Building an effective automation team - Part 4

Till part 3 you have understood about CoE Operating model, their maturity stages and roles & responsibilities of each member in the automation space. Now, lets dive deep into building an effective team in all the maturity stages

1. Maturity Level - Initiated

In the Initiated stage, your automation program is just starting, and your team is small and multi-functional. Given the limited resources, the roles are often combined, and team members wear multiple hats to ensure all necessary functions are covered.

As the driving force behind the automation initiative, the CoE Lead must often take on additional responsibilities, especially if they possess technical skills. This might include temporarily fulfilling the duties of a Development Lead and Support Lead. Their primary focus is to set the strategic direction, build initial momentum, and ensure alignment with business objectives.

The first Automation Developers you bring on board should ideally be at a senior level. This is because they might need to take on the role of a part-time Solution Architect, designing and implementing the initial automation solutions. Additionally, these developers will need to handle support roles, troubleshooting and resolving technical issues as they arise to keep the automation processes running smoothly.

Business Analysts play a crucial role in the early stages, supporting the CoE Lead with tasks such as intake and use case qualification. They ensure that the automation projects are well-defined and aligned with business needs. In many cases, the Project Manager responsibilities, like managing the project timelines and facilitating Scrum meetings, might also fall on the Business Analysts or any available delivery team members.

Maturity Level - Accelerated

As the automation program gains traction and begins to grow, moving into the Accelerated stage, the team needs to expand and roles need to become more defined. This stage is marked by a significant increase in automation activities, necessitating more robust governance and specialized roles.

The introduction of a Delivery Lead becomes essential to manage the development work effectively. This role ensures that projects adhere to established processes, tasks are allocated efficiently, and development efforts are coordinated seamlessly. The Solution Architects are added to the team to handle the increasing complexity of automation projects. They work closely with developers to design scalable and robust solutions that meet business requirements.

Support structures also need to be bolstered at this stage. It's typical to have a balance between dedicated support personnel and developers who allocate a portion of their time to support tasks. Generally, one Support Engineer is capable of managing support for about twenty production automations. Developers might dedicate 10-20% of their time to handle more complex support issues, ensuring the automation processes remain smooth and efficient. This could be more as per the project needs.

Routine support tasks can be integrated into the existing IT help desk operations, with developers stepping in for more intricate problems. This approach leverages the existing infrastructure while ensuring that the automation program receives the necessary technical support. Additionally, high-quality automations, built using best practices like the ReFramework and validated through tools like the Workflow Analyzer, help reduce the support burden by minimizing issues.

By carefully structuring your team during these early stages, you lay a strong foundation for scaling your automation program effectively. The focus remains on maintaining flexibility, ensuring roles can adapt as the program grows, and prioritizing the delivery of high-quality automation solutions.

Maturity Level - Established

At the Established stage, your automation program is expected to handle a higher volume of automations and more complex processes, necessitating a more extensive and specialized team. In this stage, the automation program requires a robust governance structure, comprehensive support mechanisms, and advanced delivery capabilities. As the team expands, key roles become critical in maintaining efficiency and effectiveness.

At this point, the CoE Lead continues to oversee the strategic direction and stakeholder management, ensuring alignment with overarching business objectives. The Business Enablement Lead plays a crucial role in driving business transformation, working closely with various business units to identify new opportunities for automation and managing the change associated with these initiatives. The Development Lead now leads a larger team of developers, ensuring adherence to best practices and overseeing code quality and productivity.

With the program scaling, the Solution Architect Lead takes on a vital role in ensuring that automation solutions are consistent, scalable, and aligned with technical standards. This lead oversees several Solution Architects (typically 3-5), who design and review technical solutions, provide mentorship to developers, and ensure that the solutions meet business requirements and technical standards.

The development team, which now includes 5-10 Developers, is responsible for building, testing, and deploying automation solutions. These developers collaborate closely with Business Analysts (3-5), who conduct detailed process analysis, gather and document requirements, and ensure clear communication between business units and the technical team. Project management becomes more complex, and thus, the team includes 2-3 Project Managers(numbers can vary) who plan and manage multiple projects, coordinate resources, ensure timely delivery, and handle risk management.

Support infrastructure is crucial at this stage. The Support Lead manages a team of 2-3 Support Engineers, who provide technical support for automation solutions, troubleshoot and resolve issues, and maintain system health and performance. Additionally, 1-2 Infrastructure Engineers are responsible for managing and optimizing the infrastructure, ensuring security, scalability, and performance of the automation environment. This expanded and specialized team structure allows the organization to handle increased complexity and volume efficiently.

Maturity Level - Mature

Reaching the Mature stage signifies that your automation program is fully scaled, capable of handling large-scale, complex automation projects, and integrating advanced technologies like AI and machine learning. At this level, the team is comprehensive and highly specialized, focusing on continuous improvement and innovation.

The CoE Lead at the Mature stage not only oversees the strategic direction but also drives innovation and ensures continuous alignment with evolving business objectives, managing executive-level stakeholder engagement. The Business Enablement Lead leads significant business transformation initiatives, fostering strong relationships with business units and managing extensive change management activities to ensure smooth adoption of automation solutions.

The Development Lead now oversees a larger and more diverse team of 10-15 Developers, driving continuous improvement and adopting the latest development practices and technologies. The Solution Architect Lead ensures architectural consistency, scalability, and integration of all automation solutions, providing strategic technical direction. This lead oversees 5-7 Solution Architects, who design complex, scalable solutions, mentor the development team, and ensure that best practices are followed in all projects.

The team includes 5-7 Business Analysts who conduct comprehensive process analysis, gather detailed requirements, and ensure that solutions meet the needs of the business. With the increased scale and complexity, 3-5 Project Managers are necessary to manage large-scale projects, ensuring alignment with strategic goals, coordinating cross-functional teams, and managing project risks effectively.

Support operations are critical at the Mature stage. The Support Lead oversees a team of 3-5 Support Engineers, who provide comprehensive technical support, resolve complex issues, and ensure system performance and reliability. Additionally, 2-3 Infrastructure Engineers manage and optimize the infrastructure, ensuring security, performance, and scalability.

A dedicated Automation Operations Manager oversees daily operations, monitors performance metrics, manages incident response, and ensures operational excellence. This mature team structure ensures that the automation program can handle the most sophisticated and complex projects, driving continuous improvement, innovation, and significant value across the organization.