Multi-Chem Relies On BPM Solution to Improve Operational Processes

Background
Multi-Chem is a global production specialty chemicals company, offering oilfield products, gas well
treatments, and pipeline solutions designed to enhance production throughout the world.
As one of the fastest growing companies in the production chemicals industry, we are focused on
meeting the high level of oilfield activity required to meet the worldwide energy demand. Our
company leverages our products and technologies to meet the chemical challenges associated with
production, processing, and transportation of oil and gas. Providing quality solutions and ongoing
communication for companies like Chevron, Encana, and Chesapeake Energy has contributed
significantly to our companys growth.
Challenge
As the Software Applications Manager, I am responsible for Multi-Chems software acquisition and
integration, as well as our custom development. Jim Honea, the IT Manager and my boss, and I are
responsible for supporting 700 users. In addition to our other responsibilities, we have been directing
the development of a secure web-based reporting tool for Multi-Chem customers.
As our organization grew, I recognized the need to pinpoint the status of approvals required for key
documents. Jim and I thought a good place to start would be with our HR department, as HR handled
documents ranging from new hire and training requisitions to Leave of Absence and Vacation
requests. We had a process that had worked fairly well, but, due to our rapid growth, had become
slow, cumbersome, and inefficient. Many of our processes appeared to fall into a dark hole. We
wanted to be able to ask, Where is a certain document in this process and who has approved it?
Our IT group was tasked with recommending a more effective solution. We needed a product that
would handle all documents electronically, was more precise than email, and could control both the
workflow and processes themselves. While we were focusing on our immediate needs, we were also
mindful about selecting a solution that would scale to meet our future requirements. A key goal was to
select a product that could handle these requirements and not require IT to be involved.
We understood from the beginning that our solution would need to 1) reflect the processes employees
were currently using, 2) control the workflow of those processes, 3) identify the location of specific
documents and their status, and 4) enable us to monitor and audit our workflows. Knowing that we
had to move from hard copy forms and inefficient processes to a web-based system, we began looking
for tools to streamline and standardize our processes. Due to Multi-Chems rapid growth, we knew it
was time to implement a system that would impose more checks and balances on our processes, while
also ensuring that all documents went through the proper channels.
Solution
Over the course of two months, our team reviewed four web-based applications. After evaluating the
products carefully, applying a rating system, and weighing features and costs, we selected BP Logix
Process Director (www.bplogix.com). This out-of-the-box, web-based software combines business
process management (BPM) with project management and predictive analytics. We were confident
that Process Director could do everything we wanted and were convinced that BP Logix provided
the best value proposition.
Multi-Chems management wanted a solution that would reflect the processes our employees were
currently using, control the workflows of those processes, and identify the location of specific
documents and their processes. We knew that would mean creating a more formal environment in
order to monitor and audit our processes. Within weeks, we had implemented Process Director (we
branded it eDocs). We began with our Personnel Request Form (PRF); the objective was to create a
form that was as intuitive. And as user-friendly, as possible. The PRF, used for both new hires and
new positions, is one of our companys most critical forms. While the form creation itself required

some initial effort, it also gave us a significant degree of control that did not exist with the previous
process. Once the PRF was created, we emailed employees to access our internal portal and locate the
form. Training was minimal because we built the form to guide users as they were completing it.
While the people using eDocs are quite diverse, there has been a uniform acceptance (and
appreciation) of the new and intuitive system. As a result of the company-wide acceptance and use, we
were able to utilize eDocs to develop other forms and workflows for Capital Expenditures, Health and
Safety, Training, and Customer Profiles.
Outcome
Selecting Process Director was an IT decision based on business requirements that have served the
entire company. Multi-Chem employees are now so accustomed to working this way that the system
has become a critical part of how we run our business. It is also obvious that we are operating more
efficiently. We can now quantify employee hours worked and vacations taken, properly assign
company vehicles based on title, and enforce company policies. Without the ability to route and
expedite forms electronically, for example, the simple process of hiring a new sales person could cost
us lost opportunities and that would translate into lost money. Fortunately, that is no longer the case..
The PRF has been a very successful form so much so that it has been expanded and is now being
used to transfer employees, handle promotions and new requisitions, as well as a number of other HR
functions. Multi-Chem employees are saving time and the company is saving money. We no longer
have to incur the expense of sending documents overnight between locations and departments. Process
Directors electronic audit trail tracks approvals and authorizations so that the status of any
document is immediately known and completed, or pending approvals are visible.
Besides the immediate gains in efficiency, Process Directors Process Timeline technology helps us
take preemptive action. Since we can see how long a process (and every activity within that process) is
likely to take, we can make changes, when needed, to running processes. This technology has given us
a powerful and business-friendly solution for controlling key processes while also helping us make
better business decisions. With the increased accountability and reporting that Process Director
provides, our review and oversight processes are painless and much more efficient compared to the
unwieldy processes we had before. eDocs has also enabled us to standardize our business processes.
Sidebar: Practical Advice for Implementing a BPM Solution:
Identify areas or departments that can benefit from improving business processes.
Pinpoint key business processes that benefit from being automated, streamlined,
monitored, and audited.
Identify solutions that do not require users to change the way they work.
Research/evaluate vendors that can offer out-of-the-box solutions.Identify solutions that
can mirror yet improve on existing business processes.
Implement scalable solutions that meet both existing and future needs.
Evaluate the impact of predictive analytics to running processes.
Demonstrate that financial, privacy, and regulatory requirements can be addressed and
are auditable.