Why fix processes before automation
Automation. The magical word that promises to free us from repetitive tasks, save hours of time, and deliver your business from the clutches of inefficiency. Just plug in a shiny new app, flick a few switches, and voilà, chaos becomes order.
Except… it doesn't. Not if your underlying processes are a mess to begin with.
Let’s break down the common myth that automation fixes processes, and explore why you need to sort your workflows out first, before letting the bots loose.
The myth: “We’ll just automate it”
You’ve probably heard (or said) something like this:
“Our quoting process is all over the place. We just need to automate it.”
Or:
“We keep missing invoice follow-ups. Let’s get a system that does it automatically.”
The idea is appealing: automation as a silver bullet. But in reality, automating a broken process doesn’t fix it. It just allows you to do the wrong thing faster and more often.
Garbage in, garbage out
Automation is only as good as the process it’s built on. If you’ve got:
- Multiple ways of entering the same data.
- Approval steps that rely on someone’s memory.
- Bottlenecks disguised as “checks and balances”.
- Excel sheets of doom lurking in the background.
Then automating those steps won’t solve the problem. It’ll just make the confusion happen faster and more often.
Take invoicing as an example. If your team is unclear on when to invoice, what to include, or which rate card applies, then automating that process will just send out incorrect invoices – but faster! Your accounts team won’t thank you.
This is where working with bookkeeping experts like First Class Accounts Ovens & Murray helps. We can map your invoicing and accounts workflows, clean up recurring issues, and ensure your bookkeeping and invoicing processes are accurate, efficient, and consistent before you automate anything.
The fix: clean before you code
Before you even think about automation, take time to map the process as it should be. It's one of the most important reasons why fixing processes before automation is so effective. You avoid scaling the wrong approach.
Ask:
- Who does what, and when?
- What decisions are made along the way?
- Where does information come from and go to?
- What causes delays or confusion?
It doesn’t need to be a six-month strategic review. A whiteboard, a few post-it notes, and some candid conversations can go a long way. Once you've got a cleaned-up, agreed-upon workflow, then it's time to look at automation tools that can support and scale that process.
And when you're ready, First Class Accounts Ovens & Murray can help you identify and implement the right app solutions for your business.
We work with Xero-connected tools that are tailored to your industry, including project tracking, inventory, point-of-sale, time tracking, and payroll systems. We don’t just recommend them. We also help set them up properly and train your team so the tools actually get used, and used well.
Automation is amplification
Think of automation as a megaphone. It amplifies what’s already happening in your business, good or bad.
If you’ve got a solid workflow, automation helps your team run like a well-oiled machine. But if your process is a bit… Frankenstein, then automation will just make the monster move faster.
For example, if you want to automate your quote approvals using a fancy CRM integration, but half your quotes aren’t even following the same template, then problems will occur. After standardising your quote process first, automation will make sense and work beautifully.
It’s the same with payroll. We see a lot of small business owners trying to automate payroll without having clear leave policies, super payment workflows, or STP compliance in place. At First Class Accounts Ovens & Murray, we support businesses to get their payroll processes right, from setup to reporting. Once that's sorted, automation can genuinely save time and reduce errors.
What to do before you automate
Not sure why fix processes before automation is such a big deal? Because when your foundation is right, everything else becomes easier to manage and scale.
Automation isn’t magic. It’s just a tool. And like any tool, it works best when the foundation is solid. So before you go chasing new tech, do a bit of spring cleaning.
If you’re not sure where to start, we’re here to help.
At First Class Accounts Ovens & Murray, we work with business owners to clean up messy processes, implement the right tools, and keep everything running smoothly, from bookkeeping to payroll, BAS lodgements, software implementation, and everything in between.
Your future automated self will thank you.