Business Process Automation: Where to Start and How to Finish?
You should start the automation process. It can be roughly divided into stages. Stage 1 is analysis of processes in which first, you need to analyze all the processes in the company. For example, if you are engaged in the provision of special equipment for rent, then you should analyze the entire work cycle – from receiving an application to processing closing documents after the completion of work. The main goal of this process is to divide it into stages, and then identify the weakest and most time-consuming places. Logo 6ED1052-1MD08-0BA0 is a perfect automation module device with display that has helped thousands of companies to automate their offices and workspaces.
If there are several weaknesses, then it is worth sorting them in order of importance and understand which of them more affect the speed of the workflow and its result. It is on the weakest points that the work of the process automation system should be directed.
In stage 2, choosing an automation system is vital. This is one of the most difficult steps, as the business owner must choose one of three options:
- Creation of an automation system on our own (with the help of our own IT department)
- Using ready-made solutions (Bitrix24, 1C, etc.)
- Development of your own automation system with the help of a vendor.
The first scenario is a rare occurrence in our time. Not every large business has its own IT department with enthusiasts who, in parallel with their main responsibilities, are ready to develop an automation system. It can take years to develop an automation system, so companies abandon the idea of developing software on their own.
The second method has gained popularity due to the variety of suppliers of ready-made automation systems and their options. Each system has its own ready-made set of universal tools, which in one way or another is suitable for every company with simple internal processes. Choosing the second option, most of the time will be spent on “fitting” the finished system to your workflow and training employees in how to use it.
Cons of using a ready-made system:
At first, it seems that the introduction of a ready-made automation system is the best solution for medium-sized businesses, but there are several nuances. First, in order to “instill” the system with the unique functions that your company needs, you need to hire specialists in the development of a specific system. Secondly, ready-made automation systems are very difficult to “merge” with new solutions, so the implementation process can also become very costly. Thirdly, the developers of ready-made automation systems are trying to cram as many functions and modules as possible in order to please everyone, so you can get a bunch of unnecessary functions, from which your eyes will scatter across the screen. Fourth, the database of the finished automation system may not be optimized for your processes. In this case, scalability can be complicated,
Conclusion
Using a ready-made automation system, you either get used to all the nuances and disadvantages, or spend money on the implementation of unique functionality that may not take root at all.
Development of your own automation system with the help of a developer company
The third way is to develop your own automation system with the help of a developer company. We can immediately say that this is the most expensive option, since it includes analytics of the developer company, preparation of technical specifications and development of the system literally from scratch. But in return you get a lot of weighty and undeniable advantages that neither a self-written system nor a ready-made solution can offer you.
Uniqueness
It’s not that you will have your own system that no one else has (although this too). It’s about functionality – you can create a unique set of modules that will solve your problems and optimize your work.
Support
In 99% of cases, the company that has developed a unique business process automation system for you will become your reliable assistant in case of need for modernization and quality support.
Development
Your own system will not be limited in development – it will be quite easy to integrate new functions and solutions into it.
Independence
It also has an absence of binding to licenses and equipment of the software supplier. Considering that automation systems serve for 5 or more years, then developing your own system through a developer company seems to be the best solution, despite the possible high development cost.
Stage 3: Implementation
After a ready-made business process automation system is developed from scratch or adapted for your business, it is time to implement it. Contrary to the existing versions and variants of unsuccessful experience in implementing systems, we can say with 99% certainty that this depends solely on the qualifications and training of personnel. Not everyone wants to leave the comfort zone and learn new things – they are used to accounting with a pen in a notebook, so what? But behind this “accustomed” is hiding lost hours of work and dissatisfied customers.