The world we work in has changed dramatically…perhaps even permanently. With many employees now being remote, more attention is turning to automation and, specifically, the need to automate processes for the sake of business continuity and staying connected.

So, how does a company go about “automating” processes? Where does one start? Who’s responsible? And how much will it cost?!

Starting where you want to end up is always the best way, so you’ll want to incorporate governance and maintenance support while enabling rapid development and inspiring broad adoption. These things are possible when using the right low-code development platform and following some proven guidelines.

To help you on your way, PMG has combined our knowledge of best practices into a Tip Sheet.

Key recommendations include:

  • Stand Up a Center of Excellence – A core team will drive the initiative and can provide executive sponsorship and maybe even budget support. They can help select initial projects and can communicate and promote successes to the broader organization.
  • Designate the Platform Owner – Ultimately, someone needs to own it. That person will be responsible for establishing governance practices on behalf of the entire organization and will assist the distributed development teams with using the platform.
  • Set Up Governance Guardrails – Speaking of governance, the guardrails for solution development will need to balance speed and risk appropriately. Exactly where on that spectrum is best for your company to be depends on its unique culture and objectives.
  • Host a Hackathon – Hosting an interactive event like a hackathon is a great way to inspire platform usage and adoption. In just a few days, participants can have a solution in hand that solves a months-old problem for their department or business unit.
  • Collaborate, Collaborate, Collaborate – Now is the time to accelerate collaboration across your organization. Use solutions to streamline communications, enhance knowledge sharing, and avoid duplication of effort.

To be honest, most of this isn’t new. We’ve posted about empowering your visionaries in the past. But as we find ourselves in these unprecedented times, the importance of accelerating automation is more important than ever. There truly is no time to waste.