Automation: 10 mistakes our customers make
As you read this article, 60% of organizations worldwide are carrying out, on average, four automation projects in their processes simultaneously (some as many as 15!).
Automation. The word itself generates positive feelings, but they are not always fulfilled. According to a Gartner study, there are 10 mistakes that are very common when it comes to automation and that must be taken into account if you are going to take the step of implementing an automation tool such as Docuo in your company. Today we are going to tell you about these 10 mistakes, explained as they are usually made by our customers:
1. Thinking that automation is always the solution
Let’s start with the basics. Although automating processes 99% of the time is beneficial, it does not solve all parts of a problem. Many times redesigning a process is better (and cheaper) than automating it. Other times we try to automate processes that require too much human intervention, which results in less benefit than expected. Remember that putting data into software is also time consuming!
2. Think that there is no need to involve the IT department
As much as Docuo is low-code (which means that you can do practically everything without knowing anything about code), it is important to have an IT department that makes sure that Docuo is integrated into your company’s technological ecosystem. IT can also advise you or even take care of the implementation in case you don’t want us to take care of it. In addition, with Docuo updates, and as it is interconnected with other applications, it is important that the IT team is involved, otherwise failures may occur.
3. Believing that one technology is
Why would you drink milk alone when you can drink it with cookies? It’s the same with technologies. Although they are good on their own, they can be much better if you combine them with others. In the case of Docuo, you can combine us with tools like Microsoft 365, your active directory or SharePoint, or even develop a connector via API to create a technology ecosystem based on interconnected products to get much more out of. Don’t reinvent the wheel.
4. Not involving the whole team
Automation, in general, usually affects the operation of many areas of your company. This means that all stakeholders must be aware and have a voice in the decision making process. To ensure this, in Docuo’s consulting meetings, we ask all parties involved in each process to attend in order to have a complete picture.
5. Tests? No thanks
Misconfiguring any automation tool (including Docuo) can be a real nightmare and getting it up and running without the relevant “pilot” tests can be a headache. To avoid this situation, at Docuo we use agile methodologies that allow you to start testing simple prototypes of each process, but we will always need your team’s involvement and work to test the solution in real scenarios when the time comes.
6. Believing that more complicated processes will work better
For us, without a doubt, this is the most important point in which you should not fail when automating. Many processes may require numerous steps to complete, but with our experience we assure you that the smaller you can make those steps, the better. Remember: less is more. How many buttons does your cell phone have?
7. Failure to evolve the result obtained
There are many businesses that, once they have implemented the first version of any automation, think that the job is finished. They forget to follow up on the result and make periodic evaluations of each process to apply improvements. Want to know a secret? You will never achieve the best result on the first try. The best automations are the ones that are polished over time.
8. Doing in the tool exactly the same as you did
This is one of the most common mistakes we encounter. One of the advantages of automation is the possibility of reducing processes as much as possible to make them as efficient as possible, however, the natural tendency is to replicate what is done manually, but in the tool. To avoid this situation, you should think the process from scratch counting on the advantages of the tool and use the manual process only as a reference, if you let us help you we will remind you during the consultancy.
9. Using the wrong metrics to evaluate the result obtained
Before you start automating your business, it is important that you are clear about what you want to achieve with automation: A faster process, a cheaper process, a process with less manual intervention, a simpler or shorter process? Not all of these questions are equally important for all organizations. To avoid this mistake, you should establish KPIs that specifically measure the results you want to achieve with automation.
10. Thinking that the company’s culture will adapt itself to automation
It is essential to consider how implementing automation will affect your organization and your team, as it is very likely that many of their functions will be reduced, changed or even eliminated. To avoid problems, make sure that the parties involved communicate with each other and decide, jointly, how the work will be after the change. In any case, remember that change always generates resistance (remember how you felt the first 15 days after starting at the gym…).
These are the 10 mistakes you can make when implementing an automation tool in your company, however, with our Workflow tool and our help, you can reduce them to 0.
Contact us and start working differently!