With hyperautomation to business excellence
Hyperautomation is currently being treated as the future strategic technology trend and is taking classic automation to a higher level. By combining a wide range of coordinated digital technologies, companies can automate and optimize their business processes on a large scale. In this way, hyperautomation ensures faster processes, focused work and significantly improved company performance.
What is hyperautomation?
Hyperautomation considers the automation of business processes from a holistic perspective. In this context, hyperautomation does not describe a new technology, but rather a comprehensive approach to combine all necessary and available technologies. True to the guiding principle: "Everything that can be automated will be automated." Instead of focusing only on sub-disciplines, hyper-automation continues the automation of individual processes and purely routine tasks. Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) are the main tools used for this purpose, which is why the term end-to-end automation is often used. The linking of these automation tools ensures more efficient processes and higher productivity in the company, as repetitive tasks are automated and employees can use the time freed up for value-adding activities.
The central components of hyperautomation
The approach to large-scale automation relies on the benefits that can be achieved through intertwined automation technologies. RPA solutions are often seen as the core technology of hyperautomation: RPA provides rapid support in digitalization, in which repetitive low-value processes are simply performed by software robots. However, since not all processes are one-dimensional, but complex processes often require human intelligence, RPA bots alone are not sufficient to achieve a complete and efficient digital transformation. Combining the bots with AI technologies makes all the difference: Thanks to ever new advances and developments in the fields of artificial intelligence and machine learning, it is increasingly possible to automate even those complex tasks that are otherwise handled by humans.
Hyper-automation not only enables organizations to compensate for the shortage of skilled workers, but also to make processes significantly less error-prone thanks to automated processes. As a result, leading consulting and analysis organization Gartner predicts that companies can reduce their operating costs by 30 percent by combining and holistically deploying current technologies. The most important solutions to enable comprehensive process automation are Robotic Process Automation, Machine Learning, Intelligent Business Process Management Suites as well as Process Mining. The tools can be combined perfectly and together form an ideal instrument for the end-to-end digitalization of process sequences and the automation of complex workflows.
Robotic Process Automation (RPA):
Robot-controlled process automation for handling rule-based processes is considered the core technology of hyperautomation. So-called software bots can be programmed to automatically process repetitive tasks based on a defined sequence. RPA can be implemented as a standalone product in an existing system. You can find more information about RPA here.
Machine Learning (ML):
Machine learning in a program makes it possible to recognize patterns and correlations in large amounts of data without a system being specially programmed for this purpose. As a subfield of artificial intelligence, machine learning can use self-learning algorithms to draw conclusions from such patterns, make predictions and thus optimize processes.
Intelligent Business Process Management Suites (iBPMS):
An Intelligent Business Process Management Suite is the further development of classic Business Process Management (BPM). iBPMS is not limited to process automation but offers many features for smarter processes and also supports human collaboration with social media integration, streaming analytics and real-time decision making.
Process Mining:
With process mining, business processes can be visualized, analyzed and optimized using digital traces. The software helps to uncover critical information and process paths and recognize complex patterns. In this way, the tool can capture potential for automation and continuously monitor process optimizations.
This is how hyperautomation can be realized
The best approach in the context of such extensive automatization essentially depends on whether automation solutions already exist in some areas or whether the company is still at the beginning in this respect. Organizations that are new to the challenges of digitalization can start by automating smaller projects in sales or HR. The employees affected should be involved at an early stage in order to quickly dispel any potential concerns and to encourage them to participate. Those who have already achieved a higher level of digitalization must consider how the technologies already in use can be holistically combined with each other and if there are other, for example AI-driven applications to augment in addition.
Gartner describes the implementation of hyperautomation in three steps:
1. Definition of a business objective
"What do we want to achieve with hyper-automation?" Companies should ask themselves this question at the start of an implementation and define a concrete goal, for example in terms of costs, revenue or risk.
2. Process optimization
To save duplicate work, it is useful to scale and optimize existing processes as far as possible before starting to hyperautomate - this ensures that the combination of the various tools subsequently leads directly to noticeable successes.
3. Selection and combination of tools
Deciding on specific IT tools, for example RPA, AI, etc., and combining them with each other is an important step and should be well thought out: they must meet the company's requirements, be as highly scalable as possible, and comprehensively address all security issues.
A glimpse into the future of process automation
One thing is already certain: In the future, automatization will be an indispensable component for the digital transformation that companies will not be able to avoid if they want to continue to be successful on the market. While terms such as integrated automation or intelligent process automation (IPA) mainly refer to the integration of intelligent components, hyper-automation refers to much broader, comprehensive automation. Gartner defines this state as an essential condition for organizations to maintain their competitive capabilities in the future.
A holistic automation approach can have the following major impacts:
Automation all around
The technological possibilities for automation are constantly developing, so that the scope of process automation will grow and, over time, more and more complex processes and knowledge work will become independent.
The agony of choice
Hyperautomation is only achieved by using a wide variety of intelligent tools. Those who manage to select them sensibly for their company and coordinate them with each other can gain the highest possible benefit and efficiency from them.
Elan is required
Due to today's fast-paced environment, companies must be able to quickly configure new processes while optimizing existing ones. It is important that employees question process flows, contribute to optimization and at the same time also understand the automation solutions. Who works on initiatives across departments can achieve higher effects as a result.
Teamwork:
People and automation tools
Hyperautomation cannot be equated with seamless process automation. Rather, it promotes cooperation among employees. Even if more and more AI-supported software robots are now performing activities that were previously done by humans, employees remain important decision-makers in an organization and do not lose their relevance. After all, the correct application of the new tools is just as much a task that requires human action as the interpretation of the data and the evaluation of the analyses. In the future, the use of various technologies will give companies an accurate picture of current customer satisfaction, for example. Promotions, campaigns or surveys for customer loyalty require a human emotionality and way of thinking. Interpreting the reports and data provided by the software and developing and implementing appropriate measures to this end will therefore continue to be done not by the software, but by the employees. The technology provides a basis, of which the results are then used by humans.
We provide the technology you need for hyperautomation
Whether Process Mining, iBPM, RPA or AI - we combine the latest technologies in just one software suite. BIC Platform is the all-in-one solution you need to transform and hyperautomate your processes.
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