ACN Infotech - BPM Overview

Do you want to improve the efficiency of your core processes by means of modern BPM and workflow technology? Do you need to increase process transparency or document processes due to compliance requests? Or do you want to reduce reaction times to changing market requirements?

Accomplish these tasks and more! Implement BPM supported by the ACN experts. Trust our customers' success and the extensive experience of our personnel to provide you benefits no other vendor can provide.

The ACN COSA Business Process Management Suite covers all phases of the document and BPM lifecycle. Among other features, components include business-related process modeling, technical implementation of processes, simulation of process scenarios, and execution and control of processes up to evaluation and management information.

An important integral component of our BPM suite is ACN COSA DM, a fully featured document management system that allows to administer all information occurring during the process execution. After process termination, this information can be stored together with the process documentation, assuring the control and access of the complete information cycle. By using the ACN COSA solutions key benefits are guaranteed, including:

  • Return on Investment, beginning at implementation and growing larger over time
  • Transparency, assuring open access to vital information and compliance with all regulatory requirements
  • Integration with legacy systems and disparate databases, assuring total information control and information access
  • Customer Satisfaction will increase, as well as employee satisfaction

The ACN COSA BPM Suite - a complete BPM suite with all components required for covering the BPM life cycle.

  • Process modeling and documentation
  • Simulation
  • Run-time execution and integration
  • Monitoring and controlling
  • Optimization

In addition, the BPM Suite provides a complete Document Management System for administering and archiving process-relevant context data.

Click on any one to see that services in detailed:

ACN Infotech COSA BPM Suite -Business Process Management solutions must lead to significant cost reductions as well as to an increase in efficiency and productivity - in other words, to an improved ROI. Major challenges are the identification of core processes as well as the implementation of appropriate control functions for these processes. ACN Infotech provides a complete BPM Suite with all functions required to obtain this goal. Especially in the area of process control, the ACN COSA BPM Suite offers numerous features. It not only supports processes with human to human (H2H) or human to system communication but also completely automated processes (S2S) without a users' interaction. However, apart from process automation, there must also be options to control and adapt processes. Furthermore, we accomplish our goal to increase our customers' ROI and reduce implementation risks. By focusing on J2EE, our customers can decide which platform and environment they want to use. The ACN Suite is adapted to this infrastructure - not vice versa.

We can Input Data from different sources like:

  • The ACN COSA Process Designer - The first and one of the most important steps for a successful BPM implementation is creating professional protocols and representations of business processes. The Process Designer provides all functionalities for creating structured business process documentation. Due to the graphical user interface, users without deep technical knowledge are able to model business processes, responsibilities, roles and competencies. For this purpose, different approaches regarding visualization and structuring are especially important. By means of the top-down representation, modelers can create process maps that represent all relevant processes. The single processes can be modeled in different ways, e. g. in the standardized BPMN (Business Process Modeling Notation) of the OMG. The so-called swim lane representation shows the responsibilities of different roles within a business process. In addition, modelers can flexibly generate documentation in different formats. Currently, the formats RTF, PDF and HTML are supported. In addition to the business-related modeling phase, technical details can be implemented into business processes. The modeled data is stored in the standardized XPDL format. Thus, modeling data can be exchanged with other XPDL-based tools.
  • The ACN COSA Context Handler - The Context Handler, i. e. the electronic inbox, is the user front-end. In addition to user-specific work lists containing single business process steps, the Context Handler also provides context information on pending tasks and processes, for example process-related data or attached documents. Process-related data are, for example milestones, deadlines, notes or process attributes. By means of the process context, users are able to structure their work in a more efficient way because alle relevant information is immediately available in their work lists. The Context Handler allows users to perform numerous actions on processes or work items, e.g. executing, postponing, resubmitting, rerouting, and so on. The look & feel of the Context Handler can be configured individually and adapted to different requirements.
  • The ACN COSA Engine - A powerful Business Process and Document Management system needs an efficient control unit that administers all relevant processes. As the core component of the BPM Suite, the ACN COSA engine controls the execution of all business processes. These processes are based on process models that were previously modeled in the Process Designer. The integrated rules engine monitors access rights, the distribution of work and deadlines and starts escalations. All operations (e. g. starting or delegating tasks, resubmission of business processes) and events (e. g. starting new business processes) are journalized and made available for evaluations. In addition to process control information, the Engine administers all process-relevant context data, especially all required documents. The Engine provides the complete functionality of a fully featured DMS, e. g. by a configurable administration of object hierarchies, an elaborate access rights concept or an extensive version management. The ACN COSA Engine is fully scalable and enables multi-company support. This means that an arbitrary number of companies can access separate data sets on one server.
  • The ACN COSA Control Station - The Control Station is the reporting and monitoring tool for management personnel. Critical tendencies can be identified at an early stage and represented in different ways. Various configurable alarm functionalities make sure that potential interferences are detected. However, the Control Station does not only allow to detect critical situations at an early stage, but also enhances active interventions in running processes. For example, you can modify roles on a temporary basis to bypass resource bottlenecks without changing basic role definitions, e. g. in LDAP. Processes that do not follow the standard routines can be accelerated by changing process or activity priorities.
  • The ACN COSA Business Performance Center - The Business Performance Center (BPC) is a graphical information system for management staff. By means of the BPC, managers can retrieve reports and statistics about process key indicators like processing times, wait times, and so on. Detailed information on key indicators can represented either in graphics or tables in a multi-dimensional way. Monitoring the configurable key performance indicators supplies important information on a company's processes. The contents of the different reports and access rights can be determined individually. The BPC is based on a data warehouse retrieving its data directly from the run-time environment. This data can be expanded and examined multi-dimensionally.

With ACN's best in class BPM and Workflow components as the core technology and our experience in the area of system integration, we are able to respond to any e-business requirements and implement a comprehensive and cost-effective solution.

Among others, we have implemented the following solutions:

  • Banking / Mortgage Loan -The Modern Credit Factory
  • Insurance - Active Claims Management
  • Manufacturing - Intelligent manufacturing engineering
  • Telecommunications - Efficient order processing

Banking - Mortgage Loans - The Modern Credit Factory
The Aareal Hypotheken-Management GmbH, the first service provider for mortgage processing, uses ACN's COSA BPM as management tool for all back-office processes. Aareal Hypotheken-Management provides loan processing and administrative services in construction financing designed for banks and insurance companies. In order to reduce processing costs and to speed up order processes, the fully automatic loan processing is now operated by ACN. The Aareal Hypotheken-Management GmbH acts as a "Financial Processing Factory" that manages all administrative work steps regarding loan portfolios of its customers - from fully automatic loan processing by means of tested and scalable credit scoring to administration of credit cards and loan portfolios with the help of electronically archived data files. The services offered by Aareal Hypotheken-Management represent a new conception in the world of finances.  more ...

Insurance - CLAIMS MANAGEMENT - "Business Process Reengineering" It was under this label that HDI, a German insurance company, redefined its claims department several years ago. The goals were an active claims management, with a comfortable customer service and short, transparent processes. Employees within the administrative department should be enabled to react directly to customer requests. With the usual paper-pile-processing method, this was not possible. Achieving these goals required the introduction of an electronic archiving system. Together with the ACN Infotech, an electronic registry file was developed using ACN COSA DM and ACN COSA BPM. In its automotive department alone, the Northern German insurance company HDI processes some 400,000 claims per year. Almost half of these claims are reported by telephone. In order to offer customers a first-class service, several consulting companies were contracted to conduct a full business process reengineering. One result of this analysis was a shift in responsibilities: administration employees should be able not only to process their assigned claims, but also to react competently and comprehensively in any type of event, be it phone calls, faxes or mails. "In the event of an accident, our clients expect immediate help. Nothing is worse than having to say "Sorry, but I just can`t find your file at the moment." says Hans Joachim Koch, Head of the Claims Division in Stuttgart. However, in order to provide any binding information, the corresponding employee needs all decision-critical data from the customer file. Today, employees can access an electronic claims file including all relevant documents directly from their PCs. and can provide clients with the information they need. "To our understanding, claims settlement is a service business. The new solution allows accessing all required data immediately. This way we can offer our customers service packages that exceed simple reimbursing the incurred damage by far", says Hans Joachim Koch.   more...

MANUFACTURING - Engineering Applications - The European lead buyer department for manufacturing and engineering located in Cologne plans, purchases and installs everything, from a 1000-ton compactor down to the smallest tool for every single European plant. To accelerate and optimize these processes, especially in the area of stamping, the Ford plant in Cologne uses ACN's COSA BPM solution. This solution steers processes between the global player's departments all over Europe. After introducing ACN's solutions only half of the previous processing time is needed to transfer data safely to their destination. Ford has an 80-years tradition in Europe. Today, Ford acts in more than 130 markets worldwide. In the year 2000 alone, Ford sold about 5.9 million cars. A quarter of these sales was realized in Europe. In 1925, Ford established the first German plant in Berlin and started its German success story. In 1931, the first Model A came off the assembly line in the Cologne plant.  more...

Telecommunications - ORDER PROCESSING - The Dutch telecommunications specialist KPN Broadband Networks provides selected Internet providers with MxStream ADSL Internet connections. KPN receives more than 2,000 orders for this high-speed broadband Internet access per day. ACN's COSA Workflow4baan solution is used to process these orders rapidly and efficiently. This solution, based on ACN COSA BPM software, is integrated into Baan`s ERP software as process management module. It manages all business processes - from order receipt to completion - across all existing IT-applications, including the ERP system. Also, process exceptions can be processed in a standardized and event-triggered manner by means of the ACN software. Today, KPN`s more than 50 administrative employees receive all relevant information on time. The new system enabled KPN to reduce processing time by 50% whereas the amount of orders increased by more than 100%. For KPN customers, this means that they receive their Internet access via ADSL in less than two weeks.  more...

Service Offering Overview Experience and competence are essential for successful BPM projects. The ACN Infotech COSA experts provide extensive knowledge, experience and commitment as technical consultants, coaches or fully responsible project team to ensure a smooth project realization. They assist customers as coaches or partners in an on-site project team or as fully responsible project team. Of course, ACN Infotech also offers numerous training programs in which the implementation of BPM projects based on COSA software is explained.

  • Project Management - Being a true product vendor, ACN Infotech is expected to implement solutions at the customer site. We are always glad to comply with such requests. Our employees have extensive project experience starting from establishing concepts and designs up to the implementation, documentation and training of end users. Due to these qualifications ACN Infotech has already implemented successful solutions for the German insurance company HDI, the Austrian National Bank (Oesterreichische National bank) and the North Rhine-Westphalian Ministry of Economic Affairs and Employment.
  • Training - To comply with the requests of the different target groups that use ACN software, our training is structured in a modular way. Of course, the single modules can be combined individually. Process consultants and process managers use the ACN software for business-related modeling, i. e. for analysis, description and documentation of business processes. The required knowledge is part of our training "Process Designer 1". The second training, "Process Designer 2", addresses technical modelers. This training course aims at implementing business-related modeling steps into a technical context in order to represent all aspects of real-life processes in the ACN COSA process models. The COSA Process Designer's development kit provides so-called task and Tool-Agent repositories. These repositories contain modules that enable technical modelers to determine which applications must be executed, the order in which they are executed and the data that is required for process handling. The training module "API programming" conveys basic knowledge on integrating third-party applications or developing customer-specific user interfaces. The API is available in different technologies. This training course requires knowledge of Java and web services. The "Administration" training provides information on running and administering the software. Furthermore, we also offer individual training courses for ACN software end users.
  • Support and Hotline - From Monday to Friday between 9 am and 5 pm ACN Infotech provides telephone support for customers and implementation partners. Our hotline staff supports you in implementing solutions and, of course, in running ACN software. Furthermore, you can access our online help desk application online. Via this tool, you can report potential problems and change requests and retrieve information on the status of your request.
  • Coaching - Implementation partners play an important role in our growth strategy. They have access to different markets, provided sector-specific know-how and provide excellent value-added services for ACN solutions. Our partners are trained and certified by our project experts based on an approved training

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