Process automation is a form of process improvement that can return immediate, measurable benefits. By eliminating the need for human intervention in an activity, a process can be completed faster, with a lower error rate and shorter cycle time. New products can be launched sooner. Customers receive their orders correctly and on time.

To achieve the benefits of automation, processes must firstly be defined and understood. Whilst this may seem a simple objective, an agreed common understanding of a process across different teams can be challenging. Yet as a first step this may in itself identify potential improvements.

So if this is the first step to process automation – does process automation itself need to be managed? The answer is Yes. As with all processes, process automation should have a Process Owner, with key activities defined and understood:

• Gain an understanding of processes as they are today. What do we do and how exactly do we do it?

• Determine a set of criteria to identify automation candidates

• Design and test automated activites

• Implement the automated activities - bring them into the day to day operations and hand them over to the final process owner

• Evolve & improve processes, including automated steps

So who is responsible for managing the automated activities? Who should ensure ongoing review and change? How would a Process Owner, say a Marketing Manager, even know where to begin to change a complex automated activity involving multiple business rules, algorithms & multiple systems interfaces?

The answer is that the ‘handover to final process owner' is a key activity within the automation process, although it is often overlooked. The process owner needs the information and tools to be able to take full responsibility for their own processes.

T o get the most value out of process improvements (including automation) process owners should be left with simple process guidelines that are easily understood. We recommend that these guidelines be stored in a central process repository, with built-in change management tools operating in the background to ensure that processes are owned.

• Changes are easy to perform, by either the process owner or their delegated process experts.
  
  
• Changes to processes are communicated to all stakeholders
  
  
• Processes are reviewed for improvement on an ongoing basis

Without the ability for the process owner to easily understand the automated steps of a process, we are left with a barrier to change that will hamper an organisation's ability to keep up with the ever changing needs of their business environment.

There are numerous products on the market which can automate processes, and the chances are most organisations will have applications with ‘workflow' or automation capabilities. The real rewards come from understanding how they fit together within the overall process, and ensuring that they are managed as effectively as any other step in the overall process.