Process automation

Process automation digitises workflows, reduces manual errors, and hands routine tasks over to technology so people can focus on what matters. Read step by step and see which tasks are best suited.

Indhold

Hvad er RPA? Hvilke processer egner sig? What’s in it for me? Ulemper ved automatisering Automatisering trin for trin

Digitalisation through process automation in companies typically refers to the use of technology, such as software and workflow automation, to automate repetitive manual tasks and thereby improve efficiency and productivity across the organisation.

At Morningtrain, when we talk about automation, it is always based on the company’s business needs, where the goal of automation is to create value for the business.

Process automation can be rules-based or AI-assisted. Use rules for stable, repeated steps; use AI when input varies. We most often use rules for stable steps and supplement with AI when input varies.

What is RPA?

Automating a manual process is called “RPA” (Robotic Process Automation). It is software programmed to mimic the clicks and keystrokes a person would make in a system—think of it as a digital colleague.

Which processes are frequently automated?

The processes most frequently automated using software and workflow automation are repetitive or manual processes where, in practice, there is no need for human interaction. Some of the processes we typically automate are:

Entering, editing, or moving data
Collecting data from different data sources
Inventory management
Bookkeeping in financial systems
Preparing budgets, production plans, and forecasts
Customer service with a focus on reducing lead time
Automatic ordering of products for stock
Automatic handling of leads, e.g. registration in CRM systems
Preparing documents for orders, quotes, or PDFs that need to be signed.

Overall, many different recurring and standardised processes can be automated. This applies to both simple and complex processes. Most importantly, however, as a business you should always weigh the value automation provides against the effort required to automate the process.

What is the output of automating processes?

When we look at the output of automating processes, I would like to split it between two stakeholders. One is the employee, and the other is the company.

Starting with the employee, we see that automating manual processes does the following:

Creates greater job satisfaction, as the employee is not buried in trivial tasks
Fewer errors by the employee, as the employee is now assisted by software
The employee creates more value for the company, as there is meaning in the tasks they work on now that the standardised tasks are handled by software
More time in everyday work for what matters, with greater accuracy

From the company’s perspective, we typically see the following:

Increased productivity
Strategic decisions can be made faster
Reduced error rate
Cost savings and freeing up time in day-to-day operations

Disadvantages of automation?

Some of the disadvantages of automating processes are as follows:

The costs of implementing and maintaining the software. Remember to calculate your ROI (Return on Investment) so you have an idea of when your investment will pay for itself
Need for reskilling employees and adjusting roles and responsibilities, as tasks move from manual data entry to monitoring, error handling, and continuous improvements
Potential job losses, as in some cases it can eliminate jobs entirely

How do you automate a process?

If you want to implement digitalisation and automation of a process in collaboration with a consultancy, you can follow these steps:

1 – What should be automated?

Identify potential processes you want to automate. It can be useful to involve employees who are directly involved in the process to ensure you identify all relevant tasks and steps in the process.

2 – Research the market

Contact companies that have experience automating similar processes. It can be useful to review their references to get a sense of their previous experience and results with process automation.

3 – Plan for implementation and training

Evaluate the possible automations and develop an implementation plan together with your chosen company. Make sure the company helping you can help identify the best software solutions for your business, implement them, and train your employees to use them afterwards.

4 – Implementation and testing

Carry out the implementation and test it in a safe environment that allows for errors. It can be useful to have a project manager from your own company working closely with those responsible for the implementation to ensure everything proceeds as planned.

5 – Analysis of the results

Make sure to measure and monitor the effect of the automation after implementation, and adjust the process or software if necessary to improve results. Also ensure that your chosen partner can help monitor and analyse the results and advise on how you can improve them.

Last but not least, see if you can start with an MVP (Minimum Viable Product), as you will learn as a business as soon as you begin rolling out the automation across the organisation.

Read the 6 considerations that increase your chances of success with digitalisation here

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