Understanding the business processes of your organization is the key to a successful BPA implementation. Here are 5 steps to get you started:

Assess

In order to understand your goals, you need to assess your current state. What are the business processes that you would like to automate? What is the end goal? Understanding what you want is the first step on this journey. You might find it helpful to use process mapping software during this phase – software that visually represents processes and allows for easy modification and improvement.

Impact, process maturity, and integration complexity are also factors to consider during this phase. Automating a process that is already mature will have less of an impact than automating a process that is in its early stages. Additionally, processes that are tightly integrated into other systems will be more difficult to automate than those that are standalone.

Automating a process that doesn’t have a large impact is less important than automating a process that does. The maturity of the process – how well it’s currently running – also has an impact on automation. If you’re looking to automate a process that’s already mature, it might be easier than automating a process that’s not performing as well. Integration complexity looks at how easy or difficult it will be to connect the new automated system with the existing systems in place.

Plan & Design

Once you understand the goals and considerations of process automation, it’s time to start planning and designing the change. This is where the rubber hits the road, as they say, and you begin to create a blueprint for your automated system.

To build an effective plan, you need to have a firm understanding of both the business process and the technology required for automation. What are the steps involved in this process? the inputs and outputs? What software or tools will be needed? How will data be collected and managed? How will the system be tested?

All of these questions need to be answered before any progress can be made. And, as with any project, it’s important to have buy-in from all key stakeholders. The more everyone understands and agrees to the plan, the smoother the transition will be.

In this stage, you’ll want to take the time to properly plan how your automation will work. You’ll need to:

1. Develop process models
2. Determine which systems will be used
3. Understand the required data flows
4. Design the user interface
5. Determine business rules

When designing the user interface, it’s important to keep in mind who will be using it and their level of technical expertise. The last thing you want is a complex system that only those with an IT background can use! Remember, you want to make the process easier, not harder.

The same goes for developing business rules. Keep them simple and easy to understand; no one wants to have to read a 200-page document just to know how to do their job!

Build & Test

3rd on how to map up business process automation is building and testing your automated system. This is where the real work begins, and it’s important to take your time and get it right. Building a system that doesn’t work can be more trouble than it’s worth!

The first step is to build the foundation of the system. This includes creating the necessary data structures, developing the core business logic, and creating the user interface. Once this is in place, you can start testing it – and this is where things can start to get tricky.

Testing an automated system can be difficult for a few reasons:

• It’s often hard to recreate all possible scenarios
• Automated systems are often reliant on data from other systems, which may not be available during testing
• Testing can be time-consuming and expensive

It’s important to test as much as possible and catch any errors early on. The longer they go undetected, the more difficult and expensive they will be to fix.

In brief in this stage, You’ll need to:

1. Build the physical system
2. Configure the systems
3. Load test data
4. Test business rules
5. User acceptance testing (UAT)

By performing UAT on a small sample of users, you can ensure that the new process meets their needs and expectations. This is an important step, as user feedback will be essential to the success. 

Implement

Once the system has been tested and approved, it’s time to implement it! This can be a daunting task, but with careful planning and execution, it can be done successfully.

The first step is to make sure all stakeholders are aware of the change and how it will affect them. Then, begin transitioning users over to the new system. Be prepared for some resistance at first – people are often reluctant to change – but stick to your plan and they will come around.

Once everyone is using the new system, you can start decommissioning the old one. This can be a difficult process, but with careful planning, it can be done without too much disruption.

You’ll need to:

1. Deploy the system
2. Integrate with other systems
3. Train users
4. Monitor and maintain the system
5. Ensure data quality

Operate & Optimize

In the last step on how to map up business process automation, it’s important to monitor your automation and make sure it’s performing as expected. This means adjusting and optimizing your processes as needed. You should also:

1. Create performance metrics and track them over time
2. Analyze process data to identify improvements
3. Update process models as needed
4. Make changes to business rules as needed
5. Train users on new system updates
6. Ensure ongoing support

By following these steps, you can ensure a successful process automation initiative that improves efficiency, reduces costs, and increases profits for your organization.

Learn How to Map Up Business Process Automation With Kiimkern

Starting out can be overwhelming, but Kiimkern has you covered. We can help you map out your business processes and develop a plan for automation. 

Our team of experts will work with you to understand your specific needs and recommend the best solution for your organization. From development to implementation to ongoing support, Kiimkern can help you every step of the way.