Digital transformation has been a hot topic for the past few years. Many businesses have tried to implement a digital transformation but have yet to make it sustainable. According to Mckinsey, 70% of digital transformation projects fail, and the reasons may be anything from a lack of vision and leadership support to a lack of long-term support. To put it in perspective, Gartner's Kristen Moyer buckets digital transformation failure into three categories: regression, underperformance, and failure at new digital initiatives.

One approach to overcome this challenge is resisting the urge to boil the ocean and undertake an all-encompassing approach to digital transformation. You may see the digital transformation from a focused, cross-functional process automation lens. 

Successfully implementing business process automation can be an essential part of this process by helping you streamline and simplify critical operations that were previously done manually or not.

In this article, we'll discuss what digital transformation means, how business process automation can help, and what it will take to successfully implement automation in your own business.

Defining digital transformation

It is a buzzword that gets thrown around a lot. But what does digital transformation mean, exactly? It's not just a matter of launching a mobile app or adding an API to your product or platform. It's about changing the way you do business—and it's about doing it faster than anyone else.

Digital transformation is the process of changing an organization's business operations to be more efficient, effective, and customer-centric. At its best, it means transforming your business model, and even the industry you are operating in. 

It may involve using technology to improve a company's products, services, and internal operations, create a better customer experience, enhance productivity, and so much more. It is an ongoing process that requires constant investment and focus.

The purpose of digital transformation is to create new value for your customers and business. It means businesses need to be able to adapt quickly—and in a way that will allow them to stay ahead of the competition.

But digital transformation is not just about technology; it's about people, process and culture as well. It requires an organization-wide commitment—from top management down through every level of the company.

Business process automation and digital transformation

Business process automation (BPA) refers to automating and streamlining an organization's workflow processes to make them more efficient while freeing up employees' time for other tasks.

Business process automation can be a powerful tool for digital transformation. It makes it easier to implement new technologies, like artificial intelligence and machine learning, because the tools automate many of the tasks needed to get these technologies up and running.

But it's about more than just getting started with new technologies. Business process automation can also help scale business operations, which is essential as the business grows. As the company adds employees and gains customers, it needs systems to handle the increased workload. Business process automation makes this possible by automating repetitive tasks so employees can focus on delivering value to customers instead of spending time doing monotonous work.

Business process automation tools can create digital workflow and business process models to streamline a process. These tools can also be used to integrate with existing systems to share data between different applications, allowing for better processes and communication within a company.

Successfully implementing business process automation and digital transformation

Business process automation is a crucial piece of the digital transformation puzzle. It's not just a matter of automating previously manual processes—it's about integrating automation into the company's very DNA so that every decision is made considering how it will impact the process and its efficiency.

Successful business process automation requires three things:

1) Process mapping: Before you automate, you need to map out the current state of your business processes. It will give you a clear picture of what needs improvement, what works well, and what you can improve.

2) Predictive analytics: Predictive analytics help you anticipate potential problems and issues before they happen, so they don't disrupt productivity or adversely affect customer satisfaction.

3) Human-machine hybrid system: The most successful automation efforts involve humans and machines working together seamlessly as one unit—this means using machines to perform repetitive tasks. In contrast, humans focus on creative thinking and problem-solving tasks.

Digital transformation is a huge challenge that requires a solid strategy and the right technology. Successful digital transformation companies have clear plans, goals, and KPIs. They also understand their customers better than ever before. It is because they're successfully implementing business process automation which helps them in many areas around the business.

Implementing business process automation isn't just about buying tools; it's also about integrating that tool with other systems in the business so they can work together seamlessly. For example, if you want to use artificial intelligence (AI) to automate your recruitment process but need an applicant tracking system (ATS) or other HR tools, then AI won't be much help.

Additionally, businesses need to plan for what happens after implementing automation: How will they use the data collected by their new automated processes? And how will they measure success? Implementing these steps helps ensure that any investment made into automating tasks pays off over time by demonstrating ROI through improved productivity or savings on labor costs and, eventually, digital transformation.

Ultimately, the goal of automation is to provide businesses with more time and money so they can focus on more strategic digital transformation initiatives. By taking these steps in advance, businesses are ready for digital transformation to take advantage of its benefits.

Key Takeaway

Business process automation can be an invaluable tool for digital transformation--if you know what you're doing. The key is to start small and focus on the most important processes first. You can then scale up your automation efforts as you learn more about achieving the ROI that will help justify your company's investment in digital transformation.

If you don't know where to start, you can explore digital transformation solutions with minimal investment of time and money. A comprehensive, enterprise-grade digital process automation platform (DPA), like AgilePoint, can enhance the scalability and agility of your company's varied business processes and even future-proof your digital transformation journey.

Whether you're new to business automation or already have a project, AgilePoint will help your team automate processes more efficiently and build applications that integrate systems and accelerate ROI. Sign up for a FREE personalized demo today! We'll help guide you through the process so that it's as seamless as possible for everyone involved.