A manual process is any routine piece of work that depends on people moving information by hand: filling in forms, retyping data from one system into another, chasing approvals by email. Automating it means letting software capture the information once, apply the rules and pass the work to the next person. These seven steps take a manual process from a recurring headache to a system that runs the same way every time.
Manual processes: examples and what they cost
Typical manual processes include entering orders from emails, copying figures between spreadsheets, building a weekly report by hand, routing a purchase request for signatures and retyping field paperwork in the office.
The cost is rarely visible on an invoice. It shows up as hours spent on retyping, errors that reach customers, work that stalls because someone is away, and managers who cannot see where anything stands. See stopping manual data entry errors for what that looks like in practice.
Step 1: Choose the right process to automate
Start with one process, not the whole company. The best first candidate happens often, involves several people and causes real pain when it goes wrong. List your manual processes and rate each on how frequently it runs, how much time it takes and what a mistake costs. The one at the top of that list is where to begin.
Step 2: Map the process as it really works
Write down every step from start to finish: who does it, what information they use, where it comes from and where it goes next. Do this with the people who do the work, not from the procedure manual. The real process always includes steps nobody documented, such as the spreadsheet someone keeps on the side or the phone call that happens when a form is incomplete.
Step 3: Find the bottlenecks and the errors
With the map in front of you, mark where work waits, where information is typed more than once and where mistakes are made. These are the points automation should target. A step that takes two minutes and never goes wrong does not need software. A step where an order sits for two days waiting for a signature does.
Step 4: Simplify before you automate
Automating a bad process gives you a fast bad process. Before any software is built, remove the steps that exist only because of the old method: the extra copy, the second approval nobody can explain, the report nobody reads. Agree what the process should be, then automate that.
Step 5: Define the rules and the requirements
Software needs the rules stated exactly. Who may approve what, and up to what amount? What makes an entry invalid? What happens when something is missing? Write these down along with who uses the system and what each person needs to do. Our guide to writing software requirements with actors and use cases shows how.
Step 6: Choose the right tool
Some processes can be automated inside software you already own, or with an off-the-shelf workflow product. That is the right choice when the process is standard. When the process has rules that are particular to your business, or has to pass data between systems that do not talk to each other, a custom web application usually fits better and removes the workarounds. See ending the workarounds around your ERP or QuickBooks.
Step 7: Roll out in stages, measure and improve
Go live with one part of the process and a small group of users first. Run the new way alongside the old one until the results agree, then retire the old method. Measure the things you set out to fix, such as time per order, errors per week and days to invoice, and keep adjusting. The first version is never the last.
What a good result looks like
- Information is entered once, at the point where it originates.
- Work moves to the next person automatically, and nothing waits unnoticed.
- The rules are enforced by the system, not by memory.
- Anyone with permission can see the status of any item at any time.
- Reports come from live data instead of being assembled by hand.
For ideas on where to begin, see 13 paper-based processes worth automating. Keene Systems has built custom software to automate business processes since 1987.
Frequently asked questions
What is a manual process?
A manual process is routine work that relies on people to move and re-enter information by hand, using paper forms, spreadsheets, email or retyping between systems. Order entry, approvals, timesheets and report preparation are common examples.
How do you automate a manual process?
Choose one process, map how it really works, find where it stalls and where errors occur, simplify it, define the rules, pick a suitable tool and roll it out in stages. The software then captures information once and routes the work automatically.
Which manual processes should be automated first?
Start with processes that happen often, involve several people and are costly when they go wrong. High volume and high error cost together give the fastest payback.
What is business process automation?
Business process automation is the use of software to carry out repeatable steps in a business process, such as capturing data, applying rules, routing approvals and producing documents, so that people handle only the decisions that need judgment.
Do we need custom software to automate our processes?
Not always. Standard processes can often be handled by existing or off-the-shelf software. Custom software makes sense when your process has rules or integrations that general products can only handle through workarounds.
If a manual process is costing your team hours every week, tell us about it and we will give you a straight answer on the best way to automate it.
Book a 20-minute call with our CEO, Lance Keene: https://www.KeeneSystems.com/BookLance
Is this your situation? See Stopping manual data entry errors for your options and how Keene Systems handles it, or browse every problem we solve.
