It is becoming increasingly clear that one of the most effective ways to improve productivity, reduce errors, and free up time in companies is to automate their processes. However, one of the most common questions is not which technology to use, but where to start.
Many organizations have a long list of repetitive tasks. These are manual, inefficient tasks that consume hours and hours of work each week. It doesn’t matter which department: administration, finance, HR, procurement, operations, customer service, document management… The challenge isn’t figuring out where to apply automation; the challenge is identifying which processes can be automated and which ones should be prioritized.
What is an automatable process?
To begin the process of proper identification, we must first understand what an automatable process is. It is a task or workflow that can be executed entirely (or partially) using technology, thereby reducing the need for manual intervention.
We’re not talking exclusively about complex processes. In fact, the impact of many automation initiatives can come from automating very specific tasks: copying data between systems, sorting documents, validating information, downloading files, generating reports, updating records…
The key is to correctly identify which processes are repetitive, time-consuming, follow a clear set of rules, and generate little value when performed manually.
The process that is frequently repeated
This may be the first criterion to consider when identifying processes that can be automated. If a task is performed on a regular basis (daily, weekly, monthly…), it’s worth taking the time to analyze it.
Some of the most common examples include recording invoices, downloading reports, updating databases, and checking email inboxes… The more often a task is repeated, the greater the benefit of automating it tends to be.
It requires many hours of manual labor
Without a doubt, the main (though not the only) benefit of process automation is time savings. For that reason, it’s a good idea to review those tasks that, although they may seem simple, take up many hours each month.
Even though a task may take only a few minutes, if it is repeated many times or involves several people, it can have a significant impact on time spent. By automating, the time saved can be allocated to tasks that add more value to the company, such as analysis, customer service, or business improvement.
The questions anyone considering automating a process should ask themselves are: How many people are involved? How much time do they spend on it? How often does it recur? What happens when it piles up?
It involves copying or moving data between systems
Companies often rely on manual processes because their systems aren’t well integrated. It’s common to find workflows where, for example, a team receives information via email, reviews it, enters it into an ERP system, updates it in a CRM, saves it in a folder, and finally notifies another department to take over.
These types of workflows are among the best candidates for automation. When the same information needs to be entered in multiple places, there is usually a clear opportunity for improvement through RPA or AI-assisted RPA.
Follow clear decision-making rules
Another key factor in choosing the best processes to automate is to look for those that follow well-defined rules. For example: if a piece of data is missing, a notification is sent; if the amount exceeds a limit, approval must be requested.
Automation does not eliminate the need for complex decision-making, but it can handle the more mechanical parts of the process. Furthermore, thanks to the incorporation of artificial intelligence and intelligent document processing, it is now also possible to automate tasks that involve unstructured documents.
It causes errors, duplicates, or delays
Many processes are a common source of errors. Entering data incorrectly, duplicating items, creating incorrect versions, or failing to track pending tasks can lead to a situation that, sooner rather than later, ends up causing headaches for the organization.
Automating these workflows not only reduces errors (a robot never makes a mistake), but also improves traceability. This makes it possible to track the status of each task, what information has been processed, and which steps have been completed.
In areas such as finance, administration, purchasing, or document management, this traceability can be just as important as saving time.
It relies too heavily on specific individuals
The fact that a process only moves forward when a specific person is in charge of it poses a real operational risk. The most stressful times are during vacation periods, when employees are on leave, during monthly closings, or during peak workloads. At these times, the risk associated with having a single person in charge of the task increases exponentially.
Automation helps standardize workflows, reduce internal dependencies, and maintain process continuity even as the workload increases.
It is important to note that the goal is not to replace people, but to prevent repetitive tasks from hindering the company’s operations.
It affects customers, suppliers, or internal teams
It is important to note that not all processes that can be automated have the same priority. While some save time internally, others directly improve the experience of customers, suppliers, or employees.
When setting priorities, it is advisable to start with processes that have a visible impact and produce results that are easy to measure.
Measuring Results
When considering the automation of a process, it is important to define how success will be measured. Some useful indicators for measuring improvement include time saved, a reduction in errors, the volume of tasks processed, improved response times, and a decrease in operating costs.
Measuring the before-and-after results helps justify the investment (which typically pays for itself within six months) and identify new opportunities for automation in other areas of the company.
A good business automation strategy isn’t based on automating individual tasks indiscriminately, but on prioritizing processes that have a real impact.
How to Start Automating Processes in Your Company
The first step in automation is not choosing a tool, but analyzing how the company operates. Before deciding between RPA, artificial intelligence, document automation, low-code, or systems integration, it’s important to thoroughly understand the process, its exceptions, its data, and its bottlenecks.
At Devol, we help companies identify processes that can be automated, prioritize opportunities, and determine the most appropriate technological solution for each case. In some projects, the answer may be an RPA bot; in others, a low-code application, a document automation solution, or a combination of several technologies.
Automating processes isn’t just about saving time. It’s about working better, reducing errors, improving traceability, and building a more agile, efficient, and growth-ready company.
