The most expensive process is usually the one nobody sees
When a process clearly breaks down, it gets fixed. The real problem lies elsewhere: in tasks nobody perceives as a problem because they are spread across many people and short moments. Ten minutes here, fifteen there, every day. Individually it goes unnoticed. Added up, it is a substantial cost.
A representative study by Exxas AG with the research institute LINK, which surveyed around 500 managers from German-speaking Swiss SMEs, puts a figure on the potential: fully or partly automated workflows can save up to eleven percent of weekly working time. More than one in ten SMEs has barely automated its processes, and almost half see significant room to catch up.
Before automating, however, one sober question is worth asking: which processes are actually worth it? The following six signs help you assess that without commissioning an analysis.
Six signs that a process is costing you money
1. The workflow repeats
The more often a process runs in the same form, the more likely it is worth automating. A task that occurs ten times a day multiplies every minute saved by ten. A task that comes up twice a year almost never does.
2. It follows fixed rules
If the workflow can be described as a clear sequence, along the lines of “if this, then that”, it is a good candidate. A shift report from production that always captures the same fields and always goes to the same place is a typical example. As soon as a step depends on experience or instinct, it gets harder.
3. Data moves between several systems
If the same information is copied by hand from an email into a spreadsheet and from there into a third program, that is a clear sign. Every one of these breaks costs time and is a source of error.
4. The same mistakes happen regularly
If a process keeps stumbling at the same point, it is rarely down to the staff. A forgotten line item, a transposed number, a file in the wrong place: It is down to the workflow. Recurring errors are a reliable signal.
5. The process depends on a single person
If a workflow only functions while one particular person is present, that is a risk. Holidays, illness or a change of job bring it to a halt. A clearly defined, automated process makes the company less dependent.
6. Waiting times build up
If a task sits idle for hours because it is waiting for an approval, a forwarding step or a manual check, the problem is not the work itself but the handover. An inspection report left on a desk until someone types it up is a classic case.
The more of these points apply to a process, the more a second look is worth it.
Where the effort does not pay off
The reverse question matters just as much. Automation rarely pays off for processes that change constantly. What is automated today is outdated in three months. It hardly pays off for workflows that occur only a few times a year. And it does not replace real judgement: wherever a person weighs options, negotiates or assesses an exception, the person remains the right choice. An honest look at what is not worth it protects you from investments that never pay back.
Where to start
The most common mistake is to start with the most visible process instead of the most expensive one. Visible means loud, disruptive, often mentioned. Expensive means a lot of time, high frequency and many errors, often quite inconspicuous. Whoever starts with the first sign from this list that applies several times over has the greater leverage.
This does not require a large upfront analysis. Go through the six points for two or three workflows you already have a bad feeling about. That is usually enough to see where it is worth it.
Once you know which process is worth it, the next question follows: where it should run and what happens to your data along the way. More on that in the next article. If you would like a specific workflow assessed beforehand, get in touch. We will look at it together.
