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Today it is one of the concepts of their management, distinguishing feature which is the use of information technology. It provides for the widespread use of computers and software and provides for the management of information, resources and actions with minimal or no human participation in these procedures, in principle.
The main task that is intended to be implemented process automation design- this is bringing the quality indicators of processes to a fundamentally higher level. It is achieved mainly due to the fact that the main advantage of the automated mode over manual is its greater reliability.
Which, in turn, contributes to:
Growth in productivity;
- acceleration;
- cheaper;
- increase in accuracy and stability.
To date process automation in the world it is used everywhere - from coordinating the most complex industries to making purchases in supermarkets. The direction of the company, as well as its scale, in this case is not fundamental: automation literally permeates any of them. And thanks to the use of the processor approach, uniform principles of automation are applied to the entire set of processes.
Principles
Although process automation has the ability to be implemented on different levels, its principles for each of them, as well as for any of the processes, are the same. This circumstance sets the conditions for the most efficient implementation of processes carried out in automatic mode and determines the principles of their control by automation.
These principles include:
1. Consistency. In a process that is controlled by automation, all operations must be coordinated both mutually and with its inputs and outputs. Failure to comply with this condition often leads to failures in the performance of the task.
2. Integration. The process under the control of automation must be able to integrate into the overall system of the organization. In accordance with the level of automation, such integration can be implemented in different ways. That, however, does not change the essence of the principle itself, which remains unchanged. The purpose of automating any process is to ensure its interaction with the environment, which is external to it.
3. Independence of execution.
Any process implemented through automation should be implemented without human participation or with a level of control exercised by the operator minimized. Under the condition that the process is implemented correctly, human intervention in it should not take place.
It is worth noting that the principles listed above can be significantly detailed, depending on the type of processes and the level of automation.
Thus, the automation of production processes provides for such principles as:
Continuity;
- specialization;
- proportionality, etc.
Levels
Process automation is necessary condition support for company management, affecting all levels of its hierarchy, and the level of automation is determined in accordance with the level of management. There are three main levels of management:
- operational;
- tactical;
- strategic.
Based on the classification described above, the following levels of automation are distinguished:
1. The level of performers. Characteristic processes for him are those that are performed regularly. Their automation works to achieve operational goals (for example, the implementation of one of the production processes), maintaining the specified parameters (for example, the autopilot of an airliner) and maintaining the desired mode of operation (for example, the temperature indicators of the boiler).
2. The level of production management. In this case, the goal of automation is the correct distribution of tasks between processes that are lower in the hierarchical ladder. An example is the implementation of production and service planning, as well as resource management processes, documentation, etc.
3. The level of enterprise management. Automation carried out at this level solves problems related to analysis and forecasting. Contributing to the effective work of the highest level of the enterprise hierarchy in the financial and economic area is its main purpose.
As for the implementation of process automation at each of the above levels, it is possible through the use of systems such as: .jpg)
- CRM - customer relationship management system;
- OLAP - analytical processing in real time;
- ERP - enterprise resource management.
Each of the automation systems can be attributed to one of their three main types:
1. Immutable. During the process, the specified sequence of actions is not subject to any adjustments.
2. Programmable. Depending on the program used and the features of the process, the sequence of actions may vary. The choice of the desired sequence depends on the set of instructions that the system is guided by.
3. Self-configuring. The necessary options for solving the problem can be selected at the discretion of the system during operation. Changing their sequence and execution conditions is carried out by monitoring the progress of the process.
These types of process automation can be used separately or as part of a combined system: it all depends on the situation.
Kinds
According to the location of enterprises in the processing chain natural resources, they can all fall into one of three categories.
The first is the "miners" and producers of raw materials. As an example, here are representatives Agriculture or the hydrocarbon industry.
The second is those who process the raw materials extracted first. This category includes car manufacturers, enterprises engaged in the production of electricity, steel, electronics, etc.
The third is representatives of the service sector: entertainment, medical, educational, financial and other institutions and institutions.
For any enterprises, no matter which of the described groups they belong to, there are general categories of processes associated with their activities.
Those processes are:
1. Business. Or business processes, as they are also called. Their task is to ensure effective interaction both within the enterprise and with various external stakeholders (consumers of goods or services, product suppliers, regulatory authorities, etc.). Typical business processes are all types of planning, marketing and accounting, as well as customer contact activities.
2. Design and development. Such processes include the collection and analysis of initial information, the implementation of the project, ensuring control over its implementation, etc.
3. Production. All processes for the implementation of the production of goods or services should be attributed to this category. The same can be said about the processes associated with various types planning, supply, service, etc.
4. Monitoring and analysis. The collection and processing of data relating to the execution of processes is the main task of the processes in this category. Examples - the implementation of quality control of goods or services, management, stocks.
Anyone who wants to get acquainted with examples of various terms of reference for automating company subsystems, can view and buy them in the Quality Management online store.
Strategy
Being a difficult and rather time-consuming task, process automation requires a strict adherence to a certain strategy, which contributes to increased efficiency of operations and obtaining a considerable number of obvious benefits.
In order to form a strategy, the process must:
1. Understand. Based on a carefully conducted analysis, you can get the most complete picture of the process, down to the smallest details. So, you should get data about its inputs and outputs, the sequence of operations, the presence of communication with other processes, the composition of its resources, etc.
2. Simplify. This can be done by removing operations that are not of value. Some operations can be combined, carried out in parallel, and so on. Everything that is the most rational is welcome here - for example, the improvement of the technology for implementing the process or its complete replacement.
3. Automate. This point should be approached only after the previous one has been completed. The reason for this is simple: the simpler the process, the easier it is to automate and the more stable and efficient it will be.
Advantages
Practice shows that process automation in the vast majority of cases, it contributes to a tangible improvement in the quality of both products and the management of its production. When implementing QMS management, it allows the company to improve the quality indicators of its work. However, before accepting final decision regarding the introduction of automation, it is recommended to familiarize yourself with its main advantages.
So, the main advantages of process automation are:
1. Accelerating the execution of operations that are repeated. Automation in the course of its work is not subject to fatigue, which ensures its error-free operation, regardless of the duration of the activity. In addition, it implements tasks of the same type much faster than a person.
2. Improvement of qualitative performance indicators. The main reason for this is the lack human factor, which helps to reduce the number of various kinds of errors at times.
3. Improved control accuracy. Thanks to the applied information technology, the amount of process data can be very large, which contributes to more accurate execution.
4. Possibility of simultaneous implementation of several tasks. The parallel solution of such actions with the help of automation significantly increases productivity, while not compromising accuracy and quality.
5. Increasing the speed of decision-making in situations that are typical. This advantage ensures that there are no inconsistencies in the next stages of the process.
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When automation may not be justified
However, it should be taken into account that in some situations the use of process automation is not justified. This is possible when:
1. The actions performed are too complex technologically or economically.
2. The product has a short life cycle. In the event that products are created and brought to the market as quickly as possible, or the demand for them will be short-lived, automation may turn out to be less rational than manual execution of processes.
3. The products are single, handmade by the master.
4. Demand for a product is subject to excessive fluctuations. This circumstance leads to changes in output volumes, which makes the use of automation unjustified.
In any case, before making a final decision regarding the appropriateness of using automation, the most thorough analysis should be carried out in order to exclude the possibility of an incorrectly drawn conclusion.
What is automation of business processes of an enterprise? It is the ability to free up resources, respond in a timely manner to market changes, quickly make decisions and plan further actions. This is important for any organization that is going to grow and develop in modern conditions fierce competition and constant multitasking. This is part of success, without it it will be difficult to achieve results. It remains to figure out how the implementation will affect the improvement of the company's performance.
What it is
Often the management of the enterprise makes great efforts to move towards the achievement of the goal and increase the efficiency of the collective work of the staff. They realize how much depends on the clear and coordinated performance of the functions of each employee throughout the organization.
An attempt by one department to complete its part of the task without interacting with other departments does more harm than good. Employees aimed at coping with the task without thinking about resolving the issue or achieving a common goal - as a result, they receive several disparate, poorly executed parts of one whole.
Automated business processes allow workers to visualize their own role in creating the final product. This brings positive dynamics, because people clearly see what will happen in the end if they act together.
Automation can be applied in any area of the organization. Along with goal setting, this is HR, sales, marketing, preparing a unit of production, even merging with a small company.
To achieve optimization, you need to create the right foundation:
Determine what data and materials are required to complete the full production cycle of a unit of production, ensure their availability.
Create a verified algorithm without unnecessary elements, according to which a program or a person will work all the time.
Determine in advance the result for which time resources are spent and efforts are applied.
Business management process is a concept of organization development. Its main task is to introduce automation into management and improve business efficiency.
What does VRM do:
studies what the company does, what goes on inside it;
looks for inconsistencies, difficulties, slowdowns in operations, the use of manual labor where mechanized or automatic can be used;
is looking for ways to improve each identified violation.
The use of a company's business process automation system allows the organization to be flexible and quickly adapt to changes in the business environment. With their help, weaknesses and vulnerabilities of units are identified and ways of strengthening are selected.
This is a partial or complete transfer of repetitive cycles and tasks under control. As a result, employees' time and finances are released, labor productivity increases, and efficiency also becomes higher.
History of creation
The term was first used by mechanical engineers in the 1920s. Initially, it was applied only in relation to the stages of production, now it has been rethought and used much more widely.
In the 80s, a slightly different approach to theory was developed, supported by economic calculations and computer technology. At that time there were copiers and printing machines and then PC. An even greater breakthrough was achieved with the development of the Internet. Now they are used to develop original approaches to automating business processes, setting new tasks and solving them.
In the modern business environment, it is actively developing, and for it there are unusual spheres use. So it turns out to achieve optimization in many departments. This is possible due to the division into separate stages for the implementation and implementation of developments.
Main directions for development
As a rule, it is carried out in 2 equally important areas:
Production business processes. Depending on the activities of the company, this may be sales, communication with visitors, production. It boils down to a direct increase in the indicator - an increase in the volume or quality, profitability of the enterprise as a whole.
Supportive. No less serious industry. This includes reporting, office work, accounting and others. This does not directly affect the increase in profits, but with the help of automation, it becomes possible to reduce the hours and finances spent on repetitive work.
Goals and objectives of business process automation
This system aims to automate everything that is slow or poorly functioning, to remove inconsistencies and elements that slow down production. This may be an extra substitute with minimum set duties, without which papers go directly to the director and are promptly resolved.
This includes third party middlemen that delay delivery to the final consumer and charge a storage fee. Statistics show that it is often enough to have one proven carrier than many small non-binding companies that can fail at an unexpected moment.
Such an inhibitory element is old equipment, a remote warehouse, the lack of additional training for new employees, even too long a conveyor belt affects the speed of production and creates lost profits. This is only part of the optimization action.
Among the main tasks are:
organization of safe storage of information and program elements;
support for high-level performance;
prompt preparation and printing of documents for suppliers, partners, contractors from an invoice to a business proposal;
formation of a report on the state of affairs of the company for any period of time;
revision of financial costs in relation to employees, increasing the efficiency of using employees' hours by introducing the same type of classes to automatic mode;
improving the quality of customer service;
Examples and ideas
Thus, it becomes possible to release human and financial resources, labor productivity increases, the development strategy works more efficiently.
Most firms do not follow a clear sequence of actions. As a result, managers are constantly busy, no one knows when the project will be completed and at what stage it is today, many tasks and checking employees are duplicated. It turns out that everyone is busy, and the process is extremely slow.
But we must act differently. One manager should fit in the daily planner as many projects as he can realistically complete. His goal is to control them, monitor their execution, and report on the results. If you lower more on it, then all or some of them will be made worse or slower. But in many organizations, the same task is checked by several people at once.
All employees who interact with each other or with production in any way participate in business processes. Therefore, optimization often begins with the staff.
Sometimes the procedure helps to establish even simple, but time-consuming tasks:
calculation of discounts;
keeping statistics;
processing incoming orders;
systematization of any data.
There are many success stories its application. If you introduce materials or products for sale into orders, then there will be no downtime and overload of warehouses with the same type of goods.
Main advantages
What is needed for - the main point here is to establish effective work, maximum returns and profits. It does not aim to replace or redistribute employees performing the same type of operations with robots. Thanks to optimization, these workers will get rid of daily routine small reports and repetitive actions that only take working time and prevent them from moving on to more meaningful, interesting, or exploratory tasks.
People coordinate better joint activities, because they work together and through the same programs. Consistency will be higher, and the result more accurate. More and more organizations, large and small, are now adopting automation for these reasons. Main advantages:
actions of employees will be more coordinated;
the number of errors due to the human factor will decrease;
manual routine work will be replaced by mechanics or an automatic machine and the reproduction of cycles will be accelerated;
from within, the enterprise will become more transparent and technologically advanced;
the quality of tasks performed will increase;
it will be easier to make decisions for standard situations;
large volume will be easier to handle.
Trends, technologies and experience in business process automation
Gradually, proven paths appear, the movement along which leads to an increase in profits and minimization of losses. One of them is the use of special Low-code platforms.
Such programs allow managers to solve business development problems quite quickly. For this, several comfortable user tools are built in. They can be used to model current situation and make changes. So, it becomes real to radically reduce the time of implementation of IT solutions that help organizations adapt to a constantly updated environment.
What features might be required
Since all business processes usually consist of various actions performed by different people, the software must be able to present all items in a graphical and visual form. So the staff understands what needs to be done and how. And management is looking for where to optimize.
All programs need intuitive menus and ease of use. The ability to use software by any employee is important, therefore, for medium and large firms, systems from cloud storage. The availability of access here opens anywhere in the world without being tied to specific PCs or tablets.
The software must have notifications for optimization participants and the ability to send notifications about the completed stage. It requires the ability to manage several business processes simultaneously leading to a common goal. So the introduction of discounts on groups of goods and the parallel write-off of balances lead to an optimizing procedure and an increase in profits.
Access control works separately. Not all staff need all the analytical information at the same time, so such data requires a separate entry, by role.
How to automate a business
First of all, understand what is needed. When profits stop growing, frequent and unpleasant complications of simple processes appear - it's time to correct the situation. It is important not to stop and constantly develop so that competitors do not get ahead. Most managers start the procedure with what takes many hours and is often of the same type: accounting and inventory control, document management, marketing.
How to start:
Cloud technologies. If the company does not have its own server, then this great way for small and medium businesses.
Inter-machine interaction. Options between two different machines or complex business processes eliminate human error.
Typically used in large organizations to simplify database processing.
analysis at the moment. Gradually, the software develops and monitoring of changes and reports becomes available when it is convenient. This allows you to make quick decisions.
To figure out how best to automate your enterprise, you should contact Cleverens. The company will help analyze production and select better ways to optimize costs and increase profitability.
Stages of business process automation
There are several consecutive points:
Preparatory. Search and description of existing problems, the number of employees who will use the programs.
Analysis. Developers study internal regulations, conduct interviews with heads of departments, determine the real situation.
Preparation of TK. This is a document that will indicate all the nuances and functionality of the future software.
Preparation of premises. All places where innovation is introduced.
Installing and configuring the system. Then everything is tested.
Education. In order for everything to be created for a reason, staff should be taught how to use the software.
Examination. Here, workers test the functioning of automation under the supervision of the creators.
Adjustment. Edits are made upon request from the customer.
Commissioning.
Key areas and software
It is important to understand that you need to approach the task in a comprehensive manner and focus not on the structure of the company, but on the processes taking place in it. This approach will make the business more flexible, reduce the response time to sudden difficulties and speed up the creation of the final product. Everything that happens within an organization is individual. But the main divisions are always similar.
Control
budget control;
security of information and economy;
management;
legal support.
Automation of business processes sometimes seems to the head of a magic wand. But how to automate business processes in the best way? In order for the work to be argued, papers not to be lost, regulations to help, the team to act like a well-oiled mechanism?
In the article, we will analyze the nuances of building and automating business processes, consider how to avoid mistakes, what are the goals and objectives of automating business processes, and where to start. If you are thinking about improving business processes and perhaps introducing electronic system managing them, read the article carefully. And take a pencil!
Three whales of chaos in business: how to automate processes that do not exist
Before we talk about what opportunities business process automation opens up, let's think about what difficulties you are facing now.
The three bad "pillars" that keep chaos in business are universal. Most likely, you are also familiar with them:
- Regular mistakes. Petrov made a typo, Sidorov endorsed an unverified document, Vasechkina sent an invoice with incorrect details. Such mistakes bring temporary and financial losses, twitchy eyes and work at night.
- Downtime. The document is being approved for a week, then the second, the work is worth it. A key employee is on vacation or quit without handing over the case.
- General confusion. Where did the paperwork go? Why did the secretary in the pile of sheets not notice the urgent document? Where should a specialist run when a client contacts him, if the right person is not available? This confusion and running around the corridors with bundles of papers is annoying and certainly does not contribute to productive work.
Even 10 years ago, business process modeling seemed expensive, time-consuming and therefore unnecessary to most companies. Some people think so even now, after reading horror stories about unfinished projects and millions spent, or even approaching automation from the wrong side. But it turned out that companies working on business process automation grow faster, overcome times of crisis better and outperform competitors. In such companies, employees feel more comfortable, which creates the right working atmosphere in the team. Examples are the stories of Toyota, Amazon, McDonalds, as well as our customers, whose feedback on business process automation.
Today, the ability to build business processes and know how to automate them are becoming an important competitive advantage.
Business processes: what do we automate, comrades?
Sometimes the management of the company, busy with strategic issues, is deluded: everything is fine with us. But if Petrov knows that in the event of a marketing task, you need to contact Ivanova, this is not a business process. But a specific action map that universally describes the steps that employees go through to achieve a specific result, this already looks like a business process.
An activity scheme, in order to call it a business process, must take into account three factors:
- The stability of the described links: multiplicity of choice of actions, transitions, conditions are taken into account.
- Regulation of actions during the process: calls, letters, attachments, appeals, sightings.
- Logical completion: specific achievable goal.
A clearly modeled business process will allow you to see the result and control the work at all stages in order to prevent losses and errors “at a low start”.
Depending on the occurrence of “thin spots”, the business process is changed, its stages are adjusted, and they look at which links are weak. If you have any difficulties with the development of algorithms, we are ready to help you. After all, the development of business processes is preparation for the project of their automation.
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The main goal of business process development is the magical transformation of chaotically woven chains of intercompany interactions into ordered, consistent and understandable algorithms. Let there be order in work, office, in the minds of employees and in the minds of managers!
Uri, where's the button? Goals of Business Process Automation
Now the question is: how to manage all this? Well, you need a whole staff of employees - to keep your finger on the pulse and carefully monitor the "thin places", "weak links" and the execution of everything that should be performed!
A quarter of companies are following this path, deploying quality departments, expanding managerial and secretarial staff. But it is much more useful to ask yourself how to automate business processes and transfer the control function over them to one space. Such a business process management system will be both a constructor, a monitoring mechanism, and a controller that gives signals when something does not go according to plan. But in order for the “magic button” to work, you still have to work hard.
Of course, the goals of business process automation are not only a convenient way to control. As a result, the use of an automated business process management system will help:
- Organize regular tasks.
- Minimize the human factor.
- Clearly separate areas of responsibility within processes.
- Keep all the details of the process under control.
- Include in the customer interaction scheme.
- Create a unified IT infrastructure with different access rights.
- Save time, yours and your employees.
- As a result - to save money on the management of the company.
As you can see, the goals of business process automation are in many ways the same as yours!
Business process management - a system of one company
To make it even clearer, let's look at specific functions business process management systems - "1C: Document Management 8" - on examples.
We have clearly seen what automated business process differs from the "typed on the knee." It remains to understand how to come to this level of automation.
The Secret Ingredient: How to Automate Business Processes Losslessly
You've probably heard stories about Company N, which implemented a super system, fiddled with it, and spitting back to Excel. This is what happens when a company encounters unforeseen difficulties. That employees sabotage the unusual way of working. That the settled processes do not give in to regulation in any way. That the implementation budget is beyond the desired. Then the system itself is heavy and incomprehensible, but it is necessary that “there is a button here, I press it, and everything works.”
Managers often forget the rule: the first stage, from which business process automation is built, is tasks. The document management system has a huge functionality that can satisfy the requirements of the most whimsical business. But first, these requirements must be presented.
Our research confirms that 70% of business difficulties arise just at the stage of fixing requirements and results. Therefore, we provide initial consultations, as well as offer a pre-project study service. This step helps:
- identify "thin spots" in the company,
- determine what goals are automation system,
- understand whether the standard functionality is suitable for the company or whether changes need to be made,
- find out what set of functions will be optimal for business,
- determine which processes to automate in the first place, and which can be postponed. For example, areas that slow down the work of the entire company should be prioritized, even if the work on them is not the easiest.
Properly capturing system requirements and results is the secret ingredient to the success of an automation project. Sometimes at this stage it becomes clear that there is a problem with business processes. Then you need to modify them or build from scratch.
Having decided on the tasks that face the automation of business processes, we proceed to the formation of a project team and to the implementation of the project.
Do you want to know what results your business can achieve? Contact us for free consultation- we'll tell you!
Around the term "business automation" has developed quite a large number of myths, stereotypes and prejudices. For example, that automation is necessary only for large companies, and small enterprises can do without it. Or that automation systems are extremely expensive, and it is far from certain that the costs will ever pay off. For this article, we've collected questions that entrepreneurs commonly ask about automation and prepared easy-to-understand answers.
Business automation - what is itBusiness automation is the transition of a company from labor-intensive manual operations to the use of modern information technologies in operational work. Automation also means the introduction of modern technologies where they were not used at all before.
In small businesses, automation is usually used in two cases:
- in the main business processes - this, for example, can be sales automation or automation of interaction with customers (it is also implementation of CRM);
- in supporting processes that do not directly affect the increase in income, but are mandatory for business - for example, accounting and reporting.
What are automation systems and how do they work?
Automation systems are the very programs and services that are used to move from manual labor to information technology. In other words, both a complex ERP system and a cloud service for an online store are an automation system.
Any automation system consists of two key elements: collecting (inputting) data and providing the collected and processed information in the form, volume, format in which it is needed by a manager or a specialized specialist.
For example, if you enter information about contacts with potential customers into the system, then indicate at what stage the negotiations with each of them are, carefully enter data on the results of negotiations and on transactions that have taken place, then in a good automation system for sales management you can instantly get " sales funnel", and with the accumulation of some statistics - and a sales forecast, depending on how intensively your managers worked today.
The larger and more complex the business, the more background information is needed and the more diverse and detailed the final reports should be.
Similarly, automation systems work for other processes. The manager can instantly get information about the state of affairs in the company: how much money is in the accounts, how much you owe and how much you owe, what is the cost structure and profitability of the project, how many cold calls were made by employees, what is the real efficiency of each manager, etc.
Why automation is needed at all, what it gives the company
In short, properly implemented automation allows you to do the following:
- effectively support operational activities - organize accounting and control;
- quickly and correctly prepare documents for clients, contractors and partners - from commercial offer before the reconciliation act;
- promptly receive any reports on the real state of affairs in the company;
- optimize personnel costs, use the working time and competencies of employees more efficiently, relieving them of routine work;
- improve business processes in the company;
- minimize the negative impact on the business of the "human factor";
- securely store information - each employee works only with the data to which he is given access;
- improve the speed and quality of customer service.
What business processes can and should be automated
Usually, automation starts with massive labor-intensive routine operations, with processes that have the greatest impact on the company's revenue and profit, or with the most problematic areas.
Firstly, it is possible to automate tasks that are very laborious or impossible to perform manually - take into account retail turnover, analyze the movement of goods, plan cash flows, plan and take into account working time, calculate the cost price, etc.
Secondly, you can automate the work of employees who perform standard routine operations (telemarketers, logisticians, sales managers, etc.) or even remove certain work from employees (for example, set up automatic synchronization of data on the availability of goods in the warehouse and on the Internet storefront). -shop).
Thirdly, automation can be used to “clean up the house” - take control of receivables, inventory, employee employment, compliance with standards for calls and meetings with clients, etc.
It is not necessary to automate all business processes at once. You can gradually scale up automation in your company as needed. And create a unified management system consistently.
The main thing is to remember the goals for which automation was started. Automation for the sake of automation is a waste of time and resources.
How to choose a software product for automation
When choosing an automation system, you can go in two ways: 1. Use a typical (boxed) product. 2. Develop and implement an individual software solution.
The standard solution is easier to implement and cheaper. But you need to keep in mind that not every typical product can be modified to suit your tasks - in a number of programs, the options for customization are severely limited or completely excluded. By the way, the same applies to cloud services.
The choice of a specific program is a rather responsible matter, it will be necessary to work out a fairly significant array of information. There are many software products on the market, each with its own characteristics and advantages. You should get answers to the following important questions:
- what specific tasks and processes are planned to be automated;
- whether the functionality of the system corresponds to the tasks that will need to be solved with its help;
- is it possible to customize the system for your business practice;
- whether it will be possible, when business processes or business conditions change, to quickly change the system without stopping its operation;
- How simple and easy is the system to use?
- is it possible to integrate the system with other applications or services;
- whether the system is supported on tablets, smartphones;
- who and how will technical support;
- How much does implementation and support cost?
How much does an automation system cost
This is a rhetorical question, and there is no single answer to it. How much does a repair cost? It can be done for 100 thousand rubles, or it can be done for a million, it all depends on the area of \u200b\u200bthe room, tasks, quality of materials, etc. The cost of a specific software solution will also depend on many variables: what tasks will be solved using the system, is it a typical product or a custom one, what resources will be required for implementation, how many jobs will be connected to the system, etc.
The cost of automation consists of several components:
- the cost of the system itself (the cost of the box or rental payments - in the case of using "cloud" applications);
- the cost of setting up the system and training personnel;
- the cost of regular maintenance.
How is the implementation of the automation system and tohow to choose a contractor
Implementation is the process of fitting software to business and, in part, business to software.
For simple tasks or processes, “implementation” will consist of just installing software on your computer (or registering in a “cloud” service) and entering initial information. Immediately after that, you can start issuing documents, filling in the customer base or issuing tasks.
For more challenging tasks(for example, the calculation of the planned profitability of orders at the time of the conclusion of the transaction - in order not to work at a loss), it may be necessary to refine the system for the conditions and practices that have developed in the company. A well-chosen system will usually support some type of process for such a task. But in practice, each company has its own methodology. It is this specificity that will need to be reflected in the implementation process.
Implementation can be done on your own or invite specialists. But do not hope that the contractor will do everything in the best possible way without your participation; key employees and management of the company will have to actively participate in almost all stages, the deeper you dive into the implementation process, the success of the project will largely depend.
You need to choose an implementation partner in much the same way as a team for apartment renovation. Monitor the market and identify companies whose competencies are sufficient to solve your problems, and whose conditions are optimal in terms of price / quality ratio. It is highly desirable that your potential partner has a certificate of conformity of the quality management system to the international standard ISO 9001:2008. Hold meetings with specialists from companies from this short list (including, be sure to talk with the employee who will accompany your project). Explore the portfolio Special attention on whether the contractor has experience in successfully implementing an automation system in companies whose specialization and field of activity coincide with yours. It is also advisable to communicate with the top officials of these companies and find out their opinion about your potential partner - whether the implementation was successful, whether they are satisfied with the results of the work, whether the warranty service is well organized, what difficulties they encountered, etc.
Also, when choosing a contractor, it makes sense to use the principle of proportionality: if you have a small company, then it is advisable to do business with small firm- all approvals will be faster, it will be easier to agree on controversial issues with an equal partner, etc.
What are the risks when implementing an automation system
Of course, when implementing an automation system, there are certain risks - from failure to meet deadlines and exceeding the budget, to personnel resistance and the need to change individual business processes to meet the requirements of the system. But most of the problems can be avoided if you correctly identify the tasks that require automation, monitor the existing ones in a quality manner. software products and thoughtfully approach the choice of an implementation partner. Also, an important condition for the successful implementation of the project is the personal participation of the first person of the company / business owner, in this case, the risks of "getting the wrong" are significantly reduced.
As for the resistance of the staff, it is very important here, on the one hand, to carry out high-quality work to explain the benefits and advantages of automation for the company and all employees, and on the other hand, to create a strong sense of inevitability for all employees, including top management. If there are cases of disruption of some processes, it is necessary to sort out and remove obstacles in hot pursuit. A good implementation tool is to reward employees for being involved in the project and for some milestone achievements, this will help to achieve the loyalty of the rest of the team members.
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