Solution Case Study

IT Integrator Streamlines Workflow Design with Powerful Diagramming Solution

OverviewCompany: T-SystemsCompany Website: www.t-systems.comCompany Size: 47,600 employeesCountry or Region: GermanyIndustry: Telecommunications

Company ProfileThe global IT unit for Deutsche Telekom, T-Systems develops innovative IT and communication systems for multinational corporations and public sector institutions.

Software and Services Microsoft Office− Microsoft Visio Professional 2013

Microsoft Server Product Portfolio− Microsoft SharePoint 2013

Technologies− Visio Services in SharePoint Server

“The new solution based on Microsoft Visio 2013 helps us improve the modeling process, and the collaboration functionality in Visio 2013 helps our customers reduce modeling time in a significant way.”

Benjamin Wodtke, Project Manager, T-Systems

T-Systems wanted to better serve its public-sector customers by streamlining workflow design and simplifying forms management. The company used Microsoft Visio Professional 2013 to develop a solution to model, design, and manage workflow definition diagrams for municipal projects. T-Systems customers can now define and manage forms much more easily with fewer errors, and the average time to design a form has been reduced by a factor of 10.

Visio CustomerSolution Case Study

SituationT-Systems is the global IT unit for Deutsche Telekom. It provides integrated IT and telecommunication services for Deutsche Telekom and its top 400 multinational enterprise customers, serving telecommunications, automotive, financial, media, energy, healthcare, and public-sector institutions. With customers that include Daimler, Shell, and Deutsche Post DHL, T-Systems is a leading IT outsourcer in Western Europe with a presence in more than 20 countries and annual revenue of €9.2 billion (US$12.2 billion).

T-Systems uses its global infrastructure of data centers and networks to develop innovative IT solutions and create value for its customers. The company supports its customers in the public sector by implementing automated processes and workflows to help manage building permits, funding programs, and other processes. Many public institutions and municipal agencies need solutions that can help them manage hundreds and even thousands of forms.

Forms-based workflows are designed graphically, which can require complex discussions that often involve many people from many departments. Manual design processes could often be difficult, time-consuming, and error prone. T-Systems wanted to make it easier for its customers to manage workflows. ”We wanted a way to better serve our public-sector customers,” says Benjamin Wodtke, Project Manager at T-Systems. “We needed to develop a solution that would streamline workflow design and simplify forms management.”

SolutionT-Systems used Microsoft Visio Professional 2013 drawing and diagramming software in combination with SemTalk, a process modeling tool from Semtation, to develop a solution its customers can use to model, generate, and manage workflow definition diagrams and forms for municipal projects. The solution helps T-Systems customers access model content through the diagrams and their modeling elements, so they can manage many forms efficiently.

A single customer installation can include up to 1,000 models. The solution uses Microsoft SharePoint 2013 as a repository and document management system for model files. Modeling elements are stored in and aligned with SharePoint 2013 lists, and files are stored in SharePoint 2013 libraries. Customers can use either an on-premises version of SharePoint 2013 that is hosted by T-Systems, or they have the option to use Microsoft SharePoint Online, a key component of the Microsoft Office 365 cloud offering.

The solution allows users to reuse diagram parts, which reduces the amount of time it takes to design individual forms. Customers can also edit and comment on files in

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Figure 1 – T-Systems uses SemTalk and Visio 2013 to display process models with the necessary forms, which makes workflows easy to discuss online.

Benjamin WodtkeProject Manager, T-Systems

collaboration with several members of a consulting group. They can access models and their contents through Visio diagrams and save and publish models to SharePoint 2013 by using Visio Services. Users can navigate among solution elements, such as keyword search, rule search, or model reports, through SemTalk Service.

BenefitsBy using Visio 2013, T-Systems can help its customers define, discuss, and manage forms much more easily, with fewer errors. It has reduced the time it takes to produce a form by a factor of 10.

Streamlined DesignBy using the Visio 2013 commenting and collaboration capabilities in SharePoint 2013, T-Systems customers can streamline the design and discussion process for creating workflow forms. With easy access to the definition diagrams, all relevant parties can exchange their change requests much faster so that they can finalize decisions more efficiently and with less confusion.

Better Forms in Less TimeWith its new modeling solution based on Visio 2013, T-Systems helps its public-sector customers create process models that are more effective and easily consumed within their organizations. Now stakeholders can collaborate more efficiently and modify forms with fewer errors, which has helped reduce the average time it takes to finalize a form by a factor of 10.

“The new solution based on Microsoft Visio 2013 helps us improve the modeling process,” says Wodtke, “and the collaboration functionality in Visio 2013 helps our customers reduce modeling time in a significant way.”

VisioThe new Visio makes it easier than ever to create and share professional, versatile diagrams that simplify complex information. It includes updated shapes, templates, and styles, as well as enhanced support for teams, including the ability for several people to work on a single diagram at the same time.

For more information go to:Visio.microsoft.com

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For More InformationFor more information about Microsoft products and services, call the Microsoft Sales Information Center at (800) 426-9400. In Canada, call the Microsoft Canada Information Centre at (877) 568-2495. Customers in the United States and Canada who are deaf or hard-of-hearing can reach Microsoft text telephone (TTY/TDD) services at (800) 892-5234. Outside the 50 United States and Canada, please contact your local Microsoft subsidiary. To access information using the World Wide Web, go to:www.microsoft.com

For more information about Semtation GmbH products and services, visit the website at:www.semtalk.com

For more information about T-Systems products and services, visit the website at:www.t-systems.com