What is Process Automation?

Process Automation refers to using software to automate repetitive tasks. Adopting such software across a business is a Digital Transformation. When this software is used to improve and control quality, it becomes part of a company’s Quality System. There are software packages that tackle the most common types of quality issues. These packages are marketed as QMS or Quality Management Systems.

Process automation forces accomplishing a task through a predetermined sequence of steps and entering information at steps when required.

Help desks often use process automation to track help requests. Often, a user fills out a form indicating the nature of the problem. Dropdown choices in the form may provide information about who to send the problem to. Once the user has entered all the required information, the form is sent to someone to address the problem. That person might fix the problem and enter the details of what they did into another form. Then, the “ticket” might be closed, and the original user will be notified that their issue has been addressed.

Why would I use it?

There are lots of advantages to process automation.

• The first is implied in the name. By automating the process, requests are routed to the right people automatically. This eliminates needing someone to read each request and send it along manually.
• Records are maintained automatically as well. At each point where information is entered, a database is updated with the information.
• Allows for extraction of metadata
• Enable process improvement
• Uniformity
• Efficiency
• Organizational alignment

Process automation can be as flexible or complex as you need. As forms are filled out, the process path can be adjusted depending on what is required. For instance, a supervisor might have an automated process for thanking an employee for a good job done. They might have to enter whether a cash award is requested. If so, the form might have to be routed for more approvals. If not, then the form might skip those approvals.

One of the things I like about process automation is that processes can be parallel and serial. This is a process I created to respond to a business crisis.

What is available?

Complete QMS solutions

There are a number of really good Quality Management System solutions available. A complete QMS solution may seem expensive. However, much of the work of creating process flows has already been done for you. If you work in a regulated industry, these solutions follow relevant standards. They are created with compliance in mind. Note that a QMS solution can’t guarantee that you satisfy a given standard. Compliance is still up to you.

Examples of QMS solutions that I like are ETQ and AssurX. They are flexible so that process flows can be customized to your work environment. They also have a wealth of built-in functionality, so you don’t have to dedicate people to building process flows.

No-Code Process Automation software

No-code process automation software is extremely flexible software for creating process flows. It uses drag and drop modules for creating and connecting steps. As the name implies, no coding knowledge is required to create these process flows. Templates are available to install and edit more complicated processes.

An example of no-code process automation software is Nintex. While this is essentially DIY, there are lots of templates to start with. You can create exactly what you want and need.

When I evaluated the three solutions above I found that the total cost of each was similar. The price differences for the software (and hardware when required) were offset by the salary of someone in-house to create the missing functionality.

Summary

Process automation software can provide a great deal of value, and there are good products available. Selecting one requires examining the needs of the organization that will use it, the built in functionality of the various products, and how much missing functionality you can and are willing to add.

Feedback

What do you think? What contributes to the success or failure of process automation? Please send me a message or add a comment below for community discussion!