Business process analysis is central to running any business, from a small owner-run firm to a company trading internationally. A sound process is the backbone of a stable business. This article sets out eight steps for using business process analysis to support digital transformation.
Why analyze business processes before going digital?
Every business owner wants to know how quickly the business can succeed. The answer depends largely on how well you manage and improve your business processes.
There are many ways to improve a business, but digitizing it, or adopting effective digital processes, has proven particularly valuable. Analyzing your current processes first shows where digital tools will make the biggest difference. It also helps you avoid spending on technology that does not fit the way your business actually works.
Eight steps for digital transformation
1. Use technology to measure business growth
With so many tools available for building AI-based knowledge systems, forecasting business growth is far more practical than it once was. Business intelligence platforms use data to highlight the areas that need development and to predict the changes that would improve performance.
2. Build a presence on social media
If you want to reach a larger audience, a strong social media presence can speed up your digital transformation and increase profit. Platforms such as LinkedIn, Facebook and Instagram help you connect with the customers who matter most. Regularly updating your profiles with your services keeps that audience engaged.
3. Make room for business process automation
As more activity moves online, many businesses are planning for full digital enablement. They are replacing slow, manual processes with automated ones. This is called business process automation. Automated processes tend to be faster, more consistent and easier to measure than manual ones, which makes them a natural starting point.
4. Apply robotic process automation
Robotic process automation (RPA) is an important part of business process automation. It acts like a virtual assistant that handles routine business tasks. With RPA, developers can create scripts that automate data entry and retrieval through an application’s user interface (UI). This saves time and frees people to focus on strategy and growth.
5. Adopt artificial intelligence and big data
Digitization is a defining feature of the fourth industrial revolution, especially in manufacturing. Automation is transforming manufacturing in a shift often called Industry 4.0. Machine learning, big data and artificial intelligence help businesses achieve real digital transformation and run more efficiently. They can spot patterns in large volumes of data that people would miss.
6. Gather data with analytics and IoT
Data analytics and the Internet of Things (IoT) make it easier to analyze processes for future growth. Building analytics into your processes lets you measure performance and get insights through detailed reporting. It also helps you compare options and choose the best strategy for each decision.
7. Use customer experience to guide process changes
A business succeeds when its processes target the right customers and meet their expectations. Let customer demands, and the improvements they expect, guide changes to your processes. A shared platform where you and your customers can stay up to date on your latest developments helps keep you connected and gives you a steady flow of feedback on what to improve.
8. Integrate business functions with ERP
Enterprise resource planning (ERP) is how many businesses manage and connect the key parts of their operations. ERP software brings the processes that keep an organization running into a single system. It supports digital enablement by integrating purchasing, inventory, sales, marketing, finance and more.
Key takeaways
Following these steps in your business process analysis can lead to better customer service and stronger process performance. Tools built on data analytics, artificial intelligence, machine learning and big data are especially valuable for mid-sized businesses whose customer service needs improvement. To compete in a tough market, a business needs digitally enabled processes. Start with a clear picture of how work gets done today, then add technology where it solves a real problem.
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