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Creating automated process maps streamlines your business, aiding day to day operations and helping you target your goals while mitigating risk and unnecessary tangents. But not all process maps are automated.
The most successful corporate structures that harness ProcessPro to create process maps know that human input is still very much essential.
Many people believe that all process mapping is automated. Once set up, it should flow with minimal help or adjustments. Of course, process maps are designed to improve efficiency so it’s quite a common misconception that the entire operation is automated as a result.
However, in reality, approximately 20% of all processes can be automated. The rest require the human touch.
From gradual adjustments as goals and targets shift, to complete overhauls when your business switches direction – without human input to nurture and guide the process map, it quickly becomes defunct.
Deciding not to automate part (or all) of a process map can be wise. Here are the key reasons why many of our ProcessPro customers prefer to keep most of their process mapping un-automated.
Process automation is great for reducing human error, especially when complex maps are involved. However, most process maps include steps and decisions that rely on human interaction. Automation cannot be responsible for all actions.
Approving work that has been completed, deciding how to go forward based on factors that weren’t considered for the original process map, and even simpler actions like scanning and logging paper documents.
Process maps are favoured by corporate structures and even governments. Using automation can be an excellent way for these entities to capture and centralise corporate knowledge. However, ensuring regulatory compliance and updating the knowledge base as improvements are made, relies on team members rather than automation.
Process maps are often used to make complex and lengthy processes transparent and easier to follow. However, the complexity of the process map itself can make automation impractical. To automate such intricate steps or important decisions may either simply be too complicated to codify, or quicker and easier for a human to manage.
Ultimately, the best way to implement automation successfully is once the process map is built. Only when a process map is fully operational can you look for the best opportunities to automate it. You will be able to spot areas that are laborious for departments to complete but could be automated in minutes.
Using a continuous improvement process, you will be able to use automation to the benefit of your business. When examining areas for improvement, it’s important that you weigh up the effort of automating the process with the results it should bring about. Whether it’s a quick return on investment, or a vast reduction in resources, you should always consider whether those returns are significant enough to warrant automation.
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