How do you ensure a successful process automation project? While many factors must come together to deliver a success story, a team with the right skills and capabilities is a key requirement.
Unless you have the team to take your automation project to the finish line, your automation just remains a strategy. Since a process automation project requires going to the lowest level of detail, a balanced team with diverse roles needs to be put together. The team should have members from both business and technical sides to consider every aspect of the automation deployment.
Here’s a Look at 8 Roles You Need to Build a Successful Process Automation Team:
1. Business Process Analyst
Process improvement is a critical step before process automation. A process must be fixed first to remove all non-value-adding activities, such as rework, double entries, etc before you begin your automation journey. A business process analyst proves key here in providing insights into process data, such as process value, cost, and time analysis. This information comes in handy to understand what part of the process needs to be improved.
2. Security Specialist
Understanding the level of security required for the process and assessing if the process involves sensitive and customer data are crucial steps before embarking on the automation journey. Thus, it is important to have security specialists in your process automation team. A key responsibility of a security specialist also involves reviewing security policies to make sure it doesn’t interfere with automated processes.
3. Subject Matter Expert
It’s crucial to have a dedicated Subject Matter Expert (SME) in your process automation team to ensure the required results from the initiative. Since an SME knows the process inside out, the expertise and insights prove crucial in crafting the automation strategy. A key value-add of an SME is to verify if automated outputs from a process are correct or not. While selecting an SME, make sure you choose someone who can run the process manually and has clarity into process loopholes.
4. Automation Specialist
An automation specialist takes care of technical details and requirements for the automation project. The role is responsible for designing, developing, testing, deploying and supporting the automation deliverables. Monitoring and reviewing the efficiency of the automated process is a key requirement handled by an automation specialist.
5. Change Management Specialist
Any implementation is as successful as the level of adoption by front-end employees. A change management specialist plays a crucial role in filling the gap between automation implementation and adoption. The role is focused on reducing the resistance to change by employees. A change management specialist makes sure that the employees feel connected to the objective of automation and are aware of the benefits and results to encourage adoption by front-end employees.
6. Finance Specialist
A finance specialist is responsible for providing financial and accounting support to the automation project. The primary responsibilities include tracking project costs and revenue, as well as providing overall administrative assistance for the project. This role is crucial in the team to ensure financial viability and keep the project budget under control.
7. Infrastructure Specialist
While deciding on your automation roadmap, you must evaluate the infrastructure requirements for the deployment. Here you need the expertise of an infrastructure specialist. The role also includes the standardisation of compliance policies and managing the cost and complexity of running the infrastructure.
8. Project Manager
Last but not the least, a project manager is required to oversee the entire project’s progress. From defining the scope of the project and sharing roles and responsibilities to setting and monitoring the timelines, a project manager is central to ensuring project delivery in an effective manner.
Putting together a team with these roles and capabilities will ensure seamless deployment of the process automation project and its success. In addition to a balanced team, a solid automation strategy and a structured approach are integral to ensuring your process automation project’s success.
For step-by-step instructions, expert tips and best practices to maximise the benefits of your process automation project, read the free eBook: “10 Effective Steps to Process Automation Success”.