Estimated reading time: 2 minutes
Key Takeaways
- Different approaches can hinder automation; consistency is key.
- Avoid standardizing bad work; eliminate unnecessary steps first.
- Standard work establishes reliable methods, reducing variation and improving efficiency.
- A standardized process serves as a baseline for future improvements and makes automation easier.
- Clear workflows reveal automation opportunities, such as task assignment and data management.
Ask three employees how the same task gets done and you may receive three different answers.
That is not always a problem. Different situations sometimes require different approaches.
But when routine work is performed differently every time, automation becomes much more difficult.
Automation Needs Rules
Automation works best when the process can answer questions such as:
- What starts the process?
- What information is required?
- Who owns the next step?
- What conditions change the workflow?
- What should happen when an exception occurs?
If the answer is "it depends on who is doing it," the process may not be ready for automation.
What Is Standard Work?
Lean uses the concept of standard work to establish a consistent, reliable method for completing a process.
For a small business, standard work does not need to mean a thick procedure manual.
It might simply mean:
- a defined sequence of steps
- clear ownership
- required information
- consistent naming conventions
- documented exceptions
Standardization Reduces Variation
Variation makes processes harder to manage.
Suppose every salesperson enters customer information differently.
One enters "ABC Company." Another enters "ABC Co." A third creates separate records for different contacts.
When the business later tries to automate reporting or customer communication, inconsistent data becomes a major obstacle.
Standardizing the process first reduces that variation.
Do Not Standardize Bad Work
There is an important warning.
Standardizing a process simply because it exists can preserve unnecessary work.
Before documenting the standard, ask whether every step is still useful.
This is where Lean and continuous improvement work together particularly well:
Understand the process → Remove unnecessary work → Establish a reliable standard → Improve again as needed
A Standard Is a Starting Point
Standardization does not mean the process can never change.
In fact, a standard gives you a baseline from which improvement becomes easier.
If everyone follows approximately the same process, you can test a change and determine whether it produced better results.
Then Automation Becomes Easier
Once the workflow is consistent, automation opportunities become much clearer.
You may be able to:
- create records automatically
- assign tasks based on rules
- send reminders
- generate documents
- move data between systems
- trigger follow-up communication
The technology becomes a tool for supporting a defined process rather than an attempt to compensate for an undefined one.
Standardize what should happen. Then decide what the system can handle for you.
