Maximizing Success in
Automation Projects
Sandy Kemsley
Independent Analyst
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The current state of business automation
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#fail
• BCG: 70% of digital transformation
projects don’t meet targets
• E&Y: 30-50% of initial RPA projects fail
• $260B spent on unsuccessful projects
(just in the US)
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The automation imperative
Technology
makes more
automation
possible
Competition
makes more
automation
essential
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Automation technologies
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Process
automation
Business
process
management
Case
management
Task/decision
automation
Robotic
process
automation
Service APIs
Decision
management
Intelligent
analysis
Artificial
intelligence
Machine
learning
Process
mining
Content/
capture
Optical
character
recognition
Natural
language
processing
Content
management
Interaction
Chatbots
Intelligent
agents
Best practices for automation success
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Strategic vision #goal
1
Make automation
a strategic
direction
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Strategic vision #goal
2 Pick the right
process
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Design #goal
3
Create metrics
aligned with
corporate goals
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Design #goal
4
Listen to the
experts “six
levels down”
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Design #goal
5 Automate
whatever possible
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Design #goal
6
Don’t automate
out people where
they add value
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Methodology #goal
7
Get something
into production
fast (MVP)
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Methodology #goal
8 Be prepared to
pivot
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How to tell when you’re failing
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Strategic vision #fail
1
No one cares
about the process
being automated
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Methodology #fail
2 Waterfall
methodology
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Methodology #fail
3
Taking too long
and/or
over-spending
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Design #fail
4
Fragile/inflexible
processes and
decisions
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Design #fail
5
Outdated
procedures built
into new
processes
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Knowledge transfer #fail
6
Knowledge of
process/tools is
not internalized
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Transformation through automation
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Use case: Insurance claims
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Claims in theory: easy
• Policyholder submits claim
• Claims manager decides whether/how much to pay
• Policyholder received payment
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Before automation…
Capture Decide Pay
Claim
Supporting
Documentation
Auto-adjudicate/Auto-pay
26
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Claims in practice: complex
• Regulations
• SLAs
• Manual procedures
• Exceptions
• Human interpretation and decisions
• Knowledge work
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Claims automation: high level
• Goal: automate repetitive work to free up knowledge workers
• Key technologies
• Process drives overall flow and interacts with workers
• Content captures and manages claims file
• Decisions enforce rules and regulatory compliance
• Machine learning determines “fuzzy” decisions, e.g. auto-adjudication
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Intelligent claims
Claim
Supporting
Documentation
Intelligent Capture Auto-adjudicate/Auto-pay
Exception Handling
29
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What is possible now?
• Existing business
• Automate repetitive tasks
– more efficient
• Decision guardrails
– less risk
- faster training
• Fast, fair claims
– more competitive
• New business models
• Adjacent low-value markets
• Micro-insurance
• Parametric insurance
• Usage-based pricing with telematics
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Summing it up
• Understand the automation imperative
• A lot of companies are failing at business automation, but
you don’t have to be one of them
• Align automation metrics with corporate goals
• Design the right thing the right way
• Get something into production fast, then prepare to pivot
• Watch for #fail indicators
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Questions?
Sandy Kemsley
sandy@kemsleydesign.com
Read my blog at column2.com
Find me on Twitter @skemsley
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32

Maximizing Success in Automation Projects

Editor's Notes

  • #2 The success of business automation projects is measured by the degree of business improvement or transformation that is achieved, relative to the business goals. As simple as this seems, why do so many automation projects fail? Join Sandy Kemsley as she delves into some of the reasons for automation project failure, and what steps you can take to make your project a success. As a technology and business architect who helps her clients create large-scale automation solutions, as well as an industry analyst researching the application of technology to improve business, she offers a unique perspective on the factors leading to success or failure of these projects. You’ll learn about: What business leaders need to know about key automation technologies and their application to business operations Methodologies that can align the outcome of automation projects with your operational business goals Indicators that a business automation project is off course – and how you can steer it back in the right direction What’s possible with business transformation through automation, including a use case for how automation can drive maximum business benefit
  • #5 Pandemic plus technology advances have ramped up automation initiatives In the old days, it was (just) a waste of money Failure to successfully automate is a survival issue
  • #12 Michael Lewis “Against The Rules” podcast about Athena Health
  • #28 This is why it’s complex: Claims manager needs to figure out what is missing, and request it Each iteration, CM reviews file, figures out if they can make a decision, and makes it Too much manual decisioning and ad hoc processes Expertise is buried in the knowledge workers
  • #29 Goal: knowledge workers should be focused on handling decisions and customer interactions that are better managed by people – true for most business process automation Process to drive overall flow and interact with workers Decisions to determine auto versus manual tasks (e.g., auto-adjudication) ML to learn parameters of auto-adjudication, know when to ask for more information – learn from knowledge workers – explainable decisions based on past decisions and regulatory guidelines
  • #31 Usage-based pricing: Allianz BonusDrive for UBI using telematics, more competitive for different market segments Algorithmic: New Paradigm’s parametric insurance pays out automatically based on parameters, e.g., weather instead of handling individual claims