In this article I would like to describe one of the most interesting digital transformation projects related to streamlining the activities in one of our clients Board Office. In the project WEBCON BPS platform was used to optimize the key process in the organization related to the procedure of motions for Board meetings and then voting.
Problem / Challenge
The most important problem for the Board Members was the prolonged time in making key business decisions. Application processing was done only in a paper form. Availability of key persons participating in the process was limited due to a large number of meetings, frequent business trips and dispersed organizational structure.
The main goal of the project was to shorten the application processing time. It consisted of four key tasks:
- The most important issue for Board Members was proceeding the motion within a single application.
- Allowing remote voting.
- Signing voted Resolutions/Arrangements with a qualified signature.
- Digital repository of Resolutions/Ordinances
The impulse to reorganize and start the project was a change in the law regarding partners meetings, general shareholders meetings and work of management and supervisory boards. These can take place without having to physically meet. The anti-crisis shield (Law of March 2, 2020 on special solutions related to preventing, countering and eradication of COVID-19, other infectious diseases and crisis situations caused by them) has introduced the principle that in every capital company it is possible to deliberate by means of remote communication.
On the part of the Client, a person from the company’s Management Board was involved in the project. The first stage of work, performed in close cooperation with the Client, consisted in mapping the process and analysing the individual steps. On this basis, we formulated the process and optimized it. We indicated the criteria and methods of paths, resources and exceptions, and provided documentation describing the process.
Processing an application in WEBCON
The person responsible for a given motion registers it in the “Motion for the Board” application. Thanks to that, the access to the application and the related draft resolution/order is granted to the members of the process:
- Substantive employees – responsible for working on the draft Resolution/Ordinance.
- Directors of a given area – who accept a motion for voting and the proposed draft Resolution/Regulation.
- Employees of the Legal Department – who give their opinion on the draft Resolution/Regulations.
- Members of the Board – casting a vote on a particular Resolution/Ordinance.
Registering an application starts the process of handling it within the organization. While working on an application, employees gather necessary documents, opinions and comments in one central place.
The key elements improving work efficiency at this stage turned out to be:
- team collaboration on a single document. The exchange of e-mail correspondence, to which, each time, a new version of the draft Resolution / Ordinance with comments was attached, was abandoned. Each participant in the process works on one document, in its latest version, deposited in the application.
- Standardization of the process, thanks to which employees prepare motions according to specific procedures.
Remote voting in WEBCON
The remote voting feature implemented by our team made it possible to cast a vote from any place in the world and at any time. Casting a vote can be done in the form of a remote voting or during a Board meeting. Access to documents directly in the application has eliminated the need to print or mail materials and minutes for those participating in the vote. The vote itself can be conducted in an open or confidential manner.
Qualified signature in WEBCON
In order to implement a qualified signature function we used one of the popular solutions available on the market and integrated it with the WEBCON platform. Thanks to this, users who are outside the organization’s headquarters can sign the voted document/resolution.
Has the goal been achieved?
An element of every implementation is a summary of achieved goals and verification of assumptions. Two months after launching the “Application for Management Board” process, together with the Client we evaluated the implemented application. The main goal, which was to accelerate the processing of applications, was achieved. It was influenced by several elements:
- Consistent environment – elimination of e-mail correspondence in which copies of reviewed Resolutions / Ordinances were sent. Source documents placed only in one place, on the WEBCON platform.
- Collaboration on one document – ensuring consistency of content in the resolutions/orders under consideration.
- Task-based work mode – the assigned task had a person responsible for its execution.
- Standardisation of the process – simplification of procedures through repetitive activities and a fixed sequence of actions.
- flexibility – voting can be done remotely and the Resolution/Arrangement is signed with a qualified signature.
- mobility – a possibility to cast a vote from the level of a tablet or smartphone.
The organization has significantly improved its operational excellence. It has been prepared for the rapid and standardized processing of proposals and their publication within the organization. The streamlining also helped in responding immediately to market changes, including in the COVID-19 pandemic crisis, which reinforced the role of remote working.
If your organization is looking for solutions that support and optimize the work of the Executive Office and Supervisory Boards, I invite you to contact me. I will share my knowledge and experience and present our solution.
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