While 'workflow' technology   is now a well-recognised approach to directing information and documents around a business, this can be - especially for SMEs - an extremely expensive hammer to crack a relatively small nut. Implementing dedicated workflow systems can prove an extremely complex process, with the need to plan in detail what information should go where and ensuring that everyone that needs to be, is part of the planned system.

The fact is that for many smaller businesses, the core ERP system will undertake most of the essential internal communication transfer as a matter of course. Moreover, for those specific instances within different businesses where it is important to send a message or data outside of the fixed communication paths, then there is a lesser-known alternative to workflow - push technology.

Origins
The concept of information 'push technology' probably originated with the Internet. In this general environment, it was developed as a way to automate the searching and retrieval of information (industry and stock market news to weather forecasts) and so provide an efficient means of disseminating general information and recurring updates. Based on user-defined criteria, a push application will automatically search a database for specific information and deliver it straight to the desktop. This form of information delivery represents a convenient means of receiving important specific information the user may not otherwise know exists, or eliminating the need to go and find it.

ERP integration
However, while this concept, and the technology, has struggled to take off in its original medium, it has been recognised as offering major advantages in a more practical business application, where it can be used as a mechanism to deliver key business information over a corporate intranet or between specific companies. In particular, a number of the ERP system providers have recognised that when integrated as part of an ERP system, the technology concept can be used as a way of automatically pushing information to employees, such as data on part inventories, or notifying managers when trends in sales and services change, or even sending e-mails and reports to customers and suppliers.

Trigger events
In this way, push technology can become a significant 'business' tool that provides a core level of proactive information flow and enables users to automatically monitor and act upon specific 'critical' events within the system. In essence, users click onto the application and key in their interest in certain business criteria, such as production milestones, credit controls or stock inventory. Once the system notes the users interest, it will automatically push out information and data when that event occurs. In conjunction with fax and e-mail integration, the system can be set up to automatically notify internal or external mail users of action to be taken within seconds of the event occurring.

Need to know
For example, the CFO may wish to be notified when cash falls below £x, when the gross margin on sales drops below x%, or when the number of days in receivables exceed x days. The Manufacturing Director may want to be informed when job costs exceed an expected level, and the Production Controller - and the supplier - should want to be told when stocks go below the safety or minimum. Also the Sales Director may want to know when a customer's balance is greater than the percentage of allowed credit limit or conversely when a customer is back within credit limit.

Through this 'push' approach companies can improve workflow communications and activity response times, both internally and externally, and accelerate actions on important issues, without having to first embark on the complex introduction of a dedicated workflow system.