Barriers to Business Automation - How Guru Network Overcomes Them

Organizations implementing intelligent automation encounter obstacles each year that prevent them from realizing the full automation potential of their systems. Process fragmentation, the absence of a clear vision, inadequate IT preparedness, and a refusal to change rank as the top obstacles according to this Deloitte report. This is consistent with years prior. Although there isn't a "quick fix" to get past these big obstacles, there are workable alternatives.

Process fragmentation

Deloitte polls identified immature and fragmented processes (which are hard to manage without uniform workflow) as the most significant barrier to automation.

Fragmentation in organizational processes can significantly hinder productivity, collaboration, and overall effectiveness. This issue arises when different departments or teams within an organization operate in silos, utilizing incompatible tools and systems, leading to communication gaps and inefficiencies.

Process fragmentation will be at the top of the obstacles list for the next five years or more, but there are steps that businesses can take to deal with this.

• To reduce process fragmentation, organizations could implement end-to-end automation. Combining fresh concepts and existing capabilities (human resources, native and upcoming technological solutions) allows you to design more powerful processes that provide unparalleled value to stakeholders.

End-to-end automation in organizations refers to the comprehensive automation of business processes from start to finish, integrating all relevant tasks and systems involved in a workflow. This approach transcends simple task automation by focusing on entire processes that encompass multiple departments and technologies, thereby enhancing efficiency and improving the overall experience for employees and customers.

• In order to break down process fragmentation and drive uniformity across processes, companies could think about adopting process mining and process monitoring.

In the simplest terms, Process Mining is a type of software that streamlines the identification, tracking, and continuous optimization of organizational processes. It performs this by evaluating ("mining") the event logs generated whenever a user engages with a system or the system performs an automated operation. It then use AI to detect process inefficiencies and suggest opportunities for improvement. At the same time, task mining capabilities reveal the individual processes that form a process's operations and identify potential automation tasks.

Process Monitoring in organizations refers to the continuous observation and analysis of business processes to ensure they operate efficiently and effectively. This practice involves tracking various metrics and performance indicators to identify issues, optimize workflows, and enhance overall productivity.

The most advanced adopters of intelligent automation have steadily moved from task-based automation toward end-to-end automation. Deloitte

Clear Vision

In today’s landscape of rapidly evolving technologies, organizations must establish a clear vision and strategy for intelligent automation to thrive. Alarmingly, 22% of organizations lack a well-defined and widely accepted vision for intelligent automation, while 41% do not have an enterprise-wide strategy in place.

To drive successful automation initiatives, automation leaders must collaborate closely with the C-suite to formulate a cohesive vision and comprehensive strategy. Although the C-suite is one of the strongest advocates for automation, the absence of a strategic framework often hinders the ability to scale effectively.

A well-structured roadmap that sets ambitious goals, drawing on existing automation experiences and insights from leading adopters, can help organizations capitalize on automation opportunities while minimizing risks and errors.

Focusing intently on where value is being generated through intelligent automation is crucial. It’s essential to communicate and cascade this vision from the top down. Without quantifying the benefits and opportunities presented by intelligent automation, gaining buy-in from all stakeholders becomes a significant challenge.

IT Readiness

Organizations continue to heavily depend on their IT departments to enable a wide range of technologies. While surveys indicates that IT functions are less supportive of their organizations' intelligent automation strategy compared to some other groups, a significant 72% are either supportive or highly supportive.

Involving IT representatives in discussions about intelligent automation from the outset can help bridge the gap that often exists between business and IT. IT professionals must adapt to the evolving technological landscape and understand the requirements for effectively implementing intelligent automation.

Automation leaders also need to empathize with the IT perspective. Factors such as IT capacity, skills, infrastructure, and multiple enterprise-wide technology initiatives can be impacted when new technologies are onboarded. These issues must be carefully considered and addressed.

Resistance to Change

Survey reveals that the risk function and workforce are the least supportive stakeholder groups for intelligent automation. However, employees in organizations that are implementing and scaling automation show greater support (52%) compared to those in pilot organizations (34%). This suggests that education and positive experiences with automation significantly influence attitudes.

Engaging the workforce in co-creating intelligent automation becomes easier each year, especially with the rise of low-code development initiatives. Leadership, effective communication, and training are crucial for the success of any change program.

Stakeholders must understand the "what," "why," and "how" of automation before embarking on this journey. Notably, over half (54%) of organizations that are implementing and scaling automation have not assessed the proportion of their workforce affected by these changes.

Proactive communication about the changes, clear benefits, and reskilling opportunities should be conveyed through various channels to foster buy-in.

How Guru Network Addresses Barriers to Business Automation

Guru Network, a comprehensive platform for intelligent automation, is well-positioned to tackle the key barriers organizations face in their automation journeys. By leveraging its innovative technology stack and holistic approach, Guru Network helps businesses overcome challenges related to process fragmentation, lack of clear vision, IT readiness, and resistance to change.

Overcoming Process Fragmentation

Guru Network's multi-chain orchestration capabilities enable seamless integration across various systems and departments. By providing a unified platform for on-chain, off-chain, and AI-driven processes, Guru Network eliminates data silos and ensures smooth collaboration between different stakeholders.

Using widely adopted standard Business Process Model and Notation (BPMN) for businesses, translates their internal procedures into a visual language that every stakeholder could understand. With the BPMN (and its logical extension - the BBPA engines) organizations can communicate their processes in a universally recognized way. It clarifies how teams collaborate and transact but also shines a spotlight on performance. By embracing BBPA, businesses can gain a clearer picture of their operations patterns, allowing them to pivot and adapt to new internal dynamics and B2B scenarios.

Establishing a Clear Vision

The Guru Network team has a clear vision for intelligent automation, which has evolved over time from a DeFi trading terminal to a full-fledged development platform.

By collaborating closely with the C-suite and cascading the vision from the top down, Guru Network helps organizations quantify the opportunities and benefits of automation, gaining buy-in from all stakeholders.

Addressing IT Readiness

Guru Network recognizes the importance of IT involvement in automation initiatives. By incorporating IT representatives in early discussions and providing the necessary tools and resources, Guru Network helps IT professionals adapt to the evolving technological landscape and effectively implement intelligent automation.

Overcoming Resistance to Change

Guru Network's low-code development features empower the workforce to actively participate in the automation process.

By co-creating intelligent automation and providing education and positive experiences, Guru Network fosters workforce buy-in and reduces resistance to change. Additionally, Guru Network's proactive communication about the benefits and reskilling opportunities helps organizations address concerns and facilitate a smooth transition.

Conclusion

Guru Network's comprehensive approach to intelligent automation positions it as a powerful solution for overcoming the key barriers organizations face in their automation journeys. By addressing process fragmentation, establishing a clear vision, ensuring IT readiness, and overcoming resistance to change, Guru Network enables businesses to unlock the full potential of intelligent automation and drive sustainable growth.