Technologies and systems for automating business processes. Why automate a business process? At what levels is the automation of the company's business processes carried out?

Automation of business processes is the transfer of typical business tasks and standard operations under the control of a software and hardware complex. As a result, resources are released, which makes it possible to increase labor productivity and the effectiveness of strategic management. To optimize the work of the organization, they use systems for modeling and optimizing the execution of business processes. As you can see, the relevance of business process automation is very high.

Types of automation

Automation of important business processes can be carried out in two directions:

Work on the main business processes (communication with customers, sales management). The purpose of automating this area is to improve the quality of products, increase sales, and increase business profitability.
Simplification of supporting processes. Accounting, office work, reporting can act as such processes. Automating these actions will not directly affect the increase in income, but it will help reduce the time to perform routine work.

A convenient system in which business process automation is often performed - Bitrix 24, as well as other software: "1C: Accounting", "1C: Salary", "AuditExpert", "Master Finance Analysis", "Fingrand".

Business Automation Tasks

Automation of the execution of routine business processes in an enterprise using Bitrix 24 or other systems is performed to solve the following tasks:

Support operational activities organization, simplification of control and accounting;

Rapid preparation of various documentation for business partners. Example: invoices, waybills, reconciliation acts;
Prompt receipt of reports with information about the state of affairs in the organization for any period of time;
Reducing staff costs, increasing the efficiency of the workflow by freeing workers from routine activities;
Minimizing the impact on important business processes of the human factor;
Improving the quality of service;
Secure storage of information.

Benefits of Business Process Automation

Automation of enterprise business processes using Bitrix 24 or other software will help improve the quality of products, optimize company management.

Implementation automatic system for modeling and execution important processes will provide the following benefits:

Acceleration of information processing, simplification of solving repetitive tasks;
Automation of manual labor;
Increasing business transparency;
Increasing the coherence of the work of employees, improving the quality of work;
Control of large volumes of information;
Reducing the number of errors, increasing the accuracy of control, the possibility of parallel execution of several tasks;
Prompt decision-making in typical situations.

Automation of business processes is an opportunity for a manager to quickly receive detailed information in the form of analytical reports, thanks to which the company is managed with the maximum consideration of internal and external indicators of the organization.

How to automate business processes?

Business process automation, an example of which you can easily find in numerous materials, is performed using modern technologies. In the table, we have collected the main examples of business automation and optimization.

Tool	Peculiarities
Cloud technologies	No need for your own company service. Ideal for small businesses due to low cost.
Automation of marketing tools	Use of CRM systems, programs for automating BI systems and contextual advertising.
M&M, machine-to-machine interaction	Provides minimal participation of a person in the modeling and execution of processes in which he cannot always adequately and promptly respond to changes.
big data	Business intelligence based on large amounts of data. Solution for large companies: to process significant amounts of data, you need specialized equipment.
Real-time information analysis	The ability to perform fully synchronized operations due to the evolution of business automation systems into real-time transaction processing systems.

Automation of business processes is an important condition for the success of an organization of any size, regardless of the field of activity or structure. The rapidly changing economic environment, the need to reduce risks, high speeds decision-making - all this requires modern approaches. Through the use of automation, it is possible to free up valuable resources and focus maximum efforts on key areas of activity.

Enterprise business processes

Business processes include a sequence of stages, steps, functions and other actions, as well as all interacting members of the organization (managers, employees, customers). The work of any enterprise is a series of related business processes.

There are four main types of business processes:

Key. Create the value of goods / services, increase their price at the stage of installation, production or other intermediate stage;
Supportive. Represent resources that are important for key processes, support the company's infrastructure;
Development processes. They provide opportunities for improving the future work of the enterprise. The process includes training or advanced training of personnel, as well as planning the future activities of the company;
Managers. Solve company problems with operational management, planning, training, staff motivation.

Automation of business processes of an enterprise will be successful only if the manager knows how to effectively manage these processes. The director must organize the work of the company in such a way that business processes are carried out strictly according to the drawn up scheme and without failures. Ideally, it shouldn't take long to process the documentation.

There are many effective ways business organization. The most rational option complex automation processes based on own or adapted model information system. The use of automation systems allows you to increase the profitability of production and significantly reduce costs.

The relevance of business process automation

There are a number of symptoms that indicate the need for comprehensive automation of business processes (including procurement processes) of a company:

The firm works intermittently, employees cannot coordinate actions and carry them out smoothly;
The company experiences regular delays, distortions and loss of information;
When performing daily work, the company's specialists cannot push their own interests into the background;
The tasks of the company are carried out inefficiently, customer focus is very poorly developed;
Employees do not have a clear understanding of how their activities affect the performance of the organization;
There is no clear distribution of which employees are responsible for specific goals and functions of the enterprise;
There are no time frames for completing tasks;
The company does not always work in the interests of customers.

If at least a few of the described signs are present in your company, it means that business process automation is required to make the enterprise more productive and successful.

Determination of automation goals.

Before taking action to automate business processes, you need to set specific strategic goals. Think about what you want to achieve, what tasks you should be able to solve by automating business process management. For example, automating supply chain business processes is different from automating customer service. If in the first case you need to optimize logistics, receiving / sending cargo, etc. Then in the second case, you need to track other indicators: calls, sales funnel efficiency, etc.

Formalization of business processes.

To describe business processes, you need to determine which sub-processes are present in them, how information moves, in what sequence activities are performed, what are the restrictions and what resources you can use.

Optimization of business processes.

After developing the model, experts analyze them in order to then translate them from the desired into the real one. Then a plan is made to achieve the set goals using processes. As a result, a business process is built, from which unnecessary operations and delays are excluded.

Development of technical specifications.

The exact tasks that cannot be solved without the participation of the owner are determined.

Coding information, development of job descriptions.

An organization that implements automatic solutions performs coding of information. On the this stage it is also recommended to start developing office instructions to facilitate future staff training.

Staff training.

This step is required only when the structure of the workflow is changed or the composition of employees is planned to change.

Experienced operation.

There is only one way to evaluate the productivity of an automation system: to put it into practice. This step will help you debug your workflow and avoid errors.

Business processes: transition difficulties

A business process automation system is not always implemented quickly and easily: certain problems and difficulties may arise in the process. Let's consider the most common of them.

The project implementation timeline is being delayed.

Often this happens when processes are not broken into manageable blocks and checkpoints are not allocated. This problem can be solved by highlighting common logical schemes, setting the sequence of operations for implementing a business process automation system.

There is no logical framework for the project.

The process will not be delayed if time limits are clearly stated in the approved document. The role of the latter can be design solutions or technical problems.

Resources are not attracted in a timely manner, and their quality leaves much to be desired.

The staff of the company does not accept innovations.

Use various information resources to inform employees about business process automation. Emphasize the importance of implementation. If the conflict cannot be resolved, fire the organizer of the protest.

There is no real testing of the functionality of automated business processes.

To organize the workflow, it is required to highlight positive results. To do this, analyze the results after a certain time period, if necessary, refine the obtained indicators to the ideal.

There is no effective management system.

An invited specialist in conflictology will help to solve this problem. It will help resolve conflicts and disputes between employees and resolve difficult situations.

The project has a low priority, and its implementation occurs on a residual basis.

Find and eliminate the reasons for the negligent attitude to the project. If the situation does not change, replace the performer.

Project goals are not defined, there are no criteria for achieving goals or evaluating results.

Evaluation criteria must be drawn up individually, taking into account the direction of the project. By defining specific project goals, you will simplify the implementation of your goals and achieve positive results faster.

Automation of business processes of supply management or other processes will ultimately help you optimize the work of the enterprise, make it efficient.

A fairly large number of myths, stereotypes and prejudices have developed around the term "business automation". For example, that automation is necessary only for large companies, and small enterprises can do without it. Or that automation systems are extremely expensive, and it is far from certain that the costs will ever pay off. For this article, we've collected questions that entrepreneurs commonly ask about automation and prepared easy-to-understand answers.

Business automation - what is it

Business automation is the transition of a company from labor-intensive manual operations to the use of modern information technologies in operational work. Automation also means the introduction of modern technologies where they were not used at all before.

In small businesses, automation is usually used in two cases:

in the main business processes - this, for example, can be sales automation or automation of interaction with customers (it is also implementation of CRM);
in supporting processes that do not directly affect the increase in income, but are mandatory for business - for example, accounting and reporting.

Accordingly, the motives and goals of automation can be different - in the first case, it is necessary to increase the profitability of the business, in the second - to reduce the cost of time and money.

What are automation systems and how do they work?

Automation systems are the very programs and services that are used to move from manual labor to information technology. In other words, both a complex ERP system and a cloud service for an online store are an automation system.

Any automation system consists of two key elements: collecting (inputting) data and providing the collected and processed information in the form, volume, format in which it is needed by a manager or a specialized specialist.

For example, if you enter information about contacts with potential clients, then indicate at what stage the negotiations with each of them are, carefully enter data on the results of negotiations and on transactions that have taken place - then in a good automation system for managing sales, you can instantly get a "sales funnel", and with the accumulation of some statistics - and a forecast sales, depending on how intensively your managers worked today.

The larger and more complex the business, the more background information is needed and the more diverse and detailed the final reports should be.

Similarly, automation systems work for other processes. The manager can instantly get information about the state of affairs in the company: how much money is in the accounts, how much you owe and how much you owe, what is the cost structure and profitability of the project, how many cold calls were made by employees, what is the real efficiency of each manager, etc.

Why automation is needed at all, what it gives the company

In short, properly implemented automation allows you to do the following:

effectively support operational activities - organize accounting and control;
quickly and correctly prepare documents for clients, contractors and partners - from commercial offer before the reconciliation act;
promptly receive any reports on the real state of affairs in the company;
optimize personnel costs, more efficiently use work time and competence of employees, unloading them from routine work;
improve business processes in the company;
minimize the negative impact on the business of the "human factor";
securely store information - each employee works only with the data to which he is given access;
improve the speed and quality of customer service.

AT small business these effects are usually noticeable after a few weeks.

What business processes can and should be automated

Usually, automation starts with massive labor-intensive routine operations, with processes that have the greatest impact on the company's revenue and profit, or with the most problematic areas.

Firstly, it is possible to automate tasks that are very laborious or impossible to perform manually - take into account retail turnover, analyze the movement of goods, plan cash flows, plan and take into account working time, calculate the cost price, etc.

Secondly, you can automate the work of employees performing standard routine operations (telemarketers, logisticians, sales managers, etc.) or even remove certain work from employees (for example, set up automatic synchronization of data on the availability of goods in the warehouse and on the Internet storefront). -shop).

Thirdly, automation can be used to "clean up the house" - to take control of receivables, inventory, employee employment, compliance with standards for calls and meetings with clients, etc.

It is not necessary to automate all business processes at once. You can gradually scale up automation in your company as needed. And create a unified management system consistently.

The main thing is to remember the goals for which automation was started. Automation for the sake of automation is a waste of time and resources.

How to choose a software product for automation

When choosing an automation system, you can go in two ways: 1. Use a typical (boxed) product. 2. Develop and implement an individual software solution.

The standard solution is easier to implement and cheaper. But you need to keep in mind that not every typical product can be modified to suit your tasks - in a number of programs, the options for customization are severely limited or completely excluded. By the way, the same applies to cloud services.

The choice of a specific program is a rather responsible matter, it will be necessary to work out a fairly significant array of information. There are many software products on the market, each with its own characteristics and advantages. You should get answers to the following important questions:

what specific tasks and processes are planned to be automated;
whether the functionality of the system corresponds to the tasks that will need to be solved with its help;
is it possible to customize the system for your business practice;
whether it will be possible, when business processes or business conditions change, to quickly change the system without stopping its operation;
How simple and easy is the system to use?
is it possible to integrate the system with other applications or services;
whether the system is supported on tablets, smartphones;
who and how will provide technical support;
How much does implementation and support cost?

To answer these questions, it is advisable to consult with representatives of vendors (i.e. software development companies). If possible, also communicate with fellow entrepreneurs who solve similar problems; their experience will give you valuable information that will help you make a choice in favor of a particular software product.

How much does an automation system cost

This is a rhetorical question, and there is no single answer to it. How much does a repair cost? It can be done for 100 thousand rubles, or it can be done for a million, it all depends on the area of \u200b\u200bthe room, tasks, quality of materials, etc. The cost of a specific software solution will also depend on many variables: what tasks will be solved with the help of the system, is it a typical product or a custom one, what resources will be required for implementation, how many jobs will be connected to the system, etc.

The cost of automation consists of several components:

the cost of the system itself (the cost of the box or rental payments - in the case of using "cloud" applications);
the cost of setting up the system and training personnel;
the cost of regular maintenance.

Added to this are indirect costs - for example, the time spent by the director and key users to participate in the project.

How is the implementation of the automation system and tohow to choose a contractor

Implementation is the process of fitting software to business and, in part, business to software.

For simple tasks or processes, “implementation” will consist of just installing software on your computer (or registering in a “cloud” service) and entering initial information. Immediately after that, you can start issuing documents, filling in the customer base or issuing tasks.

For more complex tasks (for example, calculating the planned profitability of orders at the time of the conclusion of the transaction - in order not to work at a loss), it may be necessary to modify the system to suit the conditions and practices that have developed in the company. A well-chosen system will usually support some type of process for such a task. But in practice, each company has its own methodology. It is this specificity that will need to be reflected in the implementation process.

Implementation can be done on your own or invite specialists. But you should not hope that the contractor will do everything in at its best without your participation; key employees and management of the company will have to actively participate in almost all stages, the deeper you dive into the implementation process, the success of the project will largely depend.

You need to choose an implementation partner in much the same way as a team for apartment renovation. Monitor the market and identify companies whose competencies are sufficient to solve your problems, and whose conditions are optimal in terms of price / quality ratio. It is highly desirable that your potential partner has a certificate of conformity of the quality management system to the international standard ISO 9001:2008. Hold meetings with specialists from companies from this short list (including, be sure to talk with the employee who will accompany your project). Explore the portfolio Special attention on whether the contractor has experience in successfully implementing an automation system in companies whose specialization and field of activity coincide with yours. It is also advisable to communicate with the top officials of these companies and find out their opinion about your potential partner - whether the implementation was successful, whether they are satisfied with the results of the work, whether the warranty service is well organized, what difficulties they encountered, etc.

Also, when choosing a contractor, it makes sense to use the principle of proportionality: if you have a small company, then it is advisable to do business with small firm- all approvals will be faster, it will be easier to agree on controversial issues with an equal partner, etc.

What are the risks when implementing an automation system

Of course, when implementing an automation system, there are certain risks - from failure to meet deadlines and exceeding the budget, to personnel resistance and the need to change individual business processes to meet the requirements of the system. But most of the problems can be avoided if you correctly identify the tasks that require automation, monitor the existing ones in a quality manner. software products and thoughtfully approach the choice of an implementation partner. Also an important condition successful implementation the project is the personal participation of the first person of the company / business owner, in this case the risks of "getting wrong" are significantly reduced.

As for the resistance of the staff, it is very important, on the one hand, to carry out high-quality work to explain the benefits and benefits of automation for the company and all employees, and on the other hand, to create a strong sense of inevitability for all employees, including top management. If there are cases of disruption of some processes, it is necessary to sort out and remove obstacles in hot pursuit. A good implementation tool is to reward employees for their involvement in the project and for certain milestone achievements, this will help to achieve the loyalty of the rest of the team members.

At the present level of development, process automation is one of the approaches to process management based on the use of information technology. This approach enables the management of operations, data, information and resources through the use of computers and software that reduce or eliminate human involvement in the process.

The main purpose of automation is to improve the quality of process execution. An automated process is more stable than a manual process. In many cases, process automation can increase productivity, reduce process time, reduce costs, increase accuracy, and improve consistency in operations.

To date, process automation has covered many industries and areas of activity: from production processes to shopping in stores. Regardless of the size and scope of the organization, almost every company has automated processes. The process approach provides for the same principles of automation for all processes.

Despite the fact that process automation can be performed at different levels, the principles of automation for all levels and all types of processes will remain the same. This is general principles, which set the conditions for the efficient execution of processes in automatic mode and establish the rules for automatic process control.

The main principles of process automation are:

consistency principle. All actions in an automated process must be coordinated with each other and with the inputs and outputs of the process. In the event of a mismatch of actions, a violation of the process may occur.
principle of integration. The automated process must be able to integrate into the overall environment of the organization. At different levels of automation, integration is performed differently, but the essence of the principle remains the same. Process automation should ensure the interaction of the automated process with the external environment (in relation to this process).
principle of independence of execution. An automated process should be performed independently, without human intervention, or with minimal human control. A person should not interfere in the process if the process is carried out in accordance with the established requirements.

These general principles are detailed depending on the level of automation considered and the specific processes. For example, the automation of production processes includes such principles as the principle of specialization, the principle of proportionality, the principle of continuity, etc.

Levels of process automation

Process automation is essential to support management at all levels of a company's hierarchy. In this regard, automation levels are determined depending on the control level at which process automation is performed.

Management levels are usually divided into operational, tactical and strategic.

In accordance with these levels, the levels of automation are also distinguished:

lower level of automation or level of performers. At this level, automation of regularly running processes is carried out. Process automation is aimed at performing operational tasks (for example, executing a production process), maintaining established parameters (for example, autopilot operation), maintaining certain operating modes (for example, temperature conditions in a gas boiler).
production management level or tactical level. Automation of processes of this level ensures the distribution of tasks between different processes of the lower level. Examples of such processes are production management processes (production planning, service planning), resource management processes, document management processes, etc.
enterprise management level or strategic level. Automation of enterprise management level processes provides the solution of analytical and predictive tasks. This level of automation is necessary to support the work of the top management of the organization. It is aimed at financial, economic and strategic management.

Automation of processes at each of these levels is provided through the use of various automation systems (CRM systems, ERP systems, OLAP systems, etc.). All automation systems can be divided into three basic types.

Types of automation systems include:

immutable systems. These are systems in which the sequence of actions is determined by the equipment configuration or process conditions and cannot be changed during the process.
programmable systems. These are systems in which the sequence of actions can vary depending on the given program and process configuration. The choice of the necessary sequence of actions is carried out due to a set of instructions that can be read and interpreted by the system.
flexible (self-tuning) systems. These are systems that are able to select the necessary actions in the process of work. Changing the process configuration (sequence and conditions for performing operations) is carried out on the basis of information about the progress of the process.

These types of systems can be used at all levels of process automation individually or as part of a combined system.

Types of automated processes

In every sector of the economy, there are enterprises and organizations that produce products or provide services. All these enterprises can be divided into three groups, depending on their “remoteness” in the natural resource processing chain.

The first group of enterprises are enterprises that extract or produce Natural resources. Such enterprises include, for example, agricultural producers, oil and gas companies.

The second group of enterprises are enterprises that process natural raw materials. They make products from raw materials mined or produced by the enterprises of the first group. Such companies include, for example, the automotive industry, steel companies, electronics companies, power plants, and the like.

The third group is the service sector enterprises. These organizations include, for example, banks, educational institutions, medical institutions, restaurants, etc.

For all enterprises, it is possible to single out general groups of processes associated with the production of products or the provision of services.

These processes include:

business processes are processes that ensure interaction within the organization and with external stakeholders (customers, suppliers, regulatory authorities, etc.). This category of processes includes the processes of marketing and sales, interaction with consumers, the processes of financial, personnel, material planning and accounting, etc.
design and development processes All processes involved in the development of a product or service. These processes include the processes of development planning, collection and preparation of initial data, project implementation, control and analysis of design results, etc.
production processes are the processes necessary to produce a product or provide a service. This group includes all production and technological processes. They also include requirements planning and capacity planning processes, logistics processes, and service processes.
control and analysis processes- this group of processes is associated with the collection and processing of information about the execution of processes. These processes include quality control processes, operational management, inventory control processes, etc.

Most of the processes belonging to these groups can be automated. To date, there are classes of systems that provide automation of these processes.

TOR for the subsystem "Warehouses" is an example terms of reference for automation of enterprise warehouse management.

This document is an example of a real Terms of Reference, on the basis of which an industrial enterprise warehouse automation system was selected and implemented.

The document includes 26 pages. Document Format - Microsoft Word 2002. Compatible with all versions of MS Word. The document allows editing and making changes.

TOR for the "Document Management" subsystem is an example of a Terms of Reference for automating the management of the document management process.

This document is an example of a real Terms of Reference, on the basis of which a workflow automation system for an industrial enterprise was selected and implemented.

The document includes 17 pages. Document format - Microsoft Word 2002. Compatible with all versions of MS Word. The document allows editing and making changes.

TOR for the "Purchasing" subsystem is an example of a Terms of Reference for automating procurement and supplier management processes.

This document is an example of a real Terms of Reference, on the basis of which a procurement automation and supplier management system for an industrial enterprise was selected and implemented.

The document includes 23 pages. Document format - Microsoft Word 2002. Compatible with all versions of MS Word. The document allows editing and making changes.

Process Automation Strategy

Process automation is a complex and time-consuming task. To successfully solve this problem, it is necessary to adhere to a certain automation strategy. It allows you to improve processes and get a number of significant benefits from automation.

Briefly, the strategy can be formulated as follows:

process understanding. In order to automate a process, it is necessary to understand the existing process in all its details. The process must be fully analyzed. The inputs and outputs of the process, the sequence of actions, the relationship with other processes, the composition of the process resources, etc., must be defined.
process simplification. Once the process analysis has been carried out, it is necessary to simplify the process. Extra operations that do not bring value should be reduced. Individual operations can be combined or run in parallel. Other technologies for its execution can be proposed to improve the process.
process automation. Process automation can only be performed after the process has been simplified as much as possible. The simpler the process flow, the easier it is to automate and the more efficient the automated process will be.

Benefits of process automation

Automation of processes can significantly improve the quality of management and product quality. When implementing a QMS, automation has a significant effect and enables the organization to significantly improve its work. However, before deciding to automate processes, it is necessary to evaluate the benefits of running processes in automatic mode.

Typically, process automation provides the following benefits:

increases the speed of performing repetitive tasks. Due automatic mode the same tasks can be completed faster because automated systems are more accurate in their actions and are not subject to a decrease in performance from the time of work.
improving the quality of work. The elimination of the human factor significantly reduces the variations in the execution of the process, which leads to a decrease in the number of errors and, accordingly, increases the stability and quality of the process.
increased control accuracy. Through the use of information technology in automated systems, it becomes possible to store and take into account more process data than with manual control.
parallel execution of tasks. Automated systems allow you to perform several actions at the same time without loss of quality and accuracy of work. This speeds up the process and improves the quality of the results.
quick decision making in typical situations. In automated systems, decisions related to typical situations are made much faster than with manual control. This improves process performance and avoids inconsistencies in subsequent steps.

Despite the obvious advantages, process automation is not always appropriate. After analysis and optimization, it may turn out that process automation is not required or economically unprofitable.

In a number of situations, manual execution of processes may be preferable to automation:

process operations are difficult to automate. From a technological or economic point of view, some process steps can be very difficult to automate.
short life cycle products. If the product must be developed and implemented in a short period of time, or the duration of its existence on the market is short, then process automation may not be appropriate. Manual execution of processes will be less expensive and faster than automation.
unique or one-of-a-kind products. When a consumer needs a product with unique characteristics manual labor, such a product can only be released if the processes are performed manually.
sharp fluctuations in demand. A change in the demand for a product requires a change in the volume of production. Such changes are more easily performed by manually executing the process.

Automation of business processes sometimes seems to the head of a magic wand. But how to automate business processes in the best way? In order for the work to be argued, papers not to be lost, regulations to help, the team to act like a well-oiled mechanism?

In the article, we will analyze the nuances of building and automating business processes, consider how to avoid mistakes, what are the goals and objectives of automating business processes, and where to start. If you are thinking about improving business processes and perhaps introducing electronic system managing them, read the article carefully. And take a pencil!

Three whales of chaos in business: how to automate processes that do not exist

Before we talk about what opportunities business process automation opens up, let's think about what difficulties you are facing now.

The three bad "pillars" that keep chaos in business are universal. Most likely, you are also familiar with them:

Regular mistakes. Petrov made a typo, Sidorov endorsed an unverified document, Vasechkina sent an invoice with incorrect details. Such mistakes bring temporary and financial losses, twitchy eyes and work at night.
Downtime. The document is being approved for a week, then the second, the work is worth it. A key employee is on vacation or quit without handing over the case.
General confusion. Where did the paperwork go? Why did the secretary in the pile of sheets not notice urgent document? Where to run to a specialist when a client contacts, if right person is absent? This confusion and running around the corridors with bundles of papers is annoying and certainly does not contribute to productive work.

Even 10 years ago, business process modeling seemed expensive, time-consuming and therefore unnecessary to most companies. Some people think so even now, having read scary stories about unfinished projects and millions spent, or even approaching automation from the wrong side. But it turned out that companies working on business process automation grow faster, overcome times of crisis better and outperform competitors. In such companies, employees feel more comfortable, which creates the right working atmosphere in the team. Examples are the stories of Toyota, Amazon, McDonalds, as well as our customers, whose feedback on business process automation.

Today, the ability to build business processes and know how to automate them are becoming an important competitive advantage.

Business processes: what do we automate, comrades?

Sometimes the management of the company, busy with strategic issues, is deluded: everything is fine with us. But if Petrov knows that in the event of a marketing task, you need to contact Ivanova, this is not a business process. But a specific action map that universally describes the steps that employees go through to achieve a specific result, this already looks like a business process.

An activity scheme, in order to call it a business process, must take into account three factors:

The stability of the described links: multiplicity of choice of actions, transitions, conditions are taken into account.
Regulation of actions during the process: calls, letters, attachments, appeals, sightings.
Logical completion: specific achievable goal.

A clearly modeled business process will allow you to see the result and control the work at all stages in order to prevent losses and errors “at a low start”.

Depending on the occurrence of “thin spots”, the business process is changed, its stages are adjusted, and they look at which links are weak. If you have any difficulties with the development of algorithms, we are ready to help you. After all, the development of business processes is preparation for the project of their automation.

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The main goal of business process development is magical transformation chaotically woven chains of intercompany interactions into ordered, consistent and understandable algorithms. Let there be order in work, office, in the minds of employees and in the minds of managers!

Uri, where's the button? Goals of Business Process Automation

Now the question is: how to manage all this? Well, you need a whole staff of employees - to keep your finger on the pulse and carefully monitor the "thin places", "weak links" and the execution of everything that should be performed!

A quarter of companies are following this path, deploying quality departments, expanding managerial and secretarial staff. But it is much more useful to ask yourself how to automate business processes and transfer the control function over them to one space. Such a business process management system will be both a constructor, a monitoring mechanism, and a controller that gives signals when something does not go according to plan. But in order for the “magic button” to work, you still have to work hard.

Of course, the goals of business process automation are not only a convenient way to control. As a result, the use automated system business process management will help:

Organize regular tasks.
Minimize the human factor.
Clearly separate areas of responsibility within processes.
Keep all the details of the process under control.
Include in the customer interaction scheme.
Create a unified IT infrastructure with different access rights.
Save time, yours and your employees.
As a result - to save money on the management of the company.

As you can see, the goals of business process automation are in many ways the same as yours!

Business process management - a system of one company

To make it even clearer, let's analyze the specific functions of the business process management system - "1C: Document Management 8" - using examples.

We have clearly seen how an automated business process differs from a “written on the knee” one. It remains to understand how to come to this level of automation.

The Secret Ingredient: How to Automate Business Processes Losslessly

You've probably heard stories about Company N, which implemented a super system, fiddled with it, and spitting back to Excel. This is what happens when a company encounters unforeseen difficulties. That employees sabotage the unusual way of working. That the settled processes do not give in to regulation in any way. That the implementation budget is beyond the desired. Then the system itself is heavy and incomprehensible, but it is necessary that “there is a button here, I press it, and everything works.”

Managers often forget the rule: the first stage, from which business process automation is built, is tasks. The document management system has a huge functionality that can satisfy the requirements of the most whimsical business. But first, these requirements must be presented.

Our research confirms that 70% of business difficulties arise just at the stage of fixing requirements and results. Therefore, we provide initial consultations, as well as offer a pre-project study service. This step helps:

identify "thin spots" in the company,
determine what goals are automation system,
understand whether the standard functionality is suitable for the company or whether changes need to be made,
find out what set of functions will be optimal for business,
determine which processes to automate in the first place, and which can be postponed. For example, areas that slow down the work of the entire company should be prioritized, even if the work on them is not the easiest.

Competently recording system requirements and results is secret ingredient success of the automation project. Sometimes at this stage it becomes clear that there is a problem with business processes. Then you need to modify them or build from scratch.

Having decided on the tasks that face the automation of business processes, we proceed to the formation of a project team and to the implementation of the project.

Do you want to know what results your business can achieve? Contact us for a free consultation - let's talk!

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