Process mapping and automation are powerful ways to improve the efficiency, quality, and consistency of your business processes. By documenting and optimising your workflows, you can eliminate waste, reduce errors, and increase customer satisfaction.  

The only issue is that it’s easier said than done to implement and sustain mapping and automation efforts. It requires a lot of planning, collaboration, and commitment from your team and your organisation. Without the right ingredients, your process improvement initiatives might fail to deliver the expected results, or worse, backfire and cause even more problems for your business.  

So, what are the 6 things every team needs for success in process mapping and automation? Let’s find out. 

1. A Product Champion

Meet your team’s biggest process fan – the product champion. This person isn’t just someone who knows their way around your mapping and automation tools; they’re someone who gets genuinely excited about it.  

They’re the one who communicates the ‘why’ around process improvement, shares success stories, answers questions, and rallies the team to make the most of your mapping and automation tools. Having a product champion on board ensures that everyone sees the value and potential in fully committing to process improvement. 

2. Leadership Support

When the leadership team is on board with your process mapping and automation plan, it’s a game-changer. This support goes beyond just giving the green light; it means having the necessary resources, time, and encouragement to make the initiative successful.  

With leadership support, the team can confidently leverage automation and mapping tools, knowing that their efforts align with the broader organisational goals and strategy. 

3. The Right Tools 

Finding the right tools for process mapping and automation is crucial. While Flowingly is a powerful software solution, it’s not going to be the right solution for everyone. The perfect fit can vary based on specific team needs – things like sizes, resources and business problems are crucial to assess before diving in head first.  

Understanding what tool will get the job done and meet your goals and expectations is key. Whether it’s Flowingly or another solution, the emphasis is on selecting a tool that seamlessly integrates with your workflow, ensuring a smooth and effective process mapping and automation journey. 

4. A Clear Scope and Objective 

A clear roadmap is essential for success in process mapping and automation. It’s not just about having a tool like Flowingly; it’s about knowing why you’re using it and what you aim to achieve.  

Defining a clear scope and objective ensures that the team is aligned, focused, and understands the significance of their efforts. Flowingly aids in this by providing a visual representation of workflows, allowing the team to see the bigger picture and work towards common goals with a shared vision. 

5. A Cross-Functional Team

Processes in an organisation are often interconnected, involving different departments and functions. A cross-functional team brings together diverse perspectives, skills, and experiences.  

With a tool like Flowingly, team members can easily share insights, ideas, and feedback. This collaborative approach ensures that all aspects of the process are considered, resulting in more robust and effective solutions. 

6. A Continuous Improvement Mindset 

Success with process mapping and automation is not a one-time achievement; it’s an ongoing journey. A continuous improvement mindset encourages the team to regularly review processes, seek feedback, and identify opportunities for enhancement.  

Flowingly supports this mindset by providing flexibility and adaptability to changing needs. It’s not just about automating for the sake of it; it’s about continuously striving for better, more efficient ways of working. 

In essence, these key elements create a powerful synergy when it comes to mapping or automating processes that (1) your team will love and use (2) solve genuine business problems.

With a champion, support from leadership, the right tools, a clear objective, a good team and a continuous improvement mindset, your team can take process improvement from a buzzword to an idea in action. 

1. You’re 100% happy with your current process mapping solution

That’s awesome. But hang on… why are you reading this? 

Flowingly Mapping Pro was created for a couple of people: 

1. Those who were fed up overpaying for legacy process tools 
2. Those who wanted to upgrade from your Visios, Lucids and Draw.ios of the world 

If that’s not you, we might not be for you. 

If you’re on the fence, read on. 

2. You want strict BPMN 2.0 adherence

Yeah, nah. That’s not us.  

BPMN 2.0 100% has its place. But as you’ll hear us talk about, we aim to take the BS out of work and that means providing a toolset that anyone in your workplace can use. 

And we’re pretty confident you’re not training your whole workforce in BPMN 2.0. 

We love BPMN. That’s why we took our favourite parts of it, the most commonly used and understood elements, and used them for Flowingly right from Day 1.  

But BPMN 2.0 is confusing for most, with over 70 different symbols and notations to wrap your head around. 

3. Budget isn’t an issue and you’re happy to pay whatever it takes for the best process stack around

Hey big spender. Look at you with your money bags! 

If you have unlimited pockets, go buy the best process tools you can, hire a bunch of engineers and integrate the s#@% out of them. 

Flowingly Mapping Pro is for those who don’t want to spend $40k+ on their process mapping solutions. It’s for teams who need to map now, and when you are ready to automate you can just add on Flowingly Automation Pro.  

4. You don’t plan on automating any processes 

Look, we get it. Automation is the realm of IT. You already automate through your ERP. You’re not mature enough for process automation. 

We’re going to do our utmost to challenge those statements.  

Here’s why we believe that business-led process automation is so important: there are hundreds of manual processes across your organisation, and if you wait for IT to automate them in your clunky ERP you will still be doing them manually when you retire.  

Unfortunately, IT is subject to a major skills and budget shortage and core systems like ERPs and CRMs don’t typically have flexible and rapid workflow building tools.  

5. You prefer depth of features over simplicity 

Everyone (including us) wants more features and more power in their software. 

If only it were that simple. 

If you look at the software you truly love, as a user you’ll often find they have something in common. Simplicity. 

It’s easy to keep building more and more features into your applications. It’s really hard to do it in a way that keeps the software enjoyable and easy to use. 

That’s our focus at Flowingly. We don’t aim to provide the most powerful process tools that appeal to the 0.1%. We aim to take the BS out of work and that means providing process tools that are simple and easy to use for everyone. 

Flowingly offers a world of process mapping benefits, but it’s crucial to determine if it’s the right fit for your unique circumstances.  

Take a step back, assess your needs, and find a tool that aligns with your goals and resources. Remember, it’s all about finding that sweet spot where your organization can thrive with the right process mapping solution. 

So, you’re thinking about diving into the world of process automation with Flowingly. Great choice! 

But before you take the plunge, it’s worthwhile figuring out whether Flowingly is the right fit for you.  

We decided to make this a little bit easier for you, so for this blog we’ve broken down five reasons why Flowingly might not be the right fit for your organisation.  

1. You have a (very) small team

Look, we get it—small teams have their own rhythm, and sometimes complex process automation tools can feel like overkill.  

If you’re running a tight ship with a small crew and your processes are relatively straightforward, Flowingly might be a bit too much firepower for your needs.  

Flowingly shines brightest when implemented across larger teams where process efficiency and collaboration are essential. With a smaller team, you likely have more direct and immediate ways of communicating and coordinating tasks. 

It’s the equivalent of using a flamethrower to light a candle. 

We usually find the sweet spot for Flowingly is at organisations with over 100 users, as they have many processes that impact across different teams and departments.  

2. You want process automation to sit solely with IT – and no one else 

If you’re the type of organization that firmly believes in the IT department being the exclusive gatekeepers of process automation, then Flowingly might not be the best choice for you.  

We love IT (shout out to our own IT team) but we know they’re super busy keeping the business running, preventing cyber-attacks and managing a hybrid cloud infrastructure.  

That’s why we’re all about empowering business users to actively participate in automating their own processes, that they use day in and day out.  

It’s like giving everyone a set of keys to unlock efficiency (with IT having oversight of course). 

But hey, if you prefer to keep those keys securely in IT’s hands, that’s totally understandable.  

So, if you’re adamant about keeping process automation strictly within the IT realm, there are other tools out there that cater specifically to IT-driven automation.  

They just aren’t as scalable. 

3. You don’t have time or resources for process improvement  

Let’s be real—process improvement isn’t something you can achieve overnight. 

Often it can feel like a Catch-22. You don’t have the resource for automation because everyone is overwhelmed and overworked due to a lack of automation, creating poor processes and admin workloads.  

It’s not just about the software; you need time and dedicated personnel to drive those process improvement initiatives.  

If you currently find yourself lacking the capacity to allocate at least 0.25 full-time equivalent (FTE) for process improvement, Flowingly may not be the right fit for your organization.  

Flowingly thrives when there’s a committed effort to drive continuous improvement, with a dedicated team or individual responsible for the task.  

However, if you’re already swamped and struggling to find the necessary time and resources to devote to process improvement, it might be worth exploring other alternatives that better suit your current limitations.  

Remember, real process improvement requires commitment and investment of time, resources, and energy. 

4. You have a large team of developers dedicated to automation 

If you’re fortunate enough to have a large team of skilled developers and you aren’t facing any challenges when it comes to scaling your automation efforts, Flowingly may not be the immediate solution you need.  

Flowingly enables business teams to streamline and automate their processes, making it a valuable tool for organizations who don’t have dedicated development resource.  

With the current IT shortage, many organisations have to prioritise automation projects, with the rest often ending up in a never-ending backlog.  

 However, if your team of developers is already adept at building and maintaining custom automation solutions tailored to your specific needs, you may not require a business-led automation function.  

5. You’re only interested in documenting processes, not improving them 

If your main goal is to document processes without diving into the deep waters of process improvement, you probably don’t need automation- yet. Flowingly Automation Pro thrives on making processes better, streamlining workflows, and empowering iterative improvements.  

We’re all about documenting processes, but you probably don’t need Automation Pro if documenting processes is your only goal. It might be just a little too much firepower for your immediate needs. 

Some folks are happy with a good old process flowchart tool. Others need a bit more mapping firepower. If the latter sounds more your speed, Flowingly Mapping Pro could be a good fit for you. 

But if you’re more focused on capturing process steps than making them sleeker and more efficient, you might want to explore more lightweight solutions. 

Flowingly offers a world of process automation benefits, but it’s crucial to determine if it’s the right fit for your unique circumstances.  

If you’ve got a small team, prefer an IT-centric approach, lack resources for process improvement, have an army of developers, or simply want to stick to process documentation, Flowingly might not be the right choice.  

Take a step back, assess your needs, and find a tool that aligns with your goals and resources. Remember, it’s all about finding that sweet spot where your organization can thrive with the right process automation solution. 

Whether you’re streamlining production in a manufacturing plant, optimising customer service workflows, or evaluating the effectiveness of your staff onboarding, the ability to measure success is paramount.  

It’s here that Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) and metrics can come into play, helping you evaluate the impact and effectiveness of the process improvement initiatives your organisation is investing budget and resources into.  

In this guide, we’ll delve into the significance of KPIs and metrics in the context of process improvement and explore the key indicators that can help provide valuable insights on your journey towards process excellence. 

Why Should Teams Measure Success in Process Improvement?

Before we dive into specific KPIs and metrics, let’s underscore why measuring success is so important. 

Quantify Progress

By measuring your process improvement activities against KPIs, you’ll be able to see concrete, measurable data points that allow you to see just how much you’ve progressed.  

This could be the difference between feeling like there might be a difference and being able to speak to just how much things have improved. 

It can be especially helpful in helping you communicate the why to your organisation and getting leadership buy-in for future initiatives. 

Diagnose Problem Areas

KPIs and metrics can serve as diagnostic tools, pinpointing areas in your processes where there are bottlenecks.  

This data is invaluable for making informed decisions around where you should be focusing your improvement efforts. These metrics can also reveal unexpected opportunities for optimisation.

Resource Optimisation

Armed with data-backed insights, you can allocate resources strategically.  

By directing your efforts and investments towards areas that yield the most significant improvements, you ensure that your resources are being used most efficiently. 

While Flowingly enables you to enable anyone in your organisation to automate and map processes, having a roadmap and priorities can help ensure your process improvement efforts are more focused. 

Continuous Improvement

Measuring success in process improvement provides valuable data-driven insights. It allows teams to learn from both successes and failures, understanding what worked and what didn’t. 

Armed with this knowledge, teams can adapt their strategies and approaches over time. Continuous learning ensures that process improvement efforts evolve to become more effective and aligned with changing organisational goals. 

Competitive Advantage 

Measuring the success of your initiatives also helps organisations enhance the efficiency and quality of their products or services. This, in turn, can lead to a competitive advantage in the market. 

Streamlined processes often result in improved customer experiences. Satisfied customers are more likely to become loyal and refer others, strengthening a company’s market positioning. 

The KPIs and Metrics That Matter When Measuring Process Improvement Success 

Now, let’s explore the KPIs and metrics that matter most in the realm of process improvement.

Process Time (or Cycle Time in the BPA world)

This is the time it takes to complete a process from start to completion. This is a critical metric to measure, especially when looking at the efficiency gains being made through process mapping and automation. 

Reducing the time required to complete a process will lead to enhanced efficiency and responsiveness, as well as improved customer satisfaction. 

According to a study by McKinsey, companies that focus on reducing cycle times can achieve a 20-50% increase in process efficiency. 

According to a report by Deloitte, companies that excel in reducing process cycle times are 2.5 times more likely to be leaders in their industries.

Quality Metrics

Metrics such as NPS, error counts, or customer complaints can often help you assess the quality of your processes.  

A focus on high-quality outputs not only reduces errors but also enhances customer trust and loyalty. These metrics are also often linked to things like process time, with faster, more consistent output improving your quality metrics. 

Increasing customer retention rates by just 5% can increase profits by between 25% and 95%, as reported by Bain & Company. 

Employee Satisfaction

Engaged and satisfied employees are more likely to contribute positively to process enhancements.  

Regular surveys can provide valuable insights into employee morale and help identify areas where support or changes are needed. 

Gallup found that companies with engaged employees outperform their competitors by 147% in earnings per share. 

Return on Investment (ROI)

When starting out on your process improvement journey, make sure you identify and create a list of all the processes that you are looking to map and automate.  

If these processes are currently done manually, make sure you run through the tasks involved with employees and calculate the average number of hours that it takes to perform each task, as well as the rough cost of the respective hours.  

By creating a benchmark for current productivity, you can easily compare pre- and post-implementation data. 

An easy way we like to do this is by looking at two key metrics: 

• The time saved per process/request 
• The overall time savings across all your processes 

This can give teams a good indication as to the processes that have seen the most significant improvements as well as the overall ROI of their process improvement initiatives. 

A study by McKinsey & Company revealed that organisations can achieve cost savings of 20-30% by implementing business process automation.

Compliance Metrics

In regulated industries, adherence to compliance standards is non-negotiable.  

Monitoring and ensuring compliance with relevant regulations and standards is essential to avoid potential legal and financial repercussions. 

Non-compliance costs 2.65 times more than compliance, as per a study by the Ponemon Institute. 

Resource Utilisation

Evaluate how efficiently resources such as labour, materials, and equipment are being utilised within your processes.  

Optimising resource allocation can lead to cost savings and improved overall performance. 

Measuring success in process improvement involves not only collecting data but also making informed decisions that drive meaningful change.  

A study by the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) found that organisations that effectively manage resource utilisation can reduce overhead costs by 15-20%.

Establishing Baselines and Goals

One essential step that is often overlooked but critical to success is the establishment of baselines and goals. These benchmarks act as your starting point and destination, guiding your journey towards enhanced efficiency and performance.

In this section, we’ll delve into the significance of setting baselines and goals and how to do it effectively.

Why Baselines Matter

Before you can improve a process, you need to understand where it currently stands. This is where baselines come into play.

A baseline is a snapshot of your process’s current state, capturing its performance metrics, quality, and efficiency. By establishing a baseline, you gain clarity on what needs improvement, helping you identify pain points and opportunities for enhancement.

Defining Clear Goals

Once you have a baseline, it’s time to set your improvement goals. Goals in process improvement should be Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-bound (SMART).

For example, rather than setting a vague goal like “improve customer satisfaction,” aim for a SMART goal like “reduce customer complaint resolution time by 20% within six months.”

Your improvement goals should align with your organisation’s broader objectives.

Consider how your process improvements contribute to the company’s strategic goals. 

The Baseline-Goal Continuum

The relationship between baselines and goals is dynamic. As you make improvements, your baseline should evolve to reflect the new normal. Continuously update your baseline to reflect the process’s improved state. Simultaneously, revisit and adjust your goals to maintain a challenging yet achievable trajectory for improvement.

The KPIs and metrics you select should align with your organisation’s specific goals and reflect the improvements you aim to achieve. 

By consistently tracking and analysing these indicators, you can navigate your process improvement initiatives toward success, fostering a culture of continuous refinement and innovation. Remember that success isn’t just about reaching a destination; it’s about the ongoing journey of improvement and growth. 

What is Business Process Automation?

In today’s fast-paced business world, where time is money and efficiency is king, staying ahead of the curve is crucial. That’s why we thought we’d explore what business process automation is, how it benefits organisations, and where Flowingly fits in the BPA space. 

First things first: what is business process automation? At its core, business process automation (BPA) is all about streamlining and optimizing the way your company operates. By automating certain tasks and workflows, you can reduce the time and effort required to complete them, which frees up your team to focus on other, more strategic tasks. 

There are several ways that BPA can benefit your business. For one, it can help to increase efficiency and productivity. By automating previously manual tasks, you can cut down on errors and speed up the time it takes to complete them.  

This, in turn, can save your company both time and money in the long run, like in the case of SIT, where their finance team removed 1,200+ hours (150 working days a year) of wasted process admin time in just six months. 

Another key benefit of BPA is that it can help to improve the quality of your work. By automating your processes, you can ensure they are being done consistently and accurately every time. This can be particularly useful in industries where even minor errors can have serious consequences. 

But how does Business Process Management (BPM) differ from Business Process Automation (BPA)? 

Business Process Automation (BPA) is a specific aspect of Business Process Management (BPM) that focuses on using technology to automate organizational tasks and processes. While BPM looks at the overall management and improvement of business processes, BPA specifically aims to reduce manual work through automation. 

BPA involves using software and tools to streamline workflows, eliminate human errors, increase efficiency, and save time. It allows companies to optimize their processes by replacing manual steps with automated actions, freeing up employees to focus on more complex or value-added tasks. It can lead to cost savings, faster turnaround times, and improved accuracy in completing tasks.

So where does Flowingly fit in the BPA space?  

At Flowingly, we don’t consider ourselves just traditional BPA software.  

There are two key reasons for this. 

We’re all about rapid and scalable business process automation, and often, BPA or BPM tools rely on IT support and development. 

We’ve combined multiple vital elements of business process improvement in one tool – everything from process mapping (like tools like Promapp) to automation (like tools like Nintex or Power Automate). 

Since Flowingly is a cloud-based, no-code automation platform, it makes it easier to automate workflows and streamline your operations. With our no-code builder, you can design custom workflows that automate everything from simple tasks to complex, multi-step processes without any IT resources. 

Even if you don’t have a background in automation or coding, you can easily design and implement workflows to help your business run more smoothly.  

Our goal is to bridge the gap between business and IT teams, empowering leaders from across the organisation to contribute their expertise and automate the processes that they run day in and day out.  

Instead of spending months building processes, our tool emphasizes visual process mapping, allowing users to map and automate processes end-to-end in just a few days, rather than weeks or months. 

Our real-time process analytics and insights help users make data-driven decisions for process improvement and identify bottlenecks. The real benefit, though, is constantly being able to fix those process issues. Sometimes even in a couple of minutes. 

We also recognize the importance of collaboration and communication within teams. Users can comment, provide feedback, and collaborate directly within flows, enhancing teamwork and continuously improving the way they work. No more static process maps collecting dust in a filing cabinet. 

In conclusion, business process automation (BPA) is a valuable tool that can revolutionize how companies operate. By automating tasks and workflows, BPA increases efficiency, productivity, and the overall quality of work. It saves time and reduces errors, allowing teams to focus on more strategic activities.  

Flowingly, as a cloud-based, no-code automation platform, offers a unique solution in the BPA space. With our visual interface, customizable workflows, and integrated mapping, we want to empower business teams to map and automate their processes without relying on IT support or development. 

In today’s rapidly evolving digital landscape, businesses are constantly seeking ways to streamline their operations and improve efficiency.  

Business process automation has emerged as a powerful solution, enabling organizations to automate those time-consuming admin tasks (think emails and approvals) and optimize their workflows.  

Within the realm of business process automation, two popular approaches have gained traction: no-code and low-code development. 

While these terms are often used interchangeably, they both have very different use cases and methodologies.  

In this blog post, we will delve into the nuances of no-code and low-code business process automation, highlighting their differences and exploring the benefits they offer. 

No-Code Business Process Automation 

No-code business process automation focuses on empowering non-technical users to build and automate processes without needing any knowledge around code or rules.  

That doesn’t mean no-code isn’t for technical teams, though. With no-code, technical users are also able to build at a much faster rate than is possible with low-code solutions. 

It provides intuitive visual interfaces and drag-and-drop functionality that enables users to create automated processes using pre-built components or templates.  

With no-code tools, users can design and deploy applications, automate data collection and analysis, and integrate various software systems—all without writing a single line of code. 

No-code platforms often rely on pre-existing connectors and integrations to streamline the automation process, enabling users to connect different software applications seamlessly. 

Low-Code Business Process Automation 

Low-code business process automation takes a slightly different approach.  

While it also emphasizes ease of use and accelerated development, low-code platforms cater more to technical users.  

These platforms provide a visual development environment with a higher degree of customization and flexibility compared to no-code tools.  

Users can create workflows and applications using a combination of visual modeling and coding, allowing them to leverage pre-built components and templates while also incorporating custom logic and functionality.  

Low-code platforms typically offer a wider range of integration options, enabling users to connect with various data sources and APIs to build more complex and tailored solutions. 

Key Differences and Use Cases 

Technical Knowledge

No-code platforms don’t require technical knowledge or coding skills, making them accessible to most business users regardless of background, department or technical proficiency.  

Low-code platforms, on the other hand, offer more advanced customization options, typically necessitating some level of coding proficiency. 

Customization and Flexibility 

Low-code platforms provide a wider range of customization capabilities, allowing users to incorporate complex business rules and more advanced integrations.  

No-code doesn’t offer a wide range of customization, but instead offers many out-of-the-box setups, which make it easier to use and rapid to build in. 

It’s also much easier to build processes visually, focusing on seeing the process rather than the rules and code that drive it. 

Development Speed 

Speaking of speed, no-code takes the crown if you’re looking to be the Usain Bolt when it comes automation. It’s all about rapid development, allowing you to sprint ahead with your creations.  

Low-code, on the other hand, is more like a marathon runner – as long as you have the resource for it, it can strike a nice balance between speed and flexibility, giving you more time for heavy integrations and customization. 

Resourcing 

No-code platforms enable non-technical users to automate processes without extensive programming knowledge. 

For automation, this means being able to tackle an automation project with the team you currently have. You won’t need to set up a specialised development function, and your IT team will love having the freedom to hand off some automation development back to the business teams. 

In contrast, low-code platforms offer advanced integration options that may require a heavier balance between semi-technical and technical expertise, potentially benefiting from a team of developers or dedicated IT resources to leverage the platform’s capabilities effectively. 

No-code and low-code business process automation both offer valuable solutions for organizations seeking to streamline their operations and enhance efficiency.  

No-code platforms provide an accessible entry point, enabling non-technical users to automate workflows without coding knowledge. 

 On the other hand, low-code platforms offer a higher degree of integration and complexity, catering to a broader range of technical proficiency levels.  

The choice between these two approaches ultimately depends on the specific requirements of your business and processes. 

In many cases, it’s not an either-or, it’s both. We’re seeing a lot of organisations implementing both no-code and low-code BPA, enabling both rapid development and complex integrations. 

Implementing an automation toolbox, rather than a single tool, has proven to be successful with some of our most accomplished of Flowingly customers as it helps eliminate scope creep and clear up the process backlog seen in traditional IT teams. By enabling business teams to help deploy over 30+ apps/automations annually alongside IT, some organisations are automating 7x more apps than when just using tools like Power Automate. 

If you’re interested in checking out some examples of customers successfully automating processes in both Flowingly and in power apps, check out our case studies with rhipe and Todd Energy. 

By understanding the differences and nuances of no-code and low-code business process automation, organizations can make informed decisions to drive their digital transformation efforts forward.