Four kinds of fix
Not every process should be automated.
Automating a broken process makes the problems happen faster. The pattern tells us which kind of fix will pay.
Redesign
Fix the flow
Remove steps, loops and approval layers that add cost but no value. For Re-engineer, Simplify and Streamline Flow.
Adopt and train
Bring the work back into the system
Fix what drove people to email and spreadsheets, then train and support the change. For Adopt & Train.
Automate
Automate the stable path
Workflow, rules and integration on the part of the process that runs the same way every time. For Redesign & Automate.
AI agents
Agents where the process is ready
Governed AI agents for the judgement work, on processes with a high Digital Work Ratio and First Time Right.
AI agents
Guardrails come with the agent.
Each agent works inside the systems you already run, with scoped permissions, confidence thresholds, a human review queue for the cases that need judgement, and a full audit trail. Your risk team can see what it read, what it did and who approved.
- A working agent on one process, in your own system
- A before-and-after report on the four numbers
- A governance pack: permissions, thresholds, review queues, audit trail
- A clear recommendation: scale, tune or stop
Examples
What a fix looks like.
Procure-to-pay
The invoice with no purchase order
Fifteen minutes of digging per exception becomes a thirty-second decision, with every step on the record.
Read the exampleRecord-to-report
The bank reconciliation done before breakfast
Yesterday's bank activity tied out against the ledger each morning, with odd items grouped by cause.
Read the example