All relevant workflows of an area are coordinated and controlled. When a salesperson places an order, for example, the customer data enters the workflow. The inventory is queried, missing parts are reordered from the supplier, the delivery is made ready for dispatch, invoicing is initiated and the order is passed on to financial accounting. Workflow management systems promise to reduce costs and improve customer orientation by reorganizing business processes across departments. Source: Report Knowledge Management: How German Companies Make Their Knowledge Profitable. Publisher: Prof. Dr. C.H. Antoni, Dr. Ing. T.Sommerlatte