Automation is one of the most important elements of digital transformation, as well as the paradigm shift that a number of teams are going through IT. According to the Brookings Institute, this shift can replace nearly 70% of manual and repetitive work. However, automation — That is, the tools and practices used to perform tasks, batch processing, and workflows programmatically — not really new, but have been slowly changing the way we do business over the past 50 years.
As well as the CIO else, I’m working on integrating automation in order to get better business results.
Automation Potency
Many companies rely on automation in order to survive the COVID-19 crisis. A number of banks take advantage automationto speed up the processing of the millions of loan requests submitted by affected businesses. Airlines are using it to handle a spike in flight cancellations. Retailers are moving from physical stores to fully online businesses and replacing human labor with automated systems to process orders. Offices are forced to shift to remote work systems quickly and human activities are turning into digital experiences.
Despite automation has been covered in most long-term roadmaps CIO, the PwC report reveals that nearly half of executives IT surveyed intend to speed up plans automation them because of COVID-19.
This pandemic has made us realize that fragmented ecosystems and static infrastructure are no longer reliable. With the pressure to accelerate innovation and growth,automation has the potential to integrate and automate cross-functional workflows so that companies can immediately adapt to dynamic conditions. Other benefits automation include:
On the IT field.
Automation tasks and workflows (installing virtual servers and managing patches , releases, and changes) can save costs and allow teams to focus on other initiatives, such as innovation or digital transformation. TeamIT can complete tasks faster, reduce human error and result in better performance by automating resource-intensive workflows, security protocols, and maintenance activities.
In non-IT.
Through self-service functions and predictive technology, customers are presented with new ways to purchase and access support more quickly. Employees who are free from manual workloads and juggled processes can devote more time to customers, develop strategic planning, and focus on product or service innovation. There is, however, a striking balance between automation and the human touch also needs to be achieved in all of these improvements.
Road to Automation
Apart from the abundant benefits, automation not an easy project. Without a mature strategy, your time and money can be wasted. According to Ernst & Young’s report, nearly half of the project automation lead to failure. In my opinion, the failure was caused by unrealistic expectations. A lack of understanding of the process, plus not knowing where to start, creates many projects automation withered before bloom.
Realize potential value automation, stakeholders ambitious to pursue large projects that focus on some of the most complex processes in the company without imagining the steps, from design and construction to delivery of results. Ideally, start small, then slowly work your way up to a wider scope. Automation not the kind of instant project, but requires patience. Achieving real and better efficiency will of course take time.
At the adoption stage, most people looked automation as a threat. Suppose that automation is a job killer, and not a way to revolutionize the workplace, is called “anxiety over automation”. As devices and processes change, those concerns need to be answered by programs automation so that all parties in the company are willing to accept the idea and adopt it.
I have seen the impact myself automation in my company. Starting with a business-focused approach to small but rewarding projects, we’ve succeeded:
- Reduce processing of new customer enrollment workloads, from 8 hours to 30 minutes per cloud, using AWS Builds with Cloud Formation.
- Complete the task of upgrading 7,500 virtual Windows 10 machines, which would normally take a year with three FTEs, within two months using scripts.
- Enables project managers to devote more time to managing projects, rather than processing report data, by linking SmartSheet data to support project tracking and reporting, eliminating the need for manual intervention, and creating a single central data source.
I use the IT Infrastructure Library to map processes, then focus on targets that are easy to achieve. Automate the easy things first, whether it’s a single task in a process or an entire workflow. Using the Agile framework, you can take a single process of ten tasks and automate the tasks one by one so as to generate benefits quickly while maintaining momentum.
In assessing project scope and feasibility automation I recommend that you focus on the following three main areas:
- Level of complexity . How difficult is this task or workflow to automate? Are there important addictions to consider?
- Impact on productivity . What amount of time and / or resource savings could be achieved? Do we have the right skills and tools to get there?
- Impact on business . is automation does this support the achievement of broader business goals (customer experience, revenue generation, innovative leadership)? Have we got stakeholder approval and have the budget?
Core Automation
“Automation or die ”has become the new mandate. ParaCIO and manager IT must go through a paradigm shift to fulfill this mandate and transform tools, processes and skill sets ITfundamentally. The most important piece of advice I can share is: don’t forget the gist of automation, namely humans.
In their quest to run faster and more linearly, companies risk forgetting the advantages of the human element. Automation instead, it should improve the quality of the workplace, not replace the workforce or the most important part that humanizes the business.
Along with technological developments that make competition even tighter, the ability to strike a balance between automation objectives and customer expectations of a personalized, customizable experience will launch the company into a winner.
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