“Move fast and break things”—quick wins and ad-hoc automation often seem the easiest way to solve immediate challenges in managing IT systems, business processes, and vast amounts of data. But let’s pause for a moment: Is it sustainable? Is it scalable?
Businesses often deploy uncontrolled, short-term automation to address surface-level problems without considering broader implications. While these fixes may yield instant gratification, they can lead to fragmented systems, misaligned processes, and data silos that hinder growth over time.
Your IT systems form the backbone of your business. Without a strong, scalable, well-integrated architecture, it’s like building a house on sand. Investing in a long-term IT strategy ensures that your systems grow with your business needs rather than constantly requiring patchwork fixes. Ad-hoc automation often creates isolated workflows and quick scripts that break as systems evolve or owners change focus. A robust IT architecture designed with scalability in mind enables seamless integrations and supports future innovations.
Automation should be a proactive, planned step aligned with business goals. Process owners must take responsibility for understanding the broader implications of automation, even outside their direct responsibility area. Before automating, it’s essential to ask critical questions about alignment with overarching business strategies, process optimization, and impacts on other systems or teams. Strategic automation ensures that business processes are interconnected and efficient. 𝗜𝘁’𝘀 𝗻𝗼𝘁 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴; 𝗶𝘁’𝘀 𝗮𝗯𝗼𝘂𝘁 𝗮𝘂𝘁𝗼𝗺𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗿𝗶𝗴𝗵𝘁 𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗴𝘀 with a clear vision for their evolution.