The simplest answer to that question in the title could be – “Humans are always prone to imperfections and subject to delays as they depend on several external factors. In contrast, Machines are driven by programmed logic and are relentless in their pursuit of an end.” However, if you are keen on knowing more, please read on.
Causes & symptoms of the ‘Do-it-Manually’ syndrome
The Industrial Revolution between 1760 to 1840, had exemplified the value of automation. It bridged the widening gap between industrial production and demand by speeding up and streamlining the manufacturing process. The gradual evolution of the Conveyor Belt during the same period also facilitated effective division of labor and the formulation of various business processes.
Cut to 2013, the world is even more dependent on automation to drive the wheels of human evolution. Manufacturing has mostly moved onto robots. Communication is also electronic in most cases. However, traditional nepotism in the business decision making & implementing processes, have under-utilized automation while formulating new business processes.
What is a Business Process Workflow?
The Oxford Dictionary defines the Business Process Workflow as, “The sequence of industrial, administrative, or other processes through which a piece of work passes from initiation to completion.”
However, in practical situations, things usually do not go as smoothly as defined. When particular process details need to be back-tracked or reviewed, that’s when things go haywire. That’s when people abscond, documents go missing and confusion spreads like wildfire.
Advantages of Business Process Automation
Human resources ultimately oversee all business processes. The advantages of automating at least the variable nature of Human Resources are discussed below:
- Minimize costs due to manual errors and inefficiency – To err is human. However, when such errors add up to sizable costs of rectification, automation comes to the rescue. In the age of Artificial Intelligence driving space missions, Logic-based automation of business processes is child’s play.
- Streamline communication in your business process – The multiple roles managed by a modern professional compels them to communicate with various stakeholders through various mediums at various time intervals. Automation reduces the workload of these busy-bees in managing such communication. They are presented with only what they need to know and what they need to do in order to take the process forward.
- Establish a clear approval hierarchy – Org-charts are not always true to their design. Sometimes finding the ‘Person-in-charge’ of a particular Business Process becomes so convoluted, that it impedes the speed of its completion. A well-implemented business process workflow tool, will not only have these approval hierarchies codified into itself, but will also ensure that each process has its own specific hierarchy as deemed by it.
- Enforce accountability – Automation plants the seed of Individual accountability. By helping in quantifying various employee metrics like attendance, productivity, attrition, etc. – Automation helps in chalking out a checklist. Any defaulter of this checklist can be easily identified as the one to blame. This serves as the motivational factor to make resources work more diligently.
- Develop an insight – When you automate business processes, you automatically store data for future reference. The cost of storing this data would be under-utilized if no valuable lessons are learned or no future insights are derived from it. Thus Analytics is one extremely useful advantage of business process automation as it also facilitates business continuity and expansion.
