A Guide on Getting Your Automation Business Case Across the Line
1. Identify the problem(s)
Start presenting information about the current state and existing problem(s) you’ve identified. It is important to explain why the item(s) you’ve identified are problem(s) and cost the business money. For example, your team spend a significant amount of time monitoring a mailbox and entering received information into another platform. Quantify the time and number of resources associated with the problem and show what other important tasks could have been completed if these resources were not doing repetitive tedious tasks. Explain why not making a change is costing the business money.
2. List all the feasible solutions
Often, there will be multiple solutions available to fix the problem and although you already have a recommended solution, you need to share all the alternatives. Make sure to list the estimated costs, benefits and risks for each solution in a comparison table. This will provide a clear understanding of why you are recommending a specific solution.
3. Detail your preferred solution - why automation?
Based on the comparison table and your business goals, demonstrate why automation is the most sustainable and cost-effective solution. If your company hasn’t started their digital transformation journey, provide examples to pinpoint that the time is now, or it will be too late and your organisation will fall behind. Include relevant statistics such as:
- Gartner predicts 69% of routine work currently done by managers will be fully automated by 2024.
- Gartner also predicts that by 2023, there will be a 30% increase in the use of RPA for front-office functions (sales and customer experience).
- Hyperautomation was listed as no.1 in the Gartner Top 10 Strategic Technology Trends for 2020.
- A recent UiPath survey shows that 68% of workers believe automation can improve their productivity and save time in their day-to-day work.
After explaining what automation is, focus on how it will help your team and company.
Automation brings tangible results. Calculate how long a task is taking and how many employees it requires, the results will be your cost savings.
RPA comes with speed, accuracy and reliability. It also performs tasks 24/7 or on a schedule, which is totally up to you to decide. Actions can be audited at any time, providing transparency into your organisation.
By implementing RPA, your processes are streamlined and compliant. The overall customer and employee experiences are improved.
Cost and implementation
“How much is it going to cost?” – This question is always the first one to be asked. Be ready to answer with reasons why this investment is necessary and how the business will get it back in X amount of time. Showing ROI is important but when it can’t be quantified, talk about the wins and savings in other ways (e.g. this will allow the Sales team to chase more leads and close deals).
Describe how you will implement the automation project:
- Resources needed
- Project timeline
- Budget – when and where it will come from
- Milestones
- Infrastructure required and/or impacted
- Risk and contingency plan
Try to customise this section to your audience. If you are presenting to your CFO, focus on the financial-related topics. If you are presenting to your CTO, talk about the technical elements of the project.
Engage with the people impacted and your IT department
It is good to share the benefits of automation with coworkers that are performing repetitive, dull tasks. The more buy-in you get, the better it is for your business case. You almost want to create a buzz within your organisation and get everyone excited about automation.
Once your organisation and Directors shows interest in automation, get a proof of concept underway. Blackbook.ai can help you with this exercise.
