What do you do if your Process Automation skills need a creative boost?

To get better at creatively automating tasks: 1. Learn from the Academy of tools you are interested in. 2. Try different tools and ways of doing things. 3. Work with others to get new ideas. 4. Solve tough problems by thinking creatively. 5. Keep up with what's new in automation. 6. Take breaks when you need to. 7. Think outside the box to find unique solutions. These steps will help you improve your automation skills and come up with cool new ways to get things done automatically.

If your process automation skills need a creative boost, try these strategies that work for me. Explore New Tools: Experiment with different automation tools or platforms to discover new features and functionalities that might spark creativity. Learn from Others: Engage with online communities, forums, or attend workshops where you can learn from others' experiences and gain fresh perspectives. Brainstorming Sessions: Set aside time for brainstorming sessions where you can generate innovative ideas for automating processe. Problem-Solving Challenges: Take on new challenges or problem-solving exercises related to process automation to stretch your creative thinking muscles.

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When experiencing writer's block, David Bowie (among others) would use the "cut up" technique. This technique involved cutting out words from magazines, scrambling them across the floor, and seeing if the arbitrary arrangement sparked novel ideas. This same concept can be applied to Process Analysis. By shifting the lens through which you examine a process, you may see something you didn't before. For instance, instead of staring at the process model, try looking at the inputs/outputs of each step. Use color-coding to visually display qualitative information (i.e. How controlled are these activities? How much value are they adding? etc...) Sometimes, original ideas are simply the result of looking at the same thing from different views.

Change is the only thing constant in life. Keeping oneself updated is the key to remain on top. Knowledge sharing is the best way to keep your skills polished. Learn the new technologies and share it.

Identify and critical problem statement from the business team and try to do more processing mining around those applications and processes. This way we have a clear aim of what is the critical problem and can take steps and ideas according to the goal post which streamlines our though process t o a great extent .Everytime this might not be possible but this definitely opens the door to the new ideas around the existing which boosts the business goal a lot

Based on my experience as System Integrator of PLC, SCADA, VFD, E&I and Mechatronic packages, I recommend to develop or hone the following skills 1. Cognitive flexibility 2. Algorithmic thinking like a Programmable Electronic System 3. Functional Safety 4. Flawless written and oral communication 5. Ability to ask right questions 6. Willingness to face criticisms and creative problem solving 7. Ability to influence stakeholders