All companies of any sort contain at the least one administrative course of: information entry, handbook approval, routing data, scanning paperwork, and many others.
These handbook, repetitive duties usually trigger two main points: first, they take useful time from staff that might be used to perform different duties that can contribute extra to the group’s general purpose. It’s usually administrative duties that require staff to carry out exterior their core competencies, so a corporation is actually losing time and sources in executing these duties.
The second is that repetitively executing menial, tedious duties are liable to human errors, and even easy administrative errors can have large destructive 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 it’s good to learn about workflow automation: the idea, the way it advantages your small business, and particularly how you can implement them.
What Is Workflow Automation?
Because the title suggests, workflow automation is the method of utilizing workflow automation software program and different digital instruments to automate workflows that in any other case should be executed manually.
We will outline a workflow as a set of duties or actions, usually sequential, that can obtain a objective and consequence when achieved.
There are two important concepts behind automating a workflow:
- Immediately’s software program, particularly with the assistance of Synthetic Intelligence (AI), can execute easy duties a lot sooner than human customers. Whereas it might probably take hours for a median information entry admin to enter 1,000 fields of information, it may be completed in only a matter of seconds with the appropriate software program.
- Software program applications are constant and correct, so we are able to cut back and even remove the probability of human errors by automating the workflow.
A typical implementation of workflow automation is doc approvals like reimbursement type approvals, buy order approvals, and extra. Usually, the sort of workflow follows a predictable and repeatable set of steps: a reviewer manually opinions 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 flawed individual or calculation errors.
How To Automate a Workflow: Step-by-Step
Automating a workflow would possibly look like a fancy and difficult job, however by following these steps, you’ll discover out that it’s a lot easier than it seems to be.
Step 1: Determine your objective
What’s the aim of automating the workflow within the first place? Making certain effectivity? Growing output? Lowering errors?
Every workflow is exclusive, and to make sure profitable implementation of workflow automation, we now have to establish what aims we need to accomplish. Doing so may 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 small business solely includes one workflow, then this might be a simple course of.
Nevertheless, most companies have a couple of workflow, so it’s essential to establish a workflow you’re going to automate.
First, not all workflows can or must 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 need to use 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 concerning 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
- Info wanted to realize every step/job
- If the workflow includes selections, what data is critical to make these selections?
The extra data you’ll be able to collect, the higher the workflow automation might be.
Step 4: Select your expertise answer
Totally different workflows might require different applied sciences to automate them, so the subsequent necessary step is choosing the proper expertise answer to automate your required workflow successfully.
Whereas there’s no one-size-fits-all answer, listed here are some key options you must search for when selecting a workflow automation software program answer:
- Drag-and-drop workflow diagram builder (no coding required)
- Simple to make use of (ideally drag and drop) type and visible rule builder
- Computerized notifications and reminders
- Cell-friendly and easy-to-use interface
- Analytics and studies
- Integration along 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 answer, you’ll be able to 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 selections.
The principle concern of this step is accuracy: be sure 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 unique 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 approach round.
It’s essential to verify 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 immediately’s fast-paced enterprise atmosphere that calls for agility, workflow automation is extra necessary than ever.
By automating your workflows, you’ll be able to liberate 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 small business’s operational effectivity and productiveness.
