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  • How is DX progressing?

    How is DX progressing?

    Are companies making progress in DX?

    ※ According to the Information-technology Promotion Agency, Japan’s DX White Paper (2021), about 54% of companies are working on DX (based on a company-wide strategy). Compared with 79% in the U.S., the number of companies promoting DX in Japan is still small.

    By industry, both Japan and the U.S. are seeing more DX in the information and communications industry, the financial industry, and the insurance industry (although compared to 91.0% in the U.S., Japan’s ICT industry lags far behind at 57.5%). On the other hand, Japan’s distribution, retail, manufacturing, and service industries have low ratios and have not made much progress in DX.

    Source: DX White Paper 2021, Information-technology Promotion Agency, Japan
    （Copyright DX White Paper 2021（2021） IPA）

    ※ Survey target: 534 companies in 26 industries (manufacturing/non-manufacturing) within the scope of the METI Information Processing Survey. Survey period: July – August 2021

    What will happen if we don’t work on DX?

    The 2021 edition of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications’ White Paper on Information and Communications measures the relationship between a company’s level of DX promotion and its sales. (The degree of DX promotion is defined by classifying the level of progress from 1 to 3 based on whether or not the company is working on the development of an internal organization and vision for DX promotion, as well as external collaboration.)

    The chart below shows the increase/decrease in sales (in FY2020) by the level of DX progress, with companies with higher levels of DX progress reportedly reporting higher sales compared to the previous year.

    Source: Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, White Paper on Information and Communications 2021

    The report also simulates the impact on sales if DX were to progress to the same degree in Japan as in the U.S. As a result, it is estimated that sales in both manufacturing and non-manufacturing industries would increase by approximately 5%.

    In other words, it has been shown that if DX is not addressed, sales growth will be sluggish and if it is addressed, sales growth is likely to increase.

    What is needed to promote DX?

    Digital transformation (DX) is the use of digital technology to adapt organizations and businesses to changes in the external environment (technological innovation). This creates new value (in terms of customer experience, systems, etc.), enhances the competitiveness of the company, and eventually transforms social systems and systems culture.

    However, it is difficult to suddenly change existing systems or create new systems in society. For this reason, companies that have yet to promote DX should first work on digitization and digitalization.

    Digitization is the conversion of analog information/business processes into digital format by introducing in-house digital tools, as represented by buzzwords such as digitization and paperless.

    Digitalization, on the other hand, is an effort to digitize not only the company’s internal efforts but also the entire business process, including external parties such as clients and partners, and includes the method of providing products and services and the transformation of business models.

    Indeed, digitization/digitalization and DX are completely different. Digitization/digitalization is the digitization of existing analog operations, while DX focuses on the creation of new value that is not based on existing analog operations. The scope of influence of the former is limited to the company (in the case of a company) and its customer partners, while DX extends to society as a whole.

    However, it is difficult for companies whose existing operations are in an analog state to move forward with DX. In other words, it is not realistic for companies that are already in business to skip digitization and engage in DX.

    Classification of Digitization

    ※ Digital technologies: 3rd platform (cloud, mobility, big data/analytics, social technologies)

    Start with Digitization

    Efforts to renew product/service delivery methods and business models through digitization and digitalization also face high implementation hurdles.

    Therefore, we recommend starting with digitization. The first step toward DX is to digitize the analog information and business processes that remain in the company.

    Some of the digitization being done at Questetra is as follows.

    – Digitalization of business processes

    • Attendance management
    • Internal communication, information sharing/recording
    • Application/Approval
    • Customer Management
    • Billing Management
    • SNS Posting Management
    • Blog Posting Management
    • Landing Page Creation Management

    – Business Automation

    • Inquiry reception/response
    • Free Trial Reception/Response
    • Scheduled Email Campaign (nurturing)
    • Aggregation
    • Receiving/responding to applications for useful information

    All of this is done with the cloud workflow Questetra BPM Suite. It can also be linked to cloud services such as Google Workspace and Box, which are used for other business operations, so appointments can be automatically added to Google Calendar and files can be automatically saved to Box.

    Questetra BPM Suite can create systems (workflow applications) related to the above business processes with no code. Therefore, even non-engineers can easily start digitization.

  • NKK Switches Corporation

    NKK Switches Corporation

    Workflow Apps automate task delivery and transfer. Visualization of tasks involving many departments/personnel is achieved.

    Established

    1953

    No. of Employees

    148 (Standalone), 288 (Consolidated) as of March 31, 2023

    Main Business

    Development, manufacturing, and sales of various switches for industrial equipment

    web

    https://www.nkkswitches.co.jp/

    Industry

    Manufacturing

    User Department

    Manufacturing dept

    NKK Switches is an electronic component manufacturer that develops and manufactures switches and peripheral devices for industrial equipment. Specific areas of demand include information and telecommunications equipment, space satellite equipment, factory automation equipment, aviation, railroads, ships, medical care, disaster prevention, measurement, semiconductor-related equipment, and entertainment.

    Sales are not limited to the domestic market, but are expanding globally to the United States, Europe, Asia, Oceania, Africa, and other regions.

    (From left to right) Mr. Ken Ishii, Development Promotion Division; Mr. Takashi Furumura, Business Planning Division; Mr. Naoshi Maruyama, both in the same division

    Q. What kind of business do you use Questetra for?

    It is used for drawing change requests and product discontinuation management.

    There are many cases in which design drawings must be changed in the manufacturing of electronic components. For example, when materials have to be changed or user requests have to be accommodated. However, changes to drawings require confirmation and approval from many departments. In other words, it requires confirmation and approval from many departments, such as production, quality, assembly, and materials. In many cases, revisions or additions are also required. The workflow app “Drawing Change Request” assigns a confirmation task to every person in charge. After confirmation and approval, development performs a final check and changes the drawing.

    Product Discontinuation Management manages obsolete products that have been decided to be discontinued. After two years, the process is restarted and final confirmation of discontinuation is made.

    Q. What challenges did you face before introducing the system?

    Because of paper and verbal communication, it took time to respond to requests and progress could not be monitored.

    In particular, Product Discontinuation Management had challenges in visualizing the progress status. Even if a decision is made to discontinue a product, the manufacturer is responsible for supplying the product and cannot immediately stop selling it. Therefore, it is necessary to coordinate procurement and manage inventory of parts necessary for product production for several years until sales are discontinued. The challenge was that there were so many departments and personnel involved that it was difficult to know who was holding the ball for each job.

    Q. How did you resolve the issue?

    All processes have been incorporated into the workflow app, which has completely automated the passing of tasks between the people in charge of the work. Even though the work process involves a large number of departments and personnel, it is now handled according to a predefined workflow.

    Task hand-offs are now automated, which speeds up responses to requests. In addition, Product Discontinuation Management has made it possible to grasp who is handling the workload, preventing work stoppages and facilitating smooth progress in the business.

    In addition, a timer process was used to automatically restart the process after two years. This created a mechanism to ensure that tasks several years in the future, which might have been missed if performed manually, could be handled reliably.

    Q. What would you like to work on in the future?

    We would like to expand the scope of operations using Questetra to the entire company. For example, a request for consideration of a custom-made product. In the custom order request process, the sales department receives a consultation from a customer about a custom order and asks the development department whether or not it can be produced and at what price. In addition, we would like to expand the scope of this business to include application work, such as requests for decision-making.

    In terms of functionality, we would like to take on the challenge of integrating business flows. Currently, each business flow is used independently. However, in reality, once one business flow is completed, another business flow is often started. We would like to automate the linkage between such flows.

  • 「進行管理」をワークフローで効率化する

    「進行管理」をワークフローで効率化する

    こんにちは、マーケティング部の林です。

    制作系の仕事に欠かせない「進行管理」。これはその名の通り、業務の進行を管理する業務であり、小さなところではチラシの制作から、規模が大きくなると国家規模（？）のプロジェクトまで、必要とされるポジションです。

    どのような業種であれ、進行管理の担当者は業務の進捗状況を随時把握しながら、スケジュールなどの調整をおこないます。ハッキリいって大変な仕事です。少なくとも、私が見てきた「進行管理さん」は、みんな苦労していました。

    そこで今回は、そんな進行管理さんの業務をワークフローで効率化する方法を考えてみました。

    進行管理の仕事って？

    私は進行管理の仕事をしていたことはありません。しかし、ライターやエディターという制作系の仕事をする上で、進行管理担当と関わることは多く、その仕事内容も近くで見てきました。

    これはたびたび書いていることですが、かつて私は通販メーカーでコピーライターをしていました。15年ほど前のことなので、現在はいろいろと改善されているかもしれませんが、そこで私が見た「カタログ制作」の進行管理業務は、本当に過酷なものでした。

    そもそも、こうした制作の現場では予定が「予定通り」に進むことはまずありません。たとえば、商品サンプルが届かない→商品写真の撮影ができない→デザインができない、みたいなことは日常茶飯事です。そのたびに進行管理さんはエクセルで作成したスケジュール表を修正し、それを印刷してチーム内に配布していました。

    それでも、ディレクターからは「アレはどうなってるんだ！」と怒鳴られ、催促をすると営業担当にはイヤな顔をされ、ライターやデザイナーは締め切りを守らない、という理不尽な目にあうのが進行管理さんです。そのため、私がいた会社では進行管理というポジションに人材がまったく定着しませんでした。

    ワークフローで進行管理さんを救え！

    たしかに、世の中のすべての「進行管理」が上述したように過酷なものとは限りません。しかし、ゲームアプリの制作会社で進行管理をしていた知人も「帰宅が深夜になるのは当たり前」「納期前は会社に泊まりこむ」という状態だったので、進行管理に過剰な負荷がかかる状況はめずらしくないと思われます。少なくとも、私が勤めていた会社の進行管理においては、業務に非効率的な部分があったのは事実です。

    そこでカタログ制作を例にとり、クエステトラが無料公開しているワークフローテンプレートから、進行管理業務の効率化に役立ちそうなものをピックアップしました。こうしたワークフローを活用することで、全国の理不尽な目にあっている「進行管理さん」が少しでも救われますように！

    ワークフロー その1：作業依頼フロー

    「作業を依頼する」というプロセスはワークフローの基本です。

    この『作業依頼フロー』はシンプルですが、進行管理さんがチーム内外のさまざまな人とやり取りをする際に有効となるワークフローです。

    ＜『作業依頼フロー』のワークフローサンプル＞

    このフローでは業務が自動で進行されるだけでなく、依頼を受けた人が依頼者に質問したり、内容に不備があった場合に差戻しをしたりすることも可能です。そのため、少なくともメールや電話でのやり取りの負担は大幅に軽減されるでしょう。

    また、ディレクターがこのワークフローを使用すれば、進行管理さんが間に入って調整をおこなう手間を省けるかもしれません。

    ワークフロー その2：進捗報告プロセス

    『進捗報告プロセス』は、1～4名の報告者を指名して、指定した日付における進捗報告を求めるワークフローです。

    ＜『進捗報告プロセス』のワークフローサンプル＞

    デザイナー・ライター・カメラマンなどに報告を義務付ければ、スケジュール通りに業務が進行しているかどうかを早い段階で確認できます。人数が多い場合には、チーフやリーダに報告を義務付けるのも良いでしょう。

    また報告を受けた後は報告値の集計もおこなわれるので、プロジェクト全体の進捗状況を把握する上でも役立ちます。

    ワークフロー その3：マンガ制作フロー

    『マンガ制作フロー』は、マンガだけでなく、さまざまな制作系のプロセスに応用できるテンプレートです。

    ＜『マンガ制作フロー』のワークフローサンプル＞

    このフローでは「制作」→「提出」→「確認」というやり取りを繰り返しながら、工程が進んでいきます。そして、業務の進行にあわせて「打合せ完了」「ラフ案確認中」「下書き完成」といったように、業務の進捗状況（ステータス）が自動で更新され、入力画面に表示されます。

    これはどちらかというとディレクター向きのテンプレートかもしれませんが、進行管理さんにフローの閲覧権限があれば、進捗状況を把握しやすくなるはずです。

    ワークフロー その4：受託～納品フロー

    『受託～納品フロー』のポイントは、Google カレンダーと連携し、リーダが納期を確認したら、自動的に納品日が書き込まれることです。

    ＜『受託～納品フロー』のワークフローサンプル＞

    たとえばカタログ制作では、ページや役割ごとに締め切りが異なるケースもあります。そうした場合、ひとつのカレンダーにそれぞれの締め切り日を登録して一覧することも可能です。

    現在では、Google カレンダーでスケジュールを共有する企業も多いと思います。本フローはそこから1歩進んで、カレンダーへの登録も自動化します。フロー内の工程の文言など修正は必要ですが、割とストレートに進行管理さんの負担軽減に役立つフローです。

    Questetra BPM Suite で業務負担を軽減しよう！

    上の項で紹介したワークフローだけでなく、

    • 「仕事のボール」がどこにあるのか？
    • 誰のところで業務が止まっているのか？

    といったことをひと目で分かるように「見える化」するのは、Questetra BPM Suite の得意とするところです。

    Questetra BPM Suite によって同じフローがチーム内で共有され、ペーパーレス化・自動化が進めば、進行管理さんの負担はかなり軽減されるのではないでしょうか。

    いまやリモートワークが当たり前の時代。進行管理さんがオフィス以外で作業するケースも多いと思われます。 Questetra BPM Suite はクラウド型なので、インターネット環境がある場所なら、どこにいてもオフィスと同じシステムにアクセスして業務を進められます。

    お申込み後、面倒な手続きなしでスグに始められるのもクラウド型の強みです。まずは無料お試しから、お気軽にどうぞ！

  • CreativeHope Inc.

    CreativeHope Inc.

    CreativeHope Inc.

    Established

    2002

    Business

    Business consulting and web consulting services., Planning, design, development, and operation of websites and web systems., New business development.

    Website

    https://www.creativehope.co.jp/en/

    Industry

    Hitech

    User Departments

    Marketing, Manufacturing dept, Approval Flows

    CreativeHope is a consulting company that specializes in supporting the introduction of HubSpot, a tool that enables the integrated management of marketing and sales activities.

    We provide a full range of support from consulting to UI/UX development to help companies succeed in their business with our technology and knowledge.

    Improved the order approval process for a major BtoB manufacturer that handles a wide variety of products, building a unique system with HubSpot and Questetra.

    (From right to left) Mr. Shinohara, Mr. Uenohara, and Mr. Tokuhiro, Growth Hack Team Leaders

    Q. What kind of operations do you use Questetra for?

    We use this system for order settlement. Our customer, a major manufacturer (hereinafter referred to as “the customer”), is using this service.

    Specifically, it is an order approval flow in which a sales representative submits a request for the desired order amount, which is then forwarded to their supervisor and the accounting/administrative department. We have been supporting our clients to build a platform around HubSpot, and Questetra is being used as an order approval system/workflow platform in conjunction with HubSpot.

    Q. What challenges did you face with order fulfillment?

    The main issues were that there was a lot of analog work and a lack of information/functions necessary for the operation of the order approval flow.

    Previously, we were using another company’s order settlement system and HubSpot (SalesHub). However, the two systems were not linked. As a result, PDFs and printing of documents were required for information and task transfer.

    In addition, the previous order approval system did not record information such as the background and requirements of the order when it was approved. Therefore, there was no information to reference when verifying the past in order to improve the balance of payments, and verification was not possible.

    As for workflow, HubSpot has simple functionality. However, it was not possible to implement a complex flow across departments.

    Q. How did you resolve the issue?

    The integration between HubSpot and Questetra has automated much of the information and task delivery, eliminating the need for PDFs and printing.

    Process information is recorded in Questetra. Therefore, the history of the person in charge’s comments, approval conditions, and other decisions in each process of the order approval flow can be referred to. By exporting this information on a regular basis, it is now possible to verify the order approval process and improve the balance.

    In addition, Questetra performs operations according to the workflow diagram that you have created. Therefore, an order approval flow has been realized in which the order is circulated to the parties concerned according to the predefined rules/sequence.

    Specifically, we were able to create an order approval flow that corresponds to each application price and product category. In addition, an order approval flow that can be handled not only by the sales department, but also by all related departments, including the accounting and administrative departments, was created.

    In addition to these efforts, Questetra has also achieved operational efficiency through a variety of other innovations.

    For example, the cost of goods and operating profit against actual application prices are now displayed on the task processing screen. This has reduced errors in judgment by the decision makers. In addition, the administrative department no longer has to investigate this information on their own, which has increased operational efficiency.

    Furthermore, the “deadline” function reduces the backlog of circulations. Depending on the approval flow, there may be cases where approval is not required, but it is necessary to circulate the documents to those above a certain position. However, simply circulating the documents would cause a backlog of work until they are approved. Therefore, we were able to handle such cases by using the deadline function to automatically move to the next step after a set amount of time has elapsed.

    Q. What would you like to work on in the future?

    As well as this case study, we are receiving an increasing number of inquiries from HubSpot users who want to create a quote creation approval flow, or who want flow through administrative procedures after event acceptance, and so on. We would like to use Questetra to meet the needs for such complex workflows in the future.

    Questetra can display the calculation results of input values on the screen in real time. In this example, the estimated profit for the approved price is automatically calculated and displayed on the screen. However, complex calculations are imported into Questetra after preprocessing the cost/actual data. In the future, if more complex processing such as SQL can be performed in Questetra, we expect that the range of applicable operations will expand even further.

    crhjpn-desk1
    ※ Mr. Shinohara expresses his expectations for the possibilities of cooperation between HubSpot and Questetra.
  • Are You Going Paperless?

    Are You Going Paperless?

    The Status of Paperless Implementation

    According to the Japan Management Association’s 2021 Survey of 1,000 Businesspersons [Status of Paperless Implementation]*, more than half of the respondents (approximately 56%) have not gone paperless in the past year.

    Regarding the paperless progress by work, attendance management is the most advanced, and about 70% of the total (n=770) seems to have been computerized (completely/partially computerized). On the other hand, the paperless rate of seals, faxes, and contracts is generally less than half, which is still low.

    * Survey period: August 2021; survey target: 1,000 regular employees/officers/managers working for companies (organizations) nationwide, aged 20 to 69; survey method: Internet survey

    Paperless Promotion Awareness and Challenges

    What is the mindset of business people in a situation where paperless systems are not yet in place?

    According to the survey, more than 80% of the respondents said that going paperless in the workplace is beneficial, thus many people feel that going paperless is beneficial.

    So what are the challenges?

    According to the survey, more than 60% of all respondents were concerned about going paperless, of which more than 40% were concerned about IT skills and security.

    What are the Advantages of Going Paperless?

    Going paperless means changing the destination for recording/storing information from paper to electronic media. This electronic conversion reduces the costs associated with paper media. It also increases the flexibility and speed of information exchange. Specifically, it enables work to be performed remotely and speeds up the retrieval, revision, and sharing of information. Such operational efficiency improvements will ultimately lead to cost reductions. In addition, the paperless system reduces the risk of information leaks and enables BCP measures due to its ease of information management.

    Specific benefits are as follows.

    Cost reduction

    • Paper purchase/printing/disposal costs
    • Storage space cost
    • Shipping costs

    Improved business efficiency

    • Improved searchability
    • Improvement of correction speed
    • Improvement of information sharing speed
    • Increased speed of application approval
    • Easy backup of information

    Reduce the risk of information leakage

    • Prevention of loss/theft
    • Viewing restrictions are possible

    BCP Measures

    • Preventing loss of documents due to disasters

    What is the Objective of Paperless Systems?

    The paper media to be digitized include documents used internally and contracts with customers. The main items are as follows.

    Internal documents

    • Approval documents
    • Expense report
    • Various application forms
    • Conference materials
    • Minutes
    • Forms
    • Articles of incorporation
    • Financial statements

    External Documents/Materials

    • Quotations
    • Invoices
    • Receipts
    • Proposals
    • Product/service introduction materials
    • Contracts (some contracts cannot be converted to electronic format)

    On the other hand, there are some items that cannot be digitized. Examples include ship’s manuals (which are highly readable in case of emergency) and licenses/permits (which are highly physical) that are subject to treaty restrictions.

    Specific Methods of Paperless Conversion

    Data entry, scanning/OCR, etc. are methods of digitizing existing paper media, and cloud storage is a method of storing the data.

    After the digitization of such existing media is completed, it is necessary to consider how the workflow should be implemented to record/store the data in electronic media from the outset. This is because although the application forms and other media themselves have been digitized, we are faced with the problem of how to transfer tasks such as application/approval methods.

    The solution to this problem is the computerization of business processes.

    How to Digitize/Automate Business Processes

    Cloud Workflow Questetra BPM Suite makes it easy to digitize and automate business processes.

    Questetra BPM Suite is not just a paperless system, but also provides the following benefits by digitizing business processes.

    • Reduction of operational errors
    • Visualization of business progress
    • Automation of operations
      • Automation of task handover
      • Automation of task processing

    The main features of Questetra BPM Suite are as follows.

    • No-code/low-code business applications can be created
      Build systems by drawing workflow diagrams
    • The workflow diagram you create becomes a business application by itself
      The workflow diagram becomes a business manual and tasks can be processed according to predetermined rules
    • Business progress is visualized
      Actual performance, progress, and flow status can be checked in real time for each task on the workflow diagram
    • Tasks can be automated
      ・Task processing can be automated. (Automatic sending of e-mails / insertion of business data / automatic calculation and aggregation of data, etc.)

      ・Able to automate processing of cloud services linked with APIs

    With these features, Questetra BPM Suite solves many of the concerns of going paperless.

    Lack of IT literacy

    • No-code development is possible, so engineers are not necessarily needed.

    Increased cost

    • No need to hire new engineers thanks to no-code development. In addition, costs (paper media-related costs/production costs due to more efficient operations, etc.) can be expected to be reduced through the introduction of the system.

    Security

    • Various access privileges can be set for each situation. (App Administrator authority / Process Manager authority / Data Viewer authority / Data Viewer (only Progress Information) authority)
    • Automatic processing of API-linked cloud services eliminates the need for individual logins to cloud services. (It is also possible to limit the services used by each employee so that they can be controlled by the authority settings of Questetra BPM Suite.)

    I would recommend it to anyone who wants to go paperless.

  • Questetra Privacy Policy (2021-10 to 2022-10)

    Questetra Privacy Policy (2021-10 to 2022-10)

    Version of 2021-10 to 2022-10

    Part I: General Provisions

    1. Introduction

    The mission of Questetra Inc. (hereinafter referred to as the “Questetra”) is “Innovating the world’s business through software”.

    This Privacy Policy describes how and when your information is collected, used and shared by Questetra when you, your colleagues or other users use Questetra’s services or products (which includes the websites, apps and related services that link to this Privacy Policy; hereinafter referred to as the “Questetra Services”). By using the Questetra Services, you consent to the collection of your information under this Privacy Policy. If you disagree with this Privacy Policy, then please do not use the Questetra Services.

    2. Changes to the Policy

    Questetra may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When Questetra makes material changes to the agreements, Questetra will provide you with notice as appropriate under the circumstances, e.g., by displaying a notice within the Questetra Services page or by sending you an email. Your continued use of the Questetra Services after the changes have been made, will constitute your acceptance of the changes.

    Part II: Collection of Information

    3. Information you give

    User Account Information: Questetra asks for and may collect personal information about you such as your name, address, phone number, email address, and credit card information (only token and last 4 digits), as well as certain related information like your company name and website URL, when you register for an account to access or use the Questetra Services. Questetra also asks for and collects personal information such as a name or an alias and an email address from any individual that you authorize to log into and use Questetra Services in connection with your account.

    4. Information Questetra gets from your use of Questetra Services

    Access Log Information: Questetra automatically records information when you use the Questetra Services. This log data may include the date and time of your use of Questetra Services, your IP address, the refered URL (the URL of the web page that linked to the Questetra Services), your browser type and settings, language preferences, and cookie data.

    Device Information: Questetra may also automatically collect information about the device you are using to connect to Questetra Services. This device data may include your hardware model, operating system version and unique device identifiers.

    5. Information Questetra collects from other sources

    Questetra may also obtain information about you from other sources. For example, if you create or log into your SaaS account(s) through another service (like Google Identity Platform), Questetra will receive information from that service, such as username(s), email address(es), profile picture URL(s), organization units and user groups, via the authorization procedures used by that service.

    Part III: Use of Information

    6. Use of Information

    Questetra uses the information to provide, maintain, protect and improve the Questetra Services, to develop new ones, and to protect Questetra and the Questetra Services users. Examples of such use include:

    -1 Personalizing your and your organization’s user-experiences in Questetra Services;
    -2 Communicating with users and administrators regarding their use of Questetra Services;
    -3 Enhancing the security of Questetra Services.

    Part IV: Sharing and Disclosure of Information

    7. With your consent

    Questetra does not share your information with companies, organizations or individuals outside of Questetra. However, when Questetra has your consent, Questetra may share the information with companies, organizations or individuals outside of Questetra.

    8. For legal reasons

    Questetra may disclose your information to a third party if Questetra believes that disclosure is reasonably necessary to comply with any applicable law, regulation, legal process or governmental request, or to respond to an emergency which Questetra believes in the good faith requires Questetra to disclose information to assist in preventing the death or serious bodily injury of any person.

    9. Aggregated or de-identified data

    Questetra may also share aggregated or anonymised information with third parties that does not directly identify you.

    Part V: Other Provisions

    10. Collection and retention period

    Questetra collects and retains your information as long as you use Questetra Services. If you stop using Questetra Services and request your account deletion, Questetra will stop collecting your information and will delete previously collected information of you. However, Questetra may continue to retain and use the kinds of information listed below:

    -1 Your contact information such as your name, address, phone number, and email
    address;
    -2 The kinds of information whose retention and use Questetra believes to be necessary
    or reasonable for legal reasons;
    -3 Aggregated or anonymised information that does not directly identify you.

    Also, please note that Questetra Services use backup storage as a layer of protection to
    help recover from potential disasters. Data on the backup storage can remain for up to
    14 months.

    11. Transfer to other countries

    Questetra transfers, processes and stores the information on servers located in several countries such as Japan, Germany or the United States. Information collected within the European Economic Area and Switzerland may, for example, be transferred to and processed in a country outside of the European Economic Area and Switzerland, where you may have fewer legal rights in relation to your information.

    12. Request of correction and suspension

    You can request to disclose, correct, add and/or delete the information you have provided Questetra and/or to suspend its use. You can make requests, claims or questions regarding information by contacting Questetra at the email address below.

    Questetra, Inc., Grievance Desk
    privacy-request@questetra.com

    Established: April 1, 2008.
    Minor amendment: November 1, 2012.
    Amended: February 1, 2018. (Globalization)
    Amended: October 1, 2021. (Added collection and retention period)

  • Questetra Privacy Policy (2018-02 to 2021-09)

    Questetra Privacy Policy (2018-02 to 2021-09)

    Archived Version of 2018-02 to 2021-09

    Part I: General Provisions

    1. Introduction

    The mission of Questetra Inc. (hereinafter referred to as the “Questetra”) is “Innovating the world’s business through software”.

    This Privacy Policy describes how and when your information is collected, used and shared by Questetra when you, your colleagues or other users use Questetra’s services or products (which includes the websites, apps and related services that link to this Privacy Policy; hereinafter referred to as the “Questetra Services”). By using the Questetra Services, you consent to the collection of your information under this Privacy Policy. If you disagree with this Privacy Policy, then please do not use the Questetra Services.

    2. Changes to the Policy

    Questetra may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. When Questetra makes material changes to the agreements, Questetra will provide you with notice as appropriate under the circumstances, e.g., by displaying a notice within the Questetra Services page or by sending you an email. Your continued use of the Questetra Services after the changes have been made, will constitute your acceptance of the changes.

    Part II: Collection of Information

    3. Information you give

    User Account Information: Questetra asks for and may collect personal information about you such as your name, address, phone number, email address, and credit card information (only token and last 4 digits), as well as certain related information like your company name and website URL, when you register for an account to access or use the Questetra Services. Questetra also asks for and collects personal information such as a name or an alias and an email address from any individual that you authorize to log into and use Questetra Services in connection with your account.

    4. Information Questetra gets from your use of Questetra Services

    Access Log Information: Questetra automatically records information when you use the Questetra Services. This log data may include the date and time of your use of Questetra Services, your IP address, the refered URL (the URL of the web page that linked to the Questetra Services), your browser type and settings, language preferences, and cookie data.

    Device Information: Questetra may also automatically collect information about the device you are using to connect to Questetra Services. This device data may include your hardware model, operating system version and unique device identifiers.

    5. Information Questetra collects from other sources

    Questetra may also obtain information about you from other sources. For example, if you create or log into your SaaS account(s) through another service (like Google Identity Platform), Questetra will receive information from that service, such as username(s), email address(es), profile picture URL(s), organization units and user groups, via the authorization procedures used by that service.

    Part III: Use of Information

    6. Use of Information

    Questetra uses the information to provide, maintain, protect and improve the Questetra Services, to develop new ones, and to protect Questetra and the Questetra Services users. Examples of such use include:

    -1 Personalizing your and your organization’s user-experiences in Questetra Services;
    -2 Communicating with users and administrators regarding their use of Questetra Services;
    -3 Enhancing the security of Questetra Services.

    Part IV: Sharing and Disclosure of Information

    7. With your consent

    Questetra does not share your information with companies, organizations or individuals outside of Questetra. However, when Questetra has your consent, Questetra may share the information with companies, organizations or individuals outside of Questetra.

    8. For legal reasons

    Questetra may disclose your information to a third party if Questetra believes that disclosure is reasonably necessary to comply with any applicable law, regulation, legal process or governmental request, or to respond to an emergency which Questetra believes in the good faith requires Questetra to disclose information to assist in preventing the death or serious bodily injury of any person.

    9. Aggregated or de-identified data

    Questetra may also share aggregated or anonymised information with third parties that does not directly identify you.

    Part V: Other Provisions

    10. Transfer to other countries

    Questetra transfers, processes and stores the information on servers located in several countries such as Japan, Germany or the United States. Information collected within the European Economic Area and Switzerland may, for example, be transferred to and processed in a country outside of the European Economic Area and Switzerland, where you may have fewer legal rights in relation to your information.

    11. Request of correction and suspension

    You can request to disclose, correct, add and/or delete the information you have provided Questetra and/or to suspend its use. You can make requests, claims or questions regarding information by contacting Questetra at the email address below.

    Questetra, Inc., Grievance Desk
    privacy-request@questetra.com

    Established: April 1, 2008.
    Minor amendment: November 1, 2012.
    Amended: February 1, 2018. (Globalization)

  • 介護職とワークフロー

    介護職とワークフロー

    こんにちは、マーケティング部の林です。

    もう何年も前の話ですが、私は介護関連の仕事をしていたことがあります。介護職は世の中になくてはならない重要な仕事です。しかし、介護現場は慢性的な人手不足に悩まされています。それは現在も変わりません。

    介護職には「キツそう」というイメージが強く、精神的にも肉体的にもハードな面があるのは事実です。そのため介護職のなり手は足りず、さらに業務の過酷さによる定着率の低さが人手不足に拍車をかけています。

    そこで今回は自分自身の経験も踏まえて、過酷とされる介護職の業務効率化について、Questetra BPM Suite のワークフローテンプレートをベースに考えてみました。

    介護職員を悩ませる「書類作成」

    さて、私が勤めていたのは高齢者向けの『機能訓練型デイサービス』と呼ばれる施設でした。当時、私はライターとして介護関連の記事を制作しつつ、介護や福祉の現場でも働いていました。

    介護現場の仕事は、食事や入浴、トイレの介助など大変なことも多いのですが、これらに加えて介護職員を悩ませていたのは日々の「書類作成」業務でした。

    私が勤めていた施設はそれほど大きな施設ではありませんでしたが、たとえば要介護度の高い人を対象とした日では、平均して30人程度が施設を利用します。職員たちは、現場での仕事が終わったあと、これら利用者さん1人ひとりについて書類を作成しなければなりません。これが夜遅くまでの残業や早出の原因となっていました。

    『日次報告』テンプレートを活用する

    ところで、弊社では多くのワークフローテンプレートを無料公開しています。その中には『日次報告』テンプレートというものもあります。
    このワークフローテンプレートがあれば、残業や早出を軽減できていたかもしれません。

    ＜日次報告テンプレートのワークフローサンプル＞

    このワークフローでは、毎日決まった時刻にタスクとして日報記入が割り当てられます。また、上図を見ていただければわかるとおり、施設長などの管理者が、日報に不備があった場合に差し戻したり、内容についてのフィードバックを送信したりするのも簡単です。また、日報は一時保存もできるので、業務の合間に記入を進めていくことも可能です。

    ＜日次報告テンプレートの入力画面サンプル＞

    ちなみに、私が勤めていたデイサービスでは、利用者さんの「転倒」が注意すべきトラブルのトップでした。施設にはさまざまなリハビリやトレーニングの器具が置かれているので、高齢者はつまずいてしまう危険が大きく、ちょっとした転倒が大ケガにつながるおそれもあります。もちろん、こうしたトラブルが起きた場合、その情報は職員間で速やかに共有されなければなりません。

    もし、この『日次報告テンプレート』をカスタマイズするのであれば、管理者がこのようなトラブルの有無をひと目で把握できるように、チェックボックスなどで「トラブル有・無」などを選択できるようにすると良いかもしれません。

    「問題行動」の情報を共有したい

    一方、どこの介護施設にもトラブルにつながる「問題行動」を常習的におこなう利用者さんがいます。

    こうしたトラブルメーカー的な利用者さんは、やたらとクレームをつけたり暴言を吐いたりするだけでなく、ときには物を壊したり暴力を振るったりすることもあるので、施設側も見守りや扱いに細心の注意を払わなければなりません。

    そして新たなトラブルを防ぐためにも、こうした要注意人物の情報や起こってしまったトラブルの事例は、職員間で速やかに共有される必要があります。

    『他部署間・分業下の情報共有』でトラブルを報告

    上記のような用途に役立つのが、前回もご紹介した『他部署間・分業下の情報共有』テンプレートです。
    このワークフローの特長は下記の2点です。

    • 夜勤担当からフロント担当に『社内メモ』を残せる
    • 宿泊客のチェックアウトをリアルタイムで清掃担当が確認できる
    ＜他部署間・分業下の情報共有テンプレートのワークフローサンプル＞

    これは、ホテルでの清掃や顧客対応を管理するワークフローなので、介護現場でそのまま使用することはできません。しかし、ワークフローの「骨格」というべき部分は応用できそうです。

    たとえば、トラブルやクレームといった問題があった場合に、『社内メモ』を残して速やかに情報を共有できるのは介護職にも有効な機能です。『社内メモ』の記載があった場合には、自動でメール通知もおこなわれるので、業務を引き継ぐ側も見逃す心配がありません。

    プログラムの進行状況をワークフローで管理する

    一方、『他部署間・分業下の情報共有』の入力画面は下図のようになっています。

    ＜他部署間・分業下の情報共有テンプレートの入力画面サンプル＞

    これは「宿泊客の情報」や「苦情記録」を入力する画面のサンプルですが、こうしたフォームを応用すれば、利用者1人ひとりの情報を登録することも可能でしょう。

    たとえば、

    • 健康状態（体温、血圧など）
    • 入浴利用の有無
    • 食事の種類（普通食・カロリー制限食・塩分制限食など）
    • 送迎の要・不要

    といった事柄ですね。

    私が勤めていた施設は「リハビリやトレーニング」「食事」「入浴」という3つのサービスを柱としており、ほかに「マッサージ」や「足浴」といったサービスもおこなっていました。登録した基本情報に加えて、こうしたサービスを「利用済」であるかどうかをチェックしていき、利用者の送り出しが完了したら「チェックアウト完了」ということで次の工程に流します。これに特記事項を加えれば、ほぼ日報が出来あがるのではないでしょうか。

    もちろん、「現場で見守りなどの業務をおこなっている職員はスマホを見ることができない」などの課題はあります。また、パソコンによる入力に抵抗のある職員もいるでしょう。そのため、こうした課題を解決してワークフローを活用するには、オフィスにいる『事務担当』やフロア全体を管理する『リーダー』などが協力・連携して業務を進めていく必要があるかもしれません。

    しかし、『日次報告』『他部署間・分業下の情報共有』という2つのテンプレートをアレンジすることで、介護現場の負担を軽減するワークフローを作成できそうな気がしませんか？

    Questetra BPM Suite で介護職の負担軽減を

    これまで介護職にワークフローを活用するためのアイデアを述べてきましたが、介護現場では紙の書類がまだまだ多用されているのも実情です。しかし、介護そのものは自動化できなくても、それに伴う書類作成や業務管理は自動化・効率化できる可能性があります。自動化やペーパーレス化が進めば、書類の作成や管理にかかるコストや、職員の負担も軽減されていくでしょう。

    また、Questetra BPM Suite はクラウド型のサービスなので、インターネット環境さえあれば、どこでもオフィスと同じシステムにアクセスして業務を処理できるという特長があります。これなら訪問や送迎などで外出の多い職員も、出先で報告などの業務を処理できます。

    こうして業務が効率化され、介護職員の残業や早出が減れば、「介護職＝過酷」というイメージも覆されるかもしれません。介護職ではスピーディーで正確な情報の共有が重要であることを考えても、こうしたソフトウェアに馴染みの薄い介護業界の人にこそ、ワークフローや BPM ツールを活用していただきたいと思います。

    なにしろ、クエステトラ社の社是（？）は、「世界中のビジネスプロセスを最適化します」なのですから。
    まずは無料お試しから、お気軽にどうぞ！

  • NKKスイッチズ株式会社

    NKKスイッチズ株式会社

    ワークフローアプリで、タスクの受渡しを自動化。多くの部署／担当者が関わる業務の可視化が実現。

    NKKスイッチズ株式会社

    従業員数：101～300名

    業種：製造

    設立

    1953年

    従業員数

    148名(単体)・288名(連結)

    ※2023年3月末時点

    事業内容

    産業機器用各種スイッチなどの開発、製造および販売

    Web

    https://www.nkkswitches.co.jp

    利用部門

    製造・開発

    この事例に関連するプロセス改善記事

    この記事の目次

    電子部品の図面変更申請・製品廃止管理で利用

    NKKスイッチズは、産業用機器のスイッチや周辺機器を開発、製造する電子部品メーカーです。具体的な需要分野として、情報通信機器、宇宙衛星機器、FA自動化機器、航空、鉄道、船舶、医療、防災、計測、半導体関連、アミューズメント等が挙げられます。

    販売先は国内に留まらず、アメリカやヨーロッパ、アジア、オセアニア、アフリカなどグローバルに展開しています。

    電子部品の製造現場では、設計図面変更が余儀なくされるケースは少なくありません。たとえば、材料を変更せざるを得なくなった場合や、ユーザー要望に対応せざるを得なくなった場合などです。ただ図面変更には、多くの部署の確認や承認が必要となります。すなわち、生産・品質・組立・資材などの多くの部門の確認承認を必要とします。そしてその際、修正や追加が行われるケースも少なくありません。「図面変更依頼」というワークフローアプリでは、全ての担当者に確認タスクが割り当てられる仕組みとなっています。確認承認が終了した後、開発が最終チェックを行い図面を変更します。

    「製品廃止管理」では、販売中止が決まった廃止商品を管理しています。申請された販売中止情報は、開発や販売、生産、品質部門などに回覧されます。2年後にプロセスが再開され、生産中止の最終確認が行われます。

    関連部門が多く、進捗が把握できないのが課題だった

    紙や口頭でのやり取りだったため、依頼に対する回答に時間がかかっていたことや、進捗状況が把握できなかったことが課題でした。

    特に「製品廃止管理」には、進捗状況の可視化に課題がありました。販売の中止を決めたとしても、メーカーには供給責任があるため、すぐに製品の販売を停止することはできません。そのため、販売中止までの数年間、製品生産に必要な部品について、調達の調整や在庫の管理などが必要になります。その際、関係部署／担当者が多く、誰が仕事のボールを持っているのかを把握できない状態であることが課題でした。

    タスク受け渡しを完全自動化、数年後のタスクもタイマー設定で漏れなく

    全ての工程がワークフローアプリに落とし込まれたことで、担当者同士のタスク受け渡しが完全に自動化されました。非常に多くの部署／担当者が関わる業務プロセスにもかかわらず、”既定の業務の流れ” に従って処理されるようになったと言えます。

    タスクの受け渡しが自動化されたことで、依頼に対する回答が早くなりました。また、「製品廃止管理」では、誰が仕事のボールを持っているかを把握できるようになり、業務滞留が防止でき、業務がスムーズに進むようになりました。

    さらに、タイマー工程を利用することで、2年後に自動的にプロセスが再開されるようにしました。これにより、人では処理モレの可能性がある数年後のタスクを確実に処理できる仕組みができました。

    他業務への展開を視野に

    （写真左から）開発推進課 石井建様、事業企画課 古村隆様、両課兼任 丸山尚士様

    Questetraを利用する業務範囲を全社に拡大していきたいと考えています。例えば「特注品の検討依頼」などの業務です。「特注品の検討依頼」は、顧客から特注品の相談を受けた販売部が、開発部に生産の可否や価格について問い合わせるフローです。その他にも「稟議申請」などの申請業務にも展開したいと考えています。

    機能面では、業務フロー同士の連携に挑戦したいと考えています。現状、業務フローはそれぞれ単独で利用しています。しかし現実には、ある業務フローが完了すれば、続けて別の業務フローを開始させることも多いです。そのようなフロー間の連携自動化を実現したいと考えています。

    ※ 本事例は2022年10月時点の情報です

    同業種の導入事例

    • 日本軽金属株式会社
      日本軽金属株式会社

      進捗の見える化で変わる品質保証。業務改善が回り続ける仕組みへ

    • 本田技研工業株式会社
      本田技研工業株式会社

      全社DXで業務の断捨離と効率化を実現。年2,600時間の削減に成功した業務も

    • NKKスイッチズ株式会社
      NKKスイッチズ株式会社

      ワークフローアプリで、タスクの受渡しを自動化。多くの部署／担当者が関わる業務の可視化が実現。

    • 三信電気株式会社
      三信電気株式会社

      年間350件の受発注業務と年間1,500件の申請業務をペーパーレス化。入力ミスや手間を軽減し、管理コストの50%を削減。

    同業種の導入事例を全て見る ≫

  • Is Digitization Progressing?

    Is Digitization Progressing?

    The Progress of Digitization

    According to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications’ Information and Communications White Paper for the year 2021, the amount of information technology investment* in Japan in 2019 was approximately 14.3 trillion yen (2015 price assessment), accounting for 15.7% of private-sector capital investment in the same year. While the amount of IT investment itself is increasing slightly, its share of total capital investment appears to have leveled off. In terms of investment destination, software (contracted development/packaged software) accounted for the largest share at 60% of the total.

    ※ Information and communication capital goods (hardware/software), not including cloud services.

    Status of Information Technology Investment

    Source: Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications Ordinance, 2021 White Paper on Information and Communications

    What about the use of cloud services?

    According to the same survey, the use of cloud services in 2020 accounted for about 70% of the total, and the use rate seems to be increasing year by year. The survey also indicates that more than 80% of companies are feeling the benefits of cloud services, and this is likely a factor in the increase in the usage rate.

    File storage and data sharing was the most common use, at approximately 60% of the total, followed by e-mail, internal information sharing/portal, schedule management, payroll, financial accounting, human resources, data backup, and other major uses.

    Usage of Cloud Services

    Source: Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications Ordinance, 2021 White Paper on Information and Communications

    Effectiveness and Usage of Cloud Services

    Source: Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications Ordinance, 2021 White Paper on Information and Communications

    Challenges of Digitization

    As described above, while the shift to digital cloud computing is gradually progressing, other investments in information technology have remained flat.

    So what about public awareness? According to the survey, 35% of respondents feel that digitization is progressing. On the other hand, 33% of respondents feel that digitalization is not progressing, indicating that the public’s views are divided. (32% of respondents chose “neither.”)

    Awareness of the progress of digitization

    Source: Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications Ordinance, 2021 White Paper on Information and Communications

    Among respondents who feel that digitization is not progressing, the top reasons given for the lack of digitization are lack of information, security/leakage, lack of IT literacy, lack of digitized work, and lack of progress in communications/device development, which seem to be the main challenges for digitization.

    Reasons for lack of digitization

    Source: Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications Ordinance, 2021 White Paper on Information and Communications

    How to Solve Digitization Challenges

    Countermeasures for information security issues include in-house implementation and outsourcing. Since information security measures require a wide range of knowledge, it is recommended to outsource them to outside specialists such as information security consultants. Even in the case of outsourcing, it is ultimately necessary for employees themselves to have basic knowledge. Therefore, it is advisable to formulate an in-house security policy under the supervision of an expert and take basic measures against unauthorized system intrusion or virus infection, information leakage, and equipment failure due to disasters.

    Issues with a Lack of Communication/Terminal Development

    One solution to the problem of lack of communication/device maintenance is to use public support programs. The Small and Medium Enterprise Agency’s IT introduction subsidy program for improving productivity in services provides a subsidy of 50% (up to 100,000 yen) for the purchase of PCs and tablets. In addition, cloud service usage fees are subsidized for two years. (From the FY2021 supplementary budget proposal)

    Lack of IT literacy/Challenges with Less Digitization Work

    We recommend the use of the cloud workflow Questetra BPM Suite as a countermeasure against the challenges of insufficient IT literacy and the lack of digitized work.

    Questetra BPM Suite does not require advanced IT literacy, as it can construct a business system with no code. Specifically, by creating a workflow diagram with a simple mouse operation, a business system in which business flows according to the workflow diagram can be constructed with no code. In addition, Questetra BPM Suite does not depend on specific business operations. It can be applied to all kinds of business, so it is possible to increase the number of business operations that can be digitized.

    Questetra BPM Suite can also solve some issues related to information security.

    For example, it can help prevent brands from being tarnished by social networking posts. Risk can be avoided by establishing a checking process whereby a supervisor checks the content of a post before it is posted.

    It is also effective in preventing email from being misdirected. Various business data, including email addresses, can be inserted into an email, and it is also possible to have the email sent automatically. (Data can be stored/inserted into various data containers that have been set up, in addition to email.) This prevents human error, such as incorrectly pasted addresses or email addresses, or incorrect attachments.

    In addition to these, Questetra BPM Suite is also useful for preventing ID/password mismanagement for multiple cloud services, and can be linked to external cloud services to perform automated processing. This means that employees do not need to log in directly to the cloud service to process cloud service tasks, which helps prevent ID/password mismanagement.

    I would recommend it to anyone who wants to make digitization a reality.

  • 情報共有をスムーズにおこなうために

    情報共有をスムーズにおこなうために

    こんにちは、マーケティング部の林です。

    先日、自宅近くのコンビニで買い物をしていたときのこと。外国人の店員さんが、何やら焦った様子で接客をしていました。どうやら、レジで私の前にいた人がホットショーケース（レジ横にあるやつですね）の揚げ物を何種類か買ったものの、「『ハムカツ』が入っていないんじゃないか？」と気づき、店員さんにレジ袋とレシートを渡して確認をしてもらっているようです。見たところ、そのお客さんは5～6種類の揚げ物を1つずつ買っていて、すでにそれらは種類別に紙袋に入れられています。つまり、店員さんが商品を確認するには、いちど袋を開けて中を見なければなりません。しかし店員さんは、どうも「袋を開けてはいけない」と思っているらしく、紙袋の上から商品を触ったりして中身を確かめています。

    「いや、そんなことしたら揚げ物がつぶれるって…」

    と思いながら見ていたのは、その揚げ物を購入したお客さんも同じでしょう。結局、その店員さんは中身の確認をあきらめ、レシートを見て商品の数を照らし合わせることに思い至ったようです。そうして商品の数が足りないことを確認して、無事にホットショーケースから『ハムカツ』を取り出してお客さんに渡したのでした。お客さんも苦い顔はしていたものの、特にクレームをいうわけでもなく、商品を受け取って去っていきました（やさしいお客さんでよかった）。で、結局なにが言いたかったかというと、「いまのコンビニはものすごく業務の種類が多いので、店員さんも大変だな～」ということと、「こうしたトラブルは従業員の間で共有されているのだろうか？」ということです。

    特にサービス業では、こうしたトラブルが即クレームにつながる可能性もあるため、再発を防止する意味でも、情報を共有して改善策を検討したいところです。上記の例であれば、「こういうときは、まずレシートをチェックする」といった対応法を共有する感じですね。もちろんサービス業以外でも、情報共有が適切におこなわれないと、さまざまなトラブルや不具合を招いてしまう可能性は高くなります。そこで今回は、企業における情報共有の必要性と、スムーズに情報共有をおこなう方法について解説します。

    情報を共有する意味

    企業で共有されるべき情報としては、業務についてのノウハウや進捗状況が挙げられます。案件や顧客についての情報も、トラブルを防ぎ、業務を円滑に進めるためには速やかに共有されるべきでしょう。冒頭に述べたようなトラブルについても、同じようなケースを繰り返したり、二重のクレームを招いたりしないためにも、スムーズに事例を共有する必要があります。

    一方、業務や案件についての情報が適切に共有されず、特定の人に独占されていると、業務が属人化する可能性が高くなります。これは営業職などにありがちな話ですが、顧客について「担当者しか知らない」という状況は、担当者不在の際に業務の停滞を招きます。

    また、情報の共有は職場の人間関係にも影響します。ミスやトラブルの原因が情報伝達の不足にあり、「そんな話は聞いてなかった」ということになると、信頼関係に響きますよね。さらに、「いや、伝えたはずだ」という反論が出たりすると「言った、言わない」の泥沼になりかねません。

    こうした事態を避けるためにも、業務に必要な情報は適切に共有したいところです。そもそも情報がキチンと共有されていれば、そのミスやトラブルは起こらなかったかもしれないのですから。

    どんな情報を共有すべきか？

    一方、情報共有のポイントとしては、まず

    • 必要な情報を共有する

    ことが挙げられます。これはすなわち、

    • 必要でない情報は共有しない

    ということでもあります。「必要な人に、必要な情報をしっかり伝える」ためには、共有する情報の取捨選択はもちろんのこと、共有する相手についても配慮しなければなりません。では、どのような情報を共有すべきか、という話ですが、これは業種によって異なります。しかし、トラブルや業務の変更点、あるいは業務上の注意事項などは、業種を問わず共有されるべき事柄といえるでしょう。また、制作関連の業務であればスケジュールはしっかりと共有されるべきですし、サービス業や営業職であれば顧客に関する情報の共有は欠かせません。

    ただし、いかに重要な情報であっても、同じ内容の情報を重複して伝えたり、「その情報が不要な人」にまで発信したりすることは避けたいものです。こうした「不要な情報」は、単なるノイズとなり、業務の妨げとなる可能性もあるので注意が必要です。

    さらに、情報共有においては「いかに細かく情報を伝えるか」ということもポイントになります。これも業種によって異なり、たとえばホテルなどのサービス業や介護・医療関連の現場では、顧客や患者の些細な指摘や変化も重要な申し送り事項になり得ます。しかし、その人に直接関係のない「どうでもいい」情報が逐一メール送信されるような事態は業務妨害になりかねません。では、適切な相手に、適切な情報を取捨選択して伝えるためにはどうすればよいのでしょうか？

    情報共有に役立つツールとは

    現在、市場には情報共有に役立つさまざまなツールが出回っています。なかでも代表的なのはチャットツールでしょう。チャットを用いれば、紙の書類やメールでおこなっていた情報共有はよりオープンになり、スピード化されます。また、ファイルの共有や、過去のやり取りの参照がしやすいのもチャットツールの特長です。グループやメンションといった機能を使えば、必要な相手に的確に情報を伝えられます。

    また、業務の進行を管理するワークフローシステムも、別の視点で情報共有をサポートするツールといえます。たとえば弊社では、Questetra BPM Suite で使用できる無料テンプレートを公開していますが、そのなかに『他部署間・分業下の情報共有』というものがあります。これは、ホテルでの清掃や顧客対応を管理するテンプレートです。

    このテンプレートには、

    • 宿泊客のチェックアウトをリアルタイムで清掃担当が確認できる
    • 夜勤担当からフロント担当に『社内メモ』を残せる

    という2つの特長があります。

    上図を見ていただければわかるように、本フローではフロント担当が宿泊客の『チェックアウト完了』を入力すると、清掃担当はそれをリアルタイムで確認して、清掃に取り掛かれるようになっています。また、苦情対応などの連絡事項があった場合には、夜勤担当からフロント担当に『社内メモ』で伝達できます。フロント担当が『社内メモ』を見逃すことのないように、自動でメール通知がおこなわれるのもポイントです。

    このように情報共有をワークフローに組み込んでしまうのも、適切な情報共有をおこなうひとつの方法といえるでしょう。『他部署間・分業下の情報共有』は、ホテルでの業務における情報共有をテーマにしていますが、このフローで実現できる「リアルタイムでの進捗状況の共有」や「重要事項の申し送り」は、さまざまな業種に応用する価値があります。

    チャットもワークフローも Questetra BPM Suite で

    上の項では情報共有をサポートするツールについて述べましたが、Questetra BPM Suite はチャットツール（社内SNS機能『オープンチャット』）やワークフローを包含した BPM ツールです。また、Questetra BPM Suite はクラウド型のサービスであり、インターネット環境さえあれば、どこにいてもオフィスと同じシステムにアクセスして業務を処理できます。これは、『他部署間・分業下の情報共有』テンプレートのところでも述べたように、リアルタイムで情報を共有したい場合に大いに役立ちます。

    お申込み後、スグにスタートできるのもクラウド型の強みです。この機会に、Questetra BPM Suite でチーム内の情報共有を見直してみませんか？
    無料お試しも可能ですよ。

  • Is the Introduction of Teleworking Making Progress?

    Is the Introduction of Teleworking Making Progress?

    40% implement telework, 60% had prior experience. Small and medium-sized enterprises lagged behind.

    According to Tokyo Shoko Research’s 18th survey on enterprises affected by the COVID 19* of October 2021, approximately 37% of all companies surveyed in Japan deployed teleworking. (By company size, about 66% of companies with a capital of 100 million JPY or more and about 31% of companies with a capital of less than 100 million JPY deploy teleworking. The survey defines large companies as those with a capital of 100 million JPY or more, and small and medium-sized companies as those with a capital of less than 100 million JPY.)

    In terms of telework experience, about 58% of all companies have implemented telework (about 85% of large companies and 53% of small and medium-sized companies).

    Source: Tokyo Shoko Research, “The 18th survey on enterprise affected by the COVID 19”

    ※ Survey date: October 2021, Survey method/object: Internet research panel

    Of the companies in Japan that implement telework, only about 34% of all companies have more than 70% of their employees teleworking. (By company size, large companies accounted for about 30%, and small and medium-sized companies about 36%; about the same level.) It appears that telework is applied to only a portion of employees, depending on the type of job, etc. in many companies, and not to all employees.

    Increasing number of companies implementing telework

    According to the 2021 edition of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications’ White Paper on Information and Communications, the number of teleworking companies increased when the state of emergency was declared, and then decreased.

    Thus, the telework implementation rate has been gradually increasing, although it has been fluctuating. As the implementation rate increases teleworking has taken root in some companies, and over the long term the number of companies implementing teleworking appears to be on the rise.

    Source: “White Paper on Information and Communications 2021” Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications

    What are the Challenges of Telework?

    According to a Tokyo Shoko Research survey on telework implementation by small and medium-sized companies*, the majority of companies that do not telework cite the lack of telework-enabled operations (approximately 65%) as a problem, while other issues include poor internal and external communication (approx 35%), low productivity (approx 24%), and the lack of a PC/communications infrastructure (approx 20%). were cited as other issues.

    On the other hand, companies implementing telework cited information security (approx 57%), internal communication (approx 56%), PC/communication infrastructure (approx 55%), labor management (approx 43%), and going paperless (approx 37%) as challenges.

    ※Survey period: May 2021, Target: Small and medium-sized companies (662 companies) in the 23 wards of Tokyo

    In Japan, The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) released the Telework Security Guidelines (5th edition) on May 31, 2021, that provides guidelines for security measures regarding information security, which many teleworking companies find to be an issue. Telework companies are required to comply with these guidelines.

    However, information security measures did not begin with telework. Implementation of information security measures in the office and on the road is as important as ever.

    The main challenge with telework is that there are some tasks that cannot be handled when the work style changes. This is due to the fact that some operations cannot be digitized*. (Of course, this excludes industries and occupations that do not allow telework.) The results of the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications’ FY2020 secondary survey (conducted from December 2020 to January 2021) show that there are many issues that can be resolved through digitization.

    * See also：How is DX progressing?

    What is the Concrete Solution?

    One effective solution is digitization of business operations. Digitization of operations means digitizing information and business processes held by the company.

    Digitization Implementation Before / After

    Many employees, including part-timers, are teleworking at Questetra. However (because of digitization), they do not feel the challenges as described in the previous section. We would like to introduce the efforts of Questetra as an example of a solution to this problem.

    Cloud Workflow Questetra BPM Suite is used for all of the following tasks that are considered telework implementation issues.

    • Attendance management
    • Work progress management
    • Work instructions/guidance/evaluation
    • Internal communication (information sharing/recording/retrieval)
    • Application approval
    • Expense reimbursement
    • Approval requests

    Etc.

    Questetra BPM Suite can create workflow diagrams and systemize them (without requiring code development) for any business process, including those not listed above.

    Image of Questetra BPM Suite in use

    Questetra also uses cloud services such as Google Workspace, SendGrid, and Box. These cloud services can be linked to Questetra BPM Suite via API for automated processing.

    For example, by creating a workflow diagram for step mail a business application for step mail can be created. By having this business application send requests to SendGrid it is also possible to have HTML mail sent automatically.

    The automated processing of cloud services not only improves business efficiency, but also solves security issues, as Questetra BPM Suite and cloud services are linked through APIs, eliminating the need for employees to log in directly to cloud services. Therefore, there is no need to worry about ID/password leaks.

    In this way, Questetra BPM Suite can solve most of the problems of teleworking. We recommend it to those who want to implement teleworking.