How it works for you

We deliver our processes through a combination of electronic forms and workflow.  Our forms are designed either in Microsoft Office InfoPath – a program that provides the familiar Office layout and designed specifically for forms. Alternatively they may be written using ASP.Net and incorporated into SharePoint.  Workflow is implemented using SharePoint.

To illustrate how well this works, let us give you a simple example.  You are a buyer for an and you have to obtain quotations for a set of components.  You log in to SharePoint and open an InfoPath form.  You fill in the component details, upload some drawings and select the suppliers to quote with.  At the click of a button, requests for quotation are published on your suppliers’ SharePoint sites (or an area of yours) and the suppliers alerted by email.  They log on to their site and respond to the quotation, referring directly to your drawings.  The responses are posted to your site and you are alerted.  You open the form and see a price comparison to make your decision.  Best of all, there is a full audit trail and full version control.

What is InfoPath?

Microsoft Office InfoPath is a part of the Office suite of programs, and is designed for designing and completing forms.  It is easy to use, since it provides the familiar Office layout, that staff use day to day in programmes such as Word.  InfoPath uses a data format called XML, which makes it easy to extract data from forms and use it in workflow. 

What is SharePoint?

SharePoint is an easily configurable web portal that allows teams of workers to work together by:

• Sharing documents, aided by tight version control and dedicated workspaces
• Sharing documents, aided by tight version control and dedicated workspaces
• Sharing lists of contacts
• Preparing for meetings on dedicated meeting web sites
• Sharing actions and simple project plans.

It is available in numerous languages and fully integrates with Microsoft Office.  It also provides tight controls over permissions and is flexible in giving users their preferred view of information. SharePoint provides a complex workflow engine, which is where Simply Collaboration comes in.