So, you’ve started your intelligent automation journey, have started seeing the benefits roll in, and you want more.
We don’t blame you! Luckily, it’s very achievable.
But first – we warned in a previous blog about the dangers of scaling intelligent automation too quickly. Understandably, it can be tempting to jump onto the next application of new tech without taking the time to refine your initial project. Still, these post-implementation optimization efforts are invaluable learning experiences that make your future scaling endeavors more successful.
In other words, before you follow the tips for scaling in this blog, be sure you’ve optimized your existing implementations first.
✅ Box checked? Here are four no-skip strategies for scaling your intelligent automation implementation to maximize your investment.
4 No-Skip Strategies to Scale Your Intelligent Automation
How to Scale Your Intelligent Automation: 4 Strategies
1. Establish Clear Goals and a Set Process Organization-Wide
Expanding your intelligent automation implementation organization-wide can become a slippery slope if you don’t have an agreed-upon, specific set of goals and criteria for future projects. The last thing you want is inconsistent implementation quality or for less-than-ideal automation candidates to take up valuable resources.
You can avoid this by setting clear, agreed-upon goals for your intelligent automation program. You can start by reflecting on considerations like:
- What do we want our intelligent automation efforts to achieve, both at a departmental level and a broader organization-wide level, and how do these translate into goals?
- How will these goals support our organization’s short and long-term goals?
- How can we measure the initiative’s progress?
Even if you did a similar exercise before starting your intelligent automation journey, it’s worth revisiting your initial goals and evaluating whether they need to be revised to fit the broader organization. Lastly, be aware that it can be easy to set goals that don’t reach far enough. So, it’s worth asking yourself if your goals will materially benefit your overall organization as they are, or if you need to aim higher.
2. Create a List of Use Cases (And Plan for it to Run Dry)
Since you’re looking at scaling your intelligent automation operation, you probably already have a growing list of hyper-specific, frankly annoying processes you’re itching to automate. But even if that list seems near endless, know that it’s not uncommon for organizations to quickly run through their starting automation wish list.
As a result, it’s to your long-term advantage to not just document as many use cases as possible on a list but also plan your protocol for coming up with additional opportunities down the road.
To plan this protocol, work directly with your operations teams to come up with an inventory of business processes that you can refer to as needed when looking for new automation opportunities. You can also work with them to create a list of qualifications and a priority rating scale to assess future processes. Having this near-exhaustive list and a healthy system in place will boost your scaling activities’ sustainability regardless of what the future holds.
3. Anticipate Resistance and Prepare to Counter It
It’s all too common to encounter resistance when you’re bringing intelligent automation to new areas in your organization. This will surely come as no surprise to you – you’ve almost definitely experienced pushback after your initial intelligent automation project(s).
So, be prepared to experience it again. It’s your job to prepare to counter that resistance by opening your staff’s minds to the possibilities of how this technology can benefit them and answering their questions. You can start preparing for these attitudes by identifying responses to statements like:
- “We just don’t do it that way.”
- “This is how we’ve always done it.”
- “We already tried that and it wasn’t effective.”
- “*Name/Department* will never support that idea.”
- “I don’t think that will work because…”
Often, these responses come from a good place of genuine concern and experience. Still, they may not be aware of the successes you’ve already had with intelligent automation, or the inner workings and benefits this technology can provide. Luckily, this time around, you have proven use cases that show what this technology can accomplish in your own organization.
4. Assign Specific Roles and Responsibilities
In addition to having an established set of goals guiding future implementations, knowing who is responsible for these projects and who isn’t is vital to keeping your scaling activities on track, and precisely what their role involves.
Here are some starting questions you should answer to pin down these roles:
- Who’s responsible for implementing automation instances?
- Who will vet potential automation use cases? Who will approve them?
- Who is in charge of measuring progress and ensuring the initiative is on track to achieve its goals?
- Who’s responsible for ongoing training and change management efforts?
Likely, each of these areas will be led by more than one person, but it’s vital that you determine exactly who those people are.
Then, it’s worth creating an intelligent automation center of excellence (CoE). A CoE is a centralized team that’s responsible for prioritizing, implementing, managing, and tracking intelligent automation deployments organization wide. Having this structured team will make it easier for all involved parties to hold each other accountable and collaborate with regular meetings and set responsibilities. This way, you can ensure your scaling efforts are sustainable as well as efficient.
You can learn more about how to create a center of excellence in this blog – it’s focused on RPA CoEs, but its general steps can apply to intelligent automation, too.
Maximize Your Investment Now
There’s no doubt that the journey of scaling your intelligent automation investment is an exciting one. But to make the most out of it, it’s important to take a strategic approach. By incorporating these strategies into your initiative, you’ll increase its effectiveness and longevity.
If you have any questions or comments on this blog, drop them in the chat below. We’re excited to hear from you!
Want More Content Like This?
Subscribe to the Naviant Blog. Each Thursday, we’ll send you a recap of our latest info-packed blog so you can be among the first to access the latest trends and expert tips on workflow, intelligent automation, the cloud, and more.