How do you prioritize which bottlenecks to address first in your process automation strategy?

Priorizar a automa??o de processos envolve: identificar os processos críticos; analisar onde ocorrem os gargalos; priorizar os gargalos com base no impacto nos resultados organizacionais; avaliar a viabilidade da automa??o; implementar em fases come?ando pelos gargalos mais críticos; monitorar e otimizar continuamente os resultados; e capacitar a equipe para operar os novos sistemas automatizados, visando melhorar a eficiência operacional.

It should derived based on Priority. The combination of Impact & Urgency. Something which has the Highest Value for this, should be automated first.

Determine the specific bottlenecks in the process. Assess the impact of each bottleneck on the overall process, considering factors like: - Throughput reduction - Delay increase - Quality compromise - Cost escalation Evaluate the urgency of each bottleneck, considering: - Time sensitivity - Deadline proximity - Consequences of delay Estimate the ease of resolving each bottleneck, considering: - Resource availability - Technical complexity - Potential resistance to change Rank the bottlenecks based on their impact, urgency, and feasibility. Focus on the highest-priority bottleneck first, implementing changes and monitoring progress. Regularly review the process and adjust priorities as needed.

I work backwards from the end goal, which process in automation requires the most time, or is the most complex, and prioritize working on that earlier

Most of the time stakeholders are excited about automation and understand the benefits but then there is always resistance when its comes to implementation/ change. So the first bottleneck is stakeholders buy in. Additionally, start from understanding the process, identify the blockers and its impact. Study the data to analyse the severity and coverage of this blocker. Is this impacting just one team or the impacts are spreading into other teams? Base the automation prioritization on below factors :- severity, coverage and the impact, ease of implementation, resource/ technology cost, the perceived benefits and estimated time frame determined for the receipt of benefits

Evaluating the impact might require a time study of current process, depending on the type of improvements being sought. Be sure to be thorough and document everything, since the data gathered at this stage will be invaluable in benefits definition and in reporting the final performance improvements once the solution is in place.

Process documentation and mapping helps a lot to evaluate the impact of the bottleneck and pinpoint the most time consuming tasks and operations. To have a credible process mapping one has to observe the process, sometimes literally staying beging the back of those who execute the tasks and timing the steps, noting the tools being used, and interactions being performed. In that stage the low hanging fruits and quick efficiency gains can be already identified and the basis for further analysis and automation design is being built.

Study should be done in composition of processes, systems and impacts. Processes with out system implementation are like bullet in the air which can hit anytime anything

When evaluating the impact of each bottleneck, I find it useful to approach it as followers: 1. Frequency: How often does the bottleneck occur? 2. Duration: How long does the bottleneck last? 3. Severity: How much does the bottleneck slow down the process? 4. Cost: What is the financial impact of the bottleneck?

When evaluating the impact, not only the final result must be considered, but the effort required to automate each process. Start with the processes that will bring the most benefit with the least effort.

Starting with less complex bottlenecks allows for quick wins and builds momentum, making it easier to tackle more complicated issues over time.

Involve stakeholders, talk to colleagues, managers and teams involved in the processes. Understand your needs and concerns and get the automation support you need.

Proper planning in the form of Current vs Future/Ideal Process Maps helps visualize the complexities behind a single process. Talking to stakeholders and all the people involved in a single process allows you to have a good grasp of what actually goes on and what each step of the process entails.

It's not mandatory that simple problems have highest impact..it can be other way around.. Focus on objectives which is obviously customer and revenue

Some problems are like tangled wires, while others are simple knots. Figure out how difficult it would be to automate each process. Consider both the technical challenges and the amount of change it would require in your organization.

Robotic Process Automation, Systems Integration, Workflows, Scripting, are some of the tools, technologies and methodologies that can be applied. Also consider the availability of staffing, budget and technical knowledge to implement automation.

Aligning automation efforts with available resources ensures realistic and sustainable implementation, avoiding overcommitment and setting the stage for future scalability.

There is always a cost to achieve quality.. What if impact is critical and budget is low.. it's always about organizational level priority when allocating budgets

Imagine you have a toolbox with limited tools and a budget. Check which tools and resources (money, skills, time) you have available to fix the problems. Prioritize the fixes you can realistically achieve.

Excellent point! Assessing available resources is crucial when prioritizing bottlenecks for automation. Consider: 1. Budget: What funds are allocated for automation initiatives? 2. Technology: What tools, software, and infrastructure are available or can be acquired? 3. Team skills: What expertise and experience does your team possess, and what training or hiring may be needed? 4. Time and bandwidth: What resources can be dedicated to automation efforts? By aligning bottleneck prioritization with available resources, you can: 1. Ensure effective implementation 2. Avoid resource constraints and project delays 3. Build capabilities and expertise gradually 4. Focus on achievable quick wins 5. Scale automation efforts sustainability

Incorporating techniques like the affinity diagram and WSJF can significantly enhance your prioritization process. The affinity diagram helps in categorizing pain points and bottlenecks, providing a structured way to visualize and group related issues. WSJF, on the other hand, offers a quantitative approach to prioritization by evaluating the cost of delay against job size, ensuring that you address the most impactful and time-sensitive tasks first. These methods ensure a balanced and strategic roadmap that aligns with your business goals and resource availability.

Connect pain points to find the commons and then derive solution. Most of the time one problem triggers the new one and impacts higher then any singular nature of pain points

Once the (impact) has been assessed, whether they consume more time or involve errors, or prioritizing gains or cost reductions; considering the (complexity) taking into account the number of steps and systems involved; considering the (resources) available as listed above; prefer processes that are already well-defined and documented as they are easier to automate than processes that are still constantly changing. Verify if there is alignment with the organization's strategic objectives and priorities, prioritizing the processes that directly contribute to the achievement of organizational goals.

Once you have a clear view of the process, you will be able to assess which automations to set up first. As a general rule of thumb, automating the most repetitive and time-consuming tasks produces quick wins. Meanwhile, wide-scale process improvements will help maximize long-term efficiency.

Developing a balanced roadmap with both quick wins and long-term projects maintains focus and ensures steady progress towards strategic goals.

Continuous monitoring and metrics tracking allow for data-driven adjustments, ensuring automation efforts remain effective and aligned with evolving business needs.

Start with automating a pilot process. Test, evaluate results, and make necessary adjustments before expanding to other processes. Document automated processes, implemented solutions, and learned lessons. Only then, share this information with the team so that others can benefit.

Think of this as checking your progress on a map. Set clear milestones, track your improvements, and make adjustments as needed. Celebrate your successes to keep the momentum going!

I would prioritise the issues related to process standardization and data quality first. Inconsistent processes and poor data quality can significantly hinder automation efforts, leading to increased errors and inefficiencies. Ensuring that processes are well-defined, standardized, and that data is clean and accurate will create a solid foundation for successful process automation implementation.

On setting priorities, whether it is for process automation or any other tasks for that matter can to an extent to the role you are playing. Once easy way is to identify number of people dependent on that particular bottle neck and clear them first, so that less people are waiting for theirs tasks to be completed Specifically for automation, once the process has been identified for automation, the most important piece would be standardisation and finalisation of your input files. That can go a long way in pushing a lot of things forward

Besides the needs of the business, it is important to assess the needs of the people who will use the automation. This will give you valuable insights and help bring value to all participants in the process. Otherwise, you may end up in a situation where you implement cool automation that management likes and forces employees to use, but they simply protest against it, which is highly counterproductive.

Regardless of all the management and effort expended at each step, factors such as culture, people, IT, governance, and strategic alignment are the pillars for the implementation and automation of healthy processes.

Process automation isn't just about utilizing machines to do the work. You shouldn't shy away from keeping humans in the loop especially for quality control and approvals. Moreover, always have a failsafe that allows authorized persons to manually override the automations in case of outages or machine errors.