1. Create early successes by defining specific automation goals and implement them step-by-step.
This step-by-step approach allows staff, investors, and clientele alike to gain confidence from the early successes of the automation project, resulting in greater support for future development and implementation of automated workflows. It also allows for businesses to terminate, halt, or modify an automation project if its results are not as expected. This can help to prevent the investment from being viewed by stakeholders as wasteful or even damaging and costly to the business.
2. Automate the simplest tasks first.
Generally, the workflow processes that initially deliver the greatest revenue growth from automation are the simplest tasks. The reason for this is straightforward: The more complex the process to be automated, the more risk there is for complications to arise. Thus, it is prudent to avoid unnecessary flaws when presenting your inaugural product to stakeholders.
However, this is not to say that the initial automated process needs to be perfect. A good, rather than perfect, process that is delivered on-time and within budget will be embraced by key stakeholders. Further improvements to the process can be made upon receiving user feedback after it has been successfully implemented.
3. Consult with and train employees in the automation process.
Ask the experts
Having a conversation with employees regarding the planned automation process can help the business leader gather detailed insights into the workflow/s to be automated. This can prevent out-of-date processes being unnecessarily automated and it can also help to fill in key missing steps that staff members may be familiar with.
Engage your employees
This holistic approach to implementing automation also allows employees to give feedback. They can also make recommendations on the automation process itself. This increases engagement and familiarity with the new process.
4. Plan a human safeguard for managing the automated process and provide automation error management training.
Familiarise staff with an error management process
It is crucial for businesses to have a form of human intervention available for all automated processes. Even the best automated systems will not be perfectly reliable. This will impede the system from achieving its intended level of success. Thus, when an automated process encounters an error, a human safeguard should be there to engage in an error management process – to detect, explain, and correct the error.
Since the success of the automated process depends on the ability of the human safeguard regarding the error management process, it is crucial to develop their skills in this area. Providing access to effective training programs that focus on automation errors and how to recover from them is a convenient method to maintain these employees’ skills.
Maggie Hu, Lumi IT
Interested in reading more about Business Process Automation? Read Lumi IT’s previous instalments:
Identifying the best areas for Business Process Automation, Part 1.
How to know when Business Process Automation won’t work, Part 2.
If you want to learn more about Business Process Automation and how software automation can help your business grow across Australia, contact Lumi IT at (02) 8318 8311 or info@lumiit.com.au.
ABOUT FEMECONOMY
You are the female economy. Whether you are a female consumer, business owner or a woman in the workforce, you can create gender equality by choosing female led brands.
To learn more about Femeconomy, hit the big red button below:
