7 effective steps to prepare for automation

Answer the following questions for yourself:

• Does the company really need this?
• Is it clear how and where to develop the system?
• What will be the next step after a successful launch?

You can use any convenient tool for this: From Google Docs to notes.

The main thing is that you end up with a clear answer to the question:
"Why does the company specifically need automation right now?"

Every business has key goals. When planning to automate processes, choose one specific goal to avoid losing focus.

1. Technological;
2. Resource-based;
3. Market-related;
4. Innovative;
5. Cultural;
6. Management.

For example (each point represents a separate goal):

• Reducing costs by x%;
• Expanding customer loyalty;
• Process monitoring, etc.

A common mistake among entrepreneurs is thinking that automation will solve all problems. This is not true.


Important!
Automation should only be implemented when the core processes are working and the business is not struggling to survive.
That's why strategy comes first, followed by everything else.

Comparison with key business goals

If you don't know what the outcome of a process is, what the input data is, and what the result of each task within the process is, you're not ready for automation yet.

Processes are always built and controlled by people. Systems merely track and simplify them.

If your business has already grown, hire an analyst and assign tasks to department heads. But it's essential to do this.

Without structured processes, you'll get endless "automation."
In other words, the contractor will stretch out the implementation/development timeline, employees will use different systems, and so on. Use any tool that people will accept. From corporate wikis to BPMN. The important thing is that it must be understandable.


Often, an entrepreneur thinks that they can start building the system and construct the process along the way. Unfortunately, that doesn't work.
There’s no need to create a process "from scratch" for automation. That would lead to huge expenses.

Each time, the architecture will have to be redesigned, "workarounds" will be made, users won't be able to apply the system due to lack of understanding of what to do, and there will be other risks. In the end, once again, you'll have endless "automation."

Structuring processes

An entrepreneur who wants to do everything at once will ultimately accomplish nothing. The same goes for automation.

You have a strategy, structured processes, and a specific goal. Set priorities according to this information.

For example:
If you want to automate the warehouse cleaning process, but the business goal is to optimize logistics costs, then you shouldn't build a system for registering cleaners.

When setting priorities, rely solely on real data. If there's insufficient data, go into the field. Observe how employees work. Talk to them. Immerse yourself in the process.

Setting priorities

After collecting the information, you can analyze which process can be most easily and quickly automated.

Don't complicate things. Test the implementation on the clearest and most straightforward process according to your priorities. Often, entrepreneurs believe that automation should affect the entire company immediately. That's not the case. Each automated system is assembled and deployed module by module.

Otherwise, you risk getting stuck in endless "automation" and becoming disillusioned.

Strengthening the strong

Unfortunately or fortunately, businesses aren't unique in this world. Often, entrepreneurs don’t need custom development.
Try implementing a ready-made product. This will save money and time on testing hypotheses.

Custom automation (development) is needed to highlight, accelerate, or take into account the nuances of the business. In other words, its uniqueness. 80% of a company's processes aren’t unique.
Move on to development/customization only if a ready-made product doesn’t accommodate the specifics of your company.

Exploring ready-made solutions

With all the above information, you’ll look at the automation process differently.

The most important thing is to see the final predictable result of automation and how it will impact key people and goals. We'll discuss this in the next article.

Conclusion