When to Automate

We’ve all been there: we start out with a simple Excel or Access routine and before long it morphs into a complicated process involving many calculations from many data sources, and possibly involving many people in many physical locations. If you’re anything like me, you’ve had these thoughts come up:

At what point do you take a step back and say, “I need to stop and consider automating this”? At Ruark Consulting, we are always striving to use current technology to provide the most efficient and accurate solutions for our clients. Based on our experience, here are some considerations that you might find helpful:

1. Process is Frequent and/or Complex

Weigh the expected time spent on automation versus the time savings over, say, two years.

2. Improve Accuracy

Left as a manual process, how do you know that all the steps were followed accurately? Besides removing that concern, automation allows you to restrict the input items (using pull-down menus, for example). This is an efficient way to test the input values to make sure they are valid before proceeding.

3. Inefficient and Outdated Technology

Considering automation forces you to critically examine how well you are doing things, and whether you are using the most effective and efficient technology. For example, when proudly describing all the data that your Excel workbook stores and deals with to a peer, they probably challenge you to instead move to, or include, a true database format like Access or SQL Server. They may even help you with the transition, and thereby you learn along the way.

4. Increase Productivity

Besides reducing runtime, you don’t have to babysit the process. Go grab some coffee, check the box scores, or play a practical joke on a co-worker. Or better yet, go do something productive. If you don’t then you run the risk of…

5. Opportunity Cost

Admit it: You know you’d rather be doing something else than performing this process again! Well, automating it allows you to move on to other more interesting challenges. Otherwise, it is an opportunity cost to your business as your (or your team’s) skills cannot be used for other ventures. And members of your team (or you!) really may die from boredom. Your computer, on the other hand, doesn’t mind the repetitive work. It’s kind of like a dog happy to fetch a stick over and over – but without the drooling.

6. Automatic Audit Trail

If a question arises, you can immediately re-produce the results and even stop the process at various stages to ensure the accuracy. Automation leaves a perfect audit trail without any extra work.

7. Handle Errors

You can build in error handling into your code that can include meaningful error messages and/or emails sent to need-to-know parties. Plus, automating all these possible problems keeps you from having to remember checking for them every time! Automate it and stop worrying about it.

8. Work Flow Continuity

What if it is time again to run your manual process but you or your needed co-workers are in the midst of another project, on vacation, or sick? Automation keeps the process regular. And all without prunes.

If any of those considerations are pertinent to you and your team, then automation will improve the efficiency and accuracy of your process and allow you to move on to bigger and better things. At Ruark Consulting, we have used automation extensively in the analytic work we conduct for our clients. In a follow-up article, I will examine a recent project to show how our automation techniques resulted in a more productive and flexible solution.

I’d love to answer any questions you have about this article or how we use automation at Ruark Consulting. Please feel free to contact Steve Wright at steve@ruarkonline.com or (860) 712-1795.

 

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