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Business Process Automation 2023
17 Apr, 2023
This blog post discusses how IT leaders can use Business Process Automation (BPA) to achieve business goals. BPA can help improve efficiency, accuracy, and customer satisfaction across healthcare, manufacturing, and financial services. We list some fundamental rules IT leaders should consider, including testing minimum viable versions of new initiatives, moving from a CapEx to an OpEx model when purchasing software, and being able to serve business goals and work collaboratively across functions. The article highlights the importance of identifying the right processes to automate, involving stakeholders from the implementation process, testing and monitoring the BPA solution, and designing it to be scalable, flexible, and integrated with other systems and technologies. Finally, the article recommends AgilePoint, a low-code development platform, to develop, deploy, and manage BPA solutions sustainably. For IT leaders, business process automation (BPA) is akin to a Swiss army knife, offering a versatile platform you may utilize for various purposes, such as process automation, development for both greenfield and brownfield projects, and integration use cases. " The best way to make a case for investment in automation is to identify the most important business goals for the organization and then cascade it down to how automation can help the business meet those goals ," Yinuo Geng, VP of Technology, Gartner. As an IT leader, regardless of whether you hold a strategic, functional, or hybrid role, there are some fundamental rules that you should consider. These rules have become the new normal for IT leaders, and they include the following: Testing minimum viable versions of your new initiatives, whether modernizing legacy systems or launching new products and services. Moving from a CapEx to an OpEx model when purchasing software, as committing millions of dollars in licensing costs before seeing any return on investment, is not desirable. Being able to serve business goals and work collaboratively across functions. By keeping these ground rules in mind, you can tackle any challenge, from partnering with executive leadership to define the technology strategy to identifying and implementing technology solutions that meet current and future IT needs. You can also effectively manage annual IT staffing, purchasing and operations, and capital budgets. Why Should IT Leaders Leverage Business Process Automation? To begin, the company or industry to which you belong determines a lot as to how business process automation can help you achieve business goals. For instance, organizations can improve efficiency, accuracy, and customer satisfaction in healthcare, manufacturing, and financial services by leveraging business process automation. It also helps them reduce the cost of operations, stay competitive in their respective markets, and launch new solutions and apps. Healthcare : In healthcare, you can automate patient data management, appointment scheduling, and insurance claims processing to increase patient intake and service quality. It can lead to faster and more accurate diagnosis, a reduction in wait times, and improvement of patient outcomes. Manufacturing : For IT leaders in manufacturing, automating processes such as inventory management, order processing, and quality control can increase efficiency and reduce errors. It can improve production timelines, increase output, and enhance product quality. Financial Services : Banks and (re)insurance firms use BPA platforms to automate processes such as loan processing, claims processing, account opening, and regulatory compliance to improve operations and service accuracy. It results in faster loan approvals, claims settlement, better customer service, and reduced risk of compliance issues. Candidate Processes for Automation Manufacturing Inventory management Order-to-cash Quality control and Compliance reporting Healthcare Patient data management Appointment scheduling Insurance claims processing Financial Services Account opening Loan and claims processing Regulatory compliance Hence, BPA technologies help in providing strategic process capabilities across: Functions Industries Strategic transformation initiatives Also think of your automation needs in terms of: Long-running processes Mid-running processes Short-running processes For example, if you are automating a process that requires pausing at any stage and awaiting external input, such as an event or human task, then you should look for BPA platforms that can elegantly handle long-running processes (from a month to a few years). BPA is a better technology for handling mid- and long-running processes. Taking healthcare, manufacturing, and financial service as reference industries, below is a sample list of long-running processes you can automate using a modern BPA platform. Long Running Processes Healthcare Drug approval and clinical trial reporting Patient diagnosis and treatment planning Electronic medical records management Manufacturing Product research, prototyping, and testing Supply chain management Quality assurance and control Financial Services Loan approval and processing Risk management and compliance International trade management/risk assessment of certain entities Best Practices for BPA That IT Leaders Should Know One of the critical factors in the success of BPA implementation is identifying the right processes to automate. We’ve listed the most and least automatable processes based on research by IBM Institute for Business Value research and the American Productivity and Quality Center (APQC). Some of the most automatable processes include: Payroll process Perform revenue accounting Process accounts payable and expenses Deliver/support information technology services Customer service contracts management Product recall and audit management You can read more about these processes in “ A Quick Start Guide to Business Process Automation .” To implement BPA solutions successfully, IT leaders must collaborate closely with business stakeholders. They should identify the processes that will benefit the most from automation and assess the impact of automation on organizational goals. IT leaders should involve stakeholders from the start of the implementation process. Testing and monitoring the BPA solution are also critical for success, and IT leaders should establish a testing and monitoring framework to promptly identify and address any issues. Lastly, the BPA solution should be designed to be scalable, flexible, and integrated with other systems and technologies. It helps adapt to changes in the business environment, such as new regulations, process changes, and technological advancements. Business Process Automation Made Easy With AgilePoint AgilePoint is a low code / no code development platform that has helped IT leaders to develop, deploy, and manage Business Process Automation (BPA) solutions quickly and efficiently. As a complete hyper-automation stack, AgilePoint has all the technology needed to deliver cross-functional automation and digital transformation for the modern enterprise. AgilePoint's advanced features for Business Process Automation , including Artificial Intelligence (AI), Event-Driven Software Architecture, Robotic Process Automation (RPA), Intelligent Business Process Management Suites (iBPM), and Integration Platform as a Service (iPaaS), help organizations automate complex business processes easily, improve process efficiency, and enhance productivity leading to better business outcomes. With its collaboration features, including shared workflows and real-time notifications, AgilePoint can fill gaps in communication and collaboration among teams. AgilePoint is an excellent solution for businesses that want to ensure compliance, minimize risk, and reduce errors by improving their governance and controls. Moreover, AgilePoint's multi-tenancy, flexible deployment options, and value-based pricing allows IT leaders to scale their automation efforts as their business grows, staying ahead of the competition and responding to changing business needs. Working With AgilePoint Whether it's HR onboarding, procurement, customer service, or any other business process, AgilePoint can help organizations automate it easily. General Conference Corporation of Seventh-day Adventists (GC-SDA), the authoritative body of the Seventh-day Adventist Church used AgilePoint to streamline its intricate HR workflows and processes . The platform facilitated communication and integration with all the other GC-SDA systems. The company catered to its complex HR business process automation requirements since 2011. It has simplified the recruitment process, previously handled by multiple entities across the globe. AgilePoint also provided custom salary calculations, emergency evacuation instructions, and self-service reports to meet the specific needs of GC-SDA. Johnson Ram, an IT department member at GC-SDA, shared his experience with AgilePoint. He appreciated the platform being innovative, empowering, and budget-friendly. Johnson also mentions the exceptional support provided by AgilePoint throughout their collaboration. Aside from the GC-SDA, AgilePoint also helped the Salvation Army modernize its infrastructure while keeping costs low. As a global non-profit, The Salvation Army serves millions of people worldwide while operating on a tight budget. With outdated Lotus Notes infrastructure, the organization moved to Microsoft Office 365 and SharePoint. However, using Microsoft technologies alone was not a cost-effective way to build applications that met the organization's diverse needs. To meet their needs, The Salvation Army turned to AgilePoint to build a wide range of applications, from simple apps for internal use to complex ones for external use, through the help of citizen developers. It helped the organization move forward with its digital transformation efforts without blowing its transformation budget. Get Started with BPA and AgilePoint Low-code solutions like AgilePoint allow organizations to innovate and remain competitive without extensive technical expertise, making it a smart choice for organizations of all sizes. To get started, request a personalized demo of AgilePoint Business Process Automation software today and experience how it can help your business achieve its automation goals!
05 Apr, 2023
The sudden collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) in March this year serves as a sobering reminder of the 2008 financial crisis. It underscores the importance of sound financial management in keeping a company afloat. As a CFO, your office is like the control tower at an airport during a storm; organizational transformation is like navigating through turbulent weather; your office is critical in guiding the company through this change. Shareholders expect that a CFO’s strategic thinking ensures the organization stays on course and thrives. Hence, financial process automation is needed to keep your house in order. The need to automate and streamline financial processes transcends industries. In professional services, you can improve billing and invoicing by automating your financial processes through automation. In financial services, it improves compliance and risk management; and in high-tech manufacturing, it enhances supply chain management capability and inventory control. This blog post explains financial process automation and introduces AgilePoint, a low code/no code development platform that can help CFOs automate their financial processes. What is Financial Process Automation? Imagine your finance team can focus on strategic decisions instead of manual data entry and processing. That's the power of financial process automation. You can automate routine financial tasks, improve accuracy, and reduce costs by leveraging technology and software. It's like having a financial assistant that never sleeps, makes errors, or takes a break and has a much more robust capability for data analysis! Financial process automation refers to using technology to streamline financial processes and tasks. It can include automating tasks such as invoicing, accounts payable, accounts receivable, budgeting, and financial reporting. Financial process automation can involve software, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and robotics. Examples of Financial Process Automation Accounts payable automation - to streamline invoice processing, approval, and payment. Automated expense management - to simplify the submission, review, and reimbursement of employee expenses. Robotic process automation (RPA) - to automate routine tasks such as data entry, reconciliation, and report generation. Automated payroll processing - to simplify payroll calculations, deductions, and tax filings. AgilePoint Powers Up Financial Processes AgilePoint is a low code/no code development platform that can help CFOs automate their financial processes. The platform integrates with popular business software like Office365, SAP, Salesforce, Anaplan, and other enterprise systems. It empowers finance teams to create custom workflows and automation using a visual drag-and-drop interface. It allows users to automate complex financial processes without the need for coding expertise or customizing their enterprise systems. A Fortune 100 firm used AgilePoint to extend its Anaplan workflows. For example, AgilePoint can automate the approval process for purchase orders or invoice payments, ensuring that the process is compliant and efficient. Some customers also use AgilePoint to automate their vendor payment process , which can be time-consuming and error-prone. The automated workflow can include steps such as invoice receipt, validation, and approval, and can be integrated with the organization's accounting software for seamless processing. Top Features of AgilePoint for Financial Process Automation Financial process automation is an exciting new frontier for accounting and finance professionals. What used to require a team of developers and months of work can now be done in a fraction of the time with AgilePoint low code / no code development platform. Here are some of the key features that make financial process automation easy and fast with AgilePoint: Artificial Intelligence (AI) AgilePoint's AI-driven execution and machine learning capabilities can help automate real-time financial processes. This feature can be handy in cases where processes need to adapt to changing business conditions, such as risk management or fraud detection. Event-Driven Software Architecture This feature can help improve the scalability and responsiveness of financial applications. It provides access to the data and context needed for better business decisions, enabling organizations to make informed decisions quickly. Robotic Process Automation (RPA) AgilePoint's connectors for popular RPA tools like UiPath , Automation Anywhere , Power Automate , and Blue Prism enable employees to focus on higher priority tasks and increase their productivity—by allowing the automation of routine, monotonous tasks. Integration Platform as a Service (iPaaS) The platform's iPaaS capabilities enable organizations to easily integrate with essential business software, such as ERP and accounting systems. It gives businesses a more comprehensive range of functionality and reduces stress levels. Low-Code Development Tool The AgilePoint low-code platform allows users to develop, integrate, and deploy new financial apps with no or minimal coding—and the result is an accelerated automation process that reduces costs and improves efficiency. Financial Processes you Can Automate With AgilePoint Accounts Payable Accounts payable is a financial process that involves managing vendor invoices, processing payments, and maintaining accurate records. With AgilePoint, organizations can automate the accounts payable process by creating workflows that capture invoice data, route invoices for approval, and process payments. Accounts Receivable Accounts receivable is a financial process that involves managing customer invoices, tracking payments, and collecting outstanding balances. AgilePoint allows users to create custom workflows that automate the accounts receivable process, reducing manual efforts and improving cash flow management. Budgeting & Approvals Budgeting is a financial process that involves creating and managing budgets for an organization. You can also automate the budgeting process using AgilePoint workflow recipes (capture budget data, send it for approval, and monitor actual expenses against budgets). You can also automate your approval requests using AgilePoint. Benefits of AgilePoint for Financial Process Automation The benefits of using AgilePoint low code / no code development platform for financial process automation include: Regulatory Compliance: Automating financial processes with AgilePoint can help finance executives ensure that monetary transactions comply with the company's policies and regulatory requirements. Automated workflows can enforce business rules and audit trails, making tracking and managing financial transactions easier. Improved Collaboration: AgilePoint's workflow automation tools can enable CFOs to collaborate with other departments and stakeholders. For example, you can extend Anaplan workflows and include finance, sales, and operations teams or stakeholders, allowing for better coordination and alignment. Scalability: As organizations grow and evolve, their financial processes must scale to meet the demand. AgilePoint's low-code platform enables CFO Officers to quickly build and deploy new workflows as the business requirements change. Key Takeaway Just as in the aftermath of the crisis, the fallout from SVB's default is a cautionary tale for companies of all sizes and industries. Bankruptcies and buyouts triggered by the SVB crisis call for vigilance and prudence in financial decision-making, as the consequences of lax financial management, can be devastating. AgilePoint is a low code/no code development platform that can help CFOs to automate their financial processes. With AgilePoint, CFOs can create custom workflows and automation without the need for coding expertise. CFOs can gain real-time visibility into financial data by automating processes with AgilePoint, enabling them to make better-informed decisions for their business. To learn more about how AgilePoint can help with your financial process automation, schedule a personalized demo now!

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Category: Business Process Automation

Business Process Automation 2023
17 Apr, 2023
This blog post discusses how IT leaders can use Business Process Automation (BPA) to achieve business goals. BPA can help improve efficiency, accuracy, and customer satisfaction across healthcare, manufacturing, and financial services. We list some fundamental rules IT leaders should consider, including testing minimum viable versions of new initiatives, moving from a CapEx to an OpEx model when purchasing software, and being able to serve business goals and work collaboratively across functions. The article highlights the importance of identifying the right processes to automate, involving stakeholders from the implementation process, testing and monitoring the BPA solution, and designing it to be scalable, flexible, and integrated with other systems and technologies. Finally, the article recommends AgilePoint, a low-code development platform, to develop, deploy, and manage BPA solutions sustainably. For IT leaders, business process automation (BPA) is akin to a Swiss army knife, offering a versatile platform you may utilize for various purposes, such as process automation, development for both greenfield and brownfield projects, and integration use cases. " The best way to make a case for investment in automation is to identify the most important business goals for the organization and then cascade it down to how automation can help the business meet those goals ," Yinuo Geng, VP of Technology, Gartner. As an IT leader, regardless of whether you hold a strategic, functional, or hybrid role, there are some fundamental rules that you should consider. These rules have become the new normal for IT leaders, and they include the following: Testing minimum viable versions of your new initiatives, whether modernizing legacy systems or launching new products and services. Moving from a CapEx to an OpEx model when purchasing software, as committing millions of dollars in licensing costs before seeing any return on investment, is not desirable. Being able to serve business goals and work collaboratively across functions. By keeping these ground rules in mind, you can tackle any challenge, from partnering with executive leadership to define the technology strategy to identifying and implementing technology solutions that meet current and future IT needs. You can also effectively manage annual IT staffing, purchasing and operations, and capital budgets. Why Should IT Leaders Leverage Business Process Automation? To begin, the company or industry to which you belong determines a lot as to how business process automation can help you achieve business goals. For instance, organizations can improve efficiency, accuracy, and customer satisfaction in healthcare, manufacturing, and financial services by leveraging business process automation. It also helps them reduce the cost of operations, stay competitive in their respective markets, and launch new solutions and apps. Healthcare : In healthcare, you can automate patient data management, appointment scheduling, and insurance claims processing to increase patient intake and service quality. It can lead to faster and more accurate diagnosis, a reduction in wait times, and improvement of patient outcomes. Manufacturing : For IT leaders in manufacturing, automating processes such as inventory management, order processing, and quality control can increase efficiency and reduce errors. It can improve production timelines, increase output, and enhance product quality. Financial Services : Banks and (re)insurance firms use BPA platforms to automate processes such as loan processing, claims processing, account opening, and regulatory compliance to improve operations and service accuracy. It results in faster loan approvals, claims settlement, better customer service, and reduced risk of compliance issues. Candidate Processes for Automation Manufacturing Inventory management Order-to-cash Quality control and Compliance reporting Healthcare Patient data management Appointment scheduling Insurance claims processing Financial Services Account opening Loan and claims processing Regulatory compliance Hence, BPA technologies help in providing strategic process capabilities across: Functions Industries Strategic transformation initiatives Also think of your automation needs in terms of: Long-running processes Mid-running processes Short-running processes For example, if you are automating a process that requires pausing at any stage and awaiting external input, such as an event or human task, then you should look for BPA platforms that can elegantly handle long-running processes (from a month to a few years). BPA is a better technology for handling mid- and long-running processes. Taking healthcare, manufacturing, and financial service as reference industries, below is a sample list of long-running processes you can automate using a modern BPA platform. Long Running Processes Healthcare Drug approval and clinical trial reporting Patient diagnosis and treatment planning Electronic medical records management Manufacturing Product research, prototyping, and testing Supply chain management Quality assurance and control Financial Services Loan approval and processing Risk management and compliance International trade management/risk assessment of certain entities Best Practices for BPA That IT Leaders Should Know One of the critical factors in the success of BPA implementation is identifying the right processes to automate. We’ve listed the most and least automatable processes based on research by IBM Institute for Business Value research and the American Productivity and Quality Center (APQC). Some of the most automatable processes include: Payroll process Perform revenue accounting Process accounts payable and expenses Deliver/support information technology services Customer service contracts management Product recall and audit management You can read more about these processes in “ A Quick Start Guide to Business Process Automation .” To implement BPA solutions successfully, IT leaders must collaborate closely with business stakeholders. They should identify the processes that will benefit the most from automation and assess the impact of automation on organizational goals. IT leaders should involve stakeholders from the start of the implementation process. Testing and monitoring the BPA solution are also critical for success, and IT leaders should establish a testing and monitoring framework to promptly identify and address any issues. Lastly, the BPA solution should be designed to be scalable, flexible, and integrated with other systems and technologies. It helps adapt to changes in the business environment, such as new regulations, process changes, and technological advancements. Business Process Automation Made Easy With AgilePoint AgilePoint is a low code / no code development platform that has helped IT leaders to develop, deploy, and manage Business Process Automation (BPA) solutions quickly and efficiently. As a complete hyper-automation stack, AgilePoint has all the technology needed to deliver cross-functional automation and digital transformation for the modern enterprise. AgilePoint's advanced features for Business Process Automation , including Artificial Intelligence (AI), Event-Driven Software Architecture, Robotic Process Automation (RPA), Intelligent Business Process Management Suites (iBPM), and Integration Platform as a Service (iPaaS), help organizations automate complex business processes easily, improve process efficiency, and enhance productivity leading to better business outcomes. With its collaboration features, including shared workflows and real-time notifications, AgilePoint can fill gaps in communication and collaboration among teams. AgilePoint is an excellent solution for businesses that want to ensure compliance, minimize risk, and reduce errors by improving their governance and controls. Moreover, AgilePoint's multi-tenancy, flexible deployment options, and value-based pricing allows IT leaders to scale their automation efforts as their business grows, staying ahead of the competition and responding to changing business needs. Working With AgilePoint Whether it's HR onboarding, procurement, customer service, or any other business process, AgilePoint can help organizations automate it easily. General Conference Corporation of Seventh-day Adventists (GC-SDA), the authoritative body of the Seventh-day Adventist Church used AgilePoint to streamline its intricate HR workflows and processes . The platform facilitated communication and integration with all the other GC-SDA systems. The company catered to its complex HR business process automation requirements since 2011. It has simplified the recruitment process, previously handled by multiple entities across the globe. AgilePoint also provided custom salary calculations, emergency evacuation instructions, and self-service reports to meet the specific needs of GC-SDA. Johnson Ram, an IT department member at GC-SDA, shared his experience with AgilePoint. He appreciated the platform being innovative, empowering, and budget-friendly. Johnson also mentions the exceptional support provided by AgilePoint throughout their collaboration. Aside from the GC-SDA, AgilePoint also helped the Salvation Army modernize its infrastructure while keeping costs low. As a global non-profit, The Salvation Army serves millions of people worldwide while operating on a tight budget. With outdated Lotus Notes infrastructure, the organization moved to Microsoft Office 365 and SharePoint. However, using Microsoft technologies alone was not a cost-effective way to build applications that met the organization's diverse needs. To meet their needs, The Salvation Army turned to AgilePoint to build a wide range of applications, from simple apps for internal use to complex ones for external use, through the help of citizen developers. It helped the organization move forward with its digital transformation efforts without blowing its transformation budget. Get Started with BPA and AgilePoint Low-code solutions like AgilePoint allow organizations to innovate and remain competitive without extensive technical expertise, making it a smart choice for organizations of all sizes. To get started, request a personalized demo of AgilePoint Business Process Automation software today and experience how it can help your business achieve its automation goals!
05 Apr, 2023
The sudden collapse of Silicon Valley Bank (SVB) in March this year serves as a sobering reminder of the 2008 financial crisis. It underscores the importance of sound financial management in keeping a company afloat. As a CFO, your office is like the control tower at an airport during a storm; organizational transformation is like navigating through turbulent weather; your office is critical in guiding the company through this change. Shareholders expect that a CFO’s strategic thinking ensures the organization stays on course and thrives. Hence, financial process automation is needed to keep your house in order. The need to automate and streamline financial processes transcends industries. In professional services, you can improve billing and invoicing by automating your financial processes through automation. In financial services, it improves compliance and risk management; and in high-tech manufacturing, it enhances supply chain management capability and inventory control. This blog post explains financial process automation and introduces AgilePoint, a low code/no code development platform that can help CFOs automate their financial processes. What is Financial Process Automation? Imagine your finance team can focus on strategic decisions instead of manual data entry and processing. That's the power of financial process automation. You can automate routine financial tasks, improve accuracy, and reduce costs by leveraging technology and software. It's like having a financial assistant that never sleeps, makes errors, or takes a break and has a much more robust capability for data analysis! Financial process automation refers to using technology to streamline financial processes and tasks. It can include automating tasks such as invoicing, accounts payable, accounts receivable, budgeting, and financial reporting. Financial process automation can involve software, artificial intelligence, machine learning, and robotics. Examples of Financial Process Automation Accounts payable automation - to streamline invoice processing, approval, and payment. Automated expense management - to simplify the submission, review, and reimbursement of employee expenses. Robotic process automation (RPA) - to automate routine tasks such as data entry, reconciliation, and report generation. Automated payroll processing - to simplify payroll calculations, deductions, and tax filings. AgilePoint Powers Up Financial Processes AgilePoint is a low code/no code development platform that can help CFOs automate their financial processes. The platform integrates with popular business software like Office365, SAP, Salesforce, Anaplan, and other enterprise systems. It empowers finance teams to create custom workflows and automation using a visual drag-and-drop interface. It allows users to automate complex financial processes without the need for coding expertise or customizing their enterprise systems. A Fortune 100 firm used AgilePoint to extend its Anaplan workflows. For example, AgilePoint can automate the approval process for purchase orders or invoice payments, ensuring that the process is compliant and efficient. Some customers also use AgilePoint to automate their vendor payment process , which can be time-consuming and error-prone. The automated workflow can include steps such as invoice receipt, validation, and approval, and can be integrated with the organization's accounting software for seamless processing. Top Features of AgilePoint for Financial Process Automation Financial process automation is an exciting new frontier for accounting and finance professionals. What used to require a team of developers and months of work can now be done in a fraction of the time with AgilePoint low code / no code development platform. Here are some of the key features that make financial process automation easy and fast with AgilePoint: Artificial Intelligence (AI) AgilePoint's AI-driven execution and machine learning capabilities can help automate real-time financial processes. This feature can be handy in cases where processes need to adapt to changing business conditions, such as risk management or fraud detection. Event-Driven Software Architecture This feature can help improve the scalability and responsiveness of financial applications. It provides access to the data and context needed for better business decisions, enabling organizations to make informed decisions quickly. Robotic Process Automation (RPA) AgilePoint's connectors for popular RPA tools like UiPath , Automation Anywhere , Power Automate , and Blue Prism enable employees to focus on higher priority tasks and increase their productivity—by allowing the automation of routine, monotonous tasks. Integration Platform as a Service (iPaaS) The platform's iPaaS capabilities enable organizations to easily integrate with essential business software, such as ERP and accounting systems. It gives businesses a more comprehensive range of functionality and reduces stress levels. Low-Code Development Tool The AgilePoint low-code platform allows users to develop, integrate, and deploy new financial apps with no or minimal coding—and the result is an accelerated automation process that reduces costs and improves efficiency. Financial Processes you Can Automate With AgilePoint Accounts Payable Accounts payable is a financial process that involves managing vendor invoices, processing payments, and maintaining accurate records. With AgilePoint, organizations can automate the accounts payable process by creating workflows that capture invoice data, route invoices for approval, and process payments. Accounts Receivable Accounts receivable is a financial process that involves managing customer invoices, tracking payments, and collecting outstanding balances. AgilePoint allows users to create custom workflows that automate the accounts receivable process, reducing manual efforts and improving cash flow management. Budgeting & Approvals Budgeting is a financial process that involves creating and managing budgets for an organization. You can also automate the budgeting process using AgilePoint workflow recipes (capture budget data, send it for approval, and monitor actual expenses against budgets). You can also automate your approval requests using AgilePoint. Benefits of AgilePoint for Financial Process Automation The benefits of using AgilePoint low code / no code development platform for financial process automation include: Regulatory Compliance: Automating financial processes with AgilePoint can help finance executives ensure that monetary transactions comply with the company's policies and regulatory requirements. Automated workflows can enforce business rules and audit trails, making tracking and managing financial transactions easier. Improved Collaboration: AgilePoint's workflow automation tools can enable CFOs to collaborate with other departments and stakeholders. For example, you can extend Anaplan workflows and include finance, sales, and operations teams or stakeholders, allowing for better coordination and alignment. Scalability: As organizations grow and evolve, their financial processes must scale to meet the demand. AgilePoint's low-code platform enables CFO Officers to quickly build and deploy new workflows as the business requirements change. Key Takeaway Just as in the aftermath of the crisis, the fallout from SVB's default is a cautionary tale for companies of all sizes and industries. Bankruptcies and buyouts triggered by the SVB crisis call for vigilance and prudence in financial decision-making, as the consequences of lax financial management, can be devastating. AgilePoint is a low code/no code development platform that can help CFOs to automate their financial processes. With AgilePoint, CFOs can create custom workflows and automation without the need for coding expertise. CFOs can gain real-time visibility into financial data by automating processes with AgilePoint, enabling them to make better-informed decisions for their business. To learn more about how AgilePoint can help with your financial process automation, schedule a personalized demo now!
27 Mar, 2023
In the modern business landscape, supply chain management has become a critical component of success, and it's vital for all industries, including high-tech and discrete manufacturing, automotive, and logistics. As companies expand their operations globally, supply chain processes become increasingly complex, making it challenging for businesses to stay competitive. Supply chain management involves coordinating and managing a complex network of suppliers, manufacturers, distributors, retailers, and customers. However, managing a supply chain is an arduous and time-consuming task. Fortunately, there is a solution to this problem: Business Process Automation (BPA). By automating supply chain management processes, companies can streamline operations, reduce costs, and improve efficiency. In this blog post, we will explore some benefits and use cases of BPA in supply chain management and shed light on how it can revolutionize your business operations. Let's dive in and discover how BPA can take your supply chain management to the next level. Benefits of Business Process Automation in Supply Chain Management Business Process Automation (BPA) is becoming increasingly popular in supply chain management, and for a good reason. By automating supply chain processes, businesses can achieve significant benefits, including increased efficiency, improved accuracy, and cost savings. 1. Increased Efficiency One of the most significant benefits of Business Process Automation in Supply Chain Management is improved efficiency. BPA eliminates the need for manual data entry, reduces the number of errors, and streamlines the entire supply chain process. Automation can also reduce the time it takes to complete a task, allowing employees to focus on more complex and critical tasks that require human input. BPA can also improve efficiency by providing real-time visibility into supply chain operations. By automating data collection and analysis, BPA can provide real-time insights into inventory levels, order status, and delivery times, enabling businesses to make informed decisions quickly. This visibility can also help enterprises identify supply chain bottlenecks and take corrective action to improve efficiency. 2. Improved Accuracy When it comes to supply chain management, business process automation can help reduce the risk of errors and ensure that the supply chain is running smoothly and efficiently with improved accuracy through several ways: Elimination of manual errors: Manual data entry can lead to errors, which can significantly impact supply chain management. Automation can eliminate these errors by reducing the need for manual data entry, thus improving the accuracy of the data. Standardization of processes: Business process automation can help standardize processes across the supply chain, ensuring that everyone follows the same procedures and reducing the risk of errors due to inconsistent processes. Predictive analytics: Automation can also enable predictive analytics to help predict demand and supply chain disruptions, allowing for more accurate planning and forecasting. 3. Cost Savings Another significant benefit of Business Process Automation in Supply Chain Management is cost savings. BPA can help reduce labor costs by automating manual tasks and eliminating the need for additional personnel. Automation can also reduce the risk of errors, leading to costly mistakes or delays in the supply chain process.  AI and machine learning also help optimize supply chain processes, such as forecasting and inventory management, which can lead to cost savings. Use Cases of Business Process Automation in Supply Chain Management Business process automation has become increasingly popular in recent years as businesses seek to increase efficiency, improve accuracy, and reduce costs in operations. Supply chain management is one area where automation can have a significant impact. These different use cases of business process automation in supply chain management highlight how automation can help businesses to improve their operations, from inventory management to order processing and fulfillment. 1. Inventory Management Inventory management is a critical area where BPA helps in supply chain management. BPA can automate inventory-level tracking, enabling supply chain managers to monitor stock levels in real-time and identify when supplies run low. Automation can also help optimize inventory levels by predicting demand and ensuring that the right products are in stock when needed. 2. Order Processing and Fulfillment Business process automation can help with order processing and fulfillment in supply chain management by improving speed and accuracy, providing real-time tracking information, automating procurement and fulfillment, and enabling businesses to process a higher volume of orders more efficiently. Automating tasks such as order entry and routing can speed the process of order fulfillment, reducing the time it takes to complete orders while improving customer satisfaction. With real-time data on order status, businesses can track orders more accurately and provide customers with up-to-date information. Moreover, automated shipping and fulfillment processes can reduce manual labor, increase efficiency in supply chain management, and be a valuable asset for many businesses. Lastly, business process automation in supply chain management can help process a higher volume of orders more efficiently, reducing the need for additional resources and increasing revenue potential. 3. Contract Monitoring Business process automation can help with contract monitoring in supply chain management by automating several processes related to contract management, including contract creation, tracking, and compliance monitoring. Businesses can reduce the risk of contract-related issues and improve overall efficiency in supply chain management by implementing automation in these areas. Automated contract creation can streamline the process, reducing the time required to create contracts and improving accuracy. Meanwhile, automated contract tracking can help eliminate some of the most common supply chain management problems by allowing companies to monitor their contracts, identify critical milestones that may be overlooked, and prevent essential issues from going unnoticed. Furthermore, business process automation can provide real-time data on contract performance, enabling businesses to reduce costs associated with contract-related issues and the risk of legal and financial penalties. Automating supply chain management with AgilePoint AgilePoint is a global technology provider helping organizations transform into digitally-oriented businesses through a no-code/low-code application platform called AgilePoint NX. AgilePoint customers use AgilePoint NX to develop various applications and create a software-driven enterprise . An LCNC platform like AgilePoint helps supply chain management firms address their need for speed in innovating by addressing two levels of processes—core IT and collaboration. Supply chain management providers use the AgilePoint platform in unique ways that are tailored to their current needs. For example, one company uses it to automate business processes such as sales activity monitoring and process development. In contrast, another has used it to extend its core capabilities of ERP solutions already being used by a logistics provider. If you're looking for a way to streamline your supply chain management procedures, contact us today to discover how AgilePoint software might be the solution.
24 Mar, 2023
As businesses grow and evolve, the need for efficient and effective automation tools increases. Business Process Automation (BPA) software provides a comprehensive platform for automating and streamlining business processes, thereby improving productivity, reducing costs, and enhancing the overall employee or customer experience. Today, it's important to take a closer look at the essential capabilities of BPA software that will help businesses stay ahead of the curve. In this blog post, we'll explore the seven crucial capabilities of BPA software that are critical for 2023. By understanding these capabilities, businesses can make informed decisions about which BPA software solutions best suit their needs and ensure they remain competitive. Artificial Intelligence Artificial Intelligence (AI) is becoming a more critical capability of Business Process Automation (BPA) software. AI allows businesses to automate complex tasks using natural language processing (NLP) and machine learning (ML) algorithms. By incorporating AI into BPA software, companies can improve processes over time. It can also become a key technology for your Continuous Improvement (CI) program. As AI technology continues to evolve, its importance in BPA software will only increase, making it a critical capability for businesses to consider when selecting BPA software solutions. Intelligent Business Process Management Suites (iBPMS) iBPMS suite is essential to any Business Process Automation Software solution because it provides businesses with various tools to support all process automation needs. It is a more robust and capable version of the BPM suite. We captured the key difference between BPM Suite and an iBPMS in our post “ A quick start guide to business process management for the enterprise ”. In summary, the Gartner image below captures the essence of differences between BPM and iBPMS.
BPA Use Cases
21 Mar, 2023
Business Process Automation (BPA) software has revolutionized how companies operate, enabling them to automate repetitive and time-consuming tasks and freeing their employees to focus on high-value work. While there are many use cases for BPA software, certain ones have stood the test of time and continue providing significant benefits to companies across various industries. These "evergreen" use cases of BPA software have consistently delivered high customer ROI. In this blog post, we'll discuss the top 8 evergreen use cases of BPA software and how they can help your business achieve greater efficiency, reduce costs, and improve the quality of your products or services. 1. Document Automation Document management is a critical BPA software use case because it helps companies organize and store documents efficiently. Business users automate generating new documents, ensuring compliance with various regulations and standards, and maintaining a consistent format across all documents. It also provides that only authorized personnel have access to certain types of information or data within a company's system. 2. Financial Process Automation Automating and managing financial resources is a critical use case for business process automation, such as invoicing and payment processing, tracking expenses and budgets, generating financial reports, and more. Large enterprises use financial planning software like Anaplan for Finance, Workday, and Oracle EPM to manage their corporate performance and financial reporting. A mature business process automation (BPA) platform allows finance teams to extend the workflows and processes of their enterprise planning software. 3. Recruitment and HR Process Automation Managing recruitment and HR processes is also one of the critical BPA use cases because it can significantly streamline operations, save time, and reduce costs. Recruiting and HR processes involve numerous repetitive and time-consuming tasks, such as screening resumes, scheduling interviews, collecting and tracking candidate information, and managing employee data. These tasks can be automated using software tools and technologies, freeing HR professionals to focus on more strategic tasks, such as employee engagement and retention. 4. Customer Service Automation Businesses want to provide their customers with the best possible support experience. Companies accomplish it by automating customer service processes such as self-service options, support ticket management, and email/chat support. With BPA, businesses can improve response times, reduce errors, provide personalized service, and gain valuable insights into customer behavior. As a result, companies can build stronger relationships with their customers, improve their reputation, and ultimately increase their bottom line. 5. Supply Chain Optimization Supply chain optimization is more than managing inventory and fulfilling orders; it's also about ensuring the business has the right resources to fulfill customer demands. It's essential to predict the demand for products and services, as well as how much inventory the business needs to keep on hand to cover all the needs of its customers and employees. Business process automation software can help with this by automating tasks like forecasting demand based on historical data, calculating how much inventory will be needed based on those forecasts, and then generating reports that help the business understand what happened during each phase of the supply chain process. 6. Quality Assurance Reporting Businesses have to be able to guarantee their product quality to a certain level if they want to stay competitive in today's market. It means that much time and effort goes into testing the product before releasing it on the market. But this process can be costly and time-consuming, thus making it an expensive part of the business. In highly regulated industries like manufacturing and financial services, streamlining QA processes is crucial to scale the QA processes. 7. Security Process Automation Cyber Security is another BPA use case because it's essential to ensure that a company has the right tools to protect its sensitive data and prevent breaches. Business process automation software can help automate many tasks involved with keeping up with security regulations, including monitoring access and usage, automating threat detection, and automating patch management. With business process automation software, an organization can ensure that all employees have strong passwords, no access to sensitive data, and are not doing anything illegal with the systems. It allows IT teams to spend less time manually checking each employee's credentials, which frees up time to focus on more important tasks like creating better security policies or improving other aspects of their company's infrastructure. 8. Regulatory Compliance Reporting/Automation Businesses are under constant pressure to meet regulatory requirements. They need to be compliant with their industry's regulations, but they also need to ensure that they comply with local laws and regulations. Regulatory compliance is a considerable challenge for businesses because these rules can change quickly and often. A company must always ensure its processes are updated and accurate to continue operating without interruption when new regulations are introduced or when existing regulations change. Business process automation software can help businesses meet regulatory requirements by automating processes that require human intervention. This Software can also help companies comply with regulations by providing actionable insights into their operations to identify areas where there are gaps between process execution and compliance requirements. Key Takeaway Business process automation software can be valuable for any company looking to improve its efficiency, reduce costs, and streamline its workflows. With its ability to automate repetitive tasks, eliminate errors caused by manual processes, and ensure compliance with various regulations, business process automation can also improve the quality of its products and services. Considering the various use cases discussed in this article, you can find the right BPA software for your business and start reaping the benefits of automation today. If you're looking for a reliable Business Process Automation Software platform, AgilePoint has got you covered. A Fortune 100 Defense equipment firm chose AgilePoint to re-platform legacy applications built on a publicly listed BPM vendor to accelerate its post-merger operational integration. The company implemented a comprehensive software suite to modernize antiquated financial processes and make payments to its suppliers. It also migrated 100s of applications previously made in K2 Software, spending and budgeting process automation, and automating lease management processes through AgilePoint. With its cutting-edge technology, AgilePoint can help you re-engineer your business processes to respond more quickly and efficiently to customer demands instead of relying on hard-coded ERPs. Don't wait any longer to streamline your workflows and take your business to the next level. Contact AgilePoint today and let us help you achieve your automation goals.
16 Mar, 2023
Business process automation projects can be a challenge to manage. They require a deep understanding of the business processes, a thorough understanding of your technology and data integration capabilities, and an eye for detail. You need to ensure that you get all areas right to take advantage of all opportunities for improvement or create inefficiencies. It's essential to understand the importance of different roles for complex business process automation projects and how they fit into the BPA management lifecycle: The Digital Transformation Leader Complex business process automation projects are a unique beast. They require a diverse set of skills and leadership that can be difficult to find. In a McKinsey survey , nearly 70 percent of respondents said their organizations' top teams had changed during transformation—usually when new leaders familiar with digital technologies joined the management team. The same survey also found that only about a third of the respondents had hired a chief digital officer to support their transformations. But they were significantly more likely (1.6 times) to succeed in the digital transformation. It shows that the digital transformation leader is the key to success in these projects because a leader is the primary driver of a company's business process automation efforts. The role is crucial as it ensures that everyone involved in a complex process automation project clearly understands what they're trying to accomplish. The digital transformation leader needs to communicate their vision, so everyone knows why they're working together and what they hope to achieve. The digital transformation leader is able to manage people, budgets, and timelines while also keeping an eye on the big picture. He ensures the project stays on track and delivers its intended results. Digital transformation leaders are usually Chief Information Officers (CIOs), Chief Digital Officers(CDOs), or Transformation officers with a well-rounded skill set—they are both tech and business experts—enabling them to see opportunities where others may not be able to. The Enterprise Architects A McKinsey survey found that more than 40 percent of respondents indicated that business leaders in their companies must be made aware of what enterprise architects do. Enterprise architects are responsible for greenlighting the BPA platform that the company will use, assessing security and governance aspects, and ensuring the platform aligns well with the enterprise IT stack. EAs create a plan that outlines the specifics of technical projects and what they will look like when finished. They'll also be responsible for ensuring that everything works together seamlessly—from the software used to run the system to how employees will interact with it. Enterprise architects have a unique perspective on how all aspects of a company interact, allowing them to identify problems before they happen and solve them proactively. They have a deep understanding of how each part of the organization works and its goals and objectives. They also understand how complex business process automation can help achieve those goals. It means that enterprise architects are vital to the success of complex business process automation projects. Moreover, this role is crucial because of the responsibility to ensure that all teams are working toward a common goal: having a successful project! They work with business leaders, technology teams, and other stakeholders to ensure that the systems in place can support the company's mission and goals. The Citizen Developers A citizen developer is any employee who uses the tools available to create software. The idea of citizen development is that all employees are citizens in the company and should be empowered to do what they can to help their company succeed—regardless of whether they're a developer by profession. Yaniv Levi, Technical Services Director at AgilePoint, defines citizen developers as "Any employee who creates a software which is not a developer by its role or position". Traditionally, IT professionals have managed complex projects. But in today's world of increasing complexity and pace of change, some companies need additional help—from Citizen Developers who aren't necessarily full-time developers but share the same passion for technology as their colleagues. Citizen developers can be crucial to the success of complex business process automation projects because they often have the most intimate knowledge of how a system works and what it needs, as they are usually also the end users but don't have formal training or experience in programming. You can train your employees to become Citizen developers through courses like AgilePoint NX v8 Getting Started Training , where they'll learn an overview of the platform's enterprise-class low-code/no-code development automation capabilities. With AgilePoint's training and platform , citizen developers can learn the fundamentals of task automation and cross-functional automation and implement them within their organization. Bonus: The Executive Sponsors Executive sponsors are crucial to the success of complex business process automation projects because they are responsible for setting the vision, goals, and objectives of the business process automation project. They set the tone for the organization by deciding a BPA project's business goals, KPIs, and milestones. An excellent executive sponsor can inspire the team with their vision for success and motivate them to do their best work. In addition, executive sponsors should understand what's involved in business process automation to provide guidance for their organizations and communicate effectively with other executives within the company who may need to become more familiar with such initiatives. They should be enthusiastic about the project, capable of communicating its benefits to other stakeholders, and able to make decisions about its progress. Key Takeaway Businesses across industries are turning to complex process automation projects to reduce costs, gather data and insights, and improve customer service. The success of complex business process automation projects is directly linked to the skills and expertise of the people involved in them. The good news is that roles are crucial for the success of these projects: digital transformation leader, enterprise architect, citizen developer, and executive sponsor. But these projects also require many resources, some of which take years to complete. That's where AgilePoint comes in! AgilePoint is the right platform that organizations need for a successful digital transformation. It's a modern platform that helps enterprises transform how their company innovates and operates. Discover how AgilePoint can help you automate your business workflows and processes at scale to build robust applications faster on a low-code development platform. Request a FREE personal demo today!
13 Mar, 2023
For high-tech manufacturers, the business is more than just a manufacturing plant; it's an entire ecosystem—and it's essential to manage the whole gamut of processes within the organization and ensure they run smoothly. Business process automation is precisely what high-tech manufacturing companies need. Automating business processes is a great way to improve efficiency, save time and money, and increase the quality of products. But it's often difficult for companies to know where to start regarding automation. In this blog post, we'll talk about five business processes that can be automated using Business Process Automation (BPA) software and help high-tech manufacturers streamline these processes. High Tech Manufacturing: A Unique Business High-tech manufacturing is unique because of the extreme complexity of its supply chain network, continuous upgrades required for better product quality and performance, and strict adherence to compliance norms. They need to be able to quickly identify and solve problems without causing any production interruptions while doing so. The key to meeting these challenges is through business process automation. It is a method by which companies can streamline their operations, making it easier for them to execute their core competencies while freeing up time and resources that they would otherwise need to spend on routine tasks. Process 1: Order to Cash The order-to-cash cycle is a sequence of steps from the beginning of the order (when a high-tech manufacturer first receives it) until that manufacturer receives payment for that product or service. It reflects whether or not the company can meet its customers' needs promptly and if it can provide its services efficiently. Manufacturing firms must ensure that this Order to Cash cycle is efficient and effective, or potential customers will go elsewhere. Business process automation can help increase the efficiency of the Cash process by reducing manual steps involved in completing orders (e.g., data entry), automating payments through ACH or wire transfer, and automating invoice processing. Process 2: Asset Service Management High-tech manufacturing is an asset-intensive business, constantly introducing new machines, tools, and equipment into its facilities. But managing these assets can be a daunting task. Asset management in manufacturing companies is often manual and involves gathering data from various sources and generating reports for management at different levels of an organization — including senior-level decision-making. Companies can use a BPA solution to help them manage and maintain their tangible assets. With business process automation, manufacturers can get an overview of all the tangible assets—even those that are spread out across multiple locations—and make sure they're being taken care of in an efficient and cost-effective way. Process 3: Payroll Processing Payroll is one of the essential functions in any organization, but it can also be extremely time-consuming—especially when dealing with a large number of employees. Not only do manufacturers need to calculate each employee's salary based on their position, but they also need to make sure that all of the appropriate taxes are calculated and paid on time, as well as any other benefits that are owed under human resources policies (such as vacation days). Business process automation software can help in payroll processing by enabling companies to easily create employee paychecks, track hours worked, and other relevant information. It will save money in the long run because it doesn't require additional employees and will also help reduce errors than traditional methods. Process 4: Regulatory Compliance High-tech manufacturers must ensure that their products meet regulatory requirements at every stage of production and distribution. Failure to do so can result in fines or lawsuits from government agencies or private organizations such as consumer protection groups or trade unions. The problem is that the regulations themselves can be quite complex, and they change all the time. Enter business process automation. With BPA, manufacturers can automate the processes and integrate the systems, which means access to all the information in one place—without the need to hunt for it across different platforms. It will make it much easier for high-tech manufacturers to meet regulatory requirements with just a few clicks instead of going through multiple steps manually (and potentially making mistakes). By automating this process using BPA software, high-tech firms will save time while ensuring that all processes operate within legal parameters at all times. Process 5: Incident Reporting Incident reporting is critical to any company's operations, but it can be time-consuming and expensive if done manually. It's challenging to track what's happening in one plant, let alone across multiple plants with thousands of employees. Implementing automated workflow features helps companies comply with OSHA incident reporting requirements. However, it is only half the battle—putting the right technology in place is just as important as ensuring that all employees adopt and comply with new processes once implemented. With business process automation, high-tech manufacturers can create a straightforward and easy-to-understand incident reporting process that anyone can follow. This automated process helps address the issue quickly and resolve it as soon as possible. Bonus Process: Supplier Conformance Process Supplier conformance is a process that helps manufacturers to determine if the suppliers are meeting the set quality standards. It's essential to have a formal process in place for supplier evaluation because it gives an objective way of measuring their performance and ensuring they're producing high-quality products. With so many suppliers and products worldwide, it can take much work to keep track of them all. That's where business process automation comes in. High-tech manufacturers can improve the supplier conformance process by automating data collection and analysis to audit conformance without relying on human labor or manual processes. This way, high-tech manufacturers can ensure suppliers adhere to all necessary regulations. Key Takeaway High-tech manufacturing is a complex business, but it's possible to automate. With the right BPA software and a little creativity, high-tech manufacturers can easily automate many manufacturing processes. Elbit Systems Ltd., a global innovator, and developer of defense, homeland security, and commercial systems, modernized its application development process by deploying AgilePoint . AgilePoint's low-code framework allows IT to build reusable no-code components that interact seamlessly with the company's underlying systems. Through AgilePoint's low-code framework, Elbit analysts would create applications that serve as shared services among subsidiaries, the parent company, and other partners – and orchestrate among them while complying with regulatory requirements. If you want to learn more about how AgilePoint's Business Process Automation solutions can help your manufacturing company automate its workflow and save time and money, contact AgilePoint today !
10 Feb, 2023
Automation is the key to success in any business. It's a simple fact: the less time you spend on manual tasks, the more time you have to focus on your business core. With automation, companies can achieve greater efficiency, improved productivity, and higher customer satisfaction. But if you're not strategic, it can also waste time and money. So how do you ensure that your automation strategy is successful? This post will cover three best practices for creating a successful automation strategy that will take your organization from good to great. 1. Determine Your Business Automation Goal. Before starting a solution, it is essential to define the problem. The first step in creating a successful automation strategy is determining your organization's objectives for automation. Determining your automation goal can help you achieve a successful business automation strategy that meets your needs and goals. It's important to consider what you want out of automating your business before diving in headfirst. For example, you want to improve customer experience, increase revenue growth, or reduce risk. Once you've decided on your goal, you can determine which automation strategies will help get you there. Operational efficiency One of the most common automation goals is to streamline business processes to become more efficient and effective. It is imperative if you have many employees or customers to manage, and you can reduce costs by automating manual tasks, such as data entry or approvals. Revenue growth Another automation goal is to generate more revenue by increasing the number of customers or improving the customer retention rate. If your business has grown to the point where it takes more work for employees to manually enter every order into an online payment platform before processing payments, then an automated solution might help you cut down on paperwork while also increasing revenue from sales. Customer experience Automation can also help businesses provide a superior customer experience. Automation can streamline customer service functions like live chat and ticket resolution if your company is trying to improve how customers interact with you. Rate of innovation Automation is the way to go if you want to stay on the cutting edge of innovation. Using automation to test new ideas and concepts, you can see which ones work well and which don't. It gives you a leg up on the competition because it allows you to move faster. Additionally, automation can help you implement these changes quicker and at a lower cost than if you did everything manually. Risk reduction Automation allows you to take many of the manual tasks prone to human error out of the equation, which means you will make fewer mistakes. It can lead to higher quality products, more consistent results, and happier customers. For example, if you're running an e-commerce site, automation can help ensure that the products and services you offer are always available. Without automation, it would be up to you or your employees to manually restock inventory when items sell out—and this could lead to customers having trouble finding what they want at any given time. Again, automation is a powerful tool for businesses, and it can help achieve any number of goals. From operational efficiency to revenue growth to customer experience to rate of innovation, your goals for automation are up to you. However, achieving any of these goals requires a solid strategy. 2. Establish an Automation Center of Excellence Inside the Organization. According to AI Multiple , an automation center of excellence (CoE) is a business unit that oversees and coordinates all automation initiatives within your organization. To establish an enterprise-wide approach to automation strategy, companies must look at the entire picture and gather a dedicated unit of experts, including automation strategy leaders, analysts, and developers. We cannot overstate the importance of establishing an automation center of excellence: it's the foundation for successful projects across the company in terms of planning and execution. The COE unit will be responsible for developing automation strategy, guidelines, and roadmaps, providing technical guidance for project implementation, monitoring project progress, and providing support to teams as needed. 3. Use Citizen Developers to Get ROI Fast. If you want to get ROI as quickly as possible, citizen development is the answer. Citizen developers are an essential part of your automation strategy, and they can help you get ROI very rapidly and are easy to train. When you create a training program for citizen developers, you are building a pipeline that will keep replenishing itself with new talent as people come and go from your organization. Citizen development platforms like AgilePoint make it easy for anyone with basic computer skills to build apps in hours instead of months--and those apps solve real business problems immediately! The more you discover how an app developed on a citizen platform fills your needs, the more value it provides you. Implement Successful Business Automation with AgilePoint Business automation is not just about getting things done faster and more efficiently; it's also about ensuring that your organization benefits from it as much as possible. With AgilePoint, there are so many ways to do just that! AgilePoint will help you to implement a successful automation strategy. The low-code development platform delivers powerful features that can bring citizen developers into the fold and accelerate the time to create digital solutions. AgilePoint's mission is to empower today's "citizen developers" by making it easy for them to create enterprise apps that solve business problems quickly, cost-effectively, and efficiently. Request a personalized demo of AgilePoint Business Process Automation software today and experience how it can help your business accelerate and succeed in its journey toward scalable and cross-functional automation and digital transformation! After the demo, you'll be able to choose a plan that best suits your organization’s needs.
By Sharjeel Sohaib 07 Feb, 2023
As a leading platform vendor in the Business Process Automation (BPA) space, we've witnessed the transformative power of BPA firsthand. From boosting efficiency to streamlining operations, the benefits are undeniable. We've gathered inspiring success stories from enterprises that have unlocked the full potential of BPA. In this comprehensive guide, you'll explore: The evolution of Business Process Automation Types of automation Critical differences of BPA and Robotic Process Automation (RPA) You'll also discover The most and least automatable processes The tools, use cases, and benefits of BPA. But that's not all. We've included a section for frequently asked questions (FAQs) to answer your questions. Join us on a journey of discovery and unlock the true potential of Business Process Automation. By the end, you'll have a solid understanding and the confidence to take your business processes from nascent to mature. What is Business Process Automation (BPA)? Business process automation (BPA) means using software to automate manual and repeatable business processes. BPA solutions are generally complex, connected to multiple enterprise information technology (IT) systems, and custom developed by in-house business and IT teams specifically to the requirements of an organization. We emphasize that using BPA software to automate simple tasks is overkill because you can automate simple departmental tasks/workflow with task-automation SaaS (Software-as-a-Service) solutions. For more complex processes, analyst firm Gartner recommends that firms should use BPA platforms to automate business processes that are: Event-driven Mission-critical Core processes For example, you can easily automate activities like approving/assigning tasks and querying a database using a point solution (a single use-case SaaS app). However, enterprise BPA software is a better alternative if your company operates on a larger scale with operations across multiple territories/countries with complex processes and dynamic process logic to achieve business outcomes. We begin with the evolution of BPA to understand the context of using BPA tools. Evolution from ERP to BPM to BPA Business Process Automation has evolved from multiple technologies. Starting from Manufacturing Resource Planning (MRP), Enterprise Resource Planning (ERP), and Business Process Management (BPM), we have reached BPA (and a much-restricted variant called Robotic Process Automation). Historically, a common objective has been optimizing business processes as executives consider these processes their lifeblood. The result was the development of different methods and technologies to optimize and transform operations.
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