Finding the right fit for business process automation

Business process automation is supposed to eliminate redundancies and establish workflows so that repeatable tasks are accomplished with ruthless efficiency -- every time and without error. In theory, this sounds simple enough.

What's tricky is getting from theory to execution. An organization needs to identify the right tasks for its automation workflow. Experts, by the way, are quick to point out that there are indeed right and wrong processes. These strategic aspects to business process automation (BPA) can be easily underestimated in the rush to get going with the automating. A BPA tool can do a lot for you, but it can't decide the scope of your automation goals.

For many organizations, a business process automation initiative is about breaking apart tedious and time-consuming tasks. This brings efficiency, and it should result in cost savings. Even more interesting, though, is how BPA can help an organization infuse innovation throughout its internal workings.

This handbook contains a series of articles that look at best practices for successful process automation, ranging from how a business can evaluate the BPA opportunity, how to make a smart investment in a BPA tool, and how automation can even help a business gain a competitive advantage.

By

• Phil Sweeney, Executive Editor