Understand processes, automate correctly
Not every process is suitable for automation. Learn how to identify, evaluate, and optimize the right processes.
Understanding Process Categories
Business processes can be divided into three main categories
Core Processes
Core business - directly value-creating
Examples:
- Sales & Distribution
- Production & Service Delivery
- Customer Service & Support
- Product Development
Highest priority for automation
Support Processes
Supporting - enable core business
Examples:
- HR & Recruiting
- Accounting & Finance
- IT Support
- Facility Management
High efficiency gains possible
Enabling Processes
Enabling - strategically important
Examples:
- Strategy & Planning
- Quality Management
- Compliance & Governance
- Change Management
Selective automation
Evaluation Criteria for Automation
These 6 factors determine whether a process is suitable for automation
Frequency
How often does the process run?
Daily, weekly, monthly
Volume
How many runs?
Number of transactions/operations
Time Required
How long does it take?
Minutes, hours per run
Error-proneness
Where do errors occur?
Manual entries, transfers
ROI Potential
Time savings vs. costs
Is the investment worthwhile?
Standardization
Is the process standardized?
Clear rules and procedures
Process Analysis Framework
5 steps to successful process automation
As-Is Analysis
Fully document the current process
- Process Mapping
- Identify stakeholders
- Time tracking
Bottleneck Identification
Find bottlenecks and problems
- Where are the issues?
- Analyze wait times
- Error sources
Optimization
Improve process BEFORE automating
- Remove unnecessary steps
- Parallelize
- Standardize
Automation Potential
Which steps can be automated?
- Rule-based tasks
- Data transfers
- Calculations
Prioritization
Quick wins vs. strategic projects
- Impact vs. effort
- Calculate ROI
- Create roadmap
Prioritization Matrix
Which processes should be automated first?
Quick Wins
High impact, low effort
Strategic
High impact, high effort
Later
Low impact, low effort
Avoid
Low impact, high effort
Best Practices
Do's & Don'ts in process automation
Do's
- FIRST optimize process, THEN automate
- Start with simple, high-frequency processes
- Involve all stakeholders early
- Maintain comprehensive documentation
- Define and measure KPIs
- Pilot project before rollout
Don'ts
- Automate bad processes
- Start without thorough analysis
- Tackle all processes simultaneously
- Ignore scalability
- Neglect change management
- Overlook compliance requirements
Process Maturity Level
Not every process is ready for automation
Ad-hoc
Chaotic, no standards
Defined
Process documented
Standardized
Consistently executed
Measured
KPIs are tracked
Optimized
Continuous improvement