Business process automation accounts for a fairly significant portion of all Digital Transformation projects as more and more companies seek to improve efficiency and profitability. Process automations can go a long way toward streamlining workflows and process flows, while also freeing the company’s staff resources to focus on higher level tasks that only humans can handle.
Benefits aside, many wonder about the project timeframe; specifically, how long will it take to develop, implement and deploy process automations? Unfortunately, there isn’t an easy answer to this question because each project is unique. But there are a few factors that you can consider to arrive at an approximate time frame for a Digital Transformation project involving process automation.
What is Business Process Automation?
To understand the development timeframe for a business process automation project, you need a degree of familiarity with the basic workings of this technology. Business process automation refers to the development of technology that is used to complete a workflow or process in a business environment. BPO may be used to complete an entire process from start to finish or just a segment of a much larger process.
The ideal candidate for BPO involves a process with clear, defined, repeatable steps. Often, humans find these tasks to be very repetitive and boring — a sentiment that can bring down employee morale. This makes business process automation a very effective mechanism for boosting employee morale within your company too.
Process automation holds the potential to generate a significant ROI thanks to this technology’s speed and efficiency. You’re also eliminating human error from the equation, which translates into greater accuracy and long term profitability. But a key question still remains: how long does process automation take?
How Long Does Process Automation Take to Deploy?
Process automation projects can take anywhere from a few weeks to several months to develop, implement and deploy. The timeframe will vary according to a few different factors, including the following.
- The complexity of the process or workflow that you’re automating.
- The number of steps involved in the process.
- Variables and the number of possible outcomes for the process.
- The amount of time it takes to perform each step of the process.
- Whether other technologies are being integrated into the process automation.
Employee training is another consideration when it comes to process automation deployment since you may need to complete this training before a new technology can be effectively deployed. Often, staff training is required to teach employees how to work with process automation software. For instance, your Digital Transformation development team may create an enterprise software platform that is used to initiate process automation. Therefore, it’s important that you set aside time to allow for in-depth staff training and consider this as part of the pre-deployment timeframe.
How to Speed the Development of Business Process Automation Software
To expedite the business process automation software development process, it’s critical that the client is engaged in the process from start to finish. At 7T, we take a collaborative approach to process automation software development — and all forms of Digital Transformation, for that matter — as we engage the client from the discovery phase through deployment and beyond.
Collaboration is essential for the development of an efficient process automation platform. During the discovery phase, the client provides important information about their processes, their current technology, their goals for the future and their challenges.
Once we have a firm understanding of the client’s pain points and objectives, the 7T Digital Transformation team will then get to work developing an innovative process automation solution. The client is pulled in periodically to ensure that the project remains on-track and expectations are well-aligned.
Clients can also expedite the Digital Transformation process by providing all of the information and feedback that the development team requires in a timely manner. This allows the developers to create process automations that will meet the client’s needs. This minimizes the need for edits and modifications too, increasing your chances of hitting the goal on the first attempt,
Achieving a Solid ROI With Digital Transformation Development Projects
To achieve your Digital Transformation goals using process automation, you’ll need an experienced team that knows how to develop technologies that will capture your unique processes and workflows, while simultaneously improving efficiency and productivity. At 7T, we take a collaborative approach to enterprise development projects. We engage the client from the discovery phase to deployment. Our many Digital Transformation service offerings include process automation solutions, enterprise software development for ERP and CRM systems (among others), along with SaaS development for web apps and mobile apps, amongst others. We work extensively with cutting-edge technologies as we strive to help clients solve pain points, improve efficiency and achieve their business goals.
We’re guided by the approach of “Digital Transformation Driven by Business Strategy.” As such, the 7T development team works with company leaders who are seeking to solve problems and drive ROI through Digital Transformation and innovation. We then provide collaborative, multi-phased and impactful Digital Transformation solutions.
7T has offices in Dallas, Houston and Austin, but our clientele spans the globe. If you’re ready to learn more about Digital Transformation and what we can do for your business, contact 7T today.
