What is the First Step to Approaching Automation
What is the First Step to Approaching Automation
Automation is a need of the day, and companies are looking for methods to automate their processes to save valuable time and resources. But the first question that pop up in the mind is ‘What is the first step to approaching automation? The first step to approaching automation is to fully understand the existing system and identify areas where you can do automation for the betterment of operations.
For growth-minded, ambitious organizations that want to drive efficiency, business process automation (BPA) will be an area of great interest. The knee-jerk reaction will be that you should automate all repeatable processes immediately.
Key Takeaways
1. The first step to approaching automation is to identify the tasks that can be automated.
2. A best practice when approaching an automation effort is to define the objectives of the project and choose the best automation tools to implement solution.
3. Developing an automation strategy starts with brainstorming, and planning the framework to create and design a strong automation strategy.
You can make things automated, but if the process were wrong in the first place, all attempts would only make it worse. However, at Action Point, we recommend a more deliberate approach to implementing an existing system and BPA. So, let’s dive into what is the first step to approaching automation.
What is the First Step to Approaching Automation?
The first step involves the understanding of what tasks or processes you think you want to automate. For this you have to do a research to pinpoint the tasks or processes that require more time and resources and could be handed over to machines or software without any human intervention.
As our question is ‘What is the first step to approaching automation’? The first step in approaching automation is to Identify Strategic Reasons for a project.
Maintenance is Insurers who take a right next steps, as I’ve explained here. The automation journey involves research, preparation, and a host of communication. From preparation to implementation, we outline the first steps of the automation journey.
1. Identify
The first step of the automation journey is to identify the processes you want to automate. For instance, you might look at the processes behind areas with low productivity.
Or, you could target the most repetitive and time-consuming processes plaguing your back office. You could also target the processes automation could boost for a specific department.
Automation is capable of handling many different processes, simple or complex. Indeed, if you can think of it, you can probably automate it. But it would help if you didn’t automate everything. So, when identifying the processes you want to automate, consider the business case for each.
2. Evaluate
The next step in the automation journey is to evaluate your chosen processes. You need to identify any problems with your current workflows.
You also need to evaluate the implementation risks and how you will mitigate them. The three main examples of such risks are related to security, the likely level of disruption, and the impact of automation anxiety.
3. Prepare
Once you’ve fixed any broken processes and identified potential risks of automation implementation, you can take the next step in your automation journey. That is, you can now prepare for your automation solution and make efforts to reduce the risks you’ve identified until the benefits outweigh them.
4. Choose
All the previous steps of the business process automation journey have led to this. It’s time to choose your automation solution. There are a few options available. Your choice of tool should reflect the needs of you and your team(s).
5. Implement
The final step at the start of your automation journey is implementation. It is where you set up your first triggers and automate those pesky processes.
Once you’re satisfied with the stability of your automation system, you can start to add more processes.
You see above what is the first step to approaching automation works. After selecting the steps and tools, you need to implement them into your workflow. Depending on your preferences and needs, this can be done gradually or at once.
What is a Best Practice When Approaching an Automation Effort?
Automation is a process by which we make any technology completely dependent on the computer or Internet without any human interference. When approaching any automation effort, the priority should always be to improve the current process before automating it, as the fault is present in the current process and will affect the new automatic process.
Note: A best practice is to ensure that the automation solution is aligned with the business objectives and requirements.
Our second priority should be cost reduction, the goal of acquiring new resources and eliminating the need for technical support. Automation increases reliability as it produces real-time data, which is used in business operations.
1. Business Automation Efforts
As many mistakes and problems arise while performing different operations so the main aim behind the best business and project management practices is to abolish them completely. Consequently, it will turn your work environment into smooth, efficient and better environment.
- Firstly, you need to be well-versed with the best practices for your business guidelines, so you will meet your business goals. Most business best practices are there to help you:
- Processes work smoothly and correctly.
- Simplify the tasks by following the easy-to-do things.
- Provide a reliable approach and practical action based on previous trials and errors.
2. Use SMART Goals When Approaching Automation Efforts
Another important thing to keep in mind when defining best business practices and automation efforts are SMART goals.
Firstly, you should be clear about your definition of success. Because the lack in this area don’t allow the teams to achieve their objectives as they are not clear about the definition of success. By setting SMART goals, you will be clear about the definition of success as well as defined and attainable objectives.
Therefore, by moving through each step SMART goals will pinpoint the areas where priorities and resources aren’t aligned. SMART stands for Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, and Time-Bound.
- Specific
- Measurable
- Attainable
- Relevant
- Time-bound
The best practice for approaching an automation effort will vary depending on the specific context and goals of the project. However, some general principles will ensure a successful automation effort.
In this article, we’re explaining what is the first step to approaching automation. Here is a list of best practices one can follow while approaching automation.
3. Scope and Objectives of the Automation Project
Before starting any work, it’s important to understand what you’re trying to achieve with automation.
What are the specific goals and objectives of the project? What processes or tasks do you want to automate? By defining the scope and objectives upfront, you’ll be able to better plan and execute the automation effort.
4. Assess the Feasibility of the Automation Project
Understand that you can automate not every process or task, so it’s important to assess the feasibility of automating the ones in scope for your project.
Consider factors such as the complexity of the process or task, the availability of data and resources, and the potential return on investment (ROI). Automating a complex process or task with a high ROI can be worth the effort, even if challenging.
5. Automation Tools and Technologies
A wide variety of automation tools and technologies are available, so it’s important to choose the ones best suited to your specific needs.
6. Build a Prototype
Before fully implementing an automation solution, it’s often helpful to build a prototype or proof of concept. It will allow you to test the solution’s feasibility and ensure that it meets your expectations.
It’s also a good way to get feedback from stakeholders and users to ensure that the automation solution is headed in the right direction.
7. Implement the Automation Solution
Once the prototype or proof of concept is complete and approved, you can begin implementing the automation solution. It will typically involve writing code or scripts to automate the processes or tasks in scope.
It’s important to test the automation solution thoroughly before putting it into production to avoid any potential problems.
8. Monitor and Optimize
After the automation solution has been implemented, it’s important to monitor it closely to ensure it’s working as expected. You should also regularly review the solution to see if any areas can be improved or optimized.
Over time, you may need to make changes to the automation solution as the needs of your business change. Now you must be clear about “what is a best practice when approaching an automation effort?”
What is the First Step in Developing an Automation Strategy?
An automation journey can begin with eliminating paper processes, implementing templates for complex workflows, and using process maps for improved visibility and accountability across tasks. Process automation empowers teams to do their best work; it’s about taking that first step.
Refining processes through digital process automation is necessary for organizations to remain competitive. Building a successful automation strategy can be simple if you know where to start.
1-Liner: Start by understanding your current process and identifying areas where automation can help streamline your operations and improve efficiency.
The following three steps will assist in creating and designing a strong automation strategy.
Brainstorm
Before starting automation, it is a good idea to have the whole team talk through answers to the below questions in a brainstorming session:
- What problems are we trying to solve using automation?
- Are there sufficient skilled resources available to work on automation?
- What is the cost vs. value of the proposed automation effort?
- How testable is the application?
- What are our goals for automation?
These questions clarify the automation goals, determine when and where automation is necessary for the project, and clarify what you will need tools and support.
Make Expectations Visible
Once the goals, vision, and use cases for implementing automated testing have been identified from step 1, you should set expectations regarding the deliverables and timelines the team can expect to see throughout the sprints.
It is necessary so the stakeholders can see incremental progress in the automation efforts and understand whether the initiatives are working as expected or if there is a need to pivot and modify some of the approaches.
Plan the Framework
Once the team decides to proceed further and start building the test automation framework, there are four major things to consider so the team is set up to build robust automation frameworks and write better tests.
Everyone knows that automation can save time, help you speed up testing, and let you spend more time on other valuable tasks like exploratory testing.
However, not everyone knows what is the first step to approaching automation and where to start a test automation project to ensure a return on investment. Set your organization up for success by checking out our website ScrapeWithBots.
What is the Benefit of Developing an Automation Strategy?
The main aim of an automation strategy is to make your company more effective and efficient. Because automation will reduces the risks of errors by improving the accuracy as well as reducing the human intervention and it will speed up processes. Moreover, you’ll be able to save money as it will reduce costs associated with manual labor. So, automation strategy allow you to save your company time and money.
Primary Benefits of Automation Strategy
- Intensifying Productivity
- Provides high availability
- Reduction of operation cost
- Optimizing the performance
- Increasing the reliability
In the Context of Automation Strategy What is a Center of Excellence?
An automation center of excellence (COE) includes the people, processes, and technology necessary to maximize the benefits of automation, including robotic process automation. Finding new automation opportunities is crucial, as scaling your automation within the organization and carrying out a long-term vision.
OR
An internal team that plays a crucial role in providing structure, streamlining automation output, and helping scale automation through the enterprise.
Role: The Center of Excellence plays an integral role in the success of an Automation Strategy by providing expertise and guidance throughout the process.
The people, procedures, and technology required to optimize the benefits of automation, especially robotic process automation, are all part of an automation center of excellence.
FAQS: What is the First Step to Approaching Automation
How do I start an automation project?
To start an automation project, you follow: Select your team, establish your framework, develop your strategy, select your first processes and assess the state of processes and systems.
Ending Remarks
“If you always do what you’ve always done, you’ll always get what you’ve always got.” – Henry Ford. We hope this guide to business automation and best practices must be helpful for you!
As your company grows and matures, it will become increasingly important to have an automation strategy. We hope the above steps about ‘What is the first step to approaching automation’ guide you in the right direction to move your business workflows toward automation and greater productivity.
Contact us today for a free consultation – we can help you develop an automation plan that meets your specific needs and helps you reach your goals.