Some processes are easily automated, sending email on a schedule for example, others less so, for instance taking a text file from a data source, producing a chart, and publishing that chart somewhere.
To be able to identify processes worthy of automation you have to first understand how things are being done.
Perhaps you have staff in locations ordering consumable stock items manually, or completing forms that are emailed around for processing elsewhere.
Maybe you have staff whose roles exist purely to shuffle spreadsheets around to produce information for management. Is there a better way? Probably.
If something is repeatable then it’s very likely possible to automate it. If you have staff doing the same things on the same day each month and what they are doing is transcribing data from one system into another form and distributing the same things to the same people, these are likely good candidates for process automation.
Maybe you have staff filling out paper forms or timesheets and someone going over those manually, again lots of room for improvement.
The most obvious is bottom line, if something had to be done by a person and it doesn’t any longer, then that’s an immediate cost reduction.
Consistency – using software to automate helps consistency. Software can enforce rules that ensure the same data is captured in the same way every time, or the same process is performed identically time after time, there isn’t a need to write the date and time something happened because all events in the process can be recorded in real time.
A paper form that records work completed by an individual can be prone to error, loss, or inaccurate or invalid completion. A form in software can reduce errors associated with entry, retention, and loss and therefore it makes auditing past events straightforward.
Data capture – Software offers vast opportunities for data capture. Data can be captured about the when, who, how, what, all just by using a system.
Management Information – capturing data allows us to derive information from that data, and the information can drive informed decision making.
Improvement – if we can measure key aspects of a process, then potential improvements can be identified more easily. Comparing and contrasting performance across many dimensions becomes much easier, you can easily see what’s working, what isn’t and modify accordingly.
Compliance – good software makes it a breeze to see who did what, when and why, along with the history of events and items involved in the process.
