The first (and most important) step when you start implementing Business Automation.
What is the most important activity that defines whether your automation project will succeed or not?
Very often I get asked:
“Oscar, can you automate this? How do we get started?”
My answer is always:
“Have you mapped out your process already?”
Mapping out your processes is always the first (and most important) step.
Why?
You have to clearly define the current situation and the desired situation, only if you are crystal clear on this you can succeed!
Define where you are and where you want to go, so it’s easier to find your way and end up exactly where you want to be.
I always see two situations:
1)Sometimes the company already has a sort of documentation, such as a list of steps that team members have to take in a particular process. In this case, I support them in defining the desired situation and I show them the possibilities of Business Automation.
2)Sometimes the company doesn’t have any documentation.
In this case, I offer my support by doing the following:
- We list all the different stakeholders, interview them and map out the steps inside each process. This is crucial especially for businesses in which there are many stakeholders and it’s difficult to “get all the pieces of the puzzle” and have an overview of how the process currently works.
- We streamline those processes, which means understanding how to improve them and deciding what needs to be automated and what needs to be manual.
- We understand how to automate the steps inside each process and what’s the best combination of tools to do so. There are thousands of tools out there and one of the most important tasks of a business automation consultant is to understand what is the best tech stack to use.
- We define the most important KPIs of each process. Once we define what needs to be tracked, it’s possible to design and automate the reporting process.
It may sounds strange, but the very action of taking an overall view of the process and defining the steps, improves your process. That’s because it makes you aware of the inefficiencies and helps you to improve.
And all of this happens BEFORE you even start automating anything!
I’ve seen so many projects fail because it was not clear the starting point and the end point.
Also, the more clarity you have in place, the more chances you have to end up with a product that fits your needs.
Another question that I get asked pretty often is:
“From what processes should we start with?”
My answer is always sales and marketing because otherwise it’s like pouring gasoline in a tank that has holes.
In this article I show you how you can implement it in the best way.
Outsourcing the implementation could be a good idea for your business.
In the last few years, I helped several SMEs to make the most out of Business Automation through digital project management services.
If you want to learn more, download the Business Automation guide with the 5 phases I follow:
Or fill out the application form to work with me:
