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OVERVIEW

Form and workflow applications for SharePoint 2010 :

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MICA for SharePoint

Form and workflow applications for SharePoint 2010 :

MICA is a tool for SharePoint 2010 environments to easily develop and deploy workflow applications that process multiple and inter-related forms and documents. Core modules (the RAD tool and the engine within SharePoint) give the possibility to rapidly create user friendly collaborative applications to match business needs. Functional modules propose ready to use functionalities in the field of management: BPM, quality systems, project management, dashboards, etc.

A form and workflow tool for SharePoint

At the heart of MICA is a software tool based on a new approach which permits to together handle, with full integration of the design features offered by SharePoint, both the ‘form’ part and the ‘workflow’ part of a document oriented application :

  • The modelling of an application is performed in one go along the three dimensions of data definition (content types), input forms and workflow process.
  • When using the form the user can work directly both with the fields to enter information (when authorized) and with the action buttons to terminate his / her task along the workflow (whereas usual workflow tools separate the handling of these two operations in different screens).

As a result, MICA offers :

  • an excellent user friendliness (minimum number of clicks, easy to handle forms),
  • an ability to deal with applications which can be simple or complex, thanks to a straightforward and powerful modelling method,
  • a rapid development environment (RAD - Rapid Application Development) that business analysts (and not necessarily IT experts) can use.

Needs covered

All applications developed with MICA are based on the form and workflow tool, both the ones made to meet specific requirements, and the standard ones.

Rapid Application Development

Thanks to MICA, simple or more complex applications can be directly developed by business experts that have received a training on the modeling technique. Most often these applications have interfaces to the main enterprise ones (ERP, CRM, etc..). Here are some examples :

  • Requests of all sorts : purchase, leave, software change, etc.
  • Customer or supplier claims.
  • Preparation of product analysis reports.
  • Review and implementation of changes to products.
  • HR management (recruitment, assessment, competences, training, etc.).
  • Data entry and validations in front end to SAP (with SharePoint providing end users with a much friendlier interface).

Standard applications

Standard modules cover areas of management where business needs are similar in most companies, like in the case of quality management. Modules are in fact made of form and workflow templates prepared with the MICA Editor modeling tool, with in some cases additional code for specific functionalities. Thanks to the versatility of the tool, they are easily adaptable to meet particular requirements : additional fields, changes to the process, classifications, etc. Here is the list of the main ones :

  • Document Management for HSEQ
  • Process modeling
  • Non conformities and corrective actions
  • Audits
  • Risk monitoring
  • Metrology
  • Project portofolio management.

In most cases MICA based functionalities are implemented with the objective to describe and automate business processes (see BPM and workflows with SharePoint) or to better meet the requirements of ISO standards for management systems (see QMS / HSEQ with SharePoint). TWO Consult proposes a very collaborative and participatory approach for the implementation and transfer of competences to ensure optimal results for the customer (see Suitability, a must).

The 10 benefits of the MICA forms and workflows tool

  • Expanding SharePoint’s scope thanks to the possibility to easily create and operate applications that are user-friendly, transverse (which may involve the whole company) and of high functional level.
  • Straightforward and powerful design formalism enabling the use of agile development methods, and therefore the rapid development of applications that can be either simple or complex.
  • Savings on the costs of developing and implementing applications in SharePoint (significant workload reduction and savings on licenses).
  • Enabling the transfer of the development burden and responsibility from IT professionals to business experts.
  • Non-intrusive application which is fully integrated to SharePoint and installed like any SharePoint solution (no web application, engine or database installed outside).
  • Flexible solution architecture, which allows, when necessary, to easily add specific code to the one generated by the MICA Editor.
  • Evolution of applications without risk of problems for the contents previously input (conservation of the design at the level and throughout the life of a workflow instance).
  • Simplified administration (much of this responsibility delegated to the business actors) and ease of maintenance (high degree of modeling and parameterization).
  • Possibility of using SharePoint as a complement to the company’s ERP, by rapid development and support of applications that provide business users with a friendly interface, simplified forms and validation workflows to update data in the ERP (e.g. in SAP, purchase request approval, collecting and validating customer data, etc.).
  • For companies using Lotus Notes, possibility to easily and affordably migrate to SharePoint, thanks to the similarity of design provided by MICA (see Migration from Lotus Notes to SharePoint).

The MICA platform therefore makes up an excellent tool to leverage the collaborative power of SharePoint (see “The Full Power of SharePoint”).

Languages

MICA modules are currently available with an interface in the following languages :

  • English
  • French
  • Italian
  • Dutch

Technical design: the components

MICA is based on different components that we have created, each for a specific technical and methodological purpose :

  • Management of rights
  • Tree structures
  • Form components
  • Content modelling
  • Form modelling
  • Workflow modelling
  • Workflow engine (based on WF)
  • Workflow buttons
  • Management of tasks and audit trail
  • Version management
  • Links management (Office documents)

Why the name of MICA ?

MICA has been designed to integrate four functional areas that correspond to each of the letters of its name:

Modeling - Creating a representation of the business to understand it more fully, as well as improve it and manage it better :

  • Structures : organisation, collaborative workspaces, ISO references, etc.
  • Processes : activities, information, actors, tools, control points, etc.
  • Supervision : targets, indicators, dashboards, etc.
  • Workflows : activities, forms, states, transitions, etc.

Integrating - Maintaining the coherence of information :

  • Integrated data management (SharePoint lists, SQL/Server tables).
  • Interfaces: access connectors to external data (ERP, CRM, etc.).
  • Internal and external datawarehouses for BI access..

Collaborating - Sharing workspaces and knowledge domains :

  • Shared development and capitalisation of knowledge.
  • Coordination and accountability of the parties involved in the updating and use of content.
  • Responsiveness to events and monitoring findings (workflows).
  • Supervision of improvement programmes and change projects.

Analysing - Making use of the information and using management techniques and tools :

  • Identification of discrepancies and anomalies.
  • Graphics, statistical analyses of processes.
  • Multidimensional analysis and drill down (cubes), cause and risk analysis, FMEA.
  • Dashboards, guidance, launch of improvement programmes and projects.

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Interested ? Contact us to receive more information about MICA, or to participate in an on line demonstration of the tool.

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