Streamline Then Automate
AI and automation are the hot topics for most companies today. There are a lot of opportunities to advance your company’s processes to run faster and with fewer errors using technology. Current and future technology platforms promise to solve these workflow challenges and there is little doubt that they will be a huge factor in resolving many of these issues. However, we have to remind ourselves that while technology is a massive benefit, if used improperly it can exacerbate a bad process instead.
Think of a typical recruiting process. An HR leader might have the following challenges:
Long times from requisition generation to offer acceptance
Inconsistent job descriptions
Lack of a standardized interviews
Bottlenecks with multiple job requisition reviews and approvals
Improper closeouts of job requisitions
Most HR leaders know there are countless tech platforms that claim to solve these issues. Naturally they may even jump at the opportunity to apply a new platform that was just purchased onto an ongoing process. However, an HR platform may not have all the functionality that can be used for your unique needs or may only resolve the symptoms rather than the root cause of the problem.
Consider the following approach:
Identify steps that most people do not find value in
Brainstorm root causes for key challenges
Remove the steps that don’t bring value
Look for ways to pull up steps earlier in the workflow
If you can’t remove the step (i.e. regulatory requirement) highlight it for automation
Establish Service Level Agreements with each respective stakeholder
The benefit of making your workflow into its simplest form will allow the platform to resolve fewer challenges than it would have with the previous workflow. The benefits of this are fewer requirements that would have to be introduced into implementation. It also improves the ability of the new platform to reduce errors or eliminate them all together.
Hoping new technology will resolve all your problems will quickly lead to feeling dissatisfied. Focus first on simplicity to eliminate those non-valuable steps and remove the challenges. Then you can apply the technology to speed up a well-functioning workflow.
