Today, all companies use digital technology in their processes, at least to some extent. Nevertheless, there are many companies that still have processes, or parts of processes, that are not fully digitized, where some steps are still performed manually.
Today, internal efficiency and automation are an important key to business success. By transforming and automating processes, companies can save time, reduce costs and improve the quality of their services or products. It also leads to happier employees who can engage in more value-adding and creative activities.
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Let's look at how you can digitalize and automate your processes, or add automation to already digitalized processes.
Avoid duplicating manual processes in digitalization and automation
A mistake that many companies make when digitizing and automating a process is that they "copy" the existing manual process. When automating a process, you first need to analyze the process and streamline it where possible. In addition to this, you also need to consider the possibilities that exist in the digital system chosen for automation. There may be functionality or dependencies that mean that the activities in the selected process need to be performed in a different way or can be replaced by another function. Generally speaking, we can talk about four steps that should be analyzed and decided on when you want to maximize the efficiency of a process.
Eliminate: Are there activities in the process that can be removed altogether? Everyone has probably heard stories or experienced doing activities that you don't really know why they are needed other than "they use it for something in the other department". In some cases, it turns out that it is not necessary at all, or that it was something you needed a few years ago, but not anymore.
An analysis to identify activities that can be removed is an important first step in streamlining a process. A value stream analysis is a fun and effective exercise to do together to identify activities that can be eliminated.
Simplify: Having eliminated the activities that do not add value to the process, the next step is to see if we can simplify the activities that make up the parts of the process. Can the activity be simplified? Is it better if this activity is performed earlier or later in the process, i.e. can we make it better by changing the order of the activities? Maybe this activity should be merged with another one and/or maybe it is even better if it is performed by someone else. Again, value stream mapping is a good tool to use.
Digitalize: Now the process is improved by removing unnecessary and non-value adding activities and simplifying the activities in our process as much as possible. The next step is to digitize the process or the steps in the process that are not yet digitized. It is possible that our process or the activities in it will have to change with the digitization, but we are now at least starting from a pure process when we start our digitization.
The main question in this step is where or which system to use. It is quite possible that your organization already has systems or software that can handle the process digitally. These should be investigated first. We won't go into detail in this article on how to go about choosing a system, but a few things to consider are worth mentioning. Our goal is to streamline our process as much as possible. This means that we will also want to automate the process as much as possible and minimize manual steps. When we choose a system to manage a process, it is therefore important to consider the possibilities and conditions for automation and how the automation is done. Can it be made rule-based or does it require RPA to perform activities automatically?
What will you yourself be able to do to automate activities in the process?
It is also important to choose a system that is scalable, that can be used to support several other processes and that has the flexibility required to meet specific needs and requirements in your organization. The system should not limit the possibility of streamlining your process and it should not force you to sacrifice things that are important in your business because there is no support in the system.
The ability to integrate to and from other systems also needs to be considered. It is rare that a system does not need to integrate with other internal or external systems. The ability to integrate should be simple, flexible and secure.
Start automating
When our process is digital, we also have the possibility to make the process or parts of it automatic. In the first place, you should look at what can be achieved in the system using rules or logic. You don't need to invest in RPA (Robotic Process Automation) or AI (Artificial Intelligence) if automation can be achieved by rules or conditions on what should happen and when. Your chosen system should be able to handle that, and in the best case scenario, you can set up conditions for different types of automatic events or activities yourself.
When it comes to choosing between RPA and off-the-shelf workflow automation tools (such as Power Automate) or AI, it is important to consider the complexity of the tasks that need to be automated. RPA is particularly useful when you have repetitive and regular tasks that can be performed according to predefined rules. Power Automate, on the other hand, is great for automating workflows and integrations between different systems and apps. If the tasks require processing large amounts of data, pattern recognition or decisions based on advanced analytics, AI technology may be the best choice. The system you choose should be able to work with these technologies and programs to enable the highest possible level of automation.
Can all processes and activities be automated?
No, right now not all activities in all processes can be automated. Manual work will be needed for some steps that cannot be done automatically or to handle unexpected deviations in a process. In such cases, it is crucial to choose a system that is intuitive, user-friendly and easy to collaborate in. A smooth user interface, smart collaboration features, and a system that people actually enjoy working in are necessary to ensure that employees can use the system effectively with the manual handling that needs to be done.
Do you want to digitize and automate your business processes but are not sure where to start? Discover how Conrab can help you maximize the efficiency of your business and ensure success over time. Contact us today!