Automation is vital for modern IT, as it enables IT teams to accomplish common workflows and repetitive tasks accurately, consistently and quickly. But automation is far from automatic.
The path to implement automation is fraught with mistakes and waste. Most IT admins know automation horror stories: a huge project to address a minor task, detrimental process changes for the sake of automation and the headaches from a poor tool choice. Careful planning and concerted effort are critical to implement automation in a meaningful and maintainable fashion.
There are eight steps to take an IT task from manual to automated:
Automation is not an all-or-nothing proposition. Not every process or task should -- or even could -- be automated. You don't need to automate everything simultaneously to demonstrate automation's business value.
To start, identify common and frequently performed tasks with minimal complexity. These tasks often benefit most from automation. In general, automation candidates are processes and tasks IT admins perform frequently and ones that consume significant time. Common examples include user password resets and VM instanceprovisioning.
Organizations run into trouble translating human workflows into automation workflows. Automation performs the same steps the same way every time. Different business and IT processes can use radically different approaches to reach the same result. Also, exceptions to the rules pose serious problems for automation.
Evaluate many opportunities for automation, even if you don't intend to implement them all immediately. Consider the current workflows in many tasks across the business and seek common sequences or subprocesses for automation. IT can then implement and reuse these sequences in multiple automation projects. The more common sequences or processes there are, the easier and more effective an automation task will be. In many cases, existing human workflows can be altered or divided to benefit from automation.
Microsoft's PowerShell scripts are a good automation example. IT admins typically automate a process by chaining together several small PowerShell scripts. Each separate script represents a discrete task or step in the greater process or workflow, and each script is reusable as needed. This modular approach makes automation versatile, but only when a broad cross section of tasks and processes are understood.
With automation projects set, focus on implementation. Automation engineers design processes and decide how to handle exceptions, such as variables or options. Exceptions can be difficult and time-consuming to implement; IT leaders might opt to automate the easiest processes and leave exceptions for human intervention.
Here's an example in VM provisioning: IT teams can fully automate VM provisioning steps. But the configuration attributes of the VM -- number of processors, amount of memory and VM image file to deploy -- require manual input and pose exceptions. Another example is a business process automation that requires human signoff at the end. Automation engineers need to design for a mix of automated and human-controlled steps, including delays or erroneous input.
Evaluate IT automation products to best suit the projects. There are IT-centric tools or business workflow automation platforms. Some products deploy and get managed in-house, while others are SaaS. Compare features, capabilities, usability and interoperability with other data center or business tools. IT-centric workflow automation tools include products from Cflow, IBM, Microsoft, Nlyte Software and ServiceNow. However, there are dozens more tools and platforms, often with specializations that range from HR to procurement to software development.
Validate the automation tool before committing to it. Narrow the list of available tools to promising candidates, and then test each finalist using demo versions or other trial options.
The best way to adopt automation is to prove its value to the enterprise. Implement it on one or two of the easiest tasks or workflows that will potentially free the most time.
Such fledgling efforts are usually approached as pilot or proof-of-concept projects. Automation owners learn and master the tool or tools for the job while proving its worth to business leaders and teams. Starting small minimizes disruption and culture shock, and enables IT teams to find and handle problems with the tool or its use.
Once the IT team implements an automation tool for tasks or workflows, apply metrics or KPIs to objectively measure how automation affects the business.
Every task and workflow has a business value. It might simply be a measure of the cost in workers' hours to perform a task. If automation significantly reduces the time to perform a task, the cost of that task is also significantly reduced. Thus, automation is credited with savings.
Similarly, automated tasks get done the same way every time, which should reduce mistakes. With fewer errors, automation enhances user satisfaction and reduces time wasted fixing avoidable problems.
Finally, monitoring helps determine bottlenecks within the automated processes. For example, a provisioning task can fail due to insufficient server memory, and succeed when the right resources are available. Monitoring is the only objective means to gauge automation's value and identify problems to remediate.
With a small suite of tasks and workflows automated, and automation's value to the business proven, it's time to systematically automate additional tasks, which can be more complex, or simple but less valuable, than those in the first round. Generally, the goal is to focus the automation investment on high-volume, low-risk workflows, sometimes avoiding workflows with exceptions, until automation use within the business matures.
Automation performs repetitive tasks in high volume faster than humans can. If a complex task, such as one with user inputs, alternative selections, approvals or other exceptions, is only performed on rare occasions, there might be insufficient overall benefit to automate it.
Implementing automation is not a one-time effort. The data sets used to define an automated process -- such as scripts and predefined visual objects -- require regular review and updates to keep pace with changes in workflows and business needs. That is, does every automated process do what the business needs it to? Unfortunately, automation maintenance is often neglected or treated as an afterthought. Plan periodic reviews to revisit and revalidate automated processes -- but don't stop there.
Infrastructure and business changes are two principal drivers for automation maintenance. For example, adding new servers might increase compute resources available for automated provisioning. Similarly, a new law might necessitate changing the steps in an automation process to ensure regulatory compliance. To address these scenarios, automation maintenance can be tied to the organization's change management process.
Read the original here:
Follow these 8 steps to implement automation in IT workflows - TechTarget
- The Automation Conference - December 9th, 2016 [December 9th, 2016]
- The Best Home Automation Systems of 2016 | Top Ten Reviews - December 24th, 2016 [December 24th, 2016]
- Compact Automation - Actuators, Hydraulic Cylinders, Linear ... - December 24th, 2016 [December 24th, 2016]
- What is Home Automation? | Home Automation Systems - December 24th, 2016 [December 24th, 2016]
- Job Seekers - Automation Personnel Services - December 24th, 2016 [December 24th, 2016]
- iAutomation - December 25th, 2016 [December 25th, 2016]
- Beyond Automation - hbr.org - December 25th, 2016 [December 25th, 2016]
- Automation The Car Company Tycoon Game on Steam - December 25th, 2016 [December 25th, 2016]
- Automation - Wikipedia - December 25th, 2016 [December 25th, 2016]
- Build automation - Wikipedia - December 26th, 2016 [December 26th, 2016]
- Home - Enerwave Home Automation - December 27th, 2016 [December 27th, 2016]
- Automation | Technologies | Systems | Integrator ... - December 27th, 2016 [December 27th, 2016]
- Automation - DESHAZO - December 27th, 2016 [December 27th, 2016]
- Custom Automation & Machine Design | Automation GT - December 27th, 2016 [December 27th, 2016]
- IT Automation - BMC - December 27th, 2016 [December 27th, 2016]
- Werner Electric | Automation - January 28th, 2017 [January 28th, 2017]
- Automationtechies | Automation Engineering Recruiting - January 28th, 2017 [January 28th, 2017]
- Automation - Mazak Corporation - January 28th, 2017 [January 28th, 2017]
- Automation | Food Engineering - January 28th, 2017 [January 28th, 2017]
- Test Automation Services for Development of Regression ... - January 28th, 2017 [January 28th, 2017]
- UI Automation Overview - msdn.microsoft.com - February 5th, 2017 [February 5th, 2017]
- The Evolution of Automation and What It Means for the Integration Industry - Commercial Integrator - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Automation, robots could replace 250000 public sector workers in the next 15 years - Computer Business Review - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- New telecom transformation goals require service automation - TechTarget - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Automation expected to displace insurance underwriters, real estate brokers - CIO Dive - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- The Perks Of Automation And The Risks: Why To Think Twice About Getting Into That Driverless Uber - Forbes - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Voices Reinventing enterprise finance by overhauling AP automation - Accounting Today - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- DFLabs Launches the First Security Automation and Orchestration Platform based Upon Supervised Active Intelligence - Business Wire (press release) - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- VIDEO: Going Big on Automation in a Small Footprint Facility - ENGINEERING.com - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Building a better model of human-automation interaction - Phys.org - Phys.Org - February 7th, 2017 [February 7th, 2017]
- Cruise Automation Is Testing an App For Hailing Self-Driving Cars - Fortune - February 8th, 2017 [February 8th, 2017]
- AlixPartners examines automation in manufacturing and logistics management - Logistics Management - February 8th, 2017 [February 8th, 2017]
- Women need to look out for each other in automated workplaces - The Guardian - February 8th, 2017 [February 8th, 2017]
- Automation vs. the H-1B visa program: Which matters to employees? - TechTarget - February 8th, 2017 [February 8th, 2017]
- Automation is the unavoidable future of the economy - The Daily Cougar - February 8th, 2017 [February 8th, 2017]
- Speeders beware: Legislation would allow automation crackdown ... - SFGate - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Robots versus bureaucrats: Why public sector work is ripe for automation - Financial Post - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Rockwell Automation Surged 10% in January as Growth Picked Up Steam - Motley Fool - February 9th, 2017 [February 9th, 2017]
- Global Medical Automation Market to Reach Approximately $75.6 Billion by 2025 - By End User, Application ... - PR Newswire (press release) - February 10th, 2017 [February 10th, 2017]
- Automation 'key' to advancing Thai production - The Nation - February 10th, 2017 [February 10th, 2017]
- WorkWave Releases New Lead Management And Marketing ... - PR Newswire (press release) - February 10th, 2017 [February 10th, 2017]
- 'We employ insane levels of automation' Kris Canekeratne - Times of India - February 10th, 2017 [February 10th, 2017]
- Most people are optimistic about workplace automation, social data suggests - ZDNet - February 10th, 2017 [February 10th, 2017]
- Yes, there's a job creation argument for automation and technology ... - The Hill (blog) - February 10th, 2017 [February 10th, 2017]
- Technobabble: Automation and the modern worker - CIO Dive - February 10th, 2017 [February 10th, 2017]
- Improving Behavior Through Automation of Vehicle Systems - School Transportation News (blog) - February 11th, 2017 [February 11th, 2017]
- Automation Nightmare: Philosopher Warns We Are Creating a World Without Consciousness - Big Think - February 11th, 2017 [February 11th, 2017]
- Why Don't We See More Automation in Federal Networks? - Nextgov - February 11th, 2017 [February 11th, 2017]
- Automation can revitalize the US workforce - Fox News - February 11th, 2017 [February 11th, 2017]
- Readers Write (Feb. 12): The moose population; jobs, start-ups and automation; diversity in the funny pages - Minneapolis Star Tribune - February 12th, 2017 [February 12th, 2017]
- Automation can replace bureaucrats and save taxpayers money - Hot Air - February 12th, 2017 [February 12th, 2017]
- TigerStop hopes to ride automation to new heights - The Columbian - February 12th, 2017 [February 12th, 2017]
- Your Most Valuable Resource is Time Get More of it through Automation - CMS Critic (press release) (blog) - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- What Does Device Automation Mean for Users? - Medical Device and Diagnostics Industry (blog) - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- How To Beat Automation And Not Lose Your Job - Forbes - February 13th, 2017 [February 13th, 2017]
- Logistics firm gets automation boost - The Straits Times - February 14th, 2017 [February 14th, 2017]
- PP Control & Automation launch new video to kick-start exciting plans for 2017 - Manufacturer.com - February 14th, 2017 [February 14th, 2017]
- Automation's Impace on Data Center Monitoring Alerts - The Data Center Journal - February 14th, 2017 [February 14th, 2017]
- Hollysys Automation Technologies Reports Unaudited Financial Results for the First Half Year and the Second Quarter ... - PR Newswire (press release) - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- 4 Automation Hacks to Save You Money and Manpower - Yahoo Finance - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- Istuary Innovation Group and Bluewrist Partner to Bring Robotics and Automation into China's Manufacturing Sector - Yahoo Finance - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- Redwood Software Named a Strong Performer in Independent Robotic Process Automation (RPA) Report - Yahoo Finance - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- Boeing ramps up automation, innovation as it readies 737MAX | The ... - The Seattle Times - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- Robots and AI are coming for our jobs, but can augmentation save us from automation? - Digital Trends - February 15th, 2017 [February 15th, 2017]
- The Impact of Bad Data in Automation: Why Quality Management is Critical - R & D Magazine - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- Automation: Are We Empowering Human Interaction Or Displacing It? - Business 2 Community - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- Life in the Fast LaneAutomation with Software-Defined Intelligence - InfoWorld - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- Luddite Lefty Journalists Apparently Think Workplace Automation is Conservatives' Fault [VIDEO] - Daily Caller - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- Will automation define the future of network technology? - TechTarget - February 16th, 2017 [February 16th, 2017]
- Editorial: Improving automation - The Motorship - February 17th, 2017 [February 17th, 2017]
- TigerText Unveils Role-based Scheduling Automation, Amazon Alexa integration - HIT Consultant - February 17th, 2017 [February 17th, 2017]
- 89% people want automation at workplace: Adobe - Economic Times - February 18th, 2017 [February 18th, 2017]
- Delta veers to EV parts, automation - Bangkok Post - February 18th, 2017 [February 18th, 2017]
- Robotic process automation makes nearshore outsourcing more ... - CIO - February 18th, 2017 [February 18th, 2017]
- The working-class job that Trump could save from automation - Washington Post - February 18th, 2017 [February 18th, 2017]
- China must be ready for automation - Basic Income News - February 18th, 2017 [February 18th, 2017]
- Bill Gates Says Robots Should Be Taxed Like Workers - Fortune - February 18th, 2017 [February 18th, 2017]
- Trump and automation challenge India's IT industry - VentureBeat - February 18th, 2017 [February 18th, 2017]
- Both Trump and Automation Are Challenging India's IT Industry - Fortune - February 20th, 2017 [February 20th, 2017]
- 89% people want automation at workplace: Adobe - ETCIO.com - February 20th, 2017 [February 20th, 2017]