Myth # 2: Debunking the Myths of IT Process Automation

                                         Myth # 2:
                     It’s all about the process, stupid


When organizing and planning to achieve the benefits of Automation, it is often tempting to identify overarching IT processes and focus time, money, and energy on process analysis efforts. Whereas this approach works well when building or customizing an application to model a structured process, it does not work as well with 3rd level automation.

Indeed, we have found that the focus of the effort should be on cataloguing a discreet set of manual tasks. Usually clustered around multiple application workflows and prioritizing tasks that are highly repetitive.

The process analysis work here is very minimal. We focus on highly repetitive, simple tasks.


In one pilot we conducted with Resolve at a large bank, the first Run Book helped create what equated to a savings of 4,000 hours of manual work. [Of course, the pilot turned into a global rollout with 30+ Run Books at the publish date of this paper.]


But, what about more complex tasks?

The answer, as it turns out, is that it’s really all about the people, not the process. Any approach that requires discreet, separate design efforts will ultimately hit an immovable ceiling of diminishing returns and stagnate into yet another application silo that has marginal incremental returns to the business.

In building a successful RBA program, we must:


                (a) Build internal momentum /awareness/funding


                (b) Offer a platform that is extendible to a broad set of content automation contributors (SMEs. etc) 

                 (c) Offer a platform that encourages collaboration and re-use across the organization