The value of the Certified Intelligent Automation Professional

Working with technology consultants and their customers has taught me that every company agrees with the overall concept of automating business processes. Every company has its unique challenges in its automation journey. The CIAP course has helped me as a professional see the entire automation landscape holistically and did an excellent job of breaking down the pieces into logical readiness steps that have proven to help guide organizations on their automation journeys. 

 

Most companies have tried (with both success and failure) to automate some process(es) within their organization. Still, they have failed to truly enter the institutionalization phase where automation becomes part of their daily DNA and thus fall short of the true potential of what automation could do for their organization.

 

One primary reason is that the consultant either overlooks the importance or does not spend the proper time with their customers on the discovery and assessment step of the process. All too often, the only key business driver that is focused on is cost reduction when the real business drivers of productivity gains, along with data consolidation, could provide a more significant impact on the customer by allowing them to deliver a better customer experience at a lower cost point than their competitors.

 

The CIAP course has helped me rethink how I work with my partners and help provide them with guidance on the importance of the discovery step in the sales process. By understanding the customer’s current state and the unique challenges, they face both operationally and culturally; they can better understand how to properly position automation to their customers to ensure buy-in at the operation and executive levels. Once the real problems and barriers to automation have been identified, identifying the GAP to achieve the desired future becomes more natural and realistic for the customer.

 

Leveraging tools like the organizational, functional, and taxonomy heatmaps discussed to provide a nice visual during the process discovery step to identify the areas where the quickest wins can be achieved, which are essential to keep the customer motivated for automation during their transition to the institutionalization phase. The discovery phase also begins to identify the various intelligent process automation tools that could help achieve the customer’s overall digital transformation and automation goals.

 

The section covering the common challenges in the delivery lifecycle was beneficial. Addressing these potential challenges during the project scoping sessions with new customers will help ensure post-sale success. Because the business typically drives IPA, it is equally important that IT is engaged early in the process to avoid friction and costly delays during the delivery cycle. Equally important is the business engagement to ensure the right resources are available when needed. The operational level does not see automation as a threat that could lead to user adoption challenges downstream.

 

The section discussing business as usual (BAU) helped confirm the importance of a center of excellence (COE) program to spearhead the ongoing support and rollout of IPA projects within the organization. Having a team that owns the digital transformation implementation within the organization helps ensure congruency between operations, executive management, and IT. It is the only natural way to achieve the coveted institutionalization phase and the broad benefits of automation to a company and its culture. 

 

By incorporating discussions around the benefits of establishing a COE with prospects, I will be able to differentiate myself and my company, especially when they may be engaging with multiple competitors in their due diligence process. For companies with a COE in place, I will be able to determine better if their COE design is appropriately fit for the purpose. For companies with no established COE, the lessons learned will help me guide and consult with them on the overall importance of the COE as the cornerstone for their long-term digital transformation success.  

 

I would highly recommend this course to any sales professional or consultant within the IPA ethos. It highlights the critical success factors needed for a company to find true success with their digital transformation goals and project.

 

Selecting the right IPA tool is undoubtedly essential. Still, without the other elements discussed in this course, the real potential for what intelligent process automation can bring to a company will be at risk.