What are the challenges and risks of implementing automation for workflows?

The Prepared and Tech-Savvy: These businesses are adept at understanding their automation needs and can easily implement tools. The Aware but Assistance-Seeking: They grasp their requirements but seek technical help for configuring workflows. The Aspirational but Process-Lacking: Intrigued by automation's potential, they lack defined processes. Need assistance to identify suitable processes and offer support for implementation.

Firstly, teams' adaptability is crucial; employees might resist or struggle to adjust to new automated processes if they lack sufficient training or clear communication about the changes. Secondly, errors can arise if automated workflows are not meticulously designed and tested, potentially compromising data accuracy and workflow efficiency. Lastly, effective management is essential; continuous monitoring, updates, and adjustments are necessary to ensure automated systems align with business objectives and operate smoothly over time. Addressing these challenges requires proactive planning, robust change management, and ongoing support to successfully integrate automation into organizational workflows while minimizing risks.

I have found that many of the risks in this area relate to attempts to over-engineer - to seek perfection. The cost of building can quickly outgrow the sought after benefits. For that reason, take the time to define your goals and identify the benefits you are seeking. Try and establish "what good looks like" or in the early stages "what good enough looks like". Think about the word "optimal" here. Try and establish a project which makes incremental improvements towards your goals across your scope, rather than going all-in on the first items. Establish confidence in your approach before you scale your efforts.

When we set ourselves goals, we do so for the end goal. However, we don't start with automation on this end goal, but first try it out on a small scale to see whether the automation we have in mind fits our goals at all. Or whether it actually makes more work. This is often the case when we try to think too big and complex when it comes to automation. That's why we first automate on a small scale and then develop it more and more into a holistic automation.

For an entrepreneur, your goals may be to create more time, space, and energy when it comes to managing your company every day. There is likely only one of you so it is strategic to seek strategies you can implement with software that is available right now to create efficiencies and reduce redundant tasks. Utilizing workflows and automation can be like adding a part-time team member to your support team! Your goal may also be to ensure you give the same level of experience to every lead or client. A workflow with automation can help you do just that!

Mapping out the processes is like peeling back the layers, revealing the gaps and bottlenecks that often go unnoticed. It's a crucial step towards efficiency. Identifying where automation can step in to streamline, without losing the essence of human input, is the sweet spot.

I'd also consider the likelihood of change or flux when considering automation. Put your early efforts into static, predictable and well known and understood processes first.

Implementing automation in process analysis can pose challenges such as technical glitches, security issues, misaligned expectations, and stakeholder resistance. Operational risks may arise from unclear roles and rushed training. The quality of data is crucial for the success of automation, and poor data can hinder progress. Change management can be challenging, and resistance to new technology can create barriers. Integration with existing systems can also be difficult. Lastly, ensuring compliance with regulations can be complex. A solid strategy, careful planning, and active stakeholder engagement are key to mitigating these risks.

My thoughts: - When automating processes, always start with low-impact tasks for quick wins and focus on areas with frequent exceptions and failures. - Use automation to support human decision-making and consider adding redundancies for reliability. - Always question if a task needs automation or can be eliminated. - Gradually automate decision-making to build confidence and free up employees for creative work by automating routine tasks. - Regularly revisit automated processes and include human feedback. - Prioritise flexibility over efficiency and enhance human interactions with automation. - Measure success with metrics like employee satisfaction and error reduction, and use automation to gather insights for improving workflows.

We're in the vertical phase of the exponential curve of how rapid advancements happen. I.e., if you don't know the landscape; if you don't know what's possible (and what's not); and which tools are optimal for what (and which are suboptimal)... it'll be incredibly difficult for you to choose the ideal tools. Spend some time staying up-to-date. 3 minutes a day from a newsletter or a weekly digest email of the biggest news can be sufficient. But you can only adapt properly if you find someone who can: → assess your particular needs → provide specific and useful guidance → knows how to build, test, and deploy solutions → do the above based on a holistic and nuanced view on all options *this post's focus: no/low-code automation & dev*

When deciding on the ideal automation tool for your business, look at where your business is and then where you want it to be one year from now, five years from now. Examine the various plans of the automation tool and see what the lowest plan offers and then what is available in subsequent plans. If you need SMS marketing, a shopping cart, a membership option, etc.—are these available in higher-tier plans, allowing you to grow within the current software versus inevitably having to migrate? This foresight can mitigate the headache, frustration, and exorbitant costs associated with migrating between systems.

For small business owners, it can be intimidating signing up for a system that is expensive and built for those in the corporate workspace. There are many client relationship management systems (CRMs) that are built for the entrepreneur! They are much more cost effective and have multiple tools built in that you need so you can have one monthly software fee instead of many. For example it may also include online signature capabilities, transaction tracking, invoicing, scheduling links, and proposal creation on top of workflow and automation capabilities. Dubsado is one great example of a system "hub" built for an entrepreneur.

Yes, testing a workflow and its automations takes time, but it is not a step you can skip! You'll find small errors like the wrong email going out at the wrong time, or larger errors like a feedback form going out before the project is complete. Make sure to run through the entire workflow before you launch it to our clients. The best way to do this is to set up a test account with an email address you have access to. Attach the workflow to your test account and force actions sooner if need be if they take place over days, weeks or months so that you can test it in a single setting. You'll also want to ensure you create coupon codes to make an offering free if there is a paid component to your workflow so you can use that.

As your experience with automation changes and your offerings change, you should reevaluate your workflows and make adjustments as needed. For the small business owner, you may want to do this after each time you work with someone to adjust it just slightly to make it more user friendly for your client or more efficient on the back end for you. You'll learn every time you utilize the workflow and these small tweaks can make a big difference in saving you time and ensuring the client has an exceptional user experience.

Implementing automation for workflows involves challenges and risks. Defining clear goals is essential for alignment with business objectives, while accurately analyzing processes is crucial for identifying automation opportunities. Choosing suitable tools requires careful evaluation to ensure compatibility, while thorough testing and monitoring are necessary to maintain reliability. Managing change effectively is vital to overcome resistance and foster adoption, while regular reviews and updates ensure alignment with evolving needs. Addressing these challenges demands a comprehensive approach, integrating collaboration, communication, training, and ongoing improvement efforts to maximize the benefits of automation while minimizing risks.

"What gets measured gets done, what gets measured and fed back gets done well, what gets rewarded gets repeated." as P. Drucker said. But this comes with an *often overlooked* caveat: "There is nothing quite so useless as doing with great efficiency something that should not be done at all." Bruce Lee can help here (yes, his lessons strike a chord in business too). "Adapt what is useful, reject what is useless, and add what is specifically your own." Adapt → identify what's *truly* useful (e.g. consult with an expert) Reject → use Drucker's principle Add your own → where your moat is strengthened We've developed a simplified process evaluator. In 2 minutes you'll have a grasp of exactly where to start with automation and AI solutions.

Sometimes those new to automation can be nervous to implement them at first because you lose a personal touch, but I would like to offer one reframe. Even if the process isn't 100% automated, you can automate certain aspects of your workflow to be prepared for you and require it to get your approval before it goes out. For an entrepreneur especially, this means you can get all of the standard emails prepped for you but then have a chance to add some personalization to the top before it goes out. Even though this isn't 100% automated, it will save you tons of time having the email set up and ensures all essential information goes out at the right time.