Workflow Automation

This is a work in progress! Also probably don't believe anything I say! This is just me sharing my experience.

The AI Boom has brought to the spotlight (or into plain view) the stagnation of many companies in the modern world. The reality is: many of the tasks companies are currently performing could have been automated many years ago, so unfortunately recent news about layoffs and AI advances makes sense in the broader and mature tech sector/industry. Here are some actionable ideas for organizations teams to be at the forefront of efficiency and change

Change from within: small changes from within a workflow can have massive impact as a ripple effect.

Organizational culture: successful organizations have to encourage employees taking action from within. While it is extremely easy to fall into a routine, teams must avoid at all costs being caught unprepared by disruptors. Adaptability is a fantastic trait for teams to have (why not have the disruptor come from within?)

How do you implement a project that you have in mind? Here are some tips of challenges I have faced in the past and how to handle them:

1. Resistance to change. Change IS DIFFICULT, especially for long-standing consolidated processes. Here is how you could handle this:
- Start small: small changes are easier for people to accept and apply in their daily task so instead of changing the whole SOP why not start with process X or Y from the SOP? think of it as a cleanup for simplicity. It is easier to clean a house room by room than the whole house in one go!

- Design for change: If you are planning to implement a change you have to measure the impact of the change for the people doing the work. How would they feel? Let's say you want to use a new software but this will require the whole organization to install it and learn it from scratch. Why not update the current software? People naturally flow to efficiency so if they have to invest time in learning a new software, let me tell you, they probably won't. However if you create a way to change a 6-step manual process into a 2-step one users will naturally drift toward this quality improvement.

- Manage change: communication is key. Building trust with the team helps you not only in your career but personally as well, high quality relationships will develop naturally from this trust.

- Measure impact: what will implementing your project actually do? Unfortunately creating any project in order to get a promotion is not a great long term strategy. Don't get me wrong it will probably work in corporate but building a solution that actually works will catapult you and the team forward. Set a standard how long is X taking? If I do this project, how long will X take? Do you have an estimate? Could you actually prove this.

-Prototype: have a trial run! Don't go all in if you can start collecting data. Start with a small sample, (no risk! ) this will give you the confidence to go to your manager and they'll probably let you go through with it if you show them the numbers.

Stay curious,
-Javi