When we discuss workflow automation, we generally think of huge corporate entities, mass marketing campaigns, customer loyalty programs, and large technology stacks. However, there may be a greater lesson to be learned from more specific, specialized areas of the economy. These smaller, more focused markets expose all of their steps, processes, and exceptions. As such, they provide a wealth of knowledge and help us better understand how to create a workflow. They also make us think about which tasks truly require automation and which require human judgment. Lastly, they help us to determine how to achieve more while doing less.
In this article, we will examine how (relatively) specialized industries educate us on how to automate smarter by creating clear processes and by using exception handling to improve their workflows and empower their human teams. The lessons from these areas of specialization can be applied to most businesses today.
Lesson 1: Clarity Of Process Is More Important Than Having New-Fangled Tech.
Some of the specialized areas of business we will discuss do not begin with Machine Learning (ML) or Bots as part of the automation. Instead, they start by documenting “what really happens”. Small custom manufacturers, small boutique service firms, etc., all document the steps involved in completing their specific services. Most of the time, they discover that some of the steps are manual, broken, and non-standardized. Companies that are able to document their entire workflow are able to identify areas of improvement and thus can create opportunities to automate these improvements. A study has shown that creating process clarity before implementing automation is a common precursor to most successful automation efforts.
Lesson 2: Handling Exceptions Is The Key To Success.
General businesses typically operate using fairly predictable processes. Specialized businesses, however, deal with irregular orders, unusual client requests, change orders, physical limitations, and compliance issues daily. Therefore, the automation process used in specialized businesses will address the predictable and flag the unpredictable.
A good example of an area of business with many exceptions is the waste-hauler business. The concept of order management for waste haulers is not standardized because the pickup schedules for waste haulers vary significantly from location to location, waste type to waste type, time of access, and regulatory requirements vary. While you may be able to develop a standard process for managing regular orders, there will always be situations where a waste hauler needs to provide special handling for an order. The automated process that allows routine orders to pass through automatically should flag the exceptional orders for review by a human.
As mentioned above, the majority of studies relating to automated workflow processes in specialized areas of business indicate that these businesses use automation tools that allow routine orders to be completed automatically, but also direct the user to review the orders that require special consideration. This process produces a much smarter workflow, since the predictable aspects of the workflow are completed efficiently, while the unpredictable aspects receive the proper attention.
From a practical perspective, what this means is: design your automation process to expect exceptions and create separate paths for “normal” and “special” orders within your workflow.
Also, remember to give your human team members the opportunity to make decisions and judgments regarding orders that fall outside of the normal parameters of your workflow.
Lesson 3: Empowering Your Human Teams To Perform More Effectively Is More Valuable Than “The Robots Will Take Our Jobs”.
Another fear associated with automation is that it will replace human workers. As we mentioned earlier, specialized areas of business show a different reality: the most effective automation processes free human workers to do what they do best. Automation replaces repetitive and predictable work; it does not eliminate the need for human intervention. In fact, it puts control back in the hands of the worker.
Small manufacturing companies, small consulting firms, and other specialized firms employing skilled staff members often have employees with a great deal of expertise in the field. Automation takes care of the repetitive, predictable tasks, allowing the human employees to focus on what they do well: making decisions, interacting with clients, and exercising their judgment. Research on intelligent automation demonstrates that combining both automation and human workers produces more resilient workflows.
Lesson 4: Automate incrementally, scale exponentially.
Most failed automation projects attempt to automate every process simultaneously. Due to financial constraints, many specialized businesses cannot afford to automate every process at once. Instead, they follow a “one small workflow at a time, then expand later” strategy. It works.
Choose a critical process that generates a significant impact. Map the process, clean the process, and automate the process. Track your results. Expand to the next process. This incremental approach to automation fosters confidence, demonstrates value, and keeps the complexity of the project under control.
Lesson 5: Tailor The Tools To Your Domain – Generic Platforms Are Rarely The Solution.
Big-business automation conversations frequently reference “platforms” and “ecosystems”. However, specialized businesses show us that what really matters is finding a workflow tool that fits your domain. Since each domain is unique, each business has unique rules, exceptions, regulatory obligations, and client behaviors.
Practically speaking, when selecting automation tools, do not select based on popularity. Select tools that meet the rules, the procedures, and the exceptions of your business. One popular tool may still leave you struggling with cumbersome workarounds. It is far better to select tools that fit the unique characteristics of your business.
Conclusion
Workflow automation is not about flash technology. It is about gaining insights into your workflow. It is about identifying inefficiencies in your workflow. It is about recognizing where exceptions occur in your workflow. It is about freeing your team to do what matters. And it is about starting small, demonstrating success, scaling smart.
Specialized businesses teach us this due to their constraints – they can’t waste money, they can’t waste time, and they face exceptions daily. As such, the lessons learned from these businesses can be applied to virtually any business, regardless of size.
Therefore, as you evaluate your processes this week, ask yourself:
- Are there repetitive tasks in my workflow?
- Where are the exceptions in my workflow?
- If I were able to automate my repetitive tasks, what would my team be able to do differently?
- Which workflow can I map, clean, and automate first?
When you have answered these questions, you will be well on your way to developing smarter workflow automation processes, not just for the sake of automation, but for the sake of automation with purpose.
