Business Process Automation: Redesign First

Most business processes were never designed. They grew: a step added after a mistake, a spreadsheet created when a system could not cope, an approval inserted for one difficult customer and never removed. Automating such a process as it stands makes the mess faster rather than better. Business process automation works when you first understand the process end to end, simplify it and agree the rules, then automate the steps that follow those rules, leaving people to handle judgement and exceptions. This guide explains how to choose a process, map it, redesign it before automating, decide what to automate, run the change and measure the outcome.

Choosing the first process

Pick a process that matters, crosses at least one team boundary and has a clear start and end. Good candidates include:

• Client onboarding, from signed contract to first delivery
• Order to invoice, from confirmed order to payment received
• Employee onboarding, from accepted offer to first day
• Purchase to pay, from request to supplier payment
• Service requests, from report to resolution

Score candidates on volume, current delays and errors, the cost of those errors and how clearly the process can be defined. A process everyone complains about but nobody can describe may need mapping before it can be scored.

Mapping the current process

Map what actually happens, not what the policy document says. Walk through recent real cases with the people who do the work, and record for each step:

• Who does it, and in which system or document
• What triggers it and what it produces
• How long it takes and how long work waits before it
• What goes wrong, and how often
• Which decisions are made and on what basis

Waiting time is often the biggest finding. A process with two hours of work may take two weeks because work sits in queues between people. Notation such as the BPMN standard can help for complex processes, but a clear table or swim-lane diagram is enough for most.

Redesigning before automating

With the current process mapped, simplify it before any automation:

• Remove steps that add no value, such as re-checking data another system already validated
• Combine hand-offs where one person can complete consecutive steps
• Standardise inputs, such as one intake form instead of emails in any format
• Make decision rules explicit, such as thresholds for approval
• Decide which system is the source of truth for each piece of data

Agree the redesigned process with everyone involved, and test it on paper with a few recent cases before building anything. Some processes improve substantially from redesign alone. Automation then makes the improved process faster and more consistent.

Deciding what to automate in business process automation

Not every step should be automated. Sort steps into three groups:

• Automate fully: rule-based steps with digital inputs, such as creating records, sending notifications, generating documents and updating statuses
• Automate with review: steps where software can propose and a person confirms, such as extracting data from documents or classifying requests
• Keep manual: judgement, relationship and exception handling, supported by good information

Then choose tools. Workflow features in your existing CRM, ERP or help desk handle many steps; integration platforms connect systems; custom code suits complex rules or high volumes. Our guide to sales pipeline automation shows the same sorting applied to a sales process, and our guide to data entry automation tools covers options for getting information into systems.

Worked example: redesigning client onboarding

Suppose a marketing agency maps its client onboarding and finds that new clients wait days between a signed contract and a kickoff meeting. Its current and redesigned processes:

StepCurrent processRedesigned processAutomationContract signedAccount manager emails finance and operationsSignature updates the deal stage in the CRMFully automated triggerClient detailsFinance emails the client for billing detailsOne onboarding form sent automatically on signatureFully automatedBilling setupFinance re-keys details into accountingForm data creates the customer in accountingAutomated, finance reviews exceptionsProject setupOperations creates the project by hand from the contractProject created from a template based on the service soldFully automatedAccess requestsSeveral emails to collect loginsAccess checklist in the onboarding formAutomated remindersKickoff meetingAccount manager finds a time by emailBooking link included in the welcome emailAutomatedWelcome packAssembled manuallyGenerated from templatesAutomated, account manager reviews

The steps and choices are the agency's own. It plans to measure the time from signature to kickoff for the first ten clients after launch and compare it with the previous ten.

Running the change

Process changes affect how people work, so manage them deliberately:

• Involve the people who do the work in mapping and redesign
• Name a process owner responsible for the whole flow, not just their team's part
• Pilot with a few cases and fix problems before full rollout
• Document the new process and the automation behind it
• Give staff a clear way to report problems and see them resolved

Handling exceptions and edge cases

Every process has cases the redesigned flow does not cover: a client who signs two contracts at once, an order with a special delivery arrangement, a request that belongs to no category. Decide where these go before launch. A single exceptions queue with a named owner, and a clear reason recorded for each item, works better than letting each automation fail in its own way. Review the queue regularly. If the same kind of exception appears often, it is a sign the process design or the rules need updating, not that people should keep handling it by hand.

Measuring the outcome

Measure the whole process, not individual steps:

• End-to-end time from start to finish
• Waiting time between steps
• Error and rework rates
• Exceptions requiring manual handling
• Satisfaction of the people involved, internal and external

Review the measures monthly at first, then quarterly. Processes drift as the business changes, and automations need adjusting with them.

Common mistakes

• Automating the current process without redesigning it
• Mapping from policy documents instead of real cases
• Ignoring waiting time and focusing only on work time
• Automating judgement steps that need a person
• No single owner for the end-to-end process
• Measuring individual steps instead of the whole flow

Frequently Asked Questions

What is business process automation?

It uses software to carry out rule-based steps in an end-to-end business process, such as onboarding or order to invoice, after the process has been mapped and simplified.

Should a process be redesigned before it is automated?

Yes. Removing unnecessary steps, standardising inputs and clarifying rules first prevents automating waste and often delivers improvements on its own.

Which steps should not be automated?

Steps that need judgement, relationships or handling of unusual exceptions. Support them with good information instead.

How do you measure business process automation?

Measure end-to-end time, waiting time, errors, rework and exceptions for the whole process, before and after the change.

Redesign and automate your processes

We map, simplify and automate business processes across your CRM, finance and operations systems. See our AI automation solutions, or talk to us about a process that slows you down.

About the Author

Manav Sharma is the founder of Insyrge and a CRM solutions architect. He works across Zoho, Salesforce, HubSpot, Odoo and more, designing the CRM setups, integrations and automations that keep sales and operations teams working from the same data.