Business process automation is the replacement of repetitive manual work with a software solution that ensures a faster and error-free flow of data through the company. It's best to start where the biggest bottleneck occurs. This is typically re-entering data between departments or lengthy approvals. If the process is first correctly mapped and optimised, the first functional automation can be deployed within 4 weeks.

Many companies see automation as a huge IT project. Management imagines long months of planning. They expect complex implementations and a paralysis of normal operations. But this approach often leads to budget exhaustion and employee frustration. Real, functional automation looks different. It is a gradual process. It is about systematically eliminating routine, step by step. You always start where it hurts the company the most. This minimises risk and accelerates the real impact on operations.

What is business process automation

Business process automation means handing over routine administration and manual data transfer to a business system. It's not about replacing people with machines. It's about freeing up their capacity for work that requires human judgement, empathy and expertise.

Employees in medium-sized companies often spend hours a day moving data. They copy information from a received email into a shared spreadsheet. From the spreadsheet, they re-enter it into the invoicing system. From the invoicing system into a report for the client. Each such step requires human attention. Each such step is a huge opportunity for error. Automation connects this fragmented chain into a single, smooth flow.

Let's take a model example. A salesperson successfully closes a deal with a new client. In a typical company without automation, a series of manual tasks follows. The salesperson has to manually create a folder on the company drive. They have to write an email to production with the job specification. They have to create a client card in the accounting program. They have to set a reminder in their calendar to contact the client again after a certain time. All this costs valuable time and energy.

In an automated environment, it looks different. The salesperson simply moves the opportunity in the system to the 'won' stage. This automatically triggers a predefined workflow. The system itself creates a shared folder. The system itself sends a task to production and attaches all the necessary documents. The system itself generates a pro-forma invoice. The system itself sets a task for subsequent client care. The salesperson can immediately focus on the next deal. Production has a precise brief. The accountant has the documents for invoicing. Everything happens instantly and without errors.

Why automating a bad process only creates faster chaos

The difference between process mapping and optimisation is that mapping identifies the actual state of affairs, while optimisation removes unnecessary steps before the process is automated.

Many companies make a fundamental mistake during digitalisation. They buy new software and try to transfer their existing operations to it one-to-one. But if you automate an inefficient process, you only get a faster error generator. You accelerate the chaos. Our working method is therefore based on three firm steps. None of them can be skipped.

  1. Map. The first step is always to map reality. We find out how data actually flows through the company. We are not guided by how processes should work according to company policies. These are often outdated and do not reflect reality. We are guided by how people actually perform them in practice. Employees often create their own shortcuts. They use hidden spreadsheets. They bypass nonsensical rules. Mapping reveals these hidden mechanisms. It shows us the true anatomy of your operations. We find out where data originates, where it travels, and where it gets lost.
  2. Optimise. The second step is optimisation. We straighten out the mapped process. We remove unnecessary approval steps. For example, if the purchase of office supplies up to a certain amount is approved by three different managers, it is a waste of everyone's time. We simplify the process. We remove information silos. We ensure that data is entered into the system only once. Only a cleaned-up and logical process makes sense to transfer into digital form. Optimisation is often painful because it forces the company to abandon established habits. But it is absolutely essential for success.
  3. Automate. The third step is the automation itself. We transfer the optimised process into a digital workflow. We set up triggers. These are the events that initiate the action. We set up conditions. These determine under what circumstances the action should be performed. We set up the actions themselves. The system takes over deadline monitoring. The system delegates tasks to the right people. The system alerts to delays. People only check the results and handle exceptions. This gradual transition ensures the stability of the entire company.

Where to start with automation in the company

It's best to start automation at the biggest bottleneck that costs the company the most time, causes the most errors, and slows down the processing of work orders.

Don't look for a perfect IT plan for the whole company for the next five years. Look for where it hurts the most right now. Solve operational problems gradually. A bottleneck is a point where work piles up. Where you have to wait for one specific person. Where information is regularly lost. How can you reliably identify such a place? Ask your people three simple questions:

  • What task do you do every day that you absolutely hate because it's pure routine?
  • Where do you have to manually re-enter data from one window to another?
  • What or who do you most often have to wait for to complete your task?

The answers will reliably guide you to the first process to automate. Often it's processing incoming invoices. Other times it's onboarding a new employee or client. Very often it's the transfer of information between sales and production.

Let's take a model example of a sales company with twenty people. The biggest delay occurs when manually re-entering received orders from email into the warehouse system. Here, deploying routine automation frees up hands immediately. The system receives the order. It checks stock availability. It sends a confirmation to the customer. It passes the instruction to dispatch. The employee only deals with cases where the goods are missing or the order is non-standard in any way. The rest runs on its own.

This agile approach has a huge advantage. We can map, optimise and deploy the first process within 4 weeks. The company sees results immediately. Employees see that the system is actually helping them and not creating more work. The natural resistance to change decreases. The willingness to automate other parts of the company increases. The project financing is spread over time. You pay for solving specific problems, not for a robust system that you may never fully use.

What to leave for later

Leave processes that change frequently, require a high degree of human empathy, or occur only very rarely for later.

Trying to automate one hundred percent of the company's agenda is a trap. It leads to over-engineered systems. These are very expensive to develop initially and even more expensive to maintain later. The Pareto principle applies perfectly here. Automate eighty percent of standard cases. Leave the remaining twenty percent of non-standard cases to be processed manually at first. What exactly should you not automate in the first wave?

  • Exceptions to the rules and edge cases. If a process does not have clear and fixed rules and is handled on a case-by-case basis, it cannot be easily entrusted to a system. Trying to fit every conceivable exception into algorithms means creating endless condition trees. Let the system handle the regular agenda. Let the system simply flag complex cases and pass them to a human for assessment.
  • Creative and strategic decisions. The system can prepare perfect documentation. It can aggregate data from the entire company. It can propose different solution variants. But the final decision on the company's direction, on hiring a key employee, or on a major investment must always be made by a human. Automation provides the data, the human provides the context and strategy.
  • Processes requiring human empathy. This includes handling complex complaints from key clients. Also, sensitive HR issues. Or negotiating prices for large deals. Here, automation serves only as discreet support in the background. It ensures that the person has the complete communication history and all necessary data available. But the communication itself is led by a person. A personal approach is often your greatest competitive advantage. Don't destroy it with robotic responses.
  • Processes that are constantly changing. If a department is just being established or is looking for its optimal way of working, don't fix its processes in software code. Wait until the process settles and standardises. Automated chaos is still chaos, it's just much harder and more expensive to change.

Successful automation does not require a revolution. It requires discipline. Start by mapping one specific problem. Simplify it. Automate it. Monitor the results and invest the time saved in the next step.

Don't wait until you have a perfect IT plan for the whole company. Start with the most pressing problem in your operations. See how we approach routine automation, find out more about our working method, or explore how we solve specific operational problems.