I have always been interested in technology and automation. If something can be done faster, more accurately and with less manual effort, I naturally start thinking about how to make it happen.
But over the years, I have realised something.
Not everything that can be automated should be automated.
I like automation. But automating a bad process only makes the bad process run faster.
Let me explain what I mean.
Imagine a process where someone downloads a report from SAP, copies the data into Excel, makes a few adjustments, prepares another report and sends it to someone else. That person reviews it, adds a few comments and forwards it to another person for approval.
Now, suppose we automate this entire sequence.
We have saved time. Reduced manual effort. Probably eliminated a few errors too.
Sounds like a successful automation project, doesn't it?
But what if nobody actually needs that second report? What if the information is already available in the system? What if one of those approvals was introduced years ago for a reason that no longer exists?
We may have successfully automated a process that should have been simplified in the first place.
And this is where I believe process improvement and automation need to be looked at differently.
Before asking how to automate something, we should ask why we are doing it at all.
Working across Finance and Operations has given me opportunities to look at business processes from different perspectives.
In Finance, we are naturally concerned about accuracy, controls, compliance and reporting. In Operations, the focus is often on speed, execution, productivity and getting things done.
Both perspectives are important.
A process that looks perfectly reasonable from a control perspective may create unnecessary work for the people executing it. On the other hand, removing a step simply because it takes time may compromise an important control.
The challenge is to understand why each step exists and whether it continues to serve a useful purpose.
And technology comes into the picture only after that.
I am certainly not against automation. Quite the opposite. I enjoy exploring how technology can solve everyday business problems. Whether it is SAP, Excel, a simple script or one of the newer AI tools, I find it interesting to see how much repetitive work can be eliminated.
But I would rather eliminate an unnecessary activity altogether than build an impressive automation around it.
Sometimes the solution is a new system.
Sometimes it is a small change in the existing system.
Sometimes it is simply removing an Excel file that nobody really needs anymore.
And sometimes, the best solution does not involve technology at all.
For me, this is an important part of business transformation.
It is not just about implementing new technology or making existing activities faster.
It is about questioning how things are done, understanding why they are done that way and finding a better way of doing them.
Automation can then make that better process even better.
