8. December 2023 By Hansjörg Süess
Process Automation – Our CEO answers seldomly asked questions
There has been a lot of talk about process automation. We asked expert Hansjörg Süess to address some of the relevant but less frequently asked questions.
No sooner have I automated the most important business processes than the technologies are already evolving again. How can I keep up at all?
Of course, technologies - like business processes - are constantly evolving. And rightly so. When selecting an automation platform, two aspects are highly important: the first is that it must be a platform that is expandable and scalable. The second is that in the event of a platform change, it must also be migratable. These are the technological aspects. If you want to automate a new business process, the platform must also offer options for mapping new business processes and, of course, adapting existing business processes as necessary. This must be as flexible as possible and, naturally, in today's world, agile.
Isn't this eternal automation damaging my corporate culture? And above all my employees?
Of course, an automation project in particular changes the way we communicate with each other. But it also changes the way we work together. These are two key aspects that can also cause anxiety among employees. What is very important with automation processes is that they are accompanied by what is known as organizational change management. This is an important aspect of such a project because if we can get employees onside, they can make a significant contribution to the success of the project. They need to understand that an automation project does not necessarily mean that a job will be lost, but that the workplace will change and that certain repetitive tasks may be replaced by more creative activities.
Interesting. You do have experience: Are there any processes that should not be outsourced? If so, what are they?
Yes, of course there are business processes or processes in general that cannot be easily automated. Whenever interactions between two people are an important aspect, for example in training courses, but also in a recruitment process where it is important to get a feel for what kind of person someone is in an interview - I don't think that can be automated, not even over a long period of time. I think we have to go there and ask "Which business processes are effectively suitable for automation"? And there will always be business processes that cannot be automated. And that is how it's meant to be.
Technologies are always susceptible to faults. What do I do in the event of failure?
Also a very good question. Of course, if you automate to a high degree, then - as you rightly say - it also becomes susceptible to faults. That's where we recommend: The closer the business process that is automated is to a core process, the more need there is to establish a very good backup concept. This means that these systems may even be designed redundantly. So, in an emergency, we can also switch to a backup system that runs through the automation. An important aspect here is that the underlying IT naturally also provides the fail-safe where the platform is set up.
Exciting, that's true. All the regulations are already putting a strain on my organization. Are there actually any legal implications of automation?
Absolutely. Especially in highly regulated industries, such as the financial or pharmaceutical industries, this is of course a key aspect. There are many compliance requirements that need to be adhered to at all times. For instance, traceability - a very important aspect. As part of automation projects, there are of course options such as Audit Trail, where you can trace the source - i.e. the basis - possibly the data that flows into an automation project. Our specialists are trained for this. Particularly in the life sciences, in the pharmaceutical environment, to ensure that these compliance requirements can be met at all times, even in the context of automation. And in my opinion, that is one of the key success factors.
Much more efficiency thanks to Process Automation
We understand the challenges, the path to sustainable implementation and the benefits from Process Automation. Visit our landing page for an overview, customer success stories and more related content.
Category: |
|
Tags: |
Automation Efficiency Change-Management Challenge |