All companies of any kind contain at the least one administrative course of: information entry, guide approval, routing data, scanning paperwork, and so forth.
These guide, repetitive duties typically trigger two main points: first, they take precious time from staff that could possibly be used to perform different duties that may contribute extra to the group’s total objective. It’s typically administrative duties that require staff to carry out outdoors their core competencies, so a corporation is basically losing time and assets in executing these duties.
The second is that repetitively executing menial, tedious duties are susceptible to human errors, and even easy administrative errors can have huge adverse impacts when not managed effectively.
So, how can we streamline these administrative and repetitive duties whereas making certain accuracy in execution?
The reply is workflow automation.
On this information, we’ll focus on all that you must learn about workflow automation: the idea, the way it advantages your online business, and particularly the right way to implement them.
What Is Workflow Automation?
Because the identify suggests, workflow automation is the process of utilizing workflow automation software program and different digital instruments to automate workflows that in any other case should be executed manually.
We are able to outline a workflow as a set of duties or actions, sometimes sequential, that may obtain a goal and end result when completed.
There are two important concepts behind automating a workflow:
- As we speak’s software program, particularly with the assistance of Artificial Intelligence (AI), can execute easy duties a lot sooner than human customers. Whereas it may well take hours for a mean information entry admin to enter 1,000 fields of information, it may be completed in only a matter of seconds with the correct software program.
- Software program packages are constant and correct, so we are able to cut back and even eradicate the chance of human errors by automating the workflow.
A typical implementation of workflow automation is doc approvals like reimbursement kind approvals, buy order approvals, and extra. Sometimes, this sort of workflow follows a predictable and repeatable set of steps: a reviewer manually critiques the doc in opposition to a set of standards and both approves or rejects the doc.
Automating these predictable steps can streamline this whole workflow whereas avoiding human errors like sending the shape to the improper particular person or calculation errors.
How To Automate a Workflow: Step-by-Step
Automating a workflow would possibly seem to be a posh and difficult job, however by following these steps, you’ll discover out that it’s a lot less complicated than it seems.
Step 1: Determine your goal
What’s the aim of automating the workflow within the first place? Making certain effectivity? Rising output? Decreasing errors?
Every workflow is exclusive, and to make sure profitable implementation of workflow automation, now we have to establish what aims we wish to accomplish. Doing so will even assist justify the investments that could be wanted in implementing the workflow automation to safe buy-in from stakeholders.
Step 2: Determine the workflow to automate
If your online business solely entails one workflow, then this shall be an easy course of.
Nevertheless, most companies have multiple workflow, so it’s essential to establish a workflow you’re going to automate.
First, not all workflows can or needs to be automated, and you must take into account:
- Whether or not it’s doable to automate the workflow (whether or not there’s the expertise able to automating the workflow)
- Whether or not it’s financially possible to automate the workflow (i.e., whether or not the advantages you’ll get from automating the workflow justify the investments required)
Subsequent, you should utilize a number of of the next approaches to decide on a workflow to automate:
- Strategic: selecting a workflow that has a substantial impression on the enterprise (i.e., has a direct impression on income)
- Reactive: selecting a workflow with apparent points to repair them (i.e., repetitive and inefficient approval course of)
- Buyer-centric: selecting a workflow with a direct impression on buyer expertise (i.e., shortening queue time)
Step 3: Collect data
When you’ve recognized a workflow to automate, the subsequent step is to collect as a lot data as doable in regards to the workflow. Observe how the workflow is presently executed, and get suggestions from stakeholders concerned within the workflow. The data you must collect embody:
- The beginning and endpoints of the workflow
- The listing of duties required to perform the workflow
- Data wanted to attain every step/job
- If the workflow entails choices, what data is critical to make these choices?
The extra data you may collect, the higher the workflow automation shall be.
Step 4: Select your expertise resolution
Completely different workflows could require different applied sciences to automate them, so the subsequent necessary step is selecting the best expertise resolution to automate your required workflow successfully.
Whereas there’s no one-size-fits-all resolution, listed here are some key options you must search for when selecting a workflow automation software program resolution:
- Drag-and-drop workflow diagram builder (no coding required)
- Straightforward to make use of (ideally drag and drop) kind and visible rule builder
- Automated notifications and reminders
- Cell-friendly and easy-to-use interface
- Analytics and experiences
- Integration together with your different options
Step 5: Mapping your workflow
Most workflow automation software program options will automate your workflow through the use of a flowchart-based workflow diagram.
With Aproove’s workflow automation resolution, you may simply map a workflow diagram and customise every workflow step to fine-tune the automation. You may, for instance, add conditional guidelines into your workflow to automate choices.
The principle concern of this step is accuracy: ensure that the diagram is as correct as doable based mostly on how the workflow is presently executed.
Step 6: Consider the automated workflow
Totally take a look at the automated workflow earlier than launching it. Contain the workflow’s authentic stakeholders to judge how the automation performs, whether or not the workflow is extra environment friendly than earlier than the automation, or if it’s the opposite manner round.
It’s essential to ensure the workflow is already as environment friendly as doable earlier than you automate it. Automating inefficient workflows will solely amplify their inefficiencies in order that they are going to be counterproductive.
Analyze your workflows for inefficiencies and bottlenecks, and reoptimize your workflow as wanted.
In right now’s fast-paced business environment that calls for agility, workflow automation is extra necessary than ever.
By automating your workflows, you may release your staff’ time from performing repetitive administrative duties. On the similar time, enhance the accuracy of the workflow execution by lowering human errors. In the long term, workflow automation will enhance your online business’s operational effectivity and productiveness.
