How do I modernize this process?

Question

I'm looking to modernize our somewhat archaic process of receiving forms and entering them into our system. I've managed to convert our tracking system (where the forms are entered) to c# .net from classic ASP, so any solution should be based on something I could do using .net so I can integrate the two.

First, I'll lay out the current process, followed by ideas on what could be done to modernize it.

Current

1. Blank word-based template is filled out by staff.
2. Template contains person's initials + date + ticket, like GH20090730TT555444
3. Form is emailed to us and several others.
4. Form is approved by management via "reply all" email which sometimes doesn't get to us.
5. Save the file as GH20090730TT555444.doc to a specific network location
6. Enter the form into existing .net tracking system.

After step #6 is completed, the form is used for reference, which we do quite often. This is done via simple link from the label (GH20090730TT555444) to open the form in Word on the local machine.

Future (what I'd like to see)

1. Web-based form is completed by staff.
2. Form is emailed from the web to us + a selectable CC list. Form is saved in the DB.
3. Form enters "purgatory" state in a web based list of not-yet-approved forms.
4. Management loads up the website and approves forms via checkboxes.
5. Approval emails go out to the same people + anyone in the CC list.
6. Admin interface allows us to click "Insert Form" or something to insert the form to our tracking system.

I'm sure that I'll be able to program everything in the "future" list and once I do that, this process will be so much nicer, but I'm asking you guys because I think there's another way, or maybe a better way.

So, how would you do it?

Answer 1

Pretty much the same way. I would add an interface in the webapp for people to go back and look at the original form (since you use the existing .docs as reference).

Answer 2

Is there a specific reason why you want to write code for this process? If you do not want to reinvent the wheel, sounds like Microsoft Sharepoint can do a world of good for you (if your firm can afford to buy the right license based on your needs). Sharepoint solves these very 'typical' document management and workflow problems very easily. You can customize your workflows with Sharepoint SDK and Infopath. Take a look at it if you haven't. Open source alternatives would be Plone and Drupal.

Answer 3

You seem to have thought through a reasonable process.

Some ideas for you to mull:

• If you are building a system for internal use, you may be able to use Microsoft InfoPath as the forms tool. It is much more powerful than Word and integrates with Sharepoint.
• If you use Outlook in your organization, you can use Outlook Forms as a way to create a customized forms submission process. Outlook integrates with Exchange and you could use public folders as a way to manage submission and approval.
• If you need to keep the system Word-based and browser-based, consider creating a web page that people fill out. This way you can integrate rules and validation into the form submission process. When the web page is submitted you generate a word document behind the scenes to store the submitted form.

Answer 4

That seems exactly how I would do it. Just a couple suggestions/questions.

1. For the status field on not-yet-approved forms look into creating codesets. Nothing bugs me more than seeing a status field set to 4 with no reference anywhere else in the DB as to what that means.
2. What sort of authentication are you planning to use?
3. How are you planning on generating the emails? Look into simple template approaches using external text files with merge codes.
4. You may want to use a different email control than the built in .Net one as it has some documented issues that may or may not crop up. Mainly, you can't force it to close it's SMTP connection. Personally I recommend the Chilkat control but I'm sure there are others.

Answer 5

Overall I think you have the process streamlined in a fairly nice manner, depending on the nature of the process the big thing that I might change is rather than storing the actual documents, create them on the fly, and only store the needed information in the database. Not sure if that is an option, but it can work quite well.

Answer 6

It seems like a good process and exactly what Windows Workflow Foundation was designed for.