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Is BPA Right For Your Organization?

In 1911, Frederick Winslow “Speedy” Taylor published his seminal work, The Principles of Scientific Management, applying engineering principles to work done on the shop floor. He broke jobs down to their component parts and measured how long each took to carry out, down to the hundredth of a minute. He then devised the most efficient way to perform each discrete function. Taylor’s proposals for the workplace were controversial at the time, but ultimately guided the thinking behind the modern assembly line.

Applying BPA

Fast-forward to today. A new version of Taylorism, known as business process automation (BPA), is being applied to work. With BPA, common administrative tasks are distilled into distinct processes, codified in software code, and performed by machine. Tasks appropriate for BPA include invoice processing, sales orders, accounting reconciliation, data entry, payroll, and any other “office” jobs that are rules-based, high volume, and repetitive.

When done correctly, BPA offers several important benefits, BPA:

  • Standardizes work processes
  • Increases efficiency
  • Minimizes errors
  • Raises productivity, and
  • Saves time

And perhaps most importantly, it frees up employees to work on tasks that requires critical thinking and creativity.

Getting started with BPA

Begin by selecting processes that are not mission critical to test out the impact of automation. Address the roles that are most repetitive, time sensitive, and have a significant impact on other business processes.

Once you have identified the roles you would like to automate, select the right tool for automation. Fortunately, there is a wide variety of technology partners to help. These include well-known companies like IBM and Microsoft and smaller firms offering more targeted services.

In a recent survey of IT decision makers, nearly half of respondents’ organization processes were automated, with an expectation that this share will grow to 58% within the next 24 months. Not surprisingly, 84% of respondents expressed plans to increase investment in process automation in upcoming years.*

We are here to help

If your organization is considering the benefits of BPA, we are here to help support you and provide the resources you need to evolve and grow your business.

* The State of Process Automation, Camunda, 2020.

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