The process as it runs today
A written description of who does what, in which order, with which files, including the steps nobody mentioned because they have always been part of the job.
Business process automation consulting, starting with one process
Consulting here means one thing: working out, before anything is built, which part of a process a system can safely take over. It starts with a single named process, not a transformation programme.
- Where it starts
- One named process
- First output
- The process, written down
- Scope
- Agreed in writing first
- Evidence
- Two systems, labelled
What the consulting covers
The work is deliberately small at the start. Most of its value is in the first two items, which cost far less than building anything.
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Handling separated from judgement
Reading, matching, checking and copying are handling. Accepting an exception or approving a change is judgement. Only the first kind is a candidate for automation.
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The smallest system worth building
A scoped description of what comes in, what goes out and what a person still does, so the first build is narrow enough to check against the manual version.
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What it will not do
A list of the cases the system cannot decide and what it does with them, written before the build rather than discovered after it.
When it fits, and when it does not
It fits when
- A named process that repeats in the same shape every time it runs.
- The rules already exist somewhere: a spreadsheet, a checklist, or one person’s habits.
- A mistake in it is expensive or hard to spot.
It does not fit when
- Work that needs a fresh judgement each time it happens.
- A process with no owner who can say what correct looks like.
- A request for a saving, a percentage or a timescale before the process has been measured.
Five steps, named up front
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Understand the workflow
- You provide
- A walkthrough of how the process runs today, and who touches it.
- We return
- A written description of the steps, the inputs and where time goes.
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Define scope and inputs
- You provide
- Sample files, system access where needed, and the volumes involved.
- We return
- A scope with what is included, what is excluded and the inputs required.
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Build or configure
- You provide
- A named contact for questions during the build.
- We return
- The working system or script, plus notes on how it handles edge cases.
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Test and review outputs
- You provide
- Review of the output against what you expected.
- We return
- Corrections, and a clear list of what the system could not decide.
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Agree what happens next
- You provide
- A decision on whether to extend, hand over or stop.
- We return
- Handover notes, or a scope for the next piece of work.
See it before you commit
Two systems are shown with their real status and the data they ran on, and neither is presented as a client engagement.
Common questions
What is business process automation consulting?
It is the work done before a system is built: describing how a process runs today, separating the handling from the judgement, and agreeing the smallest system that can take over the handling safely.
What do you need from us to start?
One named process, the people who run it and an example of its inputs. The first step is a conversation about how it works today, and nothing is built until the scope is agreed in writing.
Do you promise savings?
No. A saving can only be stated once the process has been measured, and no client results are published on this site yet. What is agreed up front is the scope and the cases the system will hand back to a person.
Describe the process
Name one process, the systems it touches and roughly how often it runs. The reply says whether it is a fit, what scoping involves and where the limits are.