Balancing the Tripod during a Pandemic !!

Driving success from automation is based on how well the organizations maintain the balance across the key pillars -> People, Process and Technology …. Tripod as one might say! Not a surprise right!!

But herewith, I would like to share a bit of my perspective on how the ongoing pandemic is changing the dynamics across the three pillars

Process

This is the pillar which served has a torch for every organization, showing the way through the otherwise dark tunnel. In essence, any improvement intervention, without this pillar intact is destined for failure/ poor gains.

The Process Management discipline, BPM , which one might say was losing its value now needs due attention. Important to understand that the fight with pandemic which was initially perceived as a sprint, is now acknowledged to be a marathon (hopefully not a very long one). And this is where BPM enables organizations to take a more strategic/ long term approach towards managing processes across the enterprise.

In addition, technologies enabling process visibility (Process Mining) is now enabling organizations to fill the immediate gaps in identifying bottlenecks at pace and thereby tackling them accordingly (via process re-design, standardization and most frequently automation)

Technology

This is the space where potentially most organizations are confused on whether they should park their planned Digital/tech Interventions or in general wait and watch. While wait and watch is definitely not recommended in this fast evolving world but it also doesn’t mean to merely stick with the initially drafted plan. What, the need of the hour, is to relook/reflect and revise the plan to cater to both long term and short term initiatives

This is where it gets tricky and interesting with the cluttered technology space we live around. My personal perspective with this is to keep it simple:

a. We have established that pandemic is here to stay and hence we need to work with technologies which are easily scalable. While we may not have the luxury to go big bang right away, but we need to intelligently carve out a roadmap on how technology interventions need to be planned.

Automation product vendors which offer offerings across the intelligent automation spectrum (RPA, AI, OCR , Process Mining etc.) in these cases become obvious choices.

b. Low Code platforms would be significant which would help businesses launch standalone applications at speed and offering the flexibility to onboard newer technologies on its platform as the organizations are ready to ramp up.

c. RPA will still be relevant to quickly automate mundane/ labor intensive work. The key though is to not be stuck with complex, longer running RPA implementations thereby missing the value train! If you ask me, a complex RPA use-case , is just not worth implementing (...with RPA). While the obvious approach could be to explore other technologies to implement a high value use-case, the other approach could be to break the same into multiple simpler use-cases

A lot of technology interventions start off as a POC. Are POCs in these tough times still preferred way to go? Well, this is the topic I would discuss in my next article

People

This has been the pillar which has differentiated the organizations very lately.

These are the times where organizations need people to be able to drive successful process/technology interventions.

A strong push towards upskilling, cross learning, counselling and hiring the right talent is mandated. People’s well-being at both physical and psychological level needs to be ensured.

This is the pillar which needs to be most strategically approached, particularly, long term. Organizations strong with this pillar will take no time to get their other two pillars straightened !!

More often that not, like I have done with this article as well, People, comes last in everyone’s mind space. But it’s pretty obvious isn’t it, if we don’t have the right soldiers in the field, what are arms good for !