ABSTRACT
Many organizations automate existing business processes first and then try to improve them. This is not always the best approach. Most organizations overcome process failures by introducing more spreadsheets and haphazard solutions rather than by understanding and solving the root cause. This chapter explains the tendency of people to want to automate first. It highlights the problems and root causes arising from this approach. The chapter also explains the need to improve processes first for each of the three process initiatives. All types of process activities: transformation, projects and continuous improvement, require that the process is improved prior to automation. Humans are attracted to easy solutions to complex problems. Organizational business transformations are often aimed at fundamentally changing an organization's business operating model—that is, the way an organization works, which will include its processes, technology and organizational design.
