1. Automating Business Processes @ CERN
Automatisation des processus d’opération
Automatisation des processus d’activité
Automatisation des processus commerciaux
Jurgen De Jonghe, GS-AIS CERN
Based on a presentation from Nicolas Décrevel, Rostislav Titov

2. CERN 2500 Staff 8000 visiting scientists 500 universities
80 nationalities
Half the world’s particle physicists
This presentation is about automating business processes in CERN. But before we start we’d like to remind what is CERN. …
Staff: Titulaire

3. Best of breed vs integrated suite
Needs
Package
Needs
Needs
Needs
Package
Needs
Needs
Needs
Package
Interfaces
Needs
Needs
Needs
Needs
Package
Interfaces
Missing
Not needed
CERN Choice: Best of Breed
Buy best solution for each business unit
We manage the integration & customizations
We provide transparent layer for end-users
One of the corner stones of the AIS project was a selection of a set of commercial applications. Two approaches basically exist here: either purchase an integrated business suite (e.g. SAP or Oracle) or choose “best of breed” applications in each of business areas.
In view of the relatively limited commercial availability of reliable integrated applications suites covering the range of business functions to be treated it was decided to select BEST OF BREED commercial applications per functional area depending on their fit to user requirements (obtained from functional detailed area analysis and cost effectiveness.
The commercial applications selected were the most cost effective obtained in the market place with the best fit to the user requirements. This resulted in installing, modifying and maintaining software with four major applications suppliers. We established first class relations with three of these and had problems with one due to the instability of the company. We believe best of breed was a key success factor in meeting our objectives. At the outset of the project there were no viable integrated MIS applications suites meeting our requirements, although several commercial integrated suites of applications became available in the 90’s. Our conclusion, based on cost/effectiveness, ease of installation and maintenance, integration with in-house applications, complexity and best fit to our detailed area analysis is that best of breed remains, by a significant margin, the best choice for CERN.
The biggest challenge in the “best of breed” approach is integrating commercial applications together. We have successfully solved this task using a single database vendor (Oracle) and creating a Foundation application which contains reference data from all commercial and in-house applications.

4. Best of Breed Applications
Finance/Purchasing
Qualiac
Qualiac finance
General ledger
Accounts Payable
Accounts Receivable (Team invoicing)
Qualiac purchasing
Contracts
Purchase order management
Goods reception
145 active users
720’000 accounting entries, 35’000 purchase orders, 47’000 invoices, 14’000 team invoices per year;
For the Finance/Purchasing area we’ve chosen a commercial package called Qualiac from a French company.

5. Best of Breed Applications
Logistics
BAAN
Stores management, Replenishment, Sales
50 registered users
55’000 sales orders/146’000 order lines per year
6’500 purchase orders/22’000 order lines per year

6. Best of Breed ApplicationsHR
Oracle HR
115 registered users,
50'000 database operations on 5'500 personal files per month
150’000 persons registered in database
E-recruitment
HR*Access:
Payroll: 3’800 salaries per month

7. In-house development
Where market availability doesn’t meet CERN needs AND there is a strong business case
Examples
Workflow and electronic document handling
HR & Financial Reporting
Contract Management
Activity Planning & Collaborative project management
EVM: Earned Value Management
(Maintenance) Intervention Management Planning & Safety
80% commercial, 20% - in-house

8. Overview of applications
Here is a simplified view of our administrative applications. The left part contains data-entry applications, represented mostly by commercial packages. The right part contains data-retrieval (reporting) applications developed in line (HRT for human-resource reporting and CET for financial reporting). Our business process management tool, EDH, which will be covered in detail later in this presentation is located in the middle since it is used both for data entry and data retrieval.
The central part of the picture is the Foundation application developed in-house. This is the central repository for all reference data, coming from all our applications, both commercial and in-house. Foundation acts as an integration layer between all our applications. It contains information about persons, suppliers, offices and so on and so forth.

9. Electronic Document Handling @ CERN
EDH
So let’s now see in details our business process management tool which is called EDH. EDH stands for Electronic Document Handling, our internal electronic forms processing system.
This tool was developed at CERN as a key component of the AIS project, which aimed to provide cost effective user-friendly solutions for reducing administrative overheads throughout the organization. From leave requests to purchase requisitions, over 100 different forms were in use at CERN. These were filled in manually, retyped, approved, signed, and finally retyped again into the appropriate system - not the most efficient way of doing things. EDH's objective was to replace these paper based business procedures with streamlined electronic workflow, validating data against corporate databases and automatically generating the end-result with minimum human intervention.
The first implementation of EDH, launched in 1992, ran on CERN's central mainframe computer. Soon after, as central computing gave way to distributed computing, this was replaced by a client-server version, with everyone at CERN having an EDH application on their desktop. In 1998, as CERN moved towards becoming the world's first truly global laboratory, EDH moved to the Web - itself invented and developed at CERN in the early 1990s.
Electronic Document CERN

10. Electronic Document Handling
Self-Service Requests: creation, validation, routing, authorization and archiving
Automates most CERN business-processes
1st version in 1992, Web-based since 1998
Currently EDH covers 64 official procedures in all areas of its activity: HR, Training, Leaves, Safety, Purchasing and Logistics. CERN employees start using EDH from the first moment they start working at CERN (even before, since post opening and hiring process is also supported by EDH) and continue to use this too until end of their contract. One of the important business areas covered by EDH is of course purchasing.
There are currently over 14’000 EDH users and about documents are created every year (about quarter of them are purchases from external suppliers or from the internal stores).
The EDH server handles document creation, routing, authorization, and subsequent archiving. Workflows in EDH are human-centric, their main goal is collecting approvals in the most efficient way.

11. Purchasing through EDH
Demande d’Achat Interne
Purchase from any external supplier
~35% of all purchases
Demande de Matériel
Purchase from CERN Stores (>50’000 items)
Purchase from selected suppliers via B2B (Business-to-business) scheme
EDH supports two types of purchase orders: “DAI” and “MAG”. DAI has been the first electronic document in CERN (first appeared in 1992). MAG was initially developed to purchase goods from the internal stores (which currently contains over 50’000 of most frequently used at CERN items – from pens and portables to gas, metal and chemical products; the stores catalog is also a part of EDH and is available online). MAG was then expanded to handle orders to the biggest CERN suppliers via “business-to-business” mechanism.

12. Paper Purchase Order
In the past CERN had an entirely paper based administration – with it’s inherent problems when information has to copied by hand from the form – to the various purchasing system. Here is a typical example of what can go wrong in such a system; here the item numbers were mistaken for quantity, which meant that six books were delivered – instead of three!
Those papers has long since been replaced by electronic forms – similar to shown here. Persons can fill the form online on the Web and the system makes sure that all entered data is valid and that no required information is missing. In case the user does not remember some information (such as supplier name) EDH search screens to help them.

13. Purchasing Process Support
Accounting
Reception
Request
Transfer
Purchasing
Commande (EDH)
Authorisation
Payment $
Approbation d'une réception (EDH)
Invoice
Order
Here is the detailed view of the purchasing process at CERN. It is initiated by a user, who creates a purchase order in EDH. EDH collects all necessary authorisations and once the order is fully approved it is automatically transferred to the Qualiac purchasing system. The order is then sent to the supplier. For large amounts this process involves handling by purchase officers, while small orders (<1000 CHF) are sent to the supplier by fax without any intervention from the FP department. The supplier sends the goods and the invoice. The invoices are automatically scanned and recognised and integrated using ReadSoft software. For most of purchases, a new Reception Approval document is launched in EDH automatically so that the requestor can confirm that he really received the goods, the invoice is automatically attached to the Reception Approval. Once the requestor confirms via EDH reception of goods a payment to the supplier happens.

14. Demande de Matériel
Another purchasing procedure supported by EDH is Material Request, which was initially developed to purchase items from CERN central stores.
The Material Request looks like this. It contains the general information, where purchaser can enter the budget code to use, the delivery location and other relevant information, as well as the list of items to order. Those items can be ordered either from CERN stores or from online catalogues of the six most used CERN suppliers: Farnell, Radiospares, Bossard, SFS, Lyreco and Distrelec. Clicking on a supplier’s logo opens a B2B “puch-out” session. The user is redirected the supplier’s catalogue. Through the punch-out session the supplier’s catalogue knows that the request came from CERN so that user does not have to authenticate himself and the catalogue automatically shows CERN preferential prices. The user does shopping as usual and then when he (or she) clicks the “Checkout” button, the purchased items are automatically inserted into EDH. Naturally, later the user may click the “Edit” button which will bring him back to the catalogue shopping basket where he/she can modify his purchase. One MAG can contain multiple items purchased from different suppliers.
Material requests are processed not by Qualiac but by our logistics system, BAAN, which handles the stores management.

15. Workflow in Action The best way to illustrate this is with an example:
Suppose we have a physicist in Helsinki who intends to come to CERN:
From his office in Finland he can call up CERN web-catalogue and order the items he needs.

16. Workflow in Action
Create a ‘Materials Request Document’ (which we will cover in detail a bit later) – adjust the quantities, and click the Send button:

17. Workflow in Action
This launches a ‘Workflow’ process back on our server in Geneva – were the system then determines who is needed to approve this document.
In this case we need someone to approve a purchase for up to 2000 Swiss Francs.

18. Workflow in Action ********
Unfortunately, this person is absent – skiing in the Alps!
But that’s OK – since EDH also manages the leave information – it already knows this – so without delay it can pick their replacement – her boss in a university in Athens.
She can call up the Materials Request, and if she agrees to the content, enter her electronic signature to approve the document.

19.   Workflow in Action Already Approved
This causes the workflow process to continue to the next step. Here we require a higher level of approval because the item was manufactured from outside the member state of CERN. But e don’t need to disturb the department head in Athens again since she has already seen the document. So, the workflow continues – finally reaching the end where the relevant service is informed.

20. Workflow in Action XML Order
– finally reaching the end where the relevant service is informed.
This process works so well that 93% of all internal purchases are processed within 24hours.

21. Workflow in Action
– finally reaching the end where the relevant service is informed.
This process works so well that 93% of all internal purchases are processed within 24 hours.

22. Closing the loop for Budget Holders…

23. EDH Workflow Philosophy :
Minimum Number of Signatures
Maximum Level of Delegation
Required signatures MUST be obtained
Non-blocking signatures
EDH will search for delegates in case of absence or timeouts
Idea is to get a document through the system from start to finish as quickly as possible : Streamlined Electronic Procedures EDH is NOT a negotiating/decision aiding tool

24. Workflow Engine EDH Workflow is a commercial product We use ActiveVOS
Based on BPEL standard (but about to migrate to BPMN in the near future)
We use ActiveVOS
Visual workflow design
Robust server with a good track record
Process versioning
EDH supports two types of purchase orders: “DAI” and “MAG”. DAI has been the first electronic document in CERN (first appeared in 1992). MAG was initially developed to purchase goods from the internal stores (which currently contains over 50’000 of most frequently used at CERN items – from pens and portables to gas, metal and chemical products; the stores catalog is also a part of EDH and is available online). MAG was then expanded to handle orders to the biggest CERN suppliers via “business-to-business” mechanism.

25. Workflow Design IDE

26. How EDH helps meet the Challenge
Reduce costs
Reduce costs
At least 40 FTE saved
Increase efficiency
Increase efficiency
Reuse – cloning
Streamline processes
Streamline processes
93% < 24h, 71% < 30min
Increase productivity
Increase productivity
< Admin, > Core activities
Empower workforce
Empower workforce
Delegation of rights
Maintain control
Maintain control
Enforcing business rules (Budget, Safety)

27. Benefits Reduced delays (1 → 2 instead of 8→14 days)
Increased productivity
No duplicate data entry, Cloning
Transparency & Traceability
Lean Authorization:
Absence handling
Roles based + Delegation
Escalation
Zero paper (environment friendly!)

28. EDH Statistics (documents/month)
Here is the obligatory sales graph showing the growth of the application over the years.
We now have over 10,000 registered users with 2,000 users per day.
Over 150,000 documents per year.
1 electronic signature every 8 seconds.
As you can see EDH really is a critical application in the day-to-day running of CERN.

29. EDH Statistics (signatures/month)

30. Damned Lies?

31. Thank You For More Information Rostislav.Titov@cern.ch

32. Common Business Objects
EDH
EDH Documents
Catalog
EDH Desktop
Workflow
Common Business Objects
Signature Rights
EDH Base Classes
Foundation Interface
Transfer Programs
JVM Tools

33. BPEL Engines Evaluation
Designer
Links in designer
XPATH tools
Open source
Java based
Halt on fault and retry
Debugging
Process versioning
Web based tools
Active BPEL
Oracle BPEL
IBM WebSphere
PXE
Cape Clear
Parasoft BPEL Maestro
Vergil VCAB
Twister / Agila BPEL
IT Pearl
BEA Weblogic workshop
Important Criteria:
Java Based !
Good Designer to improve developer's productivity!
Including debugging….
Manageability of the processes
Halt on fault/retry
Process versioning (EDH has long very long running processes)
Supported
Partly supported
Not supported

34. Front-End EDH Architecture
CERN-made, Java only
Reusable input objects
1-2 months to develop a new process
Highly available (multiple Java VMs)
Application Server
Database Server
Client Computer
Application Server

35. Security HTTPS all data encrypted
Both MD5 and 1024-bit RSA encryption for electronic signature