image by rawpixel.com on Freepix

 "The first rule of any technology used in a business is that automation applied to an efficient operation will magnify the efficiency. The second is that automation applied to an inefficient operation will magnify the inefficiency." (Bill Gates)

(Hey, here I am with another (probably) hot take. You might think: doesn’t Nur Imroatun Sholihat advocate technology/automation implementation? Is she in her right mind when she said ‘don’t automate’? Please read till the end if you want, or at least the summary, okay? 😊)

Here’s the summary if you would prefer to not read the whole post: Use automation wisely, timely--be cognizant of what not to automate as much as what to automate, of when it is too early as much as it is too late.

     In my second term learning digital transformation at UNSW, I took a core course called Business Process Management (BPM). When I read the handbook, honestly, I was puzzled because a digital transformation should mostly be about digital, right? Why would the university’s School of Information Systems and Technology Management require the students to take such a course out of the blue?

      Now in week 8 of the course, I finally understood the reason why it’s made compulsory for the future digital transformation people. The realization still astonishes me today therefore I decided to write about it. Based on my newly-found understanding, at the heart of a digital transformation is the ‘transformation’, not the ‘digital’. The university wanted the students to, instead of jumping to automation directly, think more fundamentally when it comes to transforming the organization. The school taught the students to not consider automation as one solution for all. Automation is indeed one of the keys to the transformation door but let’s not be surprised that it isn’t the only one on the list (see the list below).

Redesign heuristics (Dumas et. al, 2018)

      Please don’t misunderstand me as I like automation as well (who wouldn’t though?). However, it concerned me that automation has grown as a solution that is easily misused. There is a common misperception that automation offers a magic mend to bad or broken processes. As much as I wanted it to be, let’s face it that it’s not Doraemon’s magic pocket (if it ever exists in real life) that solves all the problems instantly. It’s not a “plug-and-play” solution that could be straightforwardly implemented without careful adjustment and refinement.

      I know it’s uncomfortable to not directly think of automation when it’s already becoming one of the most-talked advancements organization could have. I also recognized how tempting shiny automation tools that promise exceptional optimization are. However, as I mentioned in my previous post, Luxury, “the ability to remain grounded amidst the sea of fancy buzzwords is a luxury. The ability to prioritize the fundamental things while having the serenity to not feel missed out is a luxury.”. Let’s have this uncomfortable discussion about the necessity and prioritization of automation.

      First, recognize that to fix a process to be in the best working order, automation isn't necessarily the most favorable answer. For example, does the process uniformly run or it has several unnecessary variations? If it has many variations, process standardization might provide more advantages than automation. Also, ask questions such as: is it better to be handled by machines or humans? Do the benefits of automation outweigh the costs? With our current capabilities and condition, when is the right time to automate? After that “pause and think” moment, we hopefully could gain a good working order, knowledge of which process to be automated, also investment and timing justifications.

     Second, as every organization operates with going concern assumption, act as a player in a long game. Not all automation initiatives should be implemented in a hurried manner--in other words: prioritize. Automation is known as resource-intensive activity therefore prioritization will help us to have steady measured steps. Identify business processes that present the quickest most meaningful wins and consider them as the earliest automation initiatives. The good news is: other initiatives can wait :)

     To conclude, implementing automation is definitely one big leap an organization could take. There is no doubt that a wise, timely implementation of the advancement will greatly benefit an organization. What it takes to get that wise, timely automation is a mindful slightly uncomfortable “pause and think” moment of what and when to automate. In most cases, what sets the successful automation implementation with the rest is that "pause and think" moment, which unfortunately seems unattractive in this fast-moving world.

---------------

Reference: Dumas, M., La Rosa, M., Mendling, J., & Reijers, H. A. (2018). Fundamentals of business process management (2nd ed.). Springer Berlin.

P.S.:

1. What I enjoyed the most about studying master’s degree, besides meeting great minds, is how my knowledge is constantly challenged. When I'm proved wrong, I am happy knowing that through that process, I am a bit closer to knowing rightness. When I realize my knowledge is shallow, I enjoy deepening it through constant challenges. I think that’s the essence of a master’s degree: to make someone think a tad deeper and act a tad more purposefully. I am most grateful for those things.

2. Credit to my lecturers, George Joukhadar and Frieda Maher, who inspired me to think about automation deeper. Forever, it changed the way I think about automation.

3. After a long thought about this blog’s direction, finally I come up with #sensibletech, a section I dedicate to address my concerns regarding the thoughtful utilization of technology. Please look forward to more #sensibletech posts I will deliver in the future :)