Kyoto, Japan, September 19, 2012, SaaS vendor company Questetra, Inc. has published the new version 9.1 of the cloud-enabled Workflow product “Questetra BPM Suite SaaS Edition”. We have enhanced the auto-assignment of business data for this new version. More specifically, in addition to “the ability to assign an initial value (the default value) at the start workflow” and that “the ability to automatically calculate the aggregate value at the time of data entry, etc.” so far, we have added ‘the ability to assign a data at any business point’.
For example in the ‘Quote Approval flow’, it provides the auto-processing on ‘Calculation of consumption tax for the entered estimated amount’ or ‘Setting the quote expiration according to the estimated amount’ after entering the details of the Quotation. You can reduce the time with data entry, reduce miscalculation or reduce errors in applying in-house rules.
Questetra BPM Suite
Questetra BPM Suite SaaS Edition, the cloud based Workflow system, is a service to design a flow of your Business on the Internet. It makes handling business data smoothly in various works such as Decision makings, Expense applications, Complaints support. Also, it helps continuous business improvement by visualizing ‘who did what’ and ‘time spent to process’.
Because it can be designed without programming even complicated conditional split or collaboration between Workflows, not limited to mere approval flow, it can be applied to various other business processes such as Customer Services, Marketing and Product Development. In addition, we are publishing more than 400 business templates which conforming to international standard notation (BPMN 2.0) for Free. (Workflow Samples: https ://en.workflow-sample.net/)
New Features of Ver. 9.1
Data Assignment function – Enhanced
We have enhanced the ‘Service Task (data assignment)’ which can be layout in the middle of the Workflow. Business data is automatically assigned according to the mathematical expression and calculation formulas, when the process has reached the “(setting data) service tasks”. Combined with a split conditional (gateway), you can build a business processing environment that complies with business rules. Values that can be assigned are as follows.
‘Numeric type’ business data (e.g. total estimate, consumption tax, the total cost …): Arithmetic operation result
‘Datetime type’ business data (e.g. payment deadlines, reply deadline): Combination of the beginning or the end of a month, and adding days or subtraction of time
‘String type’ business data (e.g. reception number, quote ID …): String concatenation and The results of date and numerical data format conversion
Business Data Search function – Enhanced
We have enhanced the Search filter function of business data that flows through the workflow. You can create a search filter which behaves differently depending on the person who performed the search, such as ‘Approval document which the approver is “me”‘. And you can create a search filter which behaves differently depending on the time when search is performed, such as ‘Projects which begin on or after “Today”‘. It is also possible to share relatively and complex search filter, such as ‘Quotes which I had issued as the sales representative, and have not expired in that moment’.
Other Additional Functions and Specification Changes
Enhanced sorting to the list of search results (e.g. Sort by Workflow step name; Task name)
Capability to control auto-post to SNS-house per Workflow, etc.
Free Trial
Questetra is always issuing Free accounts on-line. There is neither functional limitation nor Usage expiration. Though, service will be automatically shutdown if not login for 15 days. And the number of users to be register is limited at 5 people.
“Making Fun out of Routine!” We are start-up company in Kyoto Japan, have been continuing to create Business Software, and working hard to organize the world’s Business Processes.
Kyoto, Japan, August 21, 2012 SaaS vendor company Questetra, Inc. has published the new version 9.0 of the cloud-based business process management “Questetra BPM Suite SaaS Edition”. Since the publishing of version 8.0 which equipped with Enterprise Social, it has been major upgraded after about 1 year.
The new version has added features to streamline the daily business such as automatically generate a “PDF forms that business data has been inserted”. That is for example, it makes possible to automate process such as, generating Quotation PDF from quote data which has been approved in a Workflow, attach it to an email and send to the Sales person in charge.
Questetra BPM Suite
Questetra BPM Suite SaaS Edition, the cloud based Workflow system, is a service to design a flow of your Business on the Internet. It makes handling business data smoothly in various works such as Decision makings, Expense applications, Complaints support. Also, it helps continuous business improvement by visualizing ‘who did what’ and ‘time spent to process’.
Because it can be designed without programming even complicated conditional split or collaboration between Workflows, not limited to mere approval flow, it can be applied to various other business processes such as Customer Services, Marketing and Product Development. In addition, we are publishing more than 400 business templates which conforming to international standard notation (BPMN 2.0) for Free.
New Features of Ver. 9.0
Automatic Generation of PDF Document
‘Service Task (PDF generation)’ is available to place in the middle of Workflows. Different from ‘Normal Tasks’ that allocate Tasks to human on Process arrival, it processes automatically by itself within the System. The System automatically inserts business data into where specified by the template (PDF Form), and save it as a new PDF file. It makes available to automate various document creation, not only Quotations or Invoices, even “year-end adjustment declaration form” or “letter of appointment”, as well. Sorry not available for Download Edition.
Email Conjunction Process Start Feature
‘Message Start Event (email)’ is available to place in the middle of Workflows. Email reception at specific email address will trigger to start a New Process automatically. Available to capture the Subject, From, and Body of the email, etc. as business data. Sorry not available for Download Edition.
Other Additional Functions and Specification Changes
Many other features have been added such as the feature that any “Workflow Designer” can manage Choices type data (Master File) across Business Processes, the feature of repeatedly alert when exceeded deadline, and so on.
Free Trial
Questetra is always issuing Free accounts on -line. There is neither functional limitation nor Usage expiration. Though, service will be automatically shutdown if not login for 15 days. And the number of users to be register is limited at 5 people. See the detail of Free SaaS HERE. https://questetra.com/en/free-trial-en/
Questetra, Inc.
“Making Fun out of Routine!” – We are start-up company in Kyoto/Japan, have been continuing to create Business Software, and working hard to organize the world’s Business Processes.
User-Friendly for People who are Uncomfortable with PCs
Q. What kind of operations do you use Questetra for?
KAWANO CONSUL is a consulting firm specializing in business succession. We offer advisory services for stock transfer procedures and the introduction of class shares as countermeasures for owner companies’ own shares.
Two years and a half have passed since we started using Questetra BPM Suite (as of October, 2013). We now use it for many internal operations such as expense reporting and various other application approval operations, as well as for progress management for the consulting business which is our main operation. Moreover, we use it for the submission of contracts/invoices, which includes automatic document generation.
Among these processes, I noticed that the expense reporting and settlement processing have become smoother. It is not uncommon for the consultants to use Questetra’s Process ID in their daily conversations at the office.
Q. What problems did you have before?
In recent years, there has been a gradual increase in the number of daily tasks that require the use of computers, and many veteran employees have felt confused. I think there were so many occasions when they were required to alter settings and operations on their PCs.
At KAWANO CONSUL we believe it is important to build an environment where daily operations can be handled by smartphones and tablets. In other words, we are promoting the migration of in-house systems into the Cloud. More specifically, we are trying to build a business system that can be operated from a smartphone or tablet, and an environment that is user-friendly for people who are uncomfortable operating a PC, by using cloud-based groupware like Google Workspace (formerly G Suite) and a cloud-based workflow like Questetra BPM Suite.
Today, applications are routinely submitted using iPhones and approved using iPads, and I feel that the quality and speed of information sharing has been greatly improved. Assistant operations are quickly processed mostly on the iPad, and I think that the times when support from the system administrator is required has been reduced by half.
Work Platform for Telecommuters and Consultants
Q. How big is the advantage of migrating to cloud-based systems?
We are promoting another great goal of the cloud system, which is to enhance the telecommuting environment.
There are many highly skilled people who have difficulties commuting. Also, in time, I suppose some workers might want to shift to telecommuting. So we have reduced the number of tasks which must be done in the office successfully by using Google Workspace for emails and calendars and using Questetra for conveying business data.
Now, there are some operations that are done only by telecommuters, and the percentage of telecommuters has become about 25%. We are in the process of increasing the number of telecommuting employees gradually.
Q. Please tell us about the outlook for the future.
We are currently commissioning a system to start business processing via a phone call.
We think smartphones are still complicated or bothersome to handle, so we are trying to build a system that starts a Workflow with a phone call.
Specifically, when a project expense is incurred the project number is registered on the automated answering machine, and the expense reporting process is automatically started. All the consultant has to do is to write down the project ID on the receipt or invoice that he hears on the automated answering machine and hand it over when he gets back to the office, and the rest of the process is all assistant work. We still have a lot of ideas, which means there is still room for improvement, but we are planning to reduce the number of errors in the expense reporting process and improve the work efficiency of downstream processes.
Incidentally, we do not pay any special costs for the system itself. It was done with a very simple extension by just adding the starting point in the existing business process definition and connecting the API of the cloud telephone service Twilio and the connection API of Questetra. We are now actually experiencing the so-called business improvement cycle.
当たり前の話ではありますが、通勤が困難な方でもスキルの高い方は沢山おられます。また、時期によって在宅勤務に切り替えたいと考えるケースもあると思います。メールやカレンダーは G Suite を使い、業務データの受け渡しを Questetra で行う様にする事で、「会社に来なければできない仕事」を減らす事ができました。
ちなみに仕組み自体に、特別な投資を行っている訳ではありません。既存の業務プロセス定義に開始ポイントを追加し、Questetra の接続 API とクラウド電話APIサービス『Twilio』を連携させるだけと言う、とてもシンプルな拡張で実現しています。いわゆる「業務改善サイクル」を実感しているところです。
Kyoto, Japan — July 1, 2011 — Enterprise software developer Questetra Inc., will publish the new version 8.0 of the cloud-enabled business process management “Questetra BPM suite SaaS Edition” simultaneously worldwide on August 8. The new version will allow facilitating the processes more than ever with newly added “in-house tweet feature” that makes easier to discuss with other department of the company or to place a check on the workers upstream.
Business process management system, today
Business Process Management (BPM) system is an application development environment that requires no programming knowledge. It has modeling feature of business workflow as well as monitoring feature of progress.
For:
Companies which want to achieve an internal controlled workflow
Companies wishing to promote a paperless work environment and telecommuting environment
Companies want to make use of records of operating procedures on analysis on orders and miss orders
Companies want to prevent business stagnation by monitoring business progress in real-time
Effects:
Can standardize the information of business flow and transfer
Can clarify business rules as split conditions or allocate conditions
Can always overlook the past work history
Can discover the waste of rework and inefficiencies
Questetra BPM Suite SaaS Edition
Questetra BPM Suite SaaS Edition is a cloud-enabled business process management system, which won “Cool Vendor 2010” prize, and every its features, Workflow function, Modeling function and Monitoring function can be used On-line. It has features of Lightweight modeling that designing Process Model to operation can be completed in two hours and Google Apps Integration, and can start any time with more than 400 business model templates. Free Trial: https://questetra.com/en/free-trial-en/
Micro-blogging in the enterprise, today
Enterprise Micro-blog is a communication environment in an organization that staff can freely post short sentences. Recently, an open micro-blog Twitter and Social Networking Service spread so explosively, that many companies put micro-blogging to practical use in communicating inside. Enterprise Social Networking Service brings active info exchange beyond departments and workers share their ideas and feelings. There are many products provided, such as Yammer (Yammer, Inc.), Jive (Jive Software), Chatter (Salesforce.com), Sales OnDemand (SAP), Lotus Connections (IBM).
Questetra BPM Suite SaaS Edition Version 8
Questetra BPM Suite SaaS Edition version 8 will be released on August 8, 2011, with “Questetra Feed”, which is a standard equipment enterprise micro-blogging combined to workflow. And also be enhanced in a variety of its functions.
Enterprise micro-blogging combined to workflow: “Questetra Feed”
Workers are able to “Tweet” which tied with individual Process ID easily. They will be able to efficiently process the work through the workflow by activating communications such as the idea outgoing beyond the divisions and teams, advices and suggestions, confirmation of personnel working in the upstream, prior negotiations to the settlement. And in addition “Visualization of progress” and “Accelerating the improvement cycle” is promoted because progress of work colleagues or the workflow designer’s improving policy are indicated.
SAML Single Sign-On
Supports single sign-on with SAML 2.0
Process modeler
Easier designing Web forms, less stress on browser when Data item increases or Model becomes huge
Search Conditions
More free to set a condition in searching business process, and free setting format for search result
Comments from Genichi IMAMURA, CEO
”Often in cases, we use Collaboration tool like internal twitter to open the company. However, it is essential that workflow and collaboration features get together, for example, consolidating ideas and knowledge instantly to deal with complainant. Questetra continuously suggest smooth business process environment with enhancement on Collaboration features.”
Questetra
Questetra, Inc. is a software development company established in April 2008, located in Kyoto, JAPAN. Questetra’s mission is to optimize human tasks around the world. https://questetra.com/
法人ソフト開発の株式会社クエステトラ（京都市、代表執行役 CEO 今村元一）は、クラウド型業務プロセス管理『QuestetraBPM Suite SaaS Edition』の新バージョン 8.0 を、8月 8日に世界同時公開いたします。新バージョンでは「社内つぶやき」を発信する機能（マイクロブログ機能）が装備され、業務プロセスを処理する際に、他部署に相談をしたり上流作業の処理者に確認を入れたりすることが容易になり、これまで以上に業務を円滑に進める事ができる様になります。
個別のプロセス ID と紐づかせた「つぶやき」を気軽に発信する事が可能になります。部門やチームを超えたアイデアの共有、部下への助言、上流作業の担当者への事実確認、決裁者への事前交渉（根回し）と言ったコミュニケーションが促進され、ワークフローを流れる仕事を効率よく処理する事ができるようになります。また、同僚の作業進捗や、ワークフロー設計者のフロー改善方針などの情報も表示され、「業務進捗の可視化」や「改善サイクルの加速」が促進されます。
企業向けシングルサインオン基盤への対応
企業の ID パスワード管理基盤に連携させることが可能になります。SAML2.0 に対応したシングルサインオン製品と連携させることで Questetra BPM Suite 専用の ID パスワードを設定して頂く必要が無くなります。
「社内の風通しを良くする試みとして、Questetra BPM Suite から社内ツイッターなどのコラボレーションツールに情報を書きだす事例は、しばしばありました。しかし、例えば滞留中のクレーム対応業務に関連するアイデアやナレッジを、瞬時に集約させるためには、ワークフロー機能とコラボレーション機能の融合が不可欠です。クエステトラでは今後もコラボレーション機能の強化を通じて、スムーズな業務処理環境を提案していきたいと考えています。」
Kyoto, Japan — September 15, 2010 — Japanese software development company Questetra, Inc., launches the newest version of its cloud BPM application “Questetra BPM Suite SaaS Edition: September 2010 Version 7” on September 15.
The new version comes with APIs that enable connectivity with third party software, so companies will be able to create original apps according to their unique business requirements; for example, an iPhone app for issuing quotations or a desktop app for facilitating approvals.
Questetra BPM Suite SaaS Edition is a global cloud application hailing from Japan designed to promote transparency of company processes and performance. Managers can create and edit workflows easily by drag-and-drop, and instantly update the necessary improvements to the system. This makes it possible to pull BPM out of dead-end discussions and have real, on-site demands drive change. (Free up to 5 users)
The software can handle general office and payment processes (for instance, applying for an advance), as well as complex workflows such as requesting the accounting department to confirm a quotation before submission to a client, or having multiple peers pre-check an important presentation simultaneously and effectively. (Selected in Gartner’s Cool Vendor List, e27’s Asia’s Top 50 Apps, etc.) http ://store.questetra.com/en/
Questetra BPM Suite SaaS Edition Version 7
Today’s IT world, including the SaaS market, is riding the cloud computing revolution and seeing a shift from “ownership” to “utilization” of information systems. Questetra BPM Suite SaaS Edition Version 7 comes with a further enhanced API package. Companies will find it easier to develop apps for Android, iPhone, iPad, Widgets, Gadgets and interoperation apps within mission-critical systems. Questetra will also provide open source sample codes for iPhone and Android.
Some ways the APIs can be used include:
Initiating processes from mission-critical system and automatically acquiring info from mission-critical system (BPMN Catching Event API, with secure key);
Sending info to mission-critical system by POST method, sending out automatic emails, and connecting with ECM system (BPMN Throwing Event API);
Displaying various tasks in Smartphone app or office screen (Execute Process API, with user authentication);
Deleting and adding users and groups (User Management API, with user authentication).
Basic authentication and OAuth can be used for user authentication. http ://support.questetra.com/ja/questetra-bpm-suite
Comments from Questetra CEO
“In this age of cloud computing and mashups, we consider offering APIs to be an extremely important part of our business. Questetra will continue to improve on its workflow engine and process modeler, while simultaneously expanding its API library to promote a win-win relationship with consulting and integration partners.”
Questetra
Questetra, Inc. is a software development company established in April 2008, located in Kyoto, Japan. Questetra’s mission is to optimize human tasks and contribute to businesses around the world. https://www.questetra.com/
「クラウド」をキーワードに、情報システムの『所有』から『利用』へのシフトが益々加速する中、クラウドの一形態である SaaS（Software as a Service）も、その接続性が問われる時代になっています。バージョン 7においては、API（Application Programming Interface）機能が大幅に整備拡充され、
Questetra は、米 IT 調査会社ガートナーの「Cool Vendors in BPM, 2010」において『Cool Vendor(注目ベンダー)』に選定されました。
※ BPM: Business Process Management (ビジネスプロセス管理) ※ Gartner “Cool Vendors in Business Process Management, 2010” by Michele Cantara, Jim Sinur, Janelle Hill, and Kimihiko Iijima. (2010-04-09)
