{"id":38982,"date":"2022-10-18T09:02:00","date_gmt":"2022-10-18T13:02:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/centricconsulting.com\/?p=38982"},"modified":"2023-05-10T14:20:21","modified_gmt":"2023-05-10T18:20:21","slug":"automate-your-business-an-introduction-to-enterprise-automation-maturity","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/centricconsulting.com\/blog\/automate-your-business-an-introduction-to-enterprise-automation-maturity\/","title":{"rendered":"Automate Your Business: An Introduction to Enterprise Automation Maturity"},"content":{"rendered":"

As we kick off our enterprise automation blog series, we introduce what it is and how it can benefit your business through process and RPA.<\/h2>\n
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It\u2019s a beautiful Saturday morning in October. The air is crisp and smells like autumn, evoking childhood memories of jumping into the big pile of leaves your parents raked in the middle of your lush, green lawn.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, you\u2019re the parent now, and last night\u2019s wind blew all the leaves off the Sugar Maple tree onto your yard. You\u2019ve got a full day of work in front of you.<\/p>\n

First, you rake. Then, you bag. Rinse and repeat for hours. When that\u2019s finally done, you get out your old push mower and walk back and forth across the lawn for 10 minutes. Next, it\u2019s weed-whacking time \u2013 followed by 45 minutes left of lugging your old, heavy trimmer around, cleaning up stray limbs.<\/p>\n

There\u2019s a better way: Get the tools you need to improve the process.<\/strong> Buy a 48-inch, zero-turn riding mower, a backpack leaf-blower and a battery-powered trimmer. You\u2019ll still have work to do, but these tools will make it easier and faster.<\/p>\n

What is Enterprise Automation?<\/h2>\n

Just like you need a better way to manage your yard, businesses need a better way to manage tasks.<\/p>\n

Almost all businesses have solved the big, common tasks (raking leaves, mowing the lawn) with enterprise resource planning<\/a> (ERPs), customer relationship management (CRMs), and the like. But the smaller, manual, custom tasks continue to pile up. Many of our clients have dozens of jobs available to help complete these tasks, and they are becoming harder and harder to fill. Regularly accomplishing these tasks on the backs of our people is unsustainable.<\/p>\n

Enter enterprise automation, a concept becoming more and more common as companies are no longer settling for hiring people to do manual tasks.<\/strong> Enterprise automation is a methodology of addressing all the automation gaps not already automated within an ERP, CRM, billing and invoicing program or other applications.<\/p>\n

Technologies like robotic process automation<\/a> (RPA) and low- or no-code platforms called business process management software (BPMS) can enable enterprise automation. Over the course of this blog series, we\u2019ll dive deeper into exploring the differences between and benefits of RPA, BPM and other enterprise automation solutions. In order to enjoy the benefits of fully enabled enterprise automation, first, you\u2019ll need a plan.<\/p>\n

4 Steps to Achieving Enterprise Automation Maturity<\/h2>\n

To achieve enterprise automation maturity, which is the long-term goal of eliminating manual tasks, you need to:<\/p>\n

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  1. Identify processes and pain points with cross-functional workshops that ask the following questions: What do you hate doing? What do you do and think, \u201cthere\u2019s got to be a better way?\u201d Where do you spend all your time? What takes too long and shouldn\u2019t?<\/li>\n
  2. Categorize processes into solution groups:<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n