.

The statuses are determined according to internal policies and defined in the BizDoc Administration tool.

Functionality:

1. Dynamic Routing: Specific route is assigned dynamically after modifications; sequential and parallel; enforcing all or one of parallel signers; secured and non-secured consultation;

2. Consolidation of budget matrix is feasible.

3. Forms’ correlation and automatic initiation of forms (e.g. B2B price approval, Purchase-Travel correlation );

4. Version changes history;

5. System Administration: built in Microsoft operating system and uses standard features (e.g. MMC); easy to deploy and to manage; enables complex routing rules based on other defined rules; provides error log for ease of application’s maintenance.

6. User Interface: Friendly and IE like, self explanatory;

Technology:

1. “Product” architecture vs. “Application”; common interfaces for user’s developments, integrations and technologies.

2. Less dependency on vendor, or other 3rd parties, for support and development of additional processes / forms.

Cost:

1. Availability of software professionals for maintenance and development of additional processes / forms. General studies at most universities. (Microsoft VB, ASP, SQL7)

2. Shorter learning period required for training customer’s and 3rd party’s implementers, developers, and administrators.

3. Lower infrastructure software prices (Microsoft web clients using less Progress WebSpeed agents).

BizDoc is a Web centric workflow solution and tools suite for any digital document approval application, such as procurement, HR, CRM, finance, engineering, etc.

BizDoc Includes:

General purpose e-Document Workflow using superior algorithm to dynamically assign routes according to user-definable rules and roles, to each document by its specific content, e.g. any combination of form, hierarchy, site, project, budget account, value, item, etc.

Budget Control using a unique module providing expense and cash-outflow budget monitoring where a document (such as a purchase requisition) is associated with a budget account. This is achieved by bi-directional enterprise systems’ integration providing knowledgeable information for improved decision making (e.g. budget control, forecasting expenditures, ‘drill-ups’ into groups of budget accounts and drilldowns into BizDoc and ERP detailed transactions).

Non-programmable system administration to define and modify ever changing organization structure, internal procedures and management decisions.

processes:

a. Memo Unit Order Form

b. Travel Request and Handling Form

c. Fixed Asset Transit Request Please detail how the process will be handled in the system.

Please detail how the process will be handled in the system.

BizDoc is a general-purpose workflow engine that can implement many forms and processes. In fact we have implemented many different forms including Travel, Fixed Asset, and other forms. Once a form is added to BizDoc engine, it can be assigned routing rules utilizing the System Administration tool.

If it is not available, what is the estimated timetable to develop the process?

When not available, or requires modification, it depends on the complexity of the required forms. A simple form should be modified in to the system within 30 hours and a complicated form should be modified in to the system within 100.this work may be performed by customer’s IT personnel.

Is customer able to add more processes/workflows/forms with its internal IT team?

Yes. Customer can define its own form characteristics, customize forms from Moding’s Library, or develop forms from scratch. Forms can be developed by either Customer or Moding, and/or Moding’s partners, requiring some experience in Microsoft ASP and Visual Basic, and had attended BizDoc implementers course.

If yes, how will it affect the maintenance contract?

No.

Yes. By using a standard BizDoc interface to implement a process in which MRP requisitions open a requisition in BizDoc application. This may require triggering the MRP program, rather than triggering database table, however it can be done by customer’s IT personnel.

How will the system reload these back to ERP as aproved requisition?

As the process of approval is completed, the MFG requisition is updated by using API procedure, and the requisition is marked as approved

BizDoc user authentication may require Windows domain login, Smart Card or any other method of identification. In practice, many companies trust BizDoc authentication, as BizDoc logs every action taken, including who does what and when.

See also answers to questions about audit trial and security.

Yes. It is built as a condition in a routing rule.

BizDoc audits requisitions status change, including the time a requisition was pended on that status.

Route process stage, who is are holding the requisition, including ‘on behalf of’ and ‘substitute of’ information, and the duration it is has span on each signatory desktop.

Audit of all history actions, such as approve, reject including the user and time of action.

Version of the modified requisition including the authoring user, time of change and the document version.

Yes. We have a lot of experience integrating ed BizDoc to other applications. The interface can be online retrieval of information, update to a remote application or batch automation utility. BizDoc administration operations can be maintained by automation procedures.

BizDoc sends email notifications to users. By default, notification is sent whenever a document is sent to a user. This behavior can be set as required. Also, the user defines in his/her profile whether he/she would prefer to receive email messages.

MFG/PRO ERP is based on Progress Software technology distributed by Moding. Our Progress professional consultants are familiar with MFG/PRO may assist you.

Only customer’s needs should determine budget account pattern. Therefore, BizDoc accepts any pattern (structure) Customer may decide upon. When needs are changed, such as a new organization structure, budget pattern will change accordingly. Such changes are maintained from the BizDoc administration and some programming including for maintaining database by new budget structure. Some programming is also required at the form level, and synchronization of existing data in database.

The budget in MFG/PRO GRS is entered in the budget module – can it be stored in a different file structure?

Yes. BizDoc maintains a structure for each matrix. The budget in the matrix can be maintained either in MFG module and seamlessly replicated to BizDoc structured; maintained in other database; or maintained in BizDoc itself using a tree tools allowing to open account segments combinations and budget each period. The matrices supports drill-up and drill-down (including to MFG). Drill-ups are define by account groups or account masks (patterns).

GRS supports 6 levels of budget control: (PO’s, approved requisitions, un-approved requisitions, Receivers, Vouchers, other transactions) How will BizDoc support this feature?

Note that this has been our original basic feature as of the very early days of PRS! BizDoc matrix columns (periods) and rows (balances) can be administratively altered. We commonly use Budget, Open, Signed, (MFG:) PR, PO, Receipts, Invoices. The matrix can be fed from different sources (BizDoc status change or remote application).

Can the system present current and future Cashflow?

Yes. BizDoc supports more than one matrix for the use of expense vs. cash-out flow display. BizDoc can use any date from each level (Requisition, PO, Receiver, etc.) to determine which periods to charge.

Inherent characteristics of BizDoc enable fast and easy implementation of Sarbanes-Oxley (SOX) requirements, including periodic reporting of internal procedures, and process controls certified by proper executives within the process workflow.

Yes. BizDoc forms support multiple lines. Customer may use any CIM available from TRW, and/or any other source.

Can these requisitions then be split into multiple PO’s (one for each supplier)?

Yes, as long as your ERP enables it.

What will be the solution when QAD phase-out its current support on the req_det table?

BizDoc architecture assures that whenever such event occurs then only the CIM procedure will be changed accordingly.

By using Progress WebSpeed at each site for performance and stability. In a scenario in which BizDoc will be required to interface more than one MFG database, we suggest Customer have one BizDoc implementation, interfacing remote sites based on user profile or a specific region field in form. For example, when a user from a remote site will be asked to select an item or vendor, BizDoc will interface the MFG database of that user’s site to retrieve the information. When an approved requisition will have to be transmitted to MFG, BizDoc will execute a remote procedure on the remote MFG site. Matrices actual information will be constantly replicated from all remote sites to BizDoc. This model benefits Customer by maintaining only one implementation of BizDoc. Moreover, having consolidated budget matrix from all regions will enable cross-region drill-ups and seamless drill-downs to remote MFG applications. It will also be possible to present information from more than one database for better decision-making. For example, a buyer or a signer may want to compare prices of same manufacturer part number purchased in various regions. The model requires having WebSpeed and BizDoc set of Progress procedures on each MFG site. BizDoc web site will need to be available at all time. In general, users will be able to access most of the functions even when one or more MFG applications are unavailable.

What will be the effect on the pricing?

Aside from the cost of WebSpeed licenses, see price quotation for Budget Matrix Consolidation.

Yes. Extranet users, such as suppliers can connect to BizDoc as either a registered user or by a customized view. BizDoc is a web application and acts as an intranet web site, so having the right privileges, users can act in BizDoc from the Internet, which is also a convenient for traveling managers.

Furthermore you should consider BizDoc B2B option ?

for suppliers who need workflow capability within their organizations in order to comply with Customer requirements.

BizDoc use MFG currency-rates tables to evaluate amounts and update the matrix. PO-Re-evaluation As a PO amount is re-evaluated BizDoc is triggered to synchronize the matrix. Multi-currency requisition BizDoc supports currency at each line of requisition level. As long as the data can be streamed to MFG CIM.

Yes

BizDoc user authentication requires a user ID and password. User authentication may also require Windows domain login, Smart Card or any other method of identification. In practice, many companies trust BizDoc authentication, as BizDoc loges every action taken.

Every object in BizDoc can be restricted to user groups, organization units or named users, or function holders . Objects include forms, reports, actions, trays, matrices and more. For example, administrator may allow specific organization units to open a new material requisition.

Another level of security is maintained for each form field object read and write privileges. For example, the account of a requisition can be modified only by the Account Manager when the requisition status is “On Route” and the requisition is on his/her “To Sign” tray.

Users can also assign themselves a substitute signers that will get the requisitions for signing instead of them to their own desktop.

Users can also grant privileges to other users that can access their desktop on their behalf.

See also answers to question about audit trail.