workflow per cliente

[TECNOMODEL]

Good morning to all, I would like to know if at work you have somehow standardized a workflow according to the customer and, if yes, how did you do it?
my request arises from the fact that in the company we produce "personalized" equipment on the customer's request. now the various customers have each, of course, different needs, but also different working methods.
a banal example, the customer tells me the preliminary info I need to set the job, prepare a first draft and from that moment we compare to the final draft of the project. the customer b, on the other hand, asks me a draft on the basis of the only info present in the order, makes the first checks and then we continue developing the project.
the customer has a contact person for each project and the contacts must be kept only with that, the customer d, instead, has a list of common contacts for all the projects and must always be included in the communications.
This diversity involves different working methods and needs that, until customers were all summed up few, could be handled by memory, now the thing begins to become challenging.
are therefore looking for a tool or method that allows us to have a guideline and specifications for each customer.
thanks to those who want to share their experience.

 

[marcok625]

ciao @tecnomodel , after reading your request, it immediately comes to mind that you could create workflow templates to use based on the customer. the fact lies in how to automate the various aspects that are in the templates, because if you keep for example everything on excel who will manage the project will have to remember to open the template to see if you remembered everything, instead if the workflow is managed for example on a plm, it will be he to create the various tasks to make to the different users, or to remember to do something. I say plm because it is the thing I use daily, but nowadays you can create workflows in many business software, erp, document etc. plm is what I see more the line with technical offices, there are plms that have the possibility to exchange data with customers so that they can directly interact the customer in the same environment having continuity and historical memory in the same environment.

 

[Steppermotor]

Couldn't a good groupware software help you?
there are different and also free of good level.

 

[TECNOMODEL]

ciao @tecnomodel , after reading your request, it immediately comes to mind that you could create workflow templates to use based on the customer. the fact lies in how to automate the various aspects that are in the templates, because if you keep for example everything on excel who will manage the project will have to remember to open the template to see if you remembered everything, instead if the workflow is managed for example on a plm, it will be he to create the various tasks to make to the different users, or to remember to do something. I say plm because it is the thing I use daily, but nowadays you can create workflows in many business software, erp, document etc. plm is what I see more the line with technical offices, there are plms that have the possibility to exchange data with customers so that they can directly interact the customer in the same environment having continuity and historical memory in the same environment.

plm is used marginally by us, I don't even know if it has these functions.
I have to look in other areas.

 

[TECNOMODEL]

Couldn't a good groupware software help you?
there are different and also free of good level.

I don't know him, any example/links?

 

[LaboratorioDieci]

I've been discovering project management lately: trello, wunderlist, asana...

an overview you can find qui

 

[Steppermotor]

a decade ago we installed igsuite an Italian opensource product that runs on linux servers, but it is different time that is no longer developed, even if at least for our needs it was great. we couldn't install the latest release, the 6, so we stayed at the 5 but there's no support anymore and the forum was also disabled.
at the same time we have made some evidence with egroupware and I must say that there is an abyss between igsuite and egroupware, very well done and modern. It is also free if not for some modules that we do not need.https://www.igsuite.org/cgi-bin/igwikihttps://www.egroupware.org/en

 

[TECNOMODEL]

I've been discovering project management lately: trello, wunderlist, asana...

an overview you can find qui

a decade ago we installed igsuite an Italian opensource product that runs on linux servers, but it is different time that is no longer developed, even if at least for our needs it was great. we couldn't install the latest release, the 6, so we stayed at the 5 but there's no support anymore and the forum was also disabled.
at the same time we have made some evidence with egroupware and I must say that there is an abyss between igsuite and egroupware, very well done and modern. It is also free if not for some modules that we do not need.https://www.igsuite.org/cgi-bin/igwikihttps://www.egroupware.org/en

I took a quick look at the sites indicated. It seems to me to be more tools for management, to coordinate working groups and the like.
we work individually on a project, it is not so complex to ask for more designers, and I look for a tool that helps in keeping track of the various requests and methods related to each specific customer.

 

[Steppermotor]

I have not experienced so much with egroupware for lack of time but with igsuite I use it to open a project, keep us tied relative mails, various pdf documents of specifics or modification requests.
Obviously the project can be created by one user and have only one participant and manage one customer.
It's obvious that all the info flow must pass through them, including emails.
I repeat I'm talking about an undeveloped product but I suggest you try it just to get an idea of how it works. at the time to us has to take a great step forward, sinned that the project then arose.

 

[cacciatorino]

on sharepoint there are "fluxes", I don't know if they are the flows that you need. is a paid service, 4 euro/month per user.

 

[cacciatorino]

I took a quick look at the sites indicated. It seems to me to be more tools for management, to coordinate working groups and the like.
we work individually on a project, it is not so complex to ask for more designers, and I look for a tool that helps in keeping track of the various requests and methods related to each specific customer.

I send you a capture of egroupware, in this case in the project tab.
as you can see you can add different types of documents and entities.
for real workflows I don't know if there's anything, but they're generally tools for big companies. we use it only for the time sheets related to each job.

 

[TETRASTORE]

Before looking for software that matches your needs, you need to get a clear idea of what they are.
I think you must first of all make a complete list of all activities included in the workflows (all) and the necessary resources.
prepare a template, common to all, where for each customer and activity you can select those that interest you together with or to the referents you must send the communications to.
in particular, for the latter you can already prepare an empty mail with the name of the contract in the object and with already reported the address of the main referent and, where required, also those of those who will have to receive the copy by knowledge; the important thing is that in the basic document there is an indication of which email preset to use for that customer.
the template, of course it will have to allow compilation with the data of the customer, the or the designers involved, the indication of the resources received from the customer, the documents generated (projects) and their allocation, the list of communications, etc.
I list everything quickly based on the few data provided but, in my opinion, it can be useful to make a first setting in excel to understand what you need and, subsequently, look for a software that matches your needs.
if you do not find it you can also commission it to a programmer; It's not a complex thing.

 

[Steppermotor]

I send you a capture of egroupware, in this case in the project tab.


as you can see you can add different types of documents and entities.
for real workflows I don't know if there's anything, but they're generally tools for big companies. we use it only for the time sheets related to each job.

is just from the article published on your website that we rated the idea of switching to egroupware.

 

[TECNOMODEL]

Before looking for software that matches your needs, you need to get a clear idea of what they are.
I think you must first of all make a complete list of all activities included in the workflows (all) and the necessary resources.
prepare a template, common to all, where for each customer and activity you can select those that interest you together with or to the referents you must send the communications to.
in particular, for the latter you can already prepare an empty mail with the name of the contract in the object and with already reported the address of the main referent and, where required, also those of those who will have to receive the copy by knowledge; the important thing is that in the basic document there is an indication of which email preset to use for that customer.
the template, of course it will have to allow compilation with the data of the customer, the or the designers involved, the indication of the resources received from the customer, the documents generated (projects) and their allocation, the list of communications, etc.
I list everything quickly based on the few data provided but, in my opinion, it can be useful to make a first setting in excel to understand what you need and, subsequently, look for a software that matches your needs.
if you do not find it you can also commission it to a programmer; It's not a complex thing.

Interesting point, I'd say it's a good road. It may also be that a excel is sufficient that contains the information necessary to set the project and carry it forward in the manner required by the customer. I would be useful to see some example, just to get an idea of how to set it up.
at the moment everything is still wrapped by a little fog.

 

[cacciatorino]

is just from the article published on your website that we rated the idea of switching to egroupware.

Thank you very much! I hope you guys went further than I did. :

by curiosity on which server did you install it? I on windows and postgressql but I went crazy to make all prerequisites work.

 

[Steppermotor]

as I said we are only evaluating it and we installed it on linux debian and mariadb as a virtual machine on virtualbox. I didn't have any problem and it all went well at first glance.
I would have a question that comes to me by seeing the screen you did but I wouldn't want to do ot, but can you manage the insertion of new projects at the standard user level? to me to manage the projects I must elevate myself to administrators.

 

[cacciatorino]

as I said we are only evaluating it and we installed it on linux debian and mariadb as a virtual machine on virtualbox. I didn't have any problem and it all went well at first glance.
I would have a question that comes to me by seeing the screen you did but I wouldn't want to do ot, but can you manage the insertion of new projects at the standard user level? to me to manage the projects I must elevate myself to administrators.

you can do it, it depends how you set your permissions.
do first to put users in "default group" and give permissions directly to the group

 

[TETRASTORE]

Interesting point, I'd say it's a good road. It may also be that a excel is sufficient that contains the information necessary to set the project and carry it forward in the manner required by the customer. I would be useful to see some example, just to get an idea of how to set it up.
at the moment everything is still wrapped by a little fog.

I attach a simple example of how I would impose it. Obviously, not knowing the specific issues, it is only a point that you will evaluate if it can be applicable to your business.

 

[Steppermotor]

you can do it, it depends how you set your permissions.
View attachment 61829do first to put users in "default group" and give permissions directly to the group

thanks to the info. I try to configure it a little deeper.
the evidence I had done was very superficial.

 

[TECNOMODEL]

I attach a simple example of how I would impose it. Obviously, not knowing the specific issues, it is only a point that you will evaluate if it can be applicable to your business.

Thank you very much.