Value Creation
Automation
Not having to repeat tasks ad nauseam and knowing that they will be executed with precision allows us to envision having more time available for activities that generate greater value. This desire is often realized through process automation, a strategy that combines software with management concepts to map tasks, routines, and workflows with the aim of automating them and, thus, minimizing or even eliminating the need for human intervention.
In addition to saving people time on repetitive tasks, process automation ensures that these tasks are performed in accordance with the quality standards established by the company itself. Generally, the same task can be performed in several different ways. When we consider the sequencing and flow of tasks, we find that one or a few of these methods will be more effective.
The primary explicit benefit of process automation is to increase the predictability of both the effort required and the consistency of results across all task sequences within a process. The main practical benefit, however, is to free up time so that people can focus on more strategic activities. Stay with us to learn more about how these benefits are achieved!
Processes are the subject of study in various disciplines within the field of Business Administration. What are technically known as “business processes” are organized sequences of work activities, with a clear beginning, end, and clearly defined inputs and outputs. They are at the heart of any operation and, when organized hierarchically, form the company’s value chain.
In other words, it is through the execution of all these activities that the company will generate value. Today, task sequences involve a combination of human and machine labor, and many of these machines, equipped with artificial intelligence applications or agents, are already capable of “thinking.” Analyzing every stage of the process therefore makes it possible to identify which tasks can be delegated to systems, thereby increasing the overall efficiency of the operation.
Therefore, before beginning process automation, it is essential to map out the processes in as much detail as possible. Next, identify any potential overlaps in activities so that they can be optimized. Once all these stages of process redesign and refinement are complete, automation delivers real efficiency gains in operations, leading to significant cost savings across the company’s supply chains.
Legacy systems have been around almost as long as organizations’ efforts to automate processes. These systems are typically the main obstacles to automating workflows. More specifically, we often encounter situations where what slows down process automation is not a single legacy system, but the existence of multiple systems that do not communicate with one another, revealing gaps in IT governance.
With the rise of microservice-based application architectures, setting up point-to-point communication between systems has become less complex, thanks to APIs. Through them, integrating one piece of software with another has become entirely feasible, especially for those that have, at some point, been the subject of an application modernization project.
Integrating systems helps overcome a common challenge in process automation: the fact that different stages of the same process are carried out in separate software applications. The flexibility offered by microservice-oriented applications and their respective APIs has even enabled the creation of dedicated automation services, such as Zapier and n8n, greatly facilitating the integration of different software applications.
However, following the widespread adoption of artificial intelligence agents at the turn of 2022–2023, automation—and more specifically robotic process automation (RPA)—reached unprecedented levels. Robots are no longer limited to executing pre-programmed tasks; they now identify the connectivity needs between applications and configure them.
Given that process automation is recognized as one of the key cost-cutting strategies for organizations of all kinds, there are many documented cases in both the private and public sectors. Recently, the Ministry of Management and Innovation in Public Services estimated annual savings of R$76 million once process automation for attendance tracking tools is fully implemented.
Here at Inmetrics, our Consulting, Data, and AI division is fully equipped to optimize your company’s value chain by eliminating waste and bottlenecks and increasing operational efficiency through integrated workflows across departments. For process automation projects, we collaborate with our Digital Acceleration division, which has extensive expertise in automating complex operations.
If your company has potential gains in operational efficiency that are being “held back” by legacy systems or a lack of clarity regarding your overall process flow, click here to get in touch! Our teams will assess where you currently stand in terms of process optimization and, from there, help you accelerate and automate your processes!
