Some still see process automation as a silver bullet for solving their process management problems. The proliferation of artificial intelligence (AI) tools, both true AI, and simply ‘smart’ applications, hasn’t helped much. Many organizations have poured considerable time and money into process automation products, believing they’ll revolutionize their process journey. Unfortunately, they’ve not grasped a key understanding: Process automation is a tool that supports process maturity. It doesn’t replace it.
Process maturity is a journey for any business and must center around the principle of continuous improvement. From the moment an organization recognizes the importance of managing its processes effectively, it begins along a path that will move from capturing and documenting business knowledge to establishing structures that promote a culture of process excellence.
Reactive process improvement
The early stages of process improvement are almost always reactive. When process problems surface, they are tackled as they arise. There’s a lot of ‘firefighting’ involved, where challenges to the business operations are identified and addressed in an ad-hoc manner. Often these efforts begin somewhat scattered, wherever the most urgent need is, until a sense of the bigger picture is established.
This is where process management takes on a structure. As the business begins to invest in process management, frameworks emerge and are put into practice. Process ownership begins to be taken seriously, and the value of process excellence begins to show. It’s at this point that many organizations become proactive, looking for opportunities to invest in process management that will positively impact customer and business outcomes.
Continuous improvement culture
This of course leads to the goal – a culture of continuous improvement. There is no end point to this journey, as the ‘continuous’ in continuous improvement suggests. Instead, an organization will engage in ongoing refinement of the process structures and practices, developing process management that ties closely to overall value management and the greater business model.
So, the question of automation isn’t whether it will benefit the business or not but how it can best be used to enhance process management wherever the organization is on its process maturity journey. It’s a strategic tool to support the ongoing pursuit of continuous improvement, not a replacement for it. The key to the successful implementation of process automation is recognizing the current stage of maturity and how the automation tools best suit the needs of the business at that point.
In the early stages of the process maturity journey, automation offers excellent opportunities to overcome process breakdowns and errors. By eliminating manual handoffs and automating data transfers, good process automation can reduce errors in process execution, taking human error off the table. As processes are clarified and documented, process automation can smooth out existing pain points by routing data and connecting steps almost instantly, accelerating process times and increasing efficiency. While those early wins are valuable, they begin to stack up when process management becomes embedded in the business.
Automation supports process maturity
As the drive for process excellence builds momentum, automation further supports real process maturity. Besides simply tightening the links between process steps and eliminating manual handling, a good process automation solution will support effective RACI controls. Automation will allow process owners and stakeholders to engage with processes in real-time, be notified of changes, suggestions and exceptions, and act on them efficiently. The ability to connect various stakeholders to the steps of process execution allows for faster signoffs and greater accountability, further securing process compliance and clarity.
As the organization moves toward a culture of process excellence, automation becomes the grease that keeps those wheels turning. It facilitates the streamlining of processes through connecting different procedures and groups, reducing delays and waste. It also supports the building of more process knowledge, allowing both process experts and the people on the front lines of the business to capture and document processes more easily. Good process automation suites support low- and-no-code process automation that puts the power in the hands of end users and frees IT resources to manage the infrastructure rather than get caught up in using the tools.
Ultimately, process automation is a valuable part of the journey to process maturity, but it can’t chart the course there alone. It’s a tool that supports and drives process excellence at every step and in different ways, enhancing business outcomes and providing support for the work of continuous improvement through a variety of functions. Process automation isn’t a solitary solution to process problems, but it does provide valuable support in the pursuit of process excellence if businesses can identify their stage in the process maturity journey and utilize the tools effectively.