RPA is about business outcomes. Not technology.
Business outcomes. Not technology.
Does it matter what Workflow Automation and RPA technology you use? To a degree yes it does.
But it matters more that the Workflow Automation initiative fits with your Business Strategy.
It also matters more what business outcomes will be achieved and how they will be achieved.
The impact of the Automations on your people also matters more than the technology you use.
Fit with Business Strategy. We subscribe to Lafley and Martin’s essential strategic choices. The four strategy questions for any Automation initiative are does the initiative:
1. Help the business achieve its winning aspiration?
2. Support the business’s focus on playing where it will win?
3. Assist the business in winning?
4. Fit with the capabilities and systems that the business needs to win?
If the answer to any of these four questions is NO then that is a much bigger issue than which technology has been chosen for Automation.
What business outcomes will be achieved and how will they be achieved? Whilst tightly connected to the fit with Business Strategy this is more tactical in nature. Is it clear what specific measurable business outcomes are to be achieved by the Automation initiative? How will these be measured? Is the entire initiative aligned with these outcomes?
How will you manage the impact of the RPA on your people. The first obvious question is who will be affected and in what way? What are the concerns and questions that your people will have around Automation? What is your plan to manage the changes and their impact?
Key Automation Lesson. Don’t be blindsided by technology choices.
Automation is about business outcomes. Not technology.