A Blueprint for Digital Transformation Through Business Process Automation Published By Info-Tech Research Group

The firm's research suggests organizations scale their business automation by focusing on the people, processes, and values that matter.

TORONTO, Aug. 15, 2023 /PRNewswire/ - As organizations navigate the complex landscape of the new digital economy, the emphasis on effective business process automation (BPA) has never been more critical. Info-Tech Research Group reports in a new industry resource that stakeholders are actively looking to invest in process automation solutions, recognizing the potential for transformative growth. However, this enthusiasm must be tampered with strategic insight and alignment with the organization's overarching goals. To address this need, the global research and advisory firm Info-Tech Research Group has released its latest blueprint Develop Your Value-First Business Process Automation Strategy. This comprehensive blueprint is intended to help organizations develop a strategy to justify the scaling and maturing of BPA practices and capabilities to fulfill business priorities.

"Aggressively scaling BPA with the latest concepts and leading-edge technologies is an attractive ambition for many organizations. However, the costs of automating many processes as quickly as possible often outweigh the benefits and may introduce risks and changes for which the stakeholders have no appetite," says Andrew Kum-Seun, research director at Info-Tech Research Group. "The lagging development of a good BPA practice can further hamper the future returns of today's investments."

Info-Tech's research highlights that the shift from small pilot automation to more complex, large-scale implementations can introduce new challenges and barriers. Many organizations exhibit limited motivation or willingness to modify their existing business operations, preventing them from fully capitalizing on the potential benefits of BPA. This reluctance is compounded by the difficulty in identifying new BPA opportunities that align with the broader business strategy and meet specific stakeholder needs, risk profiles, and change requirements. Additionally, the transition to scaled BPA implementations often exposes inadequately equipped teams struggling to handle the increased demands and intricacies, hindering the full realization of automation's potential advantages.

"Organizations should automate smarter, not faster, by piloting BPA with the intent to scale. Pilots are safe starting points to establish foundational governance and management practices and build the necessary relationships and collaborations for you to be successful," explains Kum-Seun. "These factors will then allow you to explore more sophisticated, complicated, and innovative opportunities to drive new value to the team, department, and organization."

The research also shows that as businesses integrate more tools and technologies in response to industrial evolution, their operational models inevitably become more complex. Therefore, the firm advises that importance lies in establishing attainable objectives that promote business value and fulfill principal corporate priorities, which can be achieved by enhancing and streamlining key strategic business capabilities and operations. It's also crucial that organizations customize an escalation strategy to align with the capacity for seamless BPA execution, widespread adoption, and minimized constraints.

To mature and scale a BPA practice, the Info-Tech suggests that organizations assess, build, and strengthen the following BPA foundations by focusing on the capabilities that support their vision. These capabilities, outlined in the newly released research, include:

- Risk & Change Management: Continuous process to analyze, evaluate, control, and address the probably negative impacts of risks and changes.

- Governance: Defined BPA roles and responsibilities, processes, and technology controls.

- Vision & Objectives:  Clear direction and goals of the business process automation practice.

- Business Process Automation Platform Management: The capabilities to manage a BPA platform and ensure it supports the growing needs of the business.

- Business Process Management & Optimization: The tactics to document, analyze, optimize, and monitor business processes.

- Business Process Automation Delivery: The tactics to review the fit of automation solutions and deliver and support them according to end-user needs and preferences.

The firm's blueprint underscores the importance of setting up and tracking metrics. These metrics can powerfully influence behavior and catalyze strategic shifts within the organization. To highlight the worth of BPA endeavors, Info-Tech suggests aligning metrics with business aims, value drivers, BPA objectives, and specific non-functional requirements.

To learn more about business process automation strategies, download the complete Develop Your Value-First Business Process Automation Strategy blueprint.

For media inquiries on the topic or to get exclusive, timely commentary from Andrew Kum-Seun, an expert in agile development, DevOps, lean development, and other best practices within the software development lifecycle (SDLC), please contact [email protected].

Info-Tech Research Group is one of the world's leading information technology research and advisory firms, proudly serving over 30,000 IT professionals. The company produces unbiased and highly relevant research to help CIOs and IT leaders make strategic, timely, and well-informed decisions. For 25 years, Info-Tech has partnered closely with IT teams to provide them with everything they need, from actionable tools to analyst guidance, ensuring they deliver measurable results for their organizations.

Media professionals can register for unrestricted access to research across IT, HR, and software and over 200 IT and industry analysts through the firm's Media Insiders program. To gain access, contact [email protected].

For more information about Info-Tech Research Group or to access the latest research, visit infotech.com and connect via LinkedIn and Twitter.

SOURCE Info-Tech Research Group