Over recent weeks I've been writing a lot about automation and its importance in driving productivity for business. In particular, this 3-part series focussing on the financial benefits of investing in automation for FY24.
In case you missed them, part 1 is on the Bankable Savings of Automation, followed by part 2 where I break down the cost of an automation project in Budgeting for Automation.
This piece rounds out the series on FY24 automation, answering the question How do you prepare for Automation? To make this piece practical I've once again used a Lucy implementation (our order entry automation app) as the point of reference. Whilst some of these details are specific to Lucy, most of the principles will apply to a wide range of automation and business projects.
So without diving too deeply into the weeds, I'll outline some of the key areas to consider.
Preparing for your automation project
Like any business project, there are some key areas to consider and plan for before you kick off your automation project:
1. Scope
So the first order of business is scope. This is really about information-gathering on your manual processes and current systems. Before we configure Lucy for your business, our team needs to understand:
- What currently happens to an order when it lands in your inbox?
- What information needs to be keyed into your sales order entry platform (generally your ERP)?
- Does any of this information contained in the purchase order require business logic? e.g. do you need to map the customer's required by/delivery date and then subtract 3 business days to ensure the customer receives their order on time?
- Are there any quirks or peculiarities around your data or your customers' purchase orders?
It’s a good idea to start thinking about specific customers and look for some ‘low hanging fruit’ to yield early success for your project. Think about customers who generally send consistent purchase orders, and from these pick a few (maybe 4 or 5) to be used as your initial test cases.
2. People
Now, who are you going to need? A Lucy project timeline is generally measured in weeks, but it can only be successful if you are prepared to commit the necessary people.
The key ‘roles’ required from your side are outlined below. Some of these might be the same person, depending on your business, but you'll need someone to lead in the following areas:
The primary contact on your side. In smaller organisations this may be the same person who acts as Functional Lead. This person should attend any meetings and will likely spend somewhere from 5 to 10 hours managing and coordinating your side of the project.
Technical
Your subject matter expert on systems. Sometimes this involves multiple people if there are complex systems and connectivity in place. This person should understand the functions and any customisations within your relevant systems. The technical lead should allocate around 8 hrs to the project, mainly during Kickoff, Build and Handover/Training phases.
Functional
This role should be able to provide information around the manual version of what Lucy is being set to achieve. They should be familiar with your systems and processes. They should allocate about 6 hours to the project.
Testers
This small team perform User Acceptance Testing to ensure the Lucy solution has been configured as per the scope. These people should have a thorough understanding of the normal manual process to verify Lucy is performing as expected. Typically you should allow around 3 days (24 hours) to perform UAT over a 2 week period.
3. Project phases
And finally, let's talk about the yellow brick road. These are the phases on your path to automation.
Kick-off - The project commencement meeting. This involves gathering of (often technical) requirements and information needed to proceed to Build.
Build - The Lucy team prepares the functionality specified in the proposal. We might require input from your Functional and Technical folks to clarify functionality and integration to your systems. Approx 2 weeks.
Internal Testing - The Lucy Team conduct an internal handover and commence QA to spot and resolve any technical issues. We may need to engage you for some limited functional or technical input. Approx 1 week.
UAT Handover & Training - The official handover meeting, which doubles as a training session prior to you testing. Primary attendees are the people performing UAT, plus key project leads. Allow 1-2 hours.
User Acceptance Testing - The UAT period involves rigorous customer testing while Lucy is connected to a test environment. The testing should replicate everyday use cases and be completed by people who perform these tasks manually in their normal role. Approx 2 weeks.
Go Live - Once you’re satisfied that UAT has been successful, it's time to go live. A day and time is booked to suit everyone.
A successful project thanks to good planning
So there we have it. Automation (in this case Lucy sales order automation) implemented and working productively in your business in 6 weeks! Remember - with automation, or indeed any business project, the key is to start small. Gets some wins, some runs on the board, and then expand that process to grow results over time.
With Lucy, we’ve found that organisations who recognise automation as a key capability within their customer service / customer success business processes tend to accelerate faster and put significant daylight between themselves and their competitors.
I hope this series has been of interest to you and perhaps provided some food for thought around why you should consider automation a priority for FY24.
If you're ready to plan your own project, we'd love to help out.