Automation in business processes is a way to simplify and optimize existing processes. It works best at scale and is most beneficial when entire workflows are automated.
Computers don’t get distracted, forget things or lose their train of thought as easily as humans do. This eliminates many common sources of error and creates consistent, predictable results.
Data Visualization
Data visualization tools present data in a graphical format. They can help highlight key insights and uncover patterns and relationships. They also help make it easier to understand complex data. For example, a line graph can display how a variable has changed over time. A histogram shows how often a data point occurs.
Data visualization can help you get more out of your business analytics. It can also speed up decision-making processes. By displaying data in a way that is easy to understand, you can save on the amount of time it takes to analyze and interpret data.
Effective data visualization requires a delicate balance between creative storytelling and technical analysis. The plainest graph could fail to catch anyone’s attention while the most stunning visualization might completely miss its mark in conveying a message. Ensure the tool you choose supports both visual analytics and data storytelling best practices. It should also allow you to take your dashboards and visualizations with you, for quick insight wherever you are.
Dashboards
As an aggregation and visualization tool, dashboards provide at-a-glance views of key performance indicators (KPIs), metrics, and important data. They can help you track your progress or identify new business opportunities. They can also save you time by providing a quick overview of your business processes.
These tools help you build a high-performance culture by eliminating unnecessary workarounds and exceptions. Automation of these tasks also frees up your team’s time to focus on more complex company objectives. This reduces the amount of effort your employees have to put in and minimizes the need to hire additional staff during a tough job market.
In a data-driven world, dashboards are the next generation of reporting. Unlike reports, which may be updated only once or twice per year, dashboards are dynamic and can display real-time data. They can be used by subject matter experts to monitor and analyze their own data, or by non-subject experts to make better organizational decisions.
KPIs
KPIs provide a clear view of business process progress and help to drive accountability. They can be based on any type of measurement, from hard numbers like cost savings to more subjective metrics such as new work created. The type of automation KPIs you select will depend on the process and its key stakeholders. For example, for accounts payable (AP), the primary goals might be to improve visibility and supplier management or accelerate financial close. Identifying these goals and setting appropriate targets will help you achieve your desired outcomes.
KPIs also allow you to measure your progress against your goals by assessing how effective automation has been. You can track these metrics using dashboards and reporting tools in your automation software, which will enable you to make improvements if necessary. For instance, a dashboard can highlight bottlenecks or inefficiencies in your workflow and alert you to problems with your processes that need attention. This allows you to address the issues promptly, thereby improving efficiency and reducing costs.
Graphs
Graphs help simplify and categorize data into easy-to-understand and analyze formats. They find excessive usage in analyzing raw data and exact numbers and are ideal for showing trends over time.
For example, a line graph is an excellent tool for displaying the number of ice cream sales on different days of the week. This is because it allows the user to visualize how sales increase and decrease each day, thereby revealing patterns that would be difficult to discern using other means.
It is important to note that business process automation should be carried out in a way that ensures the needs of both employees and customers are met. This can be done by ensuring that all stakeholders are comfortable with the changes and feel no resistance to the new processes being implemented. It is also advisable to provide adequate training to staff and team members before automation is put in place. This will make the transition from old to new ways of working easier for all parties involved.