Neomind

Author: Farley Niehues

  • Discover 5 processes to optimize Agribusiness management

    Discover 5 processes to optimize Agribusiness management

    Agribusiness management is a complex topic that encompasses everything from crop planning to product distribution in the market. And we’re talking about one of the largest and most important sectors in countries like Brazil.

    The south american nation is internationally acknowledged as one of the largest producers and exporters of agricultural inputs. In fact, this sector is a driving force and has a strong influence on the country’s balance of trade.

    Given this scenario of importance, it is understandable that companies seek alternatives to increase their processes’ efficiency and profitability.

    Optimizing management in any agribusiness is essential to face the challenges of the sector, ensure the proper use of natural resources, and mantain regulatory compliance.

    To keep up with this growing trend, technology is becoming increasingly advanced, providing significant gains in performance and sustainable development.

    Let’s find out more about 5 processes that optimize management in agribusiness.

    The evolution and challenges of agribusiness management

    Agribusiness comprises activities related to the production, processing, distribution, and marketing of agricultural products, livestock, fishing, forestry, and all links in its production chain.

    The agricultural sector is quite complex and mutable. Effective management is decisive for better control and ultimately success of the business.

    Over the years, the agribusiness’ history has been marked by technological advances, practices changes, global markets development, and a constant search for more sustainable production.

    This began with the Agricultural Revolution, through industrialization, global expansion, Green Revolution, Globalization, sustainability, and environmental awareness, reaching the implementation of technology in agribusiness management.

    Sector transformations are often driven by challenges and adaptations to changes in such a dynamic environment as the one we live in. This combination has led us to the current era, Agriculture 4.0.

    This new phase is characterized by hyper-connectivity. That is, the use of a set of integrated and connected digital technologies on the fields.

    Adopting these tools improves the entire agribusiness system, from planning, to harvesting, to delivery.

    In this sense, adopting these technologies allows addressing challenges in agribusiness management, such as risk management, logistics, supply chains, regulation and compliance, global competition, among others.

    The frequent use of technological resources generates significant gains such as:

    • Improving agribusiness management;
    • Reducing costs and waste;
    • Increasing productivity;
    • Generating greater sustainability;
    • Optimizing resource use;
    • Monitoring operations;
    • Increasing the quality of food safety; and
    • Reducing negative impacts on the environment.

    Using technology to benefit agribusiness management

    Modern agribusiness has an approach that helps increase efficiency and reduce resource losses. And technology plays an essential role in optimizing the sector’s management challenges.

    Offering a variety of tools and functionalities, often integrated into a single software, technology provides greater efficiency, productivity, and sustainability.

    A smart technology like Fusion Platform allows process, documents, and indicators management on an integrated digital solution. Broadly speaking, the tool can address numerous organizational demands.

    Technology in agribusiness management operates in different ways, but we highlight these processes:

    Supply chain management

    An Integrated Management Platform can manage all movements in the supply chain.

    Perishability is one of the main concerns in the agribusiness sector, followed by environmental and sustainable issues.

    By implementing automation with a BPMS tool, it is possible to record, manage, and track all process stages. From demand for raw materials to final delivery to the consumer.

    All requests are created within the Fusion Platform, with forms, automatic submissions, and permissions adapted according to the demands of your company.

    Because it integrates with other solutions, such as ERP, there is inventory control, identification of the need to purchase, selection and registration of suppliers, budget analysis, etc. Automation allows adjusting offers to demands.

    Planning and delivery control

    Logistics and distribution are important issues in agribusiness management. After all, meticulous planning is required for a perishable product to reach the other side of the world in a safe, timely fashion.

    This sector is one of the world’s largest exporters of meat, for instance.

    Optimizing this process in agribusiness management means automating routes and delivery schedules. Using technology makes it easier to find more advantageous means of transporting products.

    Additionally, it is also possible to monitor the location and status of the delivery in real-time. Ensuring greater control over the conditions in which the product will reach the end consumer.

    Quality management and regulatory compliance

    If there’s something fundamental to agribusiness, it’s quality and compliance with applicable regulations.

    If a product does not fit a certain rule, the entire batch may need to be recalled and its sale prohibited.

    For this reason, standardization in the production process is crucial. Agribusiness management benefits greatly when it maps its processes, standardizes activities, and implements automation and best execution practices.

    Keeping information available in Fusion allows monitoring and controlling quality standards from the receipt of raw materials to the delivery of the final product.

    That is, it allows the company to identify potential non-conformities and act on them.

    Technology will enable delivering to the customer a product with the same degree of quality and in compliance with applicable legislation, such as the rules required by Anvisa.

    With Fusion, agribusiness management can happen anywhere, thanks to the mobile function. Thus, it is not necessary to be physically present in the company to ensure the quality of the delivered product.

    Risk Management

    Risk Management is a practice adopted by companies seeking to optimize the execution of their activities.

    This method aims to predict failures or problems before they occur. Thus, it is possible to adopt actions to minimize or eliminate impacts on activities.

    Because it is such an important topic, Fusion has a Risk Management Module, a specific feature to companies to reduce threats associated with operations and processes.

    Since all information is centralized, there is a guarantee of identification and control of compliance in all executed activities.

    This module allows you to closely monitor risk, related tasks, and execution characteristics.

    Document and Record Management

    Agribusiness management involves creating, storing, and verifying a series of documentary proofs and records. As Fusion is an end-to-end platform, it allows managing all documents with GED.

    This functionality allows creating, organizing, and accessing documents quickly and with integrity.

    It is very common for agribusiness operations to take place in different locations, and GED allows documents to be captured and available digitally.

    All documents are stored in Fusion. That is, there is a reduction in costs, effort to store and find documents, and a boost in the paperless culture.

    Documents are easily found using search terms, and they are made available to related collaborators, ensuring autonomy to users and access limitation, preventing unauthorized access to confidential information.

    Fusion also has traceability. That is, all modifications that occur in files are recorded, creating an audit trail.

    Managing documents in digital format also intensifies the use of electronic document signing. A native function of the Fusion Platform.

    Learn more about the Fusion Platform

    Being an Integrated Management Platform, Fusion makes it possible to optimize agribusiness management in terms of processes, documents, and indicators.

    The solution has a user-friendly and accessible interface. Neomind’s focus is to offer a tool that any user can use and customize.

    The Fusion Platform is flexible and can be customized according to the reality or scenarios faced by your company. In fact, you can try it out in your reality right now!

    Digitally transform agribusiness management and maintain the competitiveness of your company with a multi-language platform that ensures greater efficiency and productivity.

  • How to implement a Document Management System (DMS) in your company?

    How to implement a Document Management System (DMS) in your company?

    How many physical files are on your desk right now? How about your drawers? Look at any company and you’ll find countless folders, cabinets and the like holding the most diverse types of documents, won’t you? Have you ever thought about the cost that all this paperwork brings, or how having to search manually for a document actually lowers your productivity and even makes you miss important deadlines? Or even worse: what if a confidential document falls into the wrong hands? With so many files, how do we address the vulnerabilities printed documents leave behind?

    Maybe you already took these questions into account, but you still wonder “how could I change something that has been done the same way for such a long time?”. You’re not alone, for this is a rather common concern in the corporate world. So, let us reassure you with a resounding “Don’t worry! There is indeed a solution (and it’s called Electronic Document Management)”! The Electronic Document Management (or simply EDM) is, like BPM and Analytics, one of the modules available on the Fusion Platform. Although EDM may not be the most popular tool around (perhaps due to its perceived challenging implementation), it has essential features for those looking to reduce costs, organize their workflow, increase productivity, and gain many other benefits that will be listed in the following sections of this article.

    What is EDM, and how can it contribute to my organization?

    EDM deals with the management of different types of documents, enabling functionalities such as creating, storing, editing, processing, printing, and executing actions on a wide range of image, video, audio, and text file formats. In addition to these management features, it also makes it possible to organize, retrieve, distribute, and dispose of documents effectively and securely, ensuring that they will be available at the right time for people with the appropriate access permissions.

    Implementing an EDM system means transforming the organization into a paperless company. Initially, this may seem daunting, but rest assured, it’s not! However, it is a task that will require dedication and collaboration from everyone.

    To encourage your company to implement an EDM system, it’s good to assess its main benefits:

    ● 1. You go paperless by transforming physical files into digital data;

    ● 2. You greatly reduce costs;

    ● 3. You become a more environmentally friendly company;

    ● 4. You get access control for all documents, thus increasing security;

    ● 5. You better organize workflows resulting in more efficiency and productivity;

    ● 6. You get better version control, revisions, and approvals;

    ● 7. You get certified digital signing;

    ● 8. Searching for content and keywords within documents becomes quick and easy. Once you learned about the benefits digital transformation brings to this area, a new question arises: what tools do you need to achieve them?

    ● Simultaneous editing coordination to ensure that changes made to a document by one person do not overwrite those of another, with a Check-In to signal documents available for editing and a Check Out to indicate those which are unavailable because they are already being edited.

    ● Version control, saving different versions of a document, each with its change record and responsible parties, making it possible to restore previous versions as needed.

    ● Access control and security, enabling permissions to be assigned to each new document according to users, roles, or groups.

    ● Certified digital signing in the ICP-Brazil standard for electronic documents.

    And now that you know the features of such tool, it’s time to learn the steps to actually implement an EDM system in your corporate environment.

    EPSDDA: A step-by-step guide to implementing an EDM system

    To help you and your company to implement an EDM system and make this transformation an easier process, we use to recommend what we call the EPSDDA step-by-step process (which stands for Encourage, Plan, Set Deadlines, Dispose, Automate):

    1. Encourage: motivate your staff about the implementation of Electronic Document Management (the benefits we mentioned previously are excellent arguments!). This way, everyone will be informed, willing, and prepared for the digital transformation;

    2. Plan: many important tasks and analyses will come with EDM. They must be done carefully and mindfully, so we suggest you plan ahead all related activities. Only then can you determine how long it will take you to become a paperless company, and ensure that you won’t miss the mark.

    3. Set Deadlines: Along with planning, come deadlines. Set dates for document digitization. Initially, there will be a large volume of documents to be digitized, so it’s necessary that at this stage you run an evaluation of what actually should undergo the process. Each department can classify their physical files in two ways: those that can be discarded without digitization and those that must be stored digitally. This will require its share of effort (which can vary from company to company, as it depends on how much paper documents are used). Nevertheless, don’t give up!

    Each department can classify documents in two ways: those that can be discarded without being digitized, and those that must be stored digitally. This will require a greater demand for effort (of course, this can vary from company to company, as it depends on how much your company uses paper documents). Even so, don’t give up!

    4. Dispose of documents: but only after a period of 30 to 90 days, this way you ensure a kind of backup in case there is an error in the digitization process during step 3. After this period, your confidence in electronic document management will be strengthened, and you will feel much more comfortable getting rid of all that paperwork!

    5. Automate: after drastically reducing (or even eliminating) physical documents in your company, you need to:

    ● Organize them in your Document Center: the document publishing process includes the document types stage, which occurs before it goes online. Fields are defined for

    that document standard. For example, let’s suppose customer registrations are being digitized along with a service contract. The “Customer Registration” will then be registered in the Document Type. You will enter the necessary fields to identify each one, and in the file field, you will append the digitized contract.

    In the next step, in the document center, you can then publish a document with its type, filling in the necessary information and attaching the digitized document. Then, you repeat this action until all documents are registered.

    File organization also includes folders and subfolders which are kept in the document center, as well as their respective access permissions, which can be configured in both folders and individual documents.

    ● Automate processes: previously, how was a customer registration and contract done in your company? Which department initiated this registration? Did it go through the approval of certain employees? Who has access to this information? Think about all the possibilities regarding a process that generates or comprises a document. Did you think about it? Notice that working with a simple document requires a sequence of events, each with its specific user permissions and availability. For instance, who can view, edit, or delete a given document?

    In general, automation allows for the publishing and control of documents in a more secure and precise manner, as well as the advantage of centralizing a large volume of documents in a single place.

    In conclusion

    Many people still feel more secure with a printed document because it is tangible. However, when you consider the cost, productivity, efficiency, security, and convenience benefits, EDM becomes an essential tool in managing your business.

    At first glance, implementing an EDM system may raise concerns in companies with a large volume of documents. For this reason, taking the initial steps and, more importantly, following through with this process can be challenging.

    To achieve this, encouragement is necessary. All employees, engaged and informed, should embrace the paperless environment, following the step-by-step process to implement it efficiently and organized.

  • How to create a BPM Business Case in 5 Steps

    How to create a BPM Business Case in 5 Steps

    The growing popularity of Business Process Management (BPM) tools is not surprising, given its proven success and the value it provides to so many organizations. Even so, fostering support and acceptance for its implementation can be more challenging than expected. To address this, creating a high-quality BPM Business Case can make all the difference. But what exactly is a Business Case?

    Business Case

    The purpose of a Business Case is to convey the intentions behind the creation of a new project or task. It can be presented as a well-structured document or in a presentation. It outlines the necessary perspectives involving the project, such as economic factors, financial feasibility, market analysis, and employee effort. Key points in creating a Business Case involve:

    • Historical results (when available)
    • Risk analysis and ways to mitigate them
    • Cost-benefit analysis
    • Implementation plan

    The following steps describe a methodology for the context of a BPM project that can assist you in this challenging task:

    1) Identify the processes to be addressed

    Defining processes to be included in a project is crucial because choosing immature or overly complex processes can lead to unnecessary difficulties. Therefore, pick the most clear processes with the success highest potential. Commonly chosen candidates that repeat across different organizations include:

    • HR
    • Customer Registration
    • Contract Management
    • Transfer Control

    Fusion’s tools offers accelerators that specialize in these areas and can serve as potential examples.

    2) Define the starting point (AS-IS)

    In this phase, the processes’ current state is established, and it’s important to understand the “why,” “when,” and “by whom” of current work. So, the first step is to outline who is responsible for each aspect of the process and how subsequent steps are affected.

    After these general settings, the next step is to assess the degree to which responsibilities overlap or relate. If one participant requires the action of another one to proceed, this should be clear and well documented. The same principle should be applied to files and data, especially if their availability affects performance or blocks execution.

    For more information, check: Process Mapping: Where to Start?

    3) Define what will be considered success

    Metrics and criteria are important to establish what will make the project successful since you can’t improve what can’t be measured. Ensure that you use not only metrics quantitative, such as time and costs, but also qualitative ones:

    • Improved customer service excellence
    • Ease of learning the process
    • Reduced error recurrence
    • Increased employee productivity

    4) Optimization (TO-BE)

    Based on the processes’ bottlenecks and deficiencies identified during the second stage, each process can be redesigned with possible improvements. In addition, there are other benefits that come when implementing a complete BPM Suite, like:

    • Task automation
    • Data access and visibility across departments
    • Rapid process adaptation and iteration
    • Systematic metric collection
    • Automated report generation
    • Evidence and audit control

    Determining if it’s possible to incorporate these benefits into the processes involved can be the differentiating factor for a positive project analysis. For process automation, you can use the Automation Project Calculator created by Neomind to help with the evaluation.

    5) Define the Return on Investment (ROI)

    One of the first questions about a project is how much it will cost and when the value will be returned. To answer this question, ROI is used to quantify the benefits and costs obtained from stages 1-4. It will also correlate the data acquired with potential cost savings and necessary expenses.

    Costs in a BPM project usually involve:

    • Software licensing
    • System implementation
    • Hardware and infrastructure
    • Maintenance
    • Training

    It’s important to differentiate recurring costs from one-time expenses.

    Conclusion

    Business Process Management focuses on processes and integration with software tools and has proven results. Implementing the tool in a company can be challenging, but proving its benefits can be an even greater challenge. However, by following the steps outlined, it’s possible to create a successful Business Case to justify it. If successful, this methodology will establish a foundation that can be reused for implementing BPM in other areas.

  • How BPMS Assists in Audits

    How BPMS Assists in Audits

    It’s no secret that the world is becoming increasingly competitive. Another well-known fact is that companies are
    continuously seeking ways to deliver higher quality products and services while reducing costs.

    Quality often goes hand in hand with standardization. By defining how an activity should be executed, a product
    produced, or a service provided, the chances of meeting customer expectations increase significantly.

    After all, it creates confidence that what they’ll indeed get what they’re paying for indeed. The main question is:
    how can we ensure consistent execution and sustained quality? The answer? Through frequent audits.

    An audit is a detailed and careful analysis of the activities carried out within an organization. It is crucial to maintain the activity flow’s characteristics happening exactly as described in its mapping.

    With this initial introduction, if you already have some knowledge of BPMS, you have an idea of how this kind of
    tool can assist in audits. However, if this is not your area of expertise, don’t worry, we’ve got you covered!

    To address all your questions, we’ve prepared this comprehensive material that explains how BPMS tools assist in audits and why it is so important for companies.

    Download the complete Ebook to know more!

  • The Importance of Compliance in Risk Management

    The Importance of Compliance in Risk Management

    Do you lock the door when leaving your house? Fasten your seatbelt when getting into your car? Check the bill before paying at a restaurant? If you answered yes to any of these questions, you are using tools to manage risks. That’s what compliance is about. If we take certain actions in our personal lives to avoid risks, why not apply them at our workplace too?

    In the competitive environment of today’s corporate world, risk management is becoming increasingly important. With Law No. 12.846/2013, also known as the Anti-Corruption Law, companies are more concerned about regulations, as it punishes organizations for acts of corruption against public administration, imposing fines that can potentially sum up to 20% of their revenue.

    In light of this, the topic of compliance is being discussed in organizations as a way to reduce the risks they are exposed to.

    But what does the term “compliance” mean?

    Compliance comes from the English word “to comply,” which means to be in accordance with preestabilished laws, norms, etc. The term can be understood as ensuring that the execution of activities and processes is aligned with legal standards and procedures, both external and internal to the organization. In other words, the company must follow what the law requires and also establish internal policies and an organizational culture that will prevent fraud, fines, potential damage to the organization’s reputation, and other risks.

    These risks can be of various natures, such as:

    1. Legal Risk: Not complying with the legislation and codes of conduct that govern business operations.
    2. Operational Risk: The company uses inefficient resources (human and operational) that can lead to losses.
    3. Reputation Risk: Due to misconduct, the company can tarnish its reputation in the eyes of customers, suppliers, and society at large.

    There are some external environmental factors that can affect organizations and increase business risks. Examples include political events (election years, impeachment, political instability), economic events (currency devaluation, competition, inflation), social events (expanding social classes, consumer behavior), and technological events (information security, development of new products and processes). Therefore, it is essential to constantly analyze the external environment, map the strengths and weaknesses of the organization, and detect and preferably prevent risks.

    Thus, the goal of compliance, along with risk management, is to map and analyze threats to establish certain practices that will help the organization to achieve its objectives without being negatively affected by non-compliance situations.

    To establish an internal compliance and risk management policy, it is essential to understand not only the business but also all the processes and areas that will be subject to these standards. It is not useful to impose generic rules without first understanding if they make sense to the business and if they will be effective. Depending on the company’s sector, it is essential to assess some data such as financial information, customer behavior, and performance indicators to define the guidelines to be followed, always considering external legislation.

    Benefits of Compliance

    To make it even clearer, here are some benefits your company can obtain by establishing an effective compliance program:

    1. Increased credibility among customers, suppliers, investors, and partners.
    2. Prevention of fraud and corruption.
    3. Cost reduction.
    4. Increased profitability.
    5. Improved quality and productivity of products/services.
    6. Helps disseminate the values and organizational culture of the company.

    Do you want to implement a compliance program in your company and don’t know where to start? Here are some tips:

    1. Start by identifying the main risks your company is exposed to: Research them thoroughly, try to understand their characteristics, and how they can negatively affect the organization.
    2. Perform a qualitative and quantitative analysis: Measure the impact of the risk and the probability of it affecting productivity and financial results.
    3. Plan actions to prevent each type of risk.
    4. Train your team: Your employees will only be engaged in “risk management operations” if they understand the true importance of compliance and the role they play in it. It is also important to educate them about the laws and regulations governing the sector.
    5. Provide the necessary tools: Data security is crucial against fraud and to ensure that negotiations comply with the rules. An example is Fusion Platform, Neomind’s management system that ensures the security of confidential documents, granting access only to authorized individuals, allowing closer control of internal processes, ensuring they are carried out in accordance with the law, and reducing the organization’s risks.
    6. Establish penalties for those who do not comply with the rules: You can also provide a confidential reporting channel to ensure that everyone is following compliance.
    7. Monitor the results of your compliance program: Evaluate if your actions have helped reduce the negative impacts of risks and take the opportunity to identify new correction models. Since laws are constantly being updated, your program should be as well.

    Conclusion

    The pillars of compliance are people, processes, and technology. It is essential to create collective awareness through effective compliance and risk management programs, making the importance of following regulations clear to all those who are involved. Awareness must come from the top, from senior management, and then spread as an organizational culture. The company must have not only guidelines, tools, and processes duly mapped but also trained individuals who will know how to use these methods for good risk management. All of this aims to make the company safer and healthier, ultimately leading to improved productivity and profitability.

  • Process Automation: Using Integrated Management Technologies to Automate Tasks and Workflows

    Process Automation: Using Integrated Management Technologies to Automate Tasks and Workflows

    Process automation is an indispensable tool for modern organizations that wish to keep their efficiency and productivity up. The pursuit of completing workflow activities in less time is common in any business environment. However, it is digital transformation that ensures valuable results in productivity.

    Indeed, the use of technology is essential today. And only the right tools can provide effective management and goal achievement levels.

    Integrated Management Solutions bring together various functionalities for that in a single environment. They streamline information, provide greater control, a holistic vision, and sharper decisiveness. These platforms unify process automation, document management, and indicator features. With them, companies eliminate the need for multiple tools and systems, ensuring an overall better activity performance.

    But how can integrated management technologies be used for process automation? And what exactly is process automation?

    What is Process Automation?

    Process automation involves completing a flow of activities in less time. To achieve this, technological resources are applied to make processes more agile and efficient. This significant change in how daily activities are carried out can create competitive advantages, customer value, and stand out from competitors.

    Automating processes allows manual tasks to be performed by software with systems supporting a variety of routine company activities. Numerous workflow steps can be optimized using this type of technology.

    Consider, for example, a vacation request process. Instead of requests struggling with high loss rates due to constant email or phone call exchanges, or even taking longer to complete due to returns and referrals, everything can be done on one platform with unified forms and documentation.

    By using an Integrated Management Platform, there is complete control to monitor process advancements by all parties involved in real-time.

    Why Automate Workflow with Integrated Management Technologies?

    In addition to greater control, centralized information, and transparency in communication, automating processes with an end-to-end management platform is essential to ensure advantages such as:

    1. Faster execution speed.
    2. Productivity and convenience.
    3. Efficiency.
    4. Cost reduction.
    5. Reduction of rework.
    6. Information reliability.
    7. Improved internal communication.
    8. Enhanced customer experience.
    9. Strengthening the brand.

    Automating Tasks with Integrated Management Technologies

    Integrated management can be used to control an entire company, expanding on their systemic view so that all efforts are directed toward the same goals. In terms of technology, an Integrated Management Platform allows the company to centralize all processes, documents, and indicators in a single solution. Besides convenience, having all functionalities in a single tool reduces costs related to software licensing and maintenance.

    One of the main advantages is that this added unification enhances teamwork. Involved parties, such as professionals and departments, can better see the company as a single business. In other words, everyone is involved in achieving the same goal or result.

    Implementing this type of solution requires the company to set clear goals and objectives, though. Another aspect is that all needs or demands must be correctly identified. Consider what the main challenges are in everyday tasks and how they could be solved with the help of technology.

    This workflow observation and analysis is known as process mapping. The method analyzes how processes are executed, who is responsible for them, and which departments and parties are involved or at least related to them. Because it provides a broad view of operations and priorities, it allows for the implementation of process optimization strategies, such as automation.

    Regarding the Integrated Management Platform, it is necessary to ensure that the solution meets all the company’s needs and demands. Since technology is an increasingly comprehensive input, look for low-code solutions that are user-friendly and have a friendly interface.

    Furthermore, it is essential for the software to genuinely guarantee end-to-end management is enabled, so daily requirements for process optimization are met. When an incomplete platform is adopted, the company will have to purchase other systems, making it difficult to use and increasing costs.

    What Does Fusion Platform, a Comprehensive Integrated Management Platform, Offer?

    Fusion Platform is an Integrated Management Platform that truly transforms your business digitally. Instead of adopting different software, Neomind’s solution centralizes everything in one place. Regardless of the industry or workflow complexity, Fusion improves and accelerates processes. With the solution, you can manage processes, approve requests, send documents, and track indicators.

    For the fast-paced world and managers who are constantly on the move, or to facilitate hybrid work modes, the tool offers mobility. This way, you can perform your tasks through Fusion Mobile anytime and anywhere.

    The platform natively includes all the necessary tools for managing processes, documents, and indicators. Fusion provides dashboards and templates to assist in visualizing metrics. It also offers flexibility and customization your business needs to adapt to the market and recurring demands.

    The platform is easy to integrate with other systems your company already uses. It has an intuitive, friendly, and user-friendly interface. The technology used for its configuration is low-code, meaning users without advanced knowledge can customize operations. Try Fusion Platform and verify in practice all the benefits generated by a comprehensive Integrated Management Platform. Get the results you’ve always wanted to achieve. And count on Neomind to provide everything you need for process automation in your business.

  • Process Modeling: What Is It and What Are the Benefits?

    Process Modeling: What Is It and What Are the Benefits?

    Various companies have applied process modeling to understand, communicate, and significantly enhance the quality of their processes and activity flows, particularly in terms of performance.

    Its use helps to pinpoint flaws or unnecessary steps in the flow. It also identifies constraints that may hinder progress and consequently defines business potential and opportunities.

    Its purpose is to modernize your company so you can reap all the benefits that process modeling can offer.

    Are you curious to better understand how process modeling works? We will address all your doubts in this article.

    What Is Process Modeling?

    Process modeling, also known as BPM (Business Process Management), is a concept that involves documenting, representing, and analyzing processes.

    All of this is aimed at transforming and enabling activity automation.

    Thus, it refers to managing business processes and combines business management and information technology to optimize company results through process improvement.

    BPM has three approaches:

    • Top-down: From the top down, with a macro view of processes;
    • Middle-out: From the middle outward, focusing on the central problem of the process;
    • Bottom-up: From the bottom up, starting with process details and gradually reaching a broader view.

    The process display must include certain types of elements, such as:

    1. Responsible person;
    2. Activity identification;
    3. Step sequence;
    4. Execution time;
    5. Required resources.

    The next step is process notation after the model is defined and all necessary information is gathered.

    Internationally recognized, BPMN (Business Process Model and Notation) is a notation of process management methodology and refers to standard icons for process design.

    Commonly, simple components are used that allow drag-and-drop to create the flow design.

    In addition to performing the entire process modeling in BPMN, many tools allow the insertion of various types and formats of files and integration with other business tools.

    Benefits of Process Modeling

    There are several benefits to using business process modeling, such as:

    A better understanding of processes and a shared view among areas and employees: process modeling enables clearer idea sharing. It also standardizes processes for consistent execution;

    Improved communication among employees: as process modeling provides standardization, all involved parties have a clear and objective understanding of the workflow. Complete understanding optimizes the exchange of information and ideas;

    Prevention of delays and waste: since modeling seeks the best way to execute a process, unnecessary steps are identified. Thus, processes are better structured in terms of their steps, leading to reduced errors and delays;

    More favorable resource utilization: process modeling provides a better understanding of activity flow and standardizes it. As the goal is optimization, there is a greater focus on resource utilization, such as time, quality, and demand.

    Conclusion

    Now you have learned some concepts of process modeling, BPMN, approaches, and elements.

    It’s time to see in practice the benefits generated by process modeling in your company. For this, you need a tool that offers standardization, a user-friendly concept, easy customization, and simple visual representation.

    In this sense, Fusion Platform is an extremely prepared platform to offer the best for your organization.

    In addition to addressing the above requirements, it provides modules for data capture and the generation of indicators and reports to facilitate and improve management.

    So, did you like what was presented? Are you ready to leverage your business using the Fusion Platform?

    If you have any questions or want to comment on something about the article, write here in the comments.

  • How can a management solution help agribusiness companies?

    How can a management solution help agribusiness companies?

    Agribusiness refers to techniques, services, equipment, agricultural and livestock production, including all its socio-spatial contexts. This industry is responsible for a large part of the economy in countries like Brazil, for example.

    For you to have a better picture, in recent years agribusiness represented about 21% of the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) and about half of all products exported by the South-American country. In addition to the economic context, agribusiness plays a fundamental role in feeding the world’s population, whether through fresh, processed, or ultra-processed foods.

    This aspect raises concerns and questions for researchers in the field, who question whether agricultural and livestock production will be sufficient to feed the world’s population in the near future. This is because it is estimated that the world’s population will increase by 20% in about 30 years, reaching around 9 billion people.

    And for this near future, Brazil has great chances of standing out since it is one of the few countries with the capacity to expand cultivation areas without harming the environment and preservation areas. However, to achieve balanced and advantageous growth in all aspects, three pillars must be followed: reducing production costs, maximizing profits, and increasing productivity.

    In the pursuit of these pillars lies digital transformation.

    When we talk about agribusiness, we often refer to numerous, huge businesses, involving weather, geographical, and sanitary factors, as well as parasites and pest control, among others. Thus, they require total control of all aspects to achieve positive results.

    And basically, a significant portion of this control is impossible for humans to perform singlehandedly. This is where digital transformation comes in to help. In pursuit of the three pillars of agribusiness, digital transformation became very important to the sector, with software that assists in data analysis, report extraction, administration, and activity management.

    Management solutions, which are often seen as administrative options in large urban corporations, must also be present in agricultural businesses because one should not hesitate to invest in technological elements for successful management that facilitates and increases productivity – no matter the sector.

    Various activities can be managed by a business management application, such as raw material consumption and inventory management, fiscal routine management, document management, contract management, and a better control of data related to employees and machinery, such as maintenance forecasting. It creates processes with administrative routines and tasks.

    Due to the interconnected nature of various pieces of information, it is essential to have direct data cross-referencing for in-depth analysis and comprehensive and detailed reports. This allows for a panoramic view of the business in all aspects, with data and information that contribute to the total management of the company.

    Management solutions also assist in one of the most important areas for an organization: the human resources department. Both employees and clients, as well as suppliers, must be managed in an easy and practical manner.

    In comprehensive applications, people management is carried out with user interaction, involving the sharing of paperwork and documents, time control, scheduled tasks and activities, and even payroll management. To adapt to changes, it is important for all this information to be available at your fingertips, accessible from anywhere, and without the need for printing, which contributes not only to the industry’s finances but also to the environment.

    The list of benefits that management solutions bring includes:

    • Process control and key metrics;
    • Business flow monitoring and team efficiency;
    • Information centralization;
    • Tracking indicators;
    • Among others.

    In addition to what has been exemplified so far, agribusiness also stands to benefit from management solutions in terms of:

    • Process management
    • Document management
    • Process management

    Process Management

    With a BPM (Business Process Management) solution, managers can access all relevant information and business activity status in real-time. In other words, all important process data is available whenever needed. This enables well-informed and much more accurate decision-making.

    There are software solutions, such as Fusion Platform, that allow pending activities, tasks, and requests to be executed from anywhere (Fusion Mobile). Thanks to this functionality, agribusiness professionals save time by accessing all the necessary information on mobile apps and viewing or resolving them with just a few clicks.

    A process management tool is also important for automating validation processes. It also allows modeling, automating, and managing processes to achieve benefits in terms of compliance, traceability, and operational efficiency.

    To learn more about the benefits of BPM, check this article: What is Business Process Management (BPM) and What are Its Benefits?

    Document management

    An ECM (Enterprise Content Management) solution contributes to ensuring that everyone is well-informed about procedures and that they are followed. It also enables easy location of essential documents (such as purchase orders and invoices, for example) from anywhere with internet access, based on various criteria such as creation date, editing date, metadata, among others.

    The tool also enhances collaboration efforts among the team to ensure that everything runs as efficiently as possible. We must also not forget that without the need for external storage and paper, in addition to reducing the amount of time and effort required for archiving documents, agribusiness companies reduce costs and enter the paperless era.

    To learn more

    So we just learned some of the benefits and the importance of digital transformation for the agribusiness. Fusion Platform is a tool that offers complete functionalities for these needs, making it possible for employees to interact, organize documents, processes, reports, and it integrates with other key systems. In short, it’s everything your company is looking for in a management system.

    Want to learn more about how a management solution can help in agribusiness? Contact us or try Fusion Platform for free.

  • Process Automation for Small Businesses

    Process Automation for Small Businesses

    When we talk about small businesses, process automation can optimize workflow, providing much greater productivity and efficiency.

    Smaller companies often tend to have centralized management and control. Similarly, it is common for all activities to be carried “manually” out by people.

    But is that necessary? Even in small businesses, there are several tasks that could be automated.

    Investing in technology to improve processes is a practical way to execute these activities with quality and productivity.

    Often, when a human being performs repetitive tasks, there is an increase in error rates and rework.

    Likewise, it is not uncommon to find small business managers who do not know how to implement or why they should invest in process automation.

    Why should my business consider process automation?

    Although small businesses are somewhat resistant to invest in process automation, technology can be a great ally to them, especially when it comes to boosting their competitiveness.

    Those who think that improving processes is something only for large businesses are mistaken.

    When a small company decides to implement process automation, the success rates are even higher.

    The advantage of being a smaller company is that it is easier to monitor and control improvements. It is also easier to find new opportunities to apply automation.

    Furthermore, this provides more time for professionals to focus on strategic issues, which is a step towards greater competitiveness.

    Another common concern is that small business managers are hesitant to make investments. After all, the budget is usually quite tight.

    However, a process automation tool brings data-driven management and efficiently tracks ROI, which is crucial for those with a limited budget.

    Moreover, the cost of human error is too high to bear. How much of your process is affected, and how much is lost when an error or failure occurs?

    With process automation, activities are always performed in the same way, eliminating errors and rework. In other words, it contributes to increased productivity.

    Undoubtedly, process automation ensures that all decisions are based on real data.

    This is especially true when it comes to BPM (Business Process Management) for small businesses, where the use of an efficient application generates reports that synthesize a wealth of data and turn it into useful information.

    Processes that can be automated in small businesses

    There are various scenarios, departments, and activities where process automation can be applied in small businesses. Internally, small businesses can benefit from process automation by using it for:

    • Inventory management;
    • Customer relationship and satisfaction;
    • Control of invoices and other fiscal obligations;
    • Email automation;
    • Database information retrieval;
    • Obtaining reports on processes and operations.

    How to implement process automation in small businesses?

    The sequence for implementing process automation does not vary whether a company is large or small. In fact, regardless of size or complexity, the steps remain the same:

    1. Identify process automation opportunities

    Implementing process automation begins with assessing all existing processes. To do this, it will be necessary to observe and question involved people about the difficulties and bottlenecks they face on their daily work routines.

    By gathering data about the processes, it will be easier to decide which tasks to automate. Initially, consider the simplest workflow, especially repetitive and time-consuming tasks.

    As the business sees the benefits of process automation, it will be possible to gain a better understanding of how this tool works and gradually expand it to cover more complex processes.

    Just be careful not to try to automate activities that require creative or strategic thinking.

    2. Choose the automation tool

    Once the processes to be automated have been identified and listed, it’s time to find the ideal tool to meet your needs. In this regard, the tool’s general mission is to simplify critical processes.

    A good practice in this case is to invest in BPM for small businesses and search for potential vendors. Take advantage of this opportunity to schedule presentations or conduct tests, if possible.

    Also, make a list of everything the small business requires and compare platforms using a checklist.

    With the appropriate process automation tool, it will be possible to redesign activities for greater operational efficiency and productivity.

    3. Define goals to achieve with automation

    Whenever a business invests in a new tool, it seeks to gain advantages. Therefore, define the goals and objectives that must be achieved.

    With these clear goals, it will be possible to evaluate the success of the applications. This will also contribute to continuous process improvement.

    Thus, the goals should be measurable to validate the positive impact of BPM for small businesses.

    Process automation enables faster task execution, allowing employees to be redirected to more strategic areas focused on innovation and core business.

    4. Analyze and monitor the results

    Process automation is an ongoing application. Therefore, automation software needs to provide useful and in-depth reports for analysis.

    Internal processes are subject to change due to internal policies, innovation, new products, changes in government regulations, and various other factors.

    In this sense, periodic, frequent reviews are important to refine and improve our processes. This helps multiply task execution, reducing costs and contributing to profitability.

    Implement continuous improvement. The more opportunities for improvement are found, the greater the possible results and return on investment will be.

    Choosing the process automation platform for small businesses

    The ideal process automation tool is the one that does everything the small business requires. Therefore, list all the needs and demands, or everything you would like the software to do.

    Considering small businesses, tight budgets are common. Therefore, calculating ROI is the most effective way to be sure you acquire the best tool within your budget.

    Scalability is another point to consider. This way, the software will be constantly updated and developed to meet the future demands of the small business.

    A good automation platform should have integration with other technologies that the business already uses.

    And, since it’s a small business, low-code platforms are easier to handle, especially considering that the IT department is limited in a small company.

    Fusion Platform is a tool that can be applied to companies of different sizes, regardless of their industry or process complexity.

    With the goal of creating more concise workflows and greater benefits, Fusion is the ideal tool for the digital transformation of small businesses.

    Take advantage of the opportunity to try Fusion for free for 15 days directly in your business.

    Or, if you have any questions, let us know here in the comments!

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