We just lately spoke with an HR skilled who watched an automation undertaking spiral into chaos. His group skipped the onerous work of course of enchancment and easily dropped automation into the prevailing HR course of setting. The end result was a complicated tangle of duplicative workflows, inconsistent practices and new types of waste that didn’t exist earlier than. Sadly, this isn’t an remoted case. The historical past of automation in HR and in organizations extra broadly is affected by these tales.
Mature HR groups know that you just shouldn’t automate a damaged course of. Doing so will solely speed up issues that exist already and even add new ones.
Once we surveyed HR leaders in regards to the initiatives they’re enterprise to help HR course of automation, standardizing and optimizing HR processes was the commonest response (Determine 1, see above proper). HR capabilities are additionally working to shift HR workers to extra helpful duties after automation and creating a change administration technique.
Course of administration offers the construction to make sure that your processes are constant, environment friendly and prepared for automation. Whereas we are able to’t ship a crash course on course of administration right here, this text affords a five-step framework rooted in course of administration that will help you plan your automation journey.
1. Doc the method because it exists right now
You possibly can’t enhance or standardize what you don’t perceive. Mature HR capabilities start their course of enchancment work by documenting processes as they at the moment exist, usually by means of workshops with the groups that execute them. Doing so permits HR groups to step again, take a look at the massive image and discover alternatives for enchancment.
Course of mapping, which creates a graphical illustration or flowchart depicting the steps and duties in a course of, is without doubt one of the most typical ways in which HR capabilities doc a current-state course of. Course of maps might help you determine errors, inefficiencies and redundancies within the course of so you possibly can tackle them earlier than you implement automation.
No matter whether or not you’re utilizing a pen and paper or an off-the-shelf course of mapping product, we advocate beginning with the only options of a course of, together with key steps, resolution factors, stakeholders and handoffs.
2. Establish alternatives for enchancment
Earlier than you soar to revamp, take time to investigate the method for ache factors and inefficiencies. The aim is to know which steps add worth and which create delays, errors or frustration. Prioritize enhancements for any enterprise guidelines or steps which might be poorly executed or pointless.
There are 4 frequent strategies to information this evaluation:
- Lean ideas assist organizations spot and remove waste similar to redundant approvals, duplicate knowledge entry or pointless handoffs.
- Cycle-time evaluation measures how lengthy every course of takes from begin to end. Lengthy cycle occasions usually reveal bottlenecks or extreme handoffs.
- Threat evaluation exhibits steps the place errors, compliance points or safety dangers may happen. Deal with any high-risk areas earlier than you automate.
- Buyer journey mapping creates a view of the method from the shopper’s perspective (for instance, workers utilizing HR companies) to uncover factors of confusion, repeated requests or delays.
With these insights in hand, you possibly can transfer to redesigning the method to make it leaner, much less dangerous and extra employee-friendly.
See additionally: 3 important classes from HR Tech 2025 that predict coming tendencies
3. Design the brand new course of
Designing a future state course of creates a transparent blueprint for a way folks, knowledge and expertise will work together to make sure that automation helps a course of that’s already environment friendly and sustainable. Two frequent instruments assist present readability and accountability for this work:
- SIPOC (Suppliers, Inputs, Course of, Outputs, Prospects) diagrams present a high-level view of what goes into and comes out of a course of. For HR, this implies mapping upstream dependencies (e.g., payroll knowledge) and downstream impacts (e.g., worker expertise) so nothing important is missed.
- RACI (Accountable, Accountable, Consulted, Knowledgeable) charts make clear roles and obligations for every step. This prevents confusion throughout execution and ensures accountability when the method goes dwell.
A well-designed future state units the inspiration for profitable automation. However first, you’ll want to pick the precise expertise and ensure persons are prepared for change.
4. Align automation with improved processes
As you think about completely different automation instruments and expertise, the aim is to make sure that automation reinforces the enhancements you’ve made quite than introducing new inefficiencies. Begin by evaluating whether or not the instruments you’re contemplating actually suit your workflows. An answer that appears nice on paper can create friction if it forces workarounds or doesn’t combine with current methods. Accomplice with IT for this evaluation to strike the precise steadiness between performance, safety and consumer expertise.
Automation isn’t a “set it and neglect it” train. Construct a steady enchancment loop by monitoring efficiency, gathering suggestions and refining configurations as your wants evolve. Steady enchancment retains your processes aligned with enterprise objectives and prevents expertise from turning into a barrier over time.
You also needs to set up course of governance by assigning clear possession over the method and organising buildings for oversight. Assigning an proprietor for every course of ensures accountability for sustaining course of high quality and adapting as enterprise wants change.
5. Interact stakeholders and handle change
Course of enchancment usually means altering the best way a staff works, and alter will be tough for a lot of causes. Change administration offers a structured strategy to information folks by means of the transition by speaking why change is vital, addressing issues and creating suggestions loops so workers really feel heard.
Coaching is a vital a part of change administration. Folks not solely must know how one can perform the brand new course of but additionally perceive how one can use new automation instruments and shift to extra value-added types of work as soon as automation takes over handbook duties like knowledge entry. Create a plan for a way you’ll present this coaching and shut any abilities gaps as a part of your change administration technique.
From framework to motion
Leaders anticipate automation to ship worth that exceeds the prices concerned, however this received’t occur if automation is simply accelerating a damaged course of. Create a roadmap for HR automation that features all 5 of the steps above to ensure you’re not simply including expertise however constructing a basis for long-term worth.
Accomplice with your online business course of administration operate, if one exists in your group, or join with colleagues who’ve experience in course of administration to plan and execute these steps. They might help you make it possible for your documentation and mapping are constant each internally and with what different teams within the enterprise would possibly already be doing.
Don’t reinvent the wheel as you do that work. Course of frameworks like APQC’s PCF present a listing of the commonest enterprise processes which you could undertake and customise to your personal functions. Working with a course of framework and the opposite assets we mentioned above will provide you with a working begin so you possibly can give attention to the core work of course of enchancment.
Information on this content material was correct on the time of publication. For probably the most present knowledge, go to www.apqc.org.
