Selecting Processes for Automation

Selecting the right processes for automation is the most critical decision in your RPA journey. Automating the wrong process can lead to wasted resources, minimal returns, and organizational frustration. This guide provides a comprehensive framework to identify, evaluate, and prioritize automation candidates for maximum business impact.

Key Principle: Process Selection Makes or Breaks RPA Success

The success of your automation initiative is determined more by WHAT you automate than HOW you automate it. A perfectly automated bad process is still a bad investment. A good automation candidate delivers immediate value, demonstrates clear ROI, and builds momentum for future initiatives.

Why Process Selection Matters

The Cost of Poor Selection

Automating the wrong process leads to:

Problem	Impact	Example
Low ROI	Resources invested with minimal return	Automating a task that takes 5 minutes weekly
Process Inefficiency	Automating broken processes	Digitizing a manual workaround instead of fixing the system
Maintenance Burden	High ongoing costs	Automating highly volatile processes that break frequently
Organizational Resistance	Loss of credibility	Failed automation creates skepticism toward future projects
Opportunity Cost	Missing high-value opportunities	Wasting resources on low-impact tasks

The Value of Strategic Selection

Choosing the right process delivers:

• Quick Wins: Demonstrate value rapidly to build momentum
• Clear ROI: Measurable returns that justify continued investment
• Scalability: Lessons learned apply to similar processes
• Organizational Buy-In: Success breeds enthusiasm for automation
• Resource Efficiency: Focus effort where it matters most

First Automation is Critical

Your first automation project sets the tone for your entire RPA program. Choose a process that is likely to succeed and demonstrate clear value. Save complex, risky projects for when you have experience and organizational support.

The Perfect Automation Candidate

Core Characteristics

The ideal process for automation possesses these attributes:

1. Rule-Based and Predictable

Definition: The process follows clear, logical rules without requiring subjective judgment.

Why it matters: RPA executes instructions perfectly but cannot make judgment calls or interpret ambiguous situations.

Examples:

✅ Good Candidates:
- If invoice amount < $5,000, auto-approve; otherwise, route to manager
- Extract all rows from Excel where Status = "Pending"
- Download all attachments from emails with subject containing "Daily Report"

❌ Poor Candidates:
- Review contract and determine if terms are favorable
- Evaluate supplier proposal quality
- Decide if customer complaint requires immediate attention

Evaluation Questions:

• Can you document the process in a flowchart without “it depends” statements?
• Would two different people execute this identically given the same inputs?
• Are all decision points based on clear, objective criteria?

2. High Volume and Frequency

Definition: The process occurs frequently enough to justify automation investment.

Why it matters: ROI comes from multiplying time saved per execution by number of executions. Low-volume processes rarely justify automation costs.

Volume Thresholds:

Frequency	Minimum Time per Execution	Annual Volume	Automation Priority
Daily	15+ minutes	250+	High
Weekly	1+ hour	50+	Medium
Monthly	3+ hours	12+	Low
Quarterly	8+ hours	4+	Very Low
Annual	Any duration	1	Not Recommended

Calculation Example:

Process: Daily invoice processing
- Frequency: 5 days/week
- Time per execution: 2 hours
- Annual executions: ~250
- Annual time: 500 hours
- Hourly cost: $30
- Annual cost: $15,000

Automation potential: HIGH ✅

Volume vs. Frequency Trade-off

A monthly process taking 40 hours might be a better candidate than a daily process taking 10 minutes. Calculate total annual hours, not just frequency.

3. Standardized and Stable

Definition: The process uses standardized inputs, follows consistent steps, and doesn’t change frequently.

Why it matters: Automation requires stability. Frequent changes mean constant maintenance and reduced ROI.

Stability Assessment:

Stability Level	Description	Automation Suitability
Highly Stable	Same steps, systems, and format for 12+ months	Excellent
Stable	Occasional minor changes (quarterly)	Good
Moderately Stable	Regular updates (monthly)	Fair (with versioning strategy)
Unstable	Frequent changes (weekly/ad-hoc)	Poor
Volatile	Process in transition or redesign	Wait until stable

Red Flags:

• “We’re planning to change this soon”
• “Each person does it differently”
• “The format varies by supplier/customer”
• “We’re migrating to a new system next quarter”

4. Digital and System-Based

Definition: The process involves digital systems, applications, or structured data files.

Why it matters: RPA excels at interacting with digital systems. Physical tasks or unstructured inputs are challenging to automate.

Automation Feasibility by Input Type:

Input Type	Automation Complexity	Example
Structured Digital	Very Easy	Excel files, database records, API data
Semi-Structured Digital	Easy	Email body text, PDF forms, web tables
Unstructured Digital	Moderate	Scanned documents (requires OCR), images
Physical Documents	Hard	Paper forms (requires scanning + OCR)
Phone Calls/Verbal	Very Hard	Customer service calls (requires speech-to-text)

Digital Transformation Opportunity

If a high-value process involves paper documents, consider digitizing the inputs first, then automating. The combination delivers greater ROI than either alone.

5. Repetitive with Minimal Exceptions

Definition: The process executes the same steps with few variations or exceptions.

Why it matters: Automation handles the standard path efficiently. Excessive exceptions require complex logic and reduce benefits.

Exception Rate Thresholds:

Exception Rate	Automation Approach	Suitability
0-5%	Fully automate; handle exceptions manually	Excellent
5-15%	Automate standard path; route exceptions to humans	Good
15-30%	Partial automation; human oversight required	Fair
30%+	Automation may not be cost-effective	Poor

Exception Handling Strategy:

Invoice Processing Example:
├─ 85% Standard invoices → Fully automated
├─ 10% Missing PO numbers → Route to AP clerk for lookup
└─ 5% Disputed amounts → Route to manager for review

Result: 85% automation rate is still valuable

6. Time-Consuming and Tedious

Definition: The process takes significant time and consists of monotonous, repetitive actions.

Why it matters: These are tasks humans dislike but robots excel at. Automation delivers both efficiency and employee satisfaction.

High-Impact Categories:

• Data Entry: Copying information between systems
• Data Extraction: Pulling data from multiple sources
• Report Generation: Compiling information into standardized formats
• Reconciliation: Comparing datasets to identify discrepancies
• Validation: Checking data against rules or criteria
• File Management: Organizing, renaming, moving files

Employee Satisfaction Bonus

Automating tedious tasks improves employee morale and retention. Include this qualitative benefit in your business case.

Process Maturity Assessment

Before automating, assess process maturity:

Maturity Level	Characteristics	Action
Level 1: Ad-hoc	Undefined, varies by person	Document and standardize first
Level 2: Repeatable	Consistent but undocumented	Document, then automate
Level 3: Defined	Documented standard process	Good candidate for automation
Level 4: Managed	Measured and controlled	Excellent candidate
Level 5: Optimized	Continuously improved	Automate optimized version

Never Automate Chaos

Automation doesn’t fix broken processes—it makes them faster broken processes. First standardize and optimize, then automate.

ROI Calculation Framework

Understanding Automation ROI

Return on Investment (ROI) quantifies the financial benefit of automation relative to its cost.

Basic ROI Formula:

ROI = (Total Benefits - Total Costs) / Total Costs × 100%

Where:
- Total Benefits = Annual cost savings + other quantifiable benefits
- Total Costs = Initial investment + annual maintenance costs

Detailed Cost-Benefit Analysis

Costs to Consider

Initial Implementation Costs:

Cost Category	Description	Typical Range
Software Licenses	Heptora platform subscription	$3,000 - $15,000/year
Development Time	Process design and testing	$2,000 - $20,000/process
Infrastructure	Servers, VMs, or cloud resources	$500 - $5,000/year
Training	Team education on platform	$1,000 - $5,000
Process Analysis	Documentation and mapping	$1,000 - $10,000

Ongoing Costs:

Cost Category	Description	Typical Annual Cost
Maintenance	Updates, fixes, enhancements	15-25% of development cost
Monitoring	Process supervision and support	$2,000 - $10,000
Infrastructure	Hosting and runtime costs	$500 - $5,000
License Renewals	Platform subscriptions	$3,000 - $15,000

Benefits to Measure

1. Time Savings (Primary Benefit)

Calculation:

Annual Time Savings = Time per Execution × Executions per Year × Automation Rate

Where:
- Time per Execution = Manual process duration (hours)
- Executions per Year = Annual frequency
- Automation Rate = % of process automated (typically 70-95%)

Example:

Process: Daily account reconciliation
- Manual time: 3 hours/day
- Frequency: 250 days/year
- Automation rate: 90%
- Time savings: 3 × 250 × 0.90 = 675 hours/year
- Hourly cost: $35 (loaded rate)
- Annual savings: 675 × $35 = $23,625

2. Error Reduction

Manual errors have real costs:

Error Type	Typical Manual Error Rate	Cost per Error	Annual Impact
Data entry mistakes	1-5%	$50-$500	High
Missed deadlines	5-10%	$100-$5,000	High
Compliance violations	0.1-1%	$1,000-$100,000	Critical
Customer service impact	2-8%	$50-$1,000	Medium
Financial discrepancies	0.5-3%	$100-$10,000	High

Error Reduction Formula:

Error Savings = (Manual Error Rate - Automated Error Rate) × Transactions × Cost per Error

Example:
Process: Invoice data entry
- Manual error rate: 3%
- Automated error rate: 0.1%
- Annual invoices: 10,000
- Average cost per error: $200
- Error savings: (0.03 - 0.001) × 10,000 × $200 = $58,000/year

Errors Are Often Underestimated

Organizations rarely track the full cost of errors, including time to detect, investigate, correct, and manage customer impact. The true cost is often 5-10x the direct correction cost.

3. Improved Processing Speed

Automation often processes faster than humans:

Benefit	Description	Value Calculation
Reduced cycle time	Complete tasks in hours instead of days	Revenue acceleration
24/7 operation	Process after hours and weekends	Capacity expansion
Scalability	Handle volume spikes without hiring	Cost avoidance
Customer satisfaction	Faster response and resolution	Retention improvement

4. Compliance and Audit Trail

Benefit	Description	Value
Complete logging	Every action recorded automatically	Reduced audit costs
Consistent execution	Same process every time	Reduced compliance risk
Documentation	Automatic process documentation	Time savings
Traceability	Full audit trail for investigations	Risk mitigation

5. Employee Productivity and Satisfaction

Benefit	Description	Measurement
Redeployed capacity	Staff focus on higher-value work	Hours redirected
Reduced overtime	Eliminate evening/weekend work	Overtime costs saved
Lower turnover	Improved job satisfaction	Recruitment/training cost avoidance
Upskilling	Employees learn process improvement	Capability development

Comprehensive ROI Example

Process: Customer Onboarding

Current State:

Manual Process Details:
- Time per onboarding: 4 hours
- Frequency: 15 new customers/week
- Annual volume: 750 customers
- Total manual hours: 3,000 hours/year
- Loaded cost: $40/hour
- Annual labor cost: $120,000

Error Profile:
- Error rate: 8% (60 errors/year)
- Average correction time: 3 hours per error
- Customer impact cost: $500 per error
- Total error cost: 60 × ($120 + $500) = $37,200/year

Compliance:
- Audit preparation: 80 hours/year
- Audit findings: 2-3 per year
- Remediation cost: $5,000/year

Total Current Cost: $162,200/year

Automated Future State:

Automation Implementation:
- Development cost: $25,000 (one-time)
- Annual license: $6,000
- Annual maintenance: $5,000 (20% of dev cost)
- Total first-year cost: $36,000
- Annual ongoing cost: $11,000

Automation Results:
- Automation rate: 85%
- Bot processing time: 20 minutes per customer
- Remaining manual time: 36 minutes per customer
- Total automated hours: 2,550 hours saved (85% of 3,000)
- Labor savings: 2,550 × $40 = $102,000/year

Error Reduction:
- Automated error rate: 0.5% (3.75 errors/year)
- Errors prevented: 56.25 per year
- Error savings: 56.25 × $620 = $34,875/year

Compliance:
- Automatic audit trail
- Audit prep time: 20 hours (75% reduction)
- Audit prep savings: $2,400
- Reduced findings: $3,000

Total Annual Benefits: $142,275
Total Annual Costs: $11,000 (after year 1)

First Year ROI:
ROI = ($142,275 - $36,000) / $36,000 × 100% = 295%
Payback period: 3.0 months

Subsequent Years ROI:
ROI = ($142,275 - $11,000) / $11,000 × 100% = 1,193%

ROI Calculation Template

Use this template to evaluate any automation candidate:

AUTOMATION ROI CALCULATOR

CURRENT STATE COSTS:
─────────────────────────────────────────────────
Manual Labor:
  Time per execution: _____ hours
  Annual executions: _____
  Total annual hours: _____ hours
  Loaded hourly rate: $_____ /hour
  Annual labor cost: $_____ [A]

Error Costs:
  Manual error rate: _____%
  Annual errors: _____
  Cost per error (correction + impact): $_____
  Annual error cost: $_____ [B]

Other Current Costs:
  Compliance/audit: $_____
  Overtime costs: $_____
  Other: $_____
  Total other costs: $_____ [C]

TOTAL CURRENT ANNUAL COST: $_____ [A+B+C]

AUTOMATION COSTS:
─────────────────────────────────────────────────
Initial Investment:
  Development: $_____
  Licenses: $_____
  Infrastructure: $_____
  Training: $_____
  Total initial: $_____ [D]

Annual Ongoing:
  Maintenance: $_____
  Licenses: $_____
  Infrastructure: $_____
  Support: $_____
  Total annual: $_____ [E]

AUTOMATION BENEFITS:
─────────────────────────────────────────────────
Time Savings:
  Automation rate: _____%
  Hours saved: _____
  Labor savings: $_____ [F]

Error Reduction:
  Automated error rate: _____%
  Errors prevented: _____
  Error savings: $_____ [G]

Other Benefits:
  Compliance: $_____
  Productivity gains: $_____
  Customer satisfaction: $_____
  Total other: $_____ [H]

TOTAL ANNUAL BENEFITS: $_____ [F+G+H]

ROI METRICS:
─────────────────────────────────────────────────
First Year:
  Net benefit: $_____ [F+G+H-D]
  ROI: _____% [(F+G+H-D)/D × 100]
  Payback: _____ months [D/(F+G+H) × 12]

Subsequent Years:
  Net benefit: $_____ [F+G+H-E]
  ROI: _____% [(F+G+H-E)/E × 100]

3-Year Total:
  Total benefits: $_____ [(F+G+H) × 3]
  Total costs: $_____ [D + (E × 3)]
  Net 3-year benefit: $_____
  3-year ROI: _____%

Conservative Estimates

When calculating ROI, use conservative estimates for benefits and generous estimates for costs. It’s better to under-promise and over-deliver than the reverse.

Automated Hours Metrics

Measuring Automation Impact

Automated hours quantify the time robots save by performing work that would otherwise require human effort.

Core Metrics

1. Total Automated Hours

Definition: Total time saved through automation across all processes.

Formula:

Total Automated Hours = Σ (Process Hours Saved × Executions)

Where for each process:
  Process Hours Saved = Manual Time × Automation Rate

Example Dashboard:

AUTOMATION IMPACT DASHBOARD
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════

Total Automated Hours (YTD): 8,450 hours

Top Processes by Hours Saved:
├─ Invoice Processing:        3,200 hours (37.9%)
├─ Customer Onboarding:        2,100 hours (24.9%)
├─ Report Generation:          1,450 hours (17.2%)
├─ Data Reconciliation:        1,200 hours (14.2%)
└─ Email Classification:         500 hours (5.8%)

Monthly Trend:
Jan: 650 hrs  Feb: 720 hrs  Mar: 810 hrs
Apr: 845 hrs  May: 880 hrs  Jun: 920 hrs

Full-Time Equivalent (FTE) Saved:
8,450 hours ÷ 2,080 hours = 4.1 FTEs

Cost Savings:
8,450 hrs × $35/hr = $295,750

2. Hours Saved per Process

Formula:

Hours Saved per Process = (Manual Time - Automated Time) × Executions

Where:
  Manual Time = Time required for human to complete
  Automated Time = Human oversight time for automated execution
  Executions = Number of times process ran

Example:

Process: Daily Sales Report Generation

Manual:
  Data extraction: 45 min
  Data cleaning: 30 min
  Report creation: 25 min
  Distribution: 10 min
  Total: 110 minutes = 1.83 hours

Automated:
  Bot runs entire process: 8 minutes
  Human review: 5 minutes
  Total: 13 minutes = 0.22 hours

Time saved per execution: 1.61 hours
Daily executions: 1
Annual executions: 250
Annual hours saved: 1.61 × 250 = 402.5 hours

3. Automation Rate

Definition: Percentage of process time handled by automation vs. total process time.

Formula:

Automation Rate = (Time Automated / Total Process Time) × 100%

Typical Rates by Process Type:

Process Type	Typical Automation Rate	Why Not 100%?
Data entry	90-95%	Exception handling
Report generation	85-95%	Quality review
Data extraction	80-90%	Validation needed
Reconciliation	75-85%	Discrepancy resolution
Decision support	60-75%	Final approval required
Customer service	40-60%	Complex inquiries need humans

Hybrid Human-Bot Model

Most effective automations don’t eliminate humans entirely—they handle routine work while routing exceptions to humans. Aim for 70-90% automation rate, not 100%.

4. FTE Equivalent

Definition: Number of full-time employees’ worth of work being performed by automation.

Formula:

FTE Equivalent = Total Automated Hours / Standard Annual Work Hours

Where:
  Standard Annual Work Hours = typically 2,080 hours (40 hrs/week × 52 weeks)

Example:

Annual automated hours: 12,400
FTE equivalent: 12,400 ÷ 2,080 = 5.96 FTEs

Interpretation:
Your automation is performing work equivalent to approximately 6 full-time employees.

Cost Equivalence (at $60K avg salary + 30% benefits):
6 FTE × $78K = $468,000 in labor cost avoidance

5. Utilization Rate

Definition: How efficiently automation capacity is being used.

Formula:

Utilization Rate = (Actual Automated Hours / Potential Automated Hours) × 100%

Where:
  Potential = Available bot capacity × Time period

Example:

Available Robots: 3
Available hours: 24 hours/day × 30 days = 720 hours/month per robot
Total capacity: 3 × 720 = 2,160 hours/month

Actual usage in April: 1,512 hours
Utilization rate: 1,512 ÷ 2,160 = 70%

Analysis: 30% unused capacity available for additional processes

Automated Hours Dashboard Example

╔════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║        AUTOMATION METRICS DASHBOARD - Q2 2024             ║
╠════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║                                                            ║
║  TOTAL AUTOMATED HOURS (QTD):         3,847 hours         ║
║  ───────────────────────────────────────────────────       ║
║  Trend: ↑ 23% vs Q1                                       ║
║                                                            ║
║  FTE EQUIVALENT:                      1.85 FTEs           ║
║  ───────────────────────────────────────────────────       ║
║  Cost savings: $134,645 (@ $35/hr)                        ║
║                                                            ║
║  BREAKDOWN BY DEPARTMENT:                                 ║
║  ───────────────────────────────────────────────────       ║
║  Finance:          1,542 hours (40.1%) ████████████       ║
║  Operations:       1,231 hours (32.0%) █████████          ║
║  HR:                 654 hours (17.0%) █████              ║
║  IT:                 420 hours (10.9%) ███                ║
║                                                            ║
║  TOP PERFORMING PROCESSES:                                ║
║  ───────────────────────────────────────────────────       ║
║  1. Invoice Processing           847 hrs   22.0%          ║
║  2. Expense Report Approval      623 hrs   16.2%          ║
║  3. Customer Onboarding          521 hrs   13.5%          ║
║  4. Daily Reconciliation         445 hrs   11.6%          ║
║  5. Report Distribution          398 hrs   10.3%          ║
║                                                            ║
║  MONTHLY PROGRESSION:                                     ║
║  ───────────────────────────────────────────────────       ║
║  April:    1,180 hours  ██████████████                    ║
║  May:      1,287 hours  ███████████████                   ║
║  June:     1,380 hours  ████████████████                  ║
║                                                            ║
║  QUALITY METRICS:                                         ║
║  ───────────────────────────────────────────────────       ║
║  Success rate:              97.3%  ✓                      ║
║  Average automation rate:   84.5%  ✓                      ║
║  Error rate (automated):     0.4%  ✓                      ║
║  Error rate (manual):        4.2%  (baseline)             ║
║  Error reduction:           90.5%  ✓                      ║
║                                                            ║
║  CAPACITY UTILIZATION:                                    ║
║  ───────────────────────────────────────────────────       ║
║  Available capacity:     5,760 hours                      ║
║  Utilized:               3,847 hours (66.8%)              ║
║  Available:              1,913 hours (33.2%)              ║
║                                                            ║
╚════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝

Tracking and Reporting Best Practices

1. Establish Baselines

Before automation:

• Document manual process time with time studies
• Measure current error rates
• Track exception frequency
• Record overtime costs

2. Consistent Measurement

• Use same methodology across all processes
• Track both bot time and human oversight time
• Record exceptions and manual interventions
• Document reasons for failures or manual handling

3. Regular Reporting Cadence

Audience	Report Frequency	Key Metrics
Process Owners	Weekly	Hours saved, success rate, exceptions
Management	Monthly	Total FTE equivalent, cost savings, ROI
Executive Leadership	Quarterly	Strategic impact, roadmap progress
Finance	Monthly/Quarterly	Cost avoidance, ROI, budget variance

4. Tell the Story

Raw numbers don’t inspire action. Context does:

❌ Weak Reporting:
"We automated 1,200 hours this quarter."

✅ Strong Reporting:
"We automated 1,200 hours this quarter—equivalent to adding 0.6 FTE
without hiring costs. This freed our AP team to focus on supplier
relationship management, resulting in 3 new early-payment discounts
worth $12,000 annually. Next quarter, we'll expand to AR with
estimated 2,000 additional hours."

Selection Criteria Framework

Evaluation Scorecard

Use this scorecard to objectively evaluate automation candidates:

AUTOMATION CANDIDATE SCORECARD

Process Name: _______________________________
Evaluated by: _________________ Date: _______

SCORING GUIDE:
0 = Not applicable / Very poor
1 = Poor
2 = Fair
3 = Good
4 = Very good
5 = Excellent

CRITERIA:                                    SCORE    WEIGHT   WEIGHTED
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════

1. RULE-BASED                                _____ ×   15%  = _______
   Clear, documented rules with no subjective judgment

2. VOLUME/FREQUENCY                          _____ ×   20%  = _______
   High transaction volume or frequency

3. STANDARDIZATION                           _____ ×   15%  = _______
   Consistent inputs, steps, and outputs

4. STABILITY                                 _____ ×   10%  = _______
   Process rarely changes; stable for 6+ months

5. DIGITAL                                   _____ ×   10%  = _______
   Uses digital systems and structured data

6. TIME-CONSUMING                            _____ ×   15%  = _______
   Significant time required; tedious work

7. ERROR-PRONE                               _____ ×   10%  = _______
   Manual errors are common and costly

8. PROCESS MATURITY                          _____ ×    5%  = _______
   Well-documented, standardized, optimized

9. BUSINESS IMPACT                           _____ ×   10%  = _______
   Significant business value from improvement

                                      TOTAL SCORE:    _______

INTERPRETATION:
────────────────────────────────────────────────────
4.0 - 5.0:  Excellent candidate - Prioritize highly
3.0 - 3.9:  Good candidate - Strong potential
2.0 - 2.9:  Fair candidate - Proceed with caution
1.0 - 1.9:  Poor candidate - Not recommended
0.0 - 0.9:  Very poor candidate - Reject

SCORING NOTES:
──────────────────────────────────────────────────
Rule-based (0-5):
  5 = 100% rule-based, zero judgment required
  4 = Mostly rule-based, minimal judgment (< 5% of cases)
  3 = Generally rule-based with some judgment (5-15%)
  2 = Significant judgment required (15-30%)
  1 = More judgment than rules (30-50%)
  0 = Primarily judgment-based (> 50%)

Volume/Frequency (0-5):
  5 = Daily, 500+ annual executions, 50+ hours/month
  4 = Daily, 250+ executions, 25+ hours/month
  3 = Weekly, 50+ executions, 10+ hours/month
  2 = Monthly, 12+ executions, 5+ hours/month
  1 = Quarterly, 4+ executions
  0 = Annual or less frequent

Standardization (0-5):
  5 = 100% standardized inputs/outputs, identical steps
  4 = 90%+ standardized, minor variations
  3 = 75%+ standardized, manageable variations
  2 = 50-75% standardized, significant variations
  1 = 25-50% standardized, mostly custom
  0 = < 25% standardized, highly variable

Stability (0-5):
  5 = Unchanged for 12+ months, no changes expected
  4 = Minor changes only, stable for 6+ months
  3 = Occasional changes (quarterly), predictable
  2 = Regular changes (monthly), somewhat predictable
  1 = Frequent changes (weekly/ad-hoc)
  0 = Highly volatile, in transition, or being redesigned

Digital (0-5):
  5 = 100% digital, structured data, modern systems
  4 = 90%+ digital, minimal paper/unstructured
  3 = 75%+ digital, some OCR/conversion needed
  2 = 50-75% digital, significant manual inputs
  1 = 25-50% digital, mostly physical
  0 = Primarily paper-based or verbal

Time-consuming (0-5):
  5 = 20+ hours/week, highly tedious/repetitive
  4 = 10-20 hours/week, tedious
  3 = 5-10 hours/week, somewhat tedious
  2 = 2-5 hours/week
  1 = 1-2 hours/week
  0 = < 1 hour/week

Error-prone (0-5):
  5 = 10%+ error rate, critical impact, costly errors
  4 = 5-10% error rate, significant impact
  3 = 2-5% error rate, moderate impact
  2 = 1-2% error rate, minor impact
  1 = < 1% error rate, minimal impact
  0 = Essentially error-free manually

Process Maturity (0-5):
  5 = Fully documented, standardized, optimized
  4 = Documented, standardized, working well
  3 = Documented, repeatable, some variations
  2 = Partially documented, some variations
  1 = Undocumented, ad-hoc but repeatable
  0 = Undefined, varies by person

Business Impact (0-5):
  5 = Critical process, major financial/customer impact
  4 = Important process, significant impact
  3 = Moderate impact on operations
  2 = Limited impact
  1 = Minor impact
  0 = Negligible impact

Detailed Scoring Examples

Example 1: Daily Invoice Processing

1. Rule-Based:              5/5  (Clear approval rules, no judgment)
2. Volume/Frequency:        5/5  (50 invoices/day, 250 days/year)
3. Standardization:         4/5  (95% follow standard format)
4. Stability:               5/5  (Stable for 2+ years)
5. Digital:                 5/5  (PDF invoices via email)
6. Time-Consuming:          5/5  (3 hours daily, repetitive)
7. Error-Prone:             4/5  (5% manual error rate, costly)
8. Process Maturity:        5/5  (Fully documented SOP)
9. Business Impact:         4/5  (Affects cash flow, supplier relations)

Weighted Score: 4.7/5.0 → EXCELLENT CANDIDATE ✅

Example 2: Quarterly Strategic Planning

1. Rule-Based:              1/5  (Requires judgment, strategy, creativity)
2. Volume/Frequency:        0/5  (Only 4 times per year)
3. Standardization:         2/5  (Framework exists but highly variable)
4. Stability:               3/5  (Framework stable, content varies)
5. Digital:                 3/5  (Mix of data, documents, discussions)
6. Time-Consuming:          2/5  (Significant but not repetitive)
7. Error-Prone:             1/5  (Not error-driven, judgment-driven)
8. Process Maturity:        4/5  (Well-established process)
9. Business Impact:         5/5  (Critical to business direction)

Weighted Score: 1.8/5.0 → POOR CANDIDATE ❌

Example 3: Customer Email Classification

1. Rule-Based:              4/5  (Keyword/pattern-based rules)
2. Volume/Frequency:        5/5  (500+ emails/day)
3. Standardization:         3/5  (Common patterns but variable content)
4. Stability:               4/5  (Categories stable, content evolves)
5. Digital:                 5/5  (Email, fully digital)
6. Time-Consuming:          4/5  (2 hours/day, tedious)
7. Error-Prone:             3/5  (10% misclassification rate)
8. Process Maturity:        3/5  (Informal rules, varies by person)
9. Business Impact:         3/5  (Impacts response time)

Weighted Score: 3.9/5.0 → GOOD CANDIDATE ✅

Good vs. Bad Automation Candidates

Excellent Candidates

1. Accounts Payable Invoice Processing

Process Overview:

• Receive supplier invoices via email (PDF format)
• Extract invoice data (supplier, amount, date, PO number)
• Validate against purchase orders in ERP
• Route for approval based on amount thresholds
• Post to accounting system
• Send payment confirmation

Why it’s excellent:

✅ Highly rule-based (approval thresholds, matching logic)
✅ High volume (50-200 invoices daily)
✅ Standardized format (invoice standards)
✅ Very stable (process unchanged for years)
✅ Fully digital (PDF, email, ERP)
✅ Time-consuming (2-4 hours daily)
✅ Error-prone (manual data entry mistakes)
✅ Mature process (well-documented)
✅ High business impact (cash flow, supplier relations)

Estimated Impact:
- Time savings: 600-800 hours/year
- Error reduction: 90%+ (from 5% to 0.5%)
- ROI: 400%+ first year
- Payback: 3-4 months

2. Employee Onboarding Process

Process Overview:

• Receive new hire data from HR system
• Create user accounts (email, ERP, CRM, etc.)
• Assign security groups and permissions
• Provision hardware and software licenses
• Generate welcome packet
• Send onboarding checklist and calendar invites
• Update tracking spreadsheet

Why it’s excellent:

✅ Rule-based (standard permissions by role)
✅ Regular frequency (10-30 new hires monthly)
✅ Highly standardized (company policy-driven)
✅ Stable (changes quarterly at most)
✅ Digital (HR system, Active Directory, cloud apps)
✅ Time-consuming (4-6 hours per employee)
✅ Error-prone (forgotten steps, wrong permissions)
✅ Well-documented (IT procedures)
✅ Impact on employee experience

Estimated Impact:
- Time savings: 400-600 hours/year
- Error reduction: 95%+ (from 15% to < 1%)
- Improved new hire experience
- ROI: 350%+ first year

3. Daily Sales Report Generation

Process Overview:

• Log into sales dashboard
• Export data for previous day
• Clean and format data
• Create pivot tables and charts
• Calculate key metrics (conversion rate, average deal size)
• Generate PDF report
• Email to sales leadership

Why it’s excellent:

✅ 100% rule-based (defined calculations)
✅ Very high frequency (daily, 250+ times/year)
✅ Completely standardized (same report daily)
✅ Very stable (format unchanged)
✅ Fully digital (CRM, Excel, email)
✅ Time-consuming and tedious (1.5 hours daily)
✅ Error-prone (copy-paste mistakes, wrong formulas)
✅ Mature (clear requirements)
✅ High visibility (leadership uses daily)

Estimated Impact:
- Time savings: 375 hours/year
- Error reduction: 98%+ (from 8% to < 0.5%)
- Faster availability (8 AM vs 10 AM)
- ROI: 500%+ first year
- Payback: 2-3 months

4. IT Helpdesk Ticket Routing

Process Overview:

• Receive support tickets via email/portal
• Read ticket description
• Categorize by type (password reset, software issue, hardware, etc.)
• Assign priority based on keywords and user role
• Route to appropriate queue/team
• Send acknowledgment to user

Why it’s excellent:

✅ Rule-based (categorization keywords, routing logic)
✅ Very high volume (100-500 tickets daily)
✅ Standardized (ticket categories defined)
✅ Stable (categories rarely change)
✅ Fully digital (ticketing system, email)
✅ Time-consuming (30-60 min per day)
✅ Error-prone (wrong category/priority)
✅ Documented (routing rules exist)
✅ Impacts response time SLAs

Estimated Impact:
- Time savings: 200-300 hours/year
- Error reduction: 85%+ (from 12% to 2%)
- Faster ticket routing (seconds vs minutes)
- Improved SLA compliance
- ROI: 300%+ first year

Poor Candidates

1. Contract Negotiation

Process Overview:

• Review proposed contract terms
• Assess risk and compliance implications
• Negotiate favorable terms with vendors
• Draft counter-proposals
• Coordinate internal approvals
• Finalize agreements

Why it’s poor:

❌ Not rule-based (requires judgment, negotiation skill)
❌ Variable volume (depends on business needs)
❌ Not standardized (each contract unique)
❌ Requires expertise and relationship management
❌ Mix of digital and personal interaction
❌ Strategic, not repetitive
❌ Errors aren't from repetition but from judgment

Recommendation: Keep this human-driven
Some supporting tasks could be automated:
  ✓ Extract key terms from contracts (OCR/AI)
  ✓ Check compliance against standard clauses
  ✓ Generate reports on contract status

2. Customer Complaint Resolution

Process Overview:

• Receive customer complaint via phone/email/chat
• Understand the issue and customer sentiment
• Investigate what went wrong
• Determine appropriate resolution
• Empathize and communicate with customer
• Document resolution and follow up

Why it’s poor:

❌ Requires empathy and emotional intelligence
❌ Highly variable (each complaint different)
❌ Not rule-based (requires judgment and creativity)
❌ Relationship-building is critical
❌ Success depends on human connection
❌ Situations often require escalation/flexibility

Recommendation: Keep humans in the driver's seat
Consider automation for supporting tasks:
  ✓ Classify complaint type automatically
  ✓ Pull relevant customer history
  ✓ Suggest resolution options to agent
  ✓ Generate follow-up email templates
  ✓ Update CRM with resolution details

3. Annual Budget Planning

Process Overview:

• Review previous year’s actuals and variances
• Meet with department heads for input
• Analyze market conditions and business projections
• Allocate resources across initiatives
• Model scenarios and sensitivities
• Present to leadership for approval
• Finalize and distribute budgets

Why it’s poor:

❌ Highly strategic, requires business judgment
❌ Very low frequency (once per year)
❌ Not standardized (depends on business conditions)
❌ Involves collaboration, negotiation, politics
❌ Success depends on experience and insight
❌ Substantial judgment in trade-offs and priorities

Recommendation: Not an automation candidate
Supporting automation opportunities:
  ✓ Consolidate departmental budget submissions
  ✓ Generate budget vs. actual reports
  ✓ Create standard budget templates
  ✓ Distribute final budgets to stakeholders

4. New Product Market Research

Process Overview:

• Define research objectives and hypotheses
• Identify target audience and segments
• Design surveys and interview guides
• Conduct interviews and gather feedback
• Analyze qualitative insights
• Synthesize findings into recommendations
• Present to product team

Why it’s poor:

❌ Creative and analytical thinking required
❌ Highly variable process (depends on product/market)
❌ Not rule-based (exploratory by nature)
❌ Requires interpretation of qualitative data
❌ Human insight is the core value
❌ Relationship building with interviewees
❌ Low frequency

Recommendation: Human-led research essential
Potential automation support:
  ✓ Schedule interview appointments
  ✓ Transcribe interview recordings
  ✓ Tag and categorize survey responses
  ✓ Generate summary statistics
  ✓ Create presentation templates

Borderline Cases

Some processes fall in between—automation can help but won’t replace humans entirely:

1. Purchase Requisition Approval

Process: Employees submit purchase requests; approvers review and approve/reject.

Automation Opportunity:

✓ Auto-approve requests under threshold ($500) from approved categories
✓ Route above-threshold requests to appropriate manager
✓ Check budget availability automatically
✓ Escalate if no response within SLA

Result: 60-70% auto-approval rate
Humans handle exceptions and high-value requests

2. Resume Screening

Process: Review job applications against requirements; shortlist candidates for interviews.

Automation Opportunity:

✓ Screen for minimum qualifications (degree, experience)
✓ Keyword matching for required skills
✓ Remove clearly unqualified applicants
✓ Score and rank candidates by criteria

Result: Reduce resume pile by 50-70%
Humans review top candidates and make final decisions

3. Expense Report Validation

Process: Review employee expense reports for policy compliance and accuracy.

Automation Opportunity:

✓ Check math and totals automatically
✓ Verify receipts are attached
✓ Flag policy violations (over limit, wrong category)
✓ Auto-approve clean reports under threshold

Result: 40-60% auto-approval
Humans review flagged exceptions and high amounts

Hybrid Automation Model

Many processes benefit from hybrid automation: bots handle routine work and route exceptions to humans. This often delivers better ROI than trying to automate 100% of a complex process.

Prioritization Framework

Once you’ve identified multiple automation candidates, prioritize them strategically.

Priority Matrix

Plot candidates on a 2×2 matrix:

         │
    HIGH │
  EFFORT │   STRATEGIC          MAJOR
         │   PROJECTS           PROJECTS
         │
         │   - High value       - High value
         │   - Complex          - Time-intensive
    ───  │   - Long timeline    - Resource-heavy
         │   - Dependencies     - Significant ROI
         │
         │   Priority: LATER    Priority: MEDIUM
         │                      (with resources)
    ─────┼───────────────────────────────────────
         │
         │   QUICK WINS         INCREMENTAL
         │                      IMPROVEMENTS
         │   - Fast ROI         - Modest value
         │   - Low complexity   - Easy to do
    LOW  │   - High visibility  - Low risk
  EFFORT │   - Build momentum   - Nice to have
         │
         │   Priority: DO FIRST Priority: LOW
         │                      (or never)
         │
         └────────────────────────────────────
               LOW        VALUE/IMPACT        HIGH

Prioritization Approach:

Phase 1: Quick Wins (Month 1-3)

• Start here to build momentum and credibility
• Deliver visible results fast
• Prove automation value with minimal risk
• Examples: Report generation, email classification, data extraction

Phase 2: Major Projects (Month 4-9)

• Tackle high-value, higher-complexity processes
• Leverage lessons learned from quick wins
• Require more resources but deliver significant ROI
• Examples: Invoice processing, customer onboarding, reconciliation

Phase 3: Strategic Projects (Month 10-18)

• Address complex, transformational processes
• Build on organizational buy-in and expertise
• May require process redesign or system changes
• Examples: End-to-end order-to-cash, compliance reporting

Phase 4: Incremental Improvements (Ongoing)

• Fill gaps and optimize existing automations
• Address small pain points
• Continuous improvement
• Examples: Minor report variations, small data transformations

Scoring Model for Prioritization

Use a quantitative approach to rank candidates:

PRIORITIZATION SCORE = (Value × Confidence) / Effort

Where:
  Value = Business impact score (0-10)
  Confidence = Success probability (0-100%)
  Effort = Implementation complexity (1-10)

Higher score = Higher priority

Example Prioritization:

Process	Value (0-10)	Confidence (%)	Effort (1-10)	Score	Rank
Daily sales report	8	95%	2	3.80	1
Email routing	7	90%	3	2.10	2
Invoice processing	10	85%	6	1.42	3
Employee onboarding	9	80%	7	1.03	4
Contract extraction	6	70%	5	0.84	5
Customer onboarding	8	75%	8	0.75	6
Budget consolidation	5	60%	4	0.75	7
Quarterly planning support	4	50%	6	0.33	8

Interpretation:

• Start with daily sales report (quick win)
• Follow with email routing (another quick win)
• Then tackle invoice processing (major project with high ROI)
• Continue down the list as resources allow

Strategic Considerations

Beyond the numbers, consider:

1. Organizational Readiness

Questions to ask:

• Does leadership support this initiative?
• Are process owners willing to collaborate?
• Is the technical infrastructure ready?
• Do we have skills/resources to implement?

2. Risk Tolerance

Risk Categories:

Risk Level	Description	When to Accept
Low	Mature process, stable systems, minor impact if fails	Always acceptable
Medium	Some complexity or dependencies, moderate impact	Acceptable with mitigation plan
High	Critical process, customer-facing, complex integration	Only with executive support and contingency
Very High	Regulatory implications, safety-critical, unstable foundation	Avoid or redesign to reduce risk

Risk Mitigation:

• Start with pilot/proof of concept
• Implement parallel run (bot + human simultaneously)
• Build rollback capability
• Have human oversight initially
• Gradually increase autonomy as confidence grows

3. Change Management

Consider:

• How many people are affected?
• Will roles change significantly?
• Is there resistance to automation?
• What training is needed?
• How will success be communicated?

Prioritize processes where:

• Employees are enthusiastic (avoid starting with resistors)
• Change impact is manageable
• Communication plan is clear
• Training requirements are reasonable

4. Technical Dependencies

Evaluate:

• System access and APIs available
• Data quality and consistency
• Integration complexity
• Infrastructure requirements
• Security/compliance constraints

Prioritize when:

• Systems are accessible and stable
• Data quality is good (or can be improved)
• Integration is straightforward
• Infrastructure is in place
• Compliance path is clear

Multi-Year Roadmap Example

AUTOMATION ROADMAP (2024-2026)

YEAR 1 - FOUNDATION (2024)
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
Q1: Quick Wins & Learning
  ✓ Daily sales report automation
  ✓ Email classification and routing
  ✓ Weekly timesheet reminders
  └─ Target: 500 automated hours, 3 processes live

Q2: Scaling Fundamentals
  ○ Invoice data extraction (AP)
  ○ Expense report validation
  ○ IT ticket categorization
  └─ Target: 1,200 automated hours, 6 processes live

Q3: Department Expansion
  ○ Employee onboarding (IT/HR)
  ○ Customer onboarding (Sales)
  ○ Monthly close reconciliation (Finance)
  └─ Target: 2,500 automated hours, 9 processes live

Q4: Optimization & Governance
  ○ Optimize existing processes
  ○ Establish CoE (Center of Excellence)
  ○ Document best practices
  └─ Target: 3,500 automated hours, 12 processes live

YEAR 2 - EXPANSION (2025)
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
Q1-Q2: Complex Process Automation
  ○ Full AP invoice processing (extraction to posting)
  ○ Order-to-cash cycle automation
  ○ HR benefits enrollment
  └─ Target: 6,000 automated hours, 18 processes live

Q3-Q4: AI/ML Integration
  ○ Intelligent document processing
  ○ Predictive routing and prioritization
  ○ Anomaly detection
  └─ Target: 9,000 automated hours, 25 processes live

YEAR 3 - TRANSFORMATION (2026)
═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════
Q1-Q2: End-to-End Process Automation
  ○ Procure-to-pay (full cycle)
  ○ Customer service workflow
  ○ Compliance reporting
  └─ Target: 13,000 automated hours, 35 processes live

Q3-Q4: Advanced Capabilities
  ○ Autonomous decision-making processes
  ○ Cross-functional workflow orchestration
  ○ Real-time process optimization
  └─ Target: 18,000+ automated hours, 50+ processes live

CUMULATIVE IMPACT BY END OF YEAR 3:
────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Total Automated Hours:     18,000+ hours/year
FTE Equivalent:            8.7 FTEs
Cost Savings:              $630,000/year
Error Reduction:           90%+ on automated processes
ROI:                       450%+
Employee Satisfaction:     +25% (surveys)

Start Small, Think Big

Begin with 2-3 quick wins in your first quarter. Use these to prove value, build expertise, and secure buy-in for larger initiatives. Trying to do too much too fast often leads to failure.

Success Metrics and KPIs

Core KPIs to Track

1. Financial Metrics

KPI	Definition	Target	Tracking Frequency
ROI	(Benefits - Costs) / Costs	> 200% first year	Quarterly
Total cost savings	Annual cost avoidance from automation	> $100K (Year 1)	Monthly
Cost per automated hour	Total program cost / hours automated	< $15/hour	Quarterly
Payback period	Time to recover initial investment	< 12 months	Per project

2. Operational Metrics

KPI	Definition	Target	Tracking Frequency
Automated hours	Total human hours saved by automation	Growing 20%+ YoY	Monthly
FTE equivalent	Automated hours / 2,080	Growing	Monthly
Process count	Number of processes automated	Growing	Monthly
Utilization rate	Actual usage / available capacity	> 65%	Monthly
Success rate	% of bot runs that complete successfully	> 95%	Daily/Weekly

3. Quality Metrics

KPI	Definition	Target	Tracking Frequency
Error rate (automated)	% of automated transactions with errors	< 1%	Weekly
Error reduction	(Manual errors - Bot errors) / Manual errors	> 80%	Monthly
Rework rate	% requiring manual correction	< 5%	Weekly
SLA compliance	% meeting processing time SLAs	> 98%	Weekly

4. Adoption Metrics

KPI	Definition	Target	Tracking Frequency
Departments engaged	Number of departments with automations	Growing	Quarterly
Process owners trained	Number of staff trained on automation	Growing	Monthly
Employee satisfaction	Survey score on automation impact	> 4.0/5.0	Quarterly
Ideas submitted	Automation suggestions from employees	Growing	Monthly

5. Development Metrics

KPI	Definition	Target	Tracking Frequency
Time to deploy	Average days from idea to production	< 30 days	Per project
Development cost	Average cost to automate a process	Decreasing	Per project
Reusability	% of components reused across processes	> 30%	Quarterly

KPI Dashboard Example

╔═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╗
║              AUTOMATION PROGRAM KPI DASHBOARD - Q2 2024          ║
╠═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╣
║                                                                   ║
║  FINANCIAL PERFORMANCE                                            ║
║  ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────  ║
║  YTD ROI:                     287%  ✓ (Target: > 200%)           ║
║  Total Cost Savings:      $142,500  ✓ (Target: > $100K)          ║
║  Cost per Automated Hour:   $11.20  ✓ (Target: < $15)            ║
║  Average Payback Period:   4.2 months ✓ (Target: < 12 months)    ║
║                                                                   ║
║  OPERATIONAL PERFORMANCE                                          ║
║  ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────  ║
║  Automated Hours (YTD):    3,847 hrs  ↑ 34% vs same period LY   ║
║  FTE Equivalent:            1.85 FTE                              ║
║  Active Processes:              12  ↑ 4 processes since Q1       ║
║  Bot Utilization:            68.2%  ✓ (Target: > 65%)            ║
║  Success Rate:               97.3%  ✓ (Target: > 95%)            ║
║                                                                   ║
║  QUALITY PERFORMANCE                                              ║
║  ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────  ║
║  Automated Error Rate:        0.4%  ✓ (Target: < 1%)             ║
║  Manual Error Rate:           4.2%  (Baseline)                   ║
║  Error Reduction:            90.5%  ✓ (Target: > 80%)            ║
║  Rework Rate:                 2.1%  ✓ (Target: < 5%)             ║
║  SLA Compliance:             98.7%  ✓ (Target: > 98%)            ║
║                                                                   ║
║  ADOPTION METRICS                                                 ║
║  ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────  ║
║  Departments Engaged:            4  (Finance, HR, IT, Ops)       ║
║  Process Owners Trained:        18  ↑ 6 since Q1                 ║
║  Employee Satisfaction:    4.3/5.0  ✓ (Target: > 4.0)            ║
║  Ideas Pipeline:                22  ↑ 8 new ideas this quarter   ║
║                                                                   ║
║  DEVELOPMENT EFFICIENCY                                           ║
║  ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────  ║
║  Avg Time to Deploy:        24 days ✓ (Target: < 30 days)        ║
║  Avg Development Cost:     $8,200   ↓ $1,200 vs Q1               ║
║  Component Reusability:       34%   ✓ (Target: > 30%)            ║
║                                                                   ║
║  TOP PERFORMING PROCESSES (by hours saved):                      ║
║  ───────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────  ║
║  1. Invoice Data Extraction        847 hours  |  97.8% success   ║
║  2. Expense Report Validation      623 hours  |  98.2% success   ║
║  3. Customer Onboarding            521 hours  |  96.1% success   ║
║  4. Daily Reconciliation           445 hours  |  99.1% success   ║
║  5. Sales Report Generation        398 hours  |  99.8% success   ║
║                                                                   ║
╚═══════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════════╝

Leading vs. Lagging Indicators

Lagging Indicators (Historical results):

• Total cost savings
• ROI
• Total automated hours
• FTE equivalent

Leading Indicators (Predictive of future success):

• Ideas pipeline size and quality
• Process owners trained
• Employee engagement surveys
• Time to deploy new automations
• Reusability rate

Balance Your Scorecard

Track both lagging indicators (results) and leading indicators (drivers of future results). Leading indicators help you course-correct before problems appear in lagging metrics.

Reporting Best Practices

1. Audience-Specific Reporting

Audience	Focus	Format	Frequency
Executives	Financial ROI, strategic progress	1-page summary	Quarterly
Department Leaders	Operational impact, capacity freed	Detailed report	Monthly
Process Owners	Individual process performance	Interactive dashboard	Weekly
IT/Automation Team	Technical metrics, development	Detailed analytics	Daily/Weekly
Finance	Cost savings, budget variance	Financial report	Monthly/Quarterly

2. Storytelling with Data

Transform data into compelling narratives:

❌ Data without context:
"We automated 1,200 hours in Q2."

✅ Compelling narrative:
"In Q2, we automated 1,200 hours of manual work—equivalent to adding
0.6 FTE without hiring costs. This freed our AP team from tedious data
entry, allowing them to focus on supplier relationship management. As
a result, we negotiated 3 new early-payment discounts worth $12,000
annually. One team member said: 'I can finally focus on analysis instead
of just moving data around.' Next quarter, we're expanding to AR with
an estimated 2,000 additional hours of automation."

3. Visualizations That Communicate

Use clear, intuitive charts:

• Trend lines: Show growth over time (automated hours, cost savings)
• Comparison bars: Compare manual vs. automated metrics
• Pie charts: Show distribution across departments or processes
• Heatmaps: Highlight process performance across multiple dimensions
• Gauges: Show progress toward targets

4. Celebrate Wins

Recognize successes publicly:

• Monthly “Automation Champion” awards
• Share success stories in company communications
• Highlight employee impact (freed from tedious work)
• Quantify business outcomes (faster customer service, etc.)
• Create case studies for high-impact automations

Getting Started: Your First Process

Step-by-Step Approach

Week 1: Identify Candidate

1. Host brainstorming session with team
2. Document 5-10 potential processes
3. Apply evaluation scorecard
4. Select top-ranked “quick win” process

Week 2: Document Current State

1. Shadow process execution (observe 3-5 times)
2. Time each step (create time study)
3. Document all steps, systems, inputs, outputs
4. Identify exceptions and variations
5. Measure current error rate
6. Calculate current costs

Week 3: Design Automation

1. Map ideal automated flow
2. Identify which steps to automate vs. leave manual
3. Define exception handling rules
4. Plan human oversight points
5. Define success criteria
6. Get stakeholder approval

Week 4: Build & Test

1. Develop automation using Heptora
2. Test with sample data
3. Conduct parallel run (bot + human simultaneously)
4. Refine based on results
5. Document the process
6. Train process owners

Week 5-6: Pilot

1. Deploy to production (limited scope)
2. Monitor closely (daily checks)
3. Collect feedback from users
4. Measure results vs. baseline
5. Make adjustments
6. Prepare for full rollout

Week 7-8: Scale & Optimize

1. Expand to full volume
2. Reduce human oversight gradually
3. Optimize based on performance data
4. Document lessons learned
5. Calculate actual ROI
6. Communicate success

Quick Win Checklist

Use this checklist to ensure your first automation succeeds:

FIRST AUTOMATION PROJECT CHECKLIST

SELECTION CRITERIA:
□ Process takes at least 10 hours/month manually
□ Process is rule-based with minimal exceptions
□ Process is stable (no changes expected for 6+ months)
□ Process uses digital systems/data
□ Process owner is supportive and engaged
□ Success can be clearly measured
□ Risk is low (non-critical, non-customer-facing)

PREPARATION:
□ Process is fully documented (step-by-step)
□ All systems/data access has been verified
□ Current baseline metrics captured (time, errors, cost)
□ Automation approach is designed and approved
□ Resources are allocated (time, people, budget)
□ Success criteria defined and agreed
□ Testing plan prepared
□ Rollback plan in place

DEVELOPMENT:
□ Bot built and unit tested
□ Tested with multiple data scenarios
□ Exception handling tested
□ Error notifications configured
□ Logging and monitoring set up
□ Security/access controls verified
□ Process owner trained on oversight

DEPLOYMENT:
□ Parallel run completed successfully (bot + human)
□ Performance meets or exceeds expectations
□ Process owner approves go-live
□ Stakeholders notified of go-live
□ Monitoring dashboard available
□ Support plan in place

POST-LAUNCH:
□ Daily monitoring for first 2 weeks
□ Weekly check-ins with process owner
□ Performance metrics tracked
□ Issues documented and resolved
□ User feedback collected
□ Actual ROI calculated
□ Success story documented and shared
□ Lessons learned captured

OPTIMIZATION:
□ Identify improvement opportunities
□ Expand scope if appropriate
□ Reduce human oversight gradually
□ Apply learnings to next automation
□ Celebrate and communicate success

Common Pitfalls to Avoid

1. Automating Broken Processes

The Problem: Automating an inefficient or poorly designed process just makes a bad process faster.

Example:

Broken Process: Manual workaround for system limitation
- Employee exports data from System A
- Reformats in Excel
- Emails to colleague
- Colleague manually enters into System B
- Takes 2 hours daily

Automating this process: Makes the workaround faster but still inefficient

Better approach:
- Fix the root cause (integrate System A and System B)
- Then automate the integrated process if needed

How to Avoid:

• Always ask: “Is this the best way to do this?”
• Map the ideal future state before automating
• Look for root causes of inefficiency
• Optimize first, then automate

2. Ignoring Exception Handling

The Problem: Focusing only on the “happy path” and not planning for exceptions causes automation to fail frequently.

Example:

Invoice automation designed for standard invoices only:
✓ Works for 80% of invoices
✗ Breaks on invoices without PO numbers
✗ Breaks on foreign currency invoices
✗ Breaks on credit memos
✗ No routing logic for exceptions

Result: 20% failure rate, constant manual intervention

How to Avoid:

• Map all known exception scenarios
• Build exception routing into design
• Create clear escalation paths
• Monitor exception rates and refine

3. Over-Automating Low-Value Processes

The Problem: Spending time and resources automating processes that save minimal time or cost.

Example:

Process: Quarterly newsletter formatting
- Occurs 4 times per year
- Takes 30 minutes per execution
- Total annual time: 2 hours
- Development time: 20 hours
- ROI: Negative for 10+ years

How to Avoid:

• Calculate ROI before starting
• Set minimum thresholds (e.g., 50+ hours/year saved)
• Prioritize high-frequency, high-volume processes
• Say no to low-value requests

4. Underestimating Change Management

The Problem: Treating automation as purely technical without considering human impact.

Example:

Automated process deployed without warning:
- Employees feel threatened (job security concerns)
- Process owners feel bypassed (no input)
- Resistance and sabotage
- Automation fails due to lack of adoption

How to Avoid:

• Involve process owners from day one
• Communicate intentions and benefits clearly
• Address job security concerns honestly
• Provide training and support
• Celebrate freed capacity being redirected to valuable work

5. Neglecting Maintenance

The Problem: Assuming automation is “set it and forget it” without planning for ongoing maintenance.

Example:

Website automation breaks when site is redesigned:
- Bot looks for old button locations
- All executions fail
- No one notices for days
- Work backs up
- Credibility damaged

How to Avoid:

• Budget 15-25% of development cost for annual maintenance
• Set up proactive monitoring and alerts
• Conduct regular health checks on automations
• Version control and document changes
• Maintain relationships with process owners

6. Automating Unstable Processes

The Problem: Automating processes that are changing frequently requires constant rework.

Example:

Automating new process still being designed:
- Process changes monthly as team learns
- Automation constantly breaks
- Maintenance costs exceed savings
- Team loses confidence in automation

How to Avoid:

• Wait for process to stabilize (3-6 months)
• Require processes to be documented before automating
• Ask: “Is this changing soon?” during selection
• Pilot manual standardization first

7. Poor Data Quality

The Problem: Automating with inconsistent or low-quality data leads to frequent failures.

Example:

Customer data extraction from spreadsheets:
- Some files have headers in row 1, others in row 3
- Date formats vary (MM/DD/YY vs. DD-MMM-YYYY)
- Some cells have typos or extra spaces
- Bot breaks on 40% of files

How to Avoid:

• Assess data quality before automating
• Standardize input formats first
• Build data validation into automation
• Provide templates to data providers
• Consider data quality improvement as separate project

Related Resources

• Process Recorder - Create automations by recording your actions
• Hybrid Architecture - Understand Heptora’s cloud-local model for secure automation
• Execution Results - Interpret automation outcomes and handle exceptions
• RPA Best Practices (coming soon) - Advanced strategies for successful automation programs
• Building a Center of Excellence (coming soon) - Establish governance and scale your automation program
• Process Mining and Discovery (coming soon) - Data-driven process identification

Need more help?

If this guide didn’t solve your problem or you found an error in the documentation:

• Technical support: help@heptora.com
• Clearly describe the problem you encountered
• Include screenshots if possible
• Indicate which documentation steps you followed

Our support team will help you resolve any issue.