IT Automation Implementation- Data Points

In today’s world, the word Automation conjures lot of confusion as well scares many workers as a disruptive technology that aims to eliminate ones jobs. The fact is its going to redefine the roles and process of their job functions rather than targeting them towards its elimination.

There is an interesting article by McKinsey's "Four Fundamentals of Workplace Automation" which states ALL jobs are bound to be impacted with various degrees of process automation at workplace from a CEO to Clerical Jobs.

Because of its negative bias opinion, Organizations need to tread cautiously and comfort its workers that an IT Automation effort is not aimed at individuals rather than redefining their tasks and activities that they perform in reducing and automating mundane ones.

To implement any automation of Business Operations, we should first rationalize its Operations in its entirety and identify and remove/modify redundant and inefficient process steps rather than simply build automation scripts on the top of its Standard Operation Procedures (SOP). It is not enough just to replace human interactive operational steps which is frown with many exceptions coupled with lack of standard documentation and thus difficult to program and handle.

Efforts spent on understanding and streamlining the business processes will certainly help not only to avoid costly and redundant operations but also enables to build manageable building blocks like Lego blocks.

Also, any initiative if not properly thought through, can spiral into chaos, business disruptions, cost and worst frowned upon by employees with distrust resulting in higher attrition. Needless to say any unplanned automation without Goals & Objectives and proper identifiable measures and with right skills and tools is fumbling at the starting block.

IT Automation Implementation - Data Points
Here is my small attempt to identify some data points that could help Automation stakeholders and managers to help them place the right foot forward and avoid costly mistakes where they don’t have experienced Automation Czars or Evangelists to help them implement and navigate.

• Define Automation Journey with Strategies
• Identify Pressure points that are currently dragging productivity
• Identify Challenges and potential bottlenecks for improvement
• Get the biggest payback
• Identify low lying fruits with its value
• Do not try to automate every part of the Process at one GO
• Validate Automation feasibility
• Build POC’s as required and build and identify necessary steps to scale
• Identify Complexities and time required to execute them while keeping a shorter window of weeks rather than months and years
• Identify building blocks & framework for readiness in Automation
• Rationalize and fine tune bulky or miniaturize monolith process steps
• Build automation capabilities with skills & tools to manage the new Business Outlook Operating Business Model
• Identify meaningful test with regression tests and recovery strategies
• Identify and avoid any business disruptions as these can be costly
• Group similar automation initiatives under automation Evangelists & Stewards
• Identify feasibility of Automation within Product's platform
• Identify Time based workflows, Trigger or Event based automation within the Platform, Application
• Build with minimal wiring from external Software agents to trigger Automation work rules or notifications
• Design & Build Automation efforts that are sustainable, maintainable & repeatable
• Build manageable process steps with proper exception handlers
• Build process steps that are configurable with external inputs and can be executed in parallel
• Define Operating Model and Governance along with Goals
• Raise awareness, get an alignment with folks impacted with Automation and address any negative and unfounded assumptions
• Rationalize initiatives and identify Growth or Process improvement Opportunities and identify factors with measurable units towards Goals

Automation is a Journey and not a 100 meter dash and hence measure them at regular interval its benefits. Also, as McKinsey article indicates, Automation is not all about targeting low-wage roles but all ladders of workplace jobs including the highest paid occupations in the Organization.