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Updated: October 17, 2025 How To

How to integrate automation with your (human) workforce

By Matthew Opuda, Northstar Evolution

Adopting automation can transform your business — but it’s not just about technology.

It touches your customers, your employees and you as a business leader. Done well, automation can save time, reduce costs and free your team to focus on higher-value work. Done poorly, it can frustrate customers, drive away your best employees and even harm your business.

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Matthew Opuda, Northstar Evolution

Taking a thoughtful, step-by-step approach increases your chances of success while minimizing risk.

Map out your current process, paying special attention to exceptions and decision points. Before introducing any automation, understand your current workflow. Document each step, paying special attention to exceptions and decision points.

For simple processes, a checklist may suffice. For more complex operations, a process map is more effective: use boxes for steps and diamonds for decisions or exceptions. You can also represent inputs and outputs with additional shapes if needed. The goal is clarity. Your map should help anyone — even someone unfamiliar with the process — understand how work flows. Overly complicated diagrams are less useful than a clear, easy-to-follow visual.

Mapping processes also reveals inefficiencies. You might notice redundant steps or points where errors frequently occur. This insight can help you decide which areas will benefit most from automation, and which might need human oversight.

Determine your objectives and be sure they are communicated. Be clear about what you want automation to achieve and communicate this to your team. Align your automation goals with your overall business strategy. Employees are often the best source of insight — they see how work really happens, not just how it is supposed to happen.

A useful way to prioritize objectives is to label them as “must have,” “should have,” or “won’t have.” Always pair each objective with its “why.” Starting a statement with “In order to…” clarifies the purpose behind the goal.

For example, “Automate invoice processing in order to reduce errors and free up time for customer service.” This approach keeps the team focused on outcomes, not just outputs and helps guide decision-making throughout implementation.

Train your people, paying special attention to why.  Automation is only effective if your team can use it confidently. Training should cover both the “how” and the “why.” Employees need to understand how to use the tool effectively, and also why it’s being introduced.

Address concerns about job security upfront. Automation often reduces manual tasks, but it also creates opportunities for employees to apply their expertise in more strategic ways. Explain how their skills will be redirected, and how this change fits with their career growth. Studies consistently show that employees who feel secure and valued contribute more to a company’s success than those who feel threatened by change.

Implement automation gradually whenever possible. Few plans survive contact with reality. Whenever possible, roll out automation in stages. This could mean starting with one team, using only certain features initially, or running old and new processes in parallel. Gradual implementation allows you to identify and address exceptions with minimal disruption.

Document any lessons learned during early rollout stages. Often, small tweaks in process design, user training, or workflow integration can dramatically improve outcomes. A careful, incremental approach reduces risk while building confidence among employees and customers alike.

Monitor and adapt as time goes. Automation is not a one-time project — it’s an evolving part of your business. Business needs change, new challenges arise, and your team will discover new ways to use freed-up time creatively. Use your original objectives as a starting point for measuring success but revisit them regularly.

Revisiting the “why” behind each objective is especially important. It reminds your team of the purpose of automation and keeps innovation aligned with business goals. You may discover that automation opens opportunities you hadn’t anticipated—whether that’s faster customer response, improved reporting, or new product offerings.

Automations are a great way to reduce workloads and free up people to do what they do best: think. Taking a planned, measured approach increases the likelihood of success and decreases the chances of negative outcomes.

About the author

Matthew Opuda is founder of Northstar Evolution. He coaches leaders on building innovation cultures, leveraging technology to grow their business, and bridging the gap between strategy and process. He will be a panelist in the Association for Consulting Expertise’s free virtual discussion on Friday, Oct. 24. He is an ACE board member. 
 

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