Everything that can be automated, will be automated
You might already know terms like Robotic Process Automation (RPA), Low-Code Application Platforms (LCAP), Intelligent Automation (IA) or Hyperautomation. The jungle of buzzwords keeps growing while technology vendors and research firms come up with their own terms. The digital automation trend behind all these terms is however significant. In this article we provide an overview of this trend and why digital automation really needs to be a top priority in an organization’s strategy.
In the end, hyperautomation, or whatever you want to call it, is about modern business process management resulting in optimized and efficient business enrivornment, i.e. competitive advantage. In concrete terms: cost savings, speed, accuracy and focus among others.
Term Intelligent Automation (IA) is often used as a combination of Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and artificial intelligence (AI) technologies where e.g. a software robot replaces manual routine tasks such as filling in forms.
Positioning IA with other recent technology concepts, Intelligent Automation by Pascal Bornet, Ian Barking, Jochen Wirtz
Gartner uses term hyperautomation to extend the idea of IA, as it promises end-to-end process automation with minimal human intervention required. Gartner lists hyperautomation as The Top Strategic Trend of 2021.
Hyperautomation is the idea that anything that can be automated in an organization should be automated. Hyperautomation is driven by organizations having legacy business processes that are not streamlined, creating immensely expensive and extensive issues for organizations.
Many organizations are supported by a “patchwork” of technologies that are not lean, optimized, connected, clean or explicit. At the same time, the acceleration of digital business requires efficiency, speed and democratization. Organizations that don’t focus on efficiency, efficacy and business agility will be left behind.
The levels of hyperautomation
Hyperautomation-enabling technologies can be divided into Process-Agnostic Software, i.e. generic tools such as RPA or other LCAP software. These tools enable rapid automation of manual repetitive tasks without the need of replacing legacy systems with new ones or investing into large integration projects. For example, it makes more sense to automate the use of an internal legacy system operated by a handful of users with a generic software robot than investing into new custom-IT.
Beyond the enabling and generic Process-Agnostic Software is more specific software, such as ERP and supply chain systems, that introduce new automation features. For example, Vuono provides a specific ERP solution for wine & alcohol importers due to the very specific business requirements of this business domain.
To unlock large-scale opportunities with end-to-end process automation, a combination of business process design, hyperautomation software and enterprise architecture development is required. Whereas technologies such as RPA have a clear place in many cases, automating critical processes with high volumes often require deep integrations instead of UI-level robots. Moreover, RPA licence costs (per bot) might grow a lot higher in the long-term than investing into a flexible API layer and own business-driven and process specific architecture design.
Conclusions
Intelligent automation or hyperautomation should primarily be seen as concepts for modern business process design. The technology trends behind these concepts are however driving change faster than ever. To drive a successful automation program:
The program needs to be driven by measurable business impact, not technology.
Use process-agnostic software for areas where use of rapid automation tools is feasible and specific solutions (off-the-shelf or custom) where automating end-to-end processes is needed. Both are often needed.
A flexible entire enterprise architecture is a key enabler for automation: instead of building everything from scratch, modern APIs enable connecting IT-systems with each other and legacy ERPs can be often improved with intelligent custom applications to drive efficiency. It’s not about the coolest technology, but ways to achieve real measurable business impact.