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Sansei Bussan Co., Ltd.

Many potential users seem to have kept away from workflow systems because they worry about the difficulty of designing the workflows themselves. Hitachi's Groupmax groupware, however, enables the user to design new workflows simply. The Groupmax graphical user interface allows the user to define the workflow with the mouse, besides creating electronic documents with a form generator called Groupmax Form, or using sample applications that come with the software. Sansei Bussan Co., Ltd., a plastic material trading house, designs their own workflows themselves using all these features of Groupmax. As soon as Groupmax was in place, they created their own necessary electronic document forms and a work record workflow.

Workflow service started as soon as Groupmax was installed

"Designing workflows is much easier than we anticipated," says Mr. Hirohashi, Director of the Administration Department. "For instance, we use Groupmax Form to create the electronic document forms smoothly. Drawing those forms is so much easier than using popular spreadsheet software that I could do it all by myself."

Sansei Bussan installed Groupmax in the fall of 1996 and by the end of that year started work record workflow services. "I'm a groupware novice," said Mr. Hirohashi but he ably led the workflow design team.
"The first week we had a few frustrating days," recalls Mr. Hirohashi. "I started designing workflows without any preliminary knowledge because I have no programming experience or special training in groupware. Trial-and-error, however, easily brought me workflow knowledge. First I would draw the electronic document forms on Groupmax Form based on the paper documents we were already using, and then define the business processes in the workflow using the mouse. That is all it took to create the work record workflow."

The Groupmax graphical user interface made user's operation easy and efficient. The user can define workflows with the mouse. On Groupmax Form, the user can use standard data items repeatedly once they are created as components, as well as using the built-in script functions, which were created to adapt to business use. Moreover, Groupmax Form enables easy links to Workflow.

"After we created the first electronic document form, drawing every form went smoothly using same technique," said Mr. Hirohashi. He already has drawn more than 30 varieties of forms.

Top-down promotion increased groupware usage

Sansei Bussan Co., Ltd. have been supplying materials to plastic manufacturers of varying scale. Their field is now expanding world wide.

"Since the industry is expanding world wide, a small firm like us can only attract customers by asserting our individuality, or we won't be able to compete," says Jiro Hasegawa, President.
"To realize the company's motto-"though small, our company always shines as brightly as a diamond"-each employee should brush up personal talents more than our competitors." How to improve employees' abilities? One answer is to utilize computers properly.

"Until now the computer was just a tool for processing information individually. But from now on we intend to use computers not only for sharing information, but for activating teamwork." According President Hasegawa, a PC network with a computer for every employee is planned for the spring of 1996.
"To reap all the benefits of computers, we must involve all employees in groupware," said Yoichi Masuoka, Assistant Director of the Information Processing Section at the Administration Department. "However, we have had to promote computer usage throughout the company. Both Mr. Hasegawa and I visited Hitachi Software Division & Software Development Division to study Groupmax in June 1996. We understood the advantages of Groupmax while visiting Hitachi. As a result, we could implement Groupmax smoothly because our president took the lead in its promotion," said Mr. Masuoka.

The Groupmax system that Sansei Bussan installed consisted of 55 PCs at their head office in fall 1996. They started scheduler and bulletin board services first. By the end of 1996, their expanded services included work record workflows, a document manager, electronic mailing, and other workflows.

The electronic document forms necessary for the work record workflow such as applications for personal holidays, business trip reports and so on have been prepared well. Mr. Masuoka, system administrator draws a model form, then Mr. Hirohashi modifies it according to system user needs. "It is better for users to modify the forms based on models than to have system administrators try to design all the forms and force them on the users as complete. The users are more familiar with routine work and they know the documentation well," said Mr. Masuoka, emphasizing the advantage of workflows designed by the users themselves.

When designing a workflow, they often changed the authorization path (that is, the sequence of tasks) at the same time. Formerly a work record was handed from the immediate supervisor to the manager, director, board member, and to the president for authorization. But that path was changed, and now the manager authorizes work records.
"Fortunately, we started the scheduler before the workflow, so we could later change the work record authorization path. Now the supervisors can see a work record any time in the scheduler even though they might be out of the path," said Mr. Hirohashi.

This change made routine work simpler and faster. It reduced one of the managers' tasks. It frees the director and other upper management from the tasks related to work records.

Now, Mr. Hirohashi is designing the general workflows. "I design electronic document forms to be as flexible as possible so that they can be customized as needed," said Mr. Hirohashi. His next target is the accounting workflow. He already set a goal to automate the accounting system to include journalizing.

Groupware develops good morale

"Most of our staff now find not only workflows but the scheduler indispensable," said Mr. Hirohashi. The scheduler became so popular in Sansei Bussan because it eliminates most of the trouble involved in setting up meetings. When you want to plan a meeting, you can visually check all the participants' schedules at once through the scheduler.

The bulletin board is flexibly divided into two areas: one for business use and the other for personal use. The General Affair Department now notifies all employees of pertinent information through the business area of the bulletin board instead of using paper-based circulars. On the other hand, free communication among employees is being fostered through the personal use area of the bulletin board.
"It may motivate computer literacy if we keep the bulletin board free," suggests Mr. Masuoka. Mr. Hirohashi agrees. "Groupmax has developed good morale." Groupmax brought an opportunity to improve business efficiency, especially for young people.

President Hasegawa is also a frequent and active user of Groupmax. He reads all mail he receives, and replies, and inspects the sales reports, which are drawn based on the application sample provided by Groupmax. "Before instituting the groupware system, I used to receive sales reports after they were summarized and circulated among many people. One of the benefits of Groupmax is that I can see up-to-the-minute business front data. They supply the timely information that is essential in making sound decisions."

Groupmax has been satisfying Mr. Hasegawa's expectations: with groupware his employees will improve their abilities and will "shine as bright as diamonds".