As more and more companies utilize technology in optimizing their internal and external processes, one process improvement strategy that has proven to be effective for most is being able to automate various operational processes.
With automation, routine emails are sent automatically, documents are updated without manual intervention, reports are generated faster, and information can be centralized – lessening the administrative workload of your employees. Now, as Artificial Intelligence (AI) becomes part of the conversation, automation efforts are now becoming more sophisticated.
Because of all these developments, companies may begin to look at every manual process and immediately ask, "Can we automate this?”
However, at D&V Philippines, there is another question that we ask first: "Is this process already working as efficiently as it should?"
Automation is designed to repeatedly carry out a task or workflow. If that workflow is already efficient, standardized, and clearly understood, automation can help amplify those benefits. But if the process itself is inefficient, inconsistent or prone to errors, technology may simply allow those same problems to happen faster and on a greater scale.
For us, this is one of the most important lessons that we apply to our own projects throughout our automation journey. This approach is reflected in D&V Philippines’ business principle, ESSAP: Eliminate, Simplify, Standardize, Automate Philippines. It guides us to first remove unnecessary steps, simplify and standardize the processes that remain, and only then look at how automation can make them more efficient and scalable.
Process improvement means looking closely at how a particular task or workflow is currently performed and identifying ways to make it simpler, more consistent, and more effective.
In many cases, processes have naturally become more complicated over time – especially as your company begins to scale in operations. New steps may be added because of a particular issue. Employees may create additional trackers to make their work easier. Teams may introduce manual checks or additional approvals as requirements change.
While each adjustment may have made sense when it was introduced, years of small changes can eventually result in a process that is longer or more complicated than necessary.
This is where process improvement comes in.
Instead of immediately finding a way to automate every existing step, the organization can first review the workflow and determine:
For instance, imagine that an internal process currently requires ten steps. Technically, a company could build an automation that performs those same ten steps faster. But after reviewing the workflow, the team might discover that three of the steps are repetitive; two can be consolidated, and another no longer serves the same purpose it once did.
In this case, the better approach would be to simplify the workflow first. Only then should the company automate the improved version. This distinction is important because automation and process improvement are not necessarily the same thing: automation changes how the work is done, but process improvement first asks whether the work should be done that way at all.
One of the biggest advantages of automation is consistency. Once an automation is developed and properly configured, it can execute the same process repeatedly according to the rules it has been given.
However, this same consistency can become a problem if the underlying process is incorrect.
Rather than solving inefficiency, the organization may simply end up automating it.
This is why one of the key lessons we have learned from our own initiatives at D&V Philippines is that an unrefined process can cause automation to fail on a greater scale.
Before technology is introduced, the organization needs to understand the process it is automating. Otherwise, even the most capable automation tool may not provide the intended results.
As D&V Philippines continued to grow, our own processes also needed to evolve. Across the company, different departments manage hundreds of recurring activities that help keep daily operations running smoothly. Some of these tasks involve employee administration. Others involve finance, quality assurance, facilities management, client support, or documentation.
Over time, we identified several areas where repetitive manual tasks could benefit from automation.
Other automation initiatives have supported processes related to client visits, gate passes and work permits, along with Quality Assurance processes such as client onboarding, offboarding and document submissions.
Our previous automation efforts have similarly focused on standardizing routine tasks, reducing manual errors, and creating processes that are more consistent and trackable. But the objective behind these projects was never simply to automate as many tasks as possible. The objective was to improve how the process works first.
One of the first things our teams look at when assessing a possible automation project is the current process. We review the workflow, the data involved, and the pain points being experienced by the employees actually performing the task.
Some common signs that a process may need improvement include:
Human error is often one of the clearest indicators. Even a relatively simple task can take a considerable amount of time when it needs to be completed hundreds of times.
Our HR processes are a good example.
Employee onboarding and offboarding can require multiple communications, documents, actions, and departments. When the process is completely manual, there is a greater possibility that information can be entered incorrectly or that an important action is missed.
Offboarding also requires proper tracking and documentation so that the organization has a clear paper trail. However, when these workflows were reviewed for automation, the solution was not necessarily to automate the existing process exactly as it was.
In some cases, the process itself first needed to be shortened. The goal was to maintain the required output while removing unnecessary complexity.
A long manual workflow does not necessarily need a long-automated replacement. This is one of the reasons process improvements should always be part of an automation project.
Before building anything, teams should ask:
The answer may reveal whether you can improve the process even before any automation is introduced.
At D&V Philippines, this is why we do not automate for the sake of automation. We first assess the process and determine whether automation is actually the best-case scenario. The technology comes after the problem has been properly understood.
One of the most important parts of this process is collaboration. An automation project cannot simply be handled by the technology team alone.
For our IT Department, proper collaboration with the team involved in the process they are automating is needed. The employees performing the work understand the process from an operational perspective:
And they know the exceptions that may not be immediately visible when somebody looks at a process flowchart. Our IT team, meanwhile, understands the technical side. They can identify what can realistically be automated, how systems can work together, and where technology may have limitations. Bringing both perspectives together allows the company to find a better solution.
This is why process improvement often comes from the willingness of both teams involved in an automation project, the department responsible for the process, and the IT team supporting the automation.
Without that willingness to collaborate, the organization may simply end up digitizing a process that employees already know is inefficient.
Another challenge companies can encounter is trying to automate too much, too quickly. Large automation projects can be exciting. The company may see the potential to connect several processes, systems, and departments at once. However, ambitious projects can become difficult to manage when the foundation underneath them has not yet been standardized.
If one part of a large automation fails, it can affect the other processes connected to it. This is why starting small can sometimes create a stronger automation strategy.
At D&V Philippines, our approach has been to make sure that the foundations of our internal processes are taken care of first.
This may involve:
This same gradual approach has also influenced our broader technology strategy.
f our AI roadmap, for example, D&V Philippines prioritized internal systems, standardized processes and structured data before moving toward more advanced AI integration.
The principle is similar: Build the foundation first. Then scale.
There is also a misconception that automation always requires significant financial investment. While certain large-scale projects may require additional technology, companies may already have access to automation capabilities through the software they currently use.
This is why one of the first things companies can do is assess their existing resources – the first step our IT Department took before deciding on the next steps.
Our team asked the following questions:
Automation investment does not necessarily mean investing a large amount of money; sometimes it means making better use of what your company already has.
When automation is introduced after a process has been properly improved, the results can be significant. One of the most noticeable improvements is the reduction of human error.
Templated and standardized workflows can reduce the possibility of incorrect information, missed communications and repetitive data entry mistakes – this also means that employees can also spend less time on routine work.
Building on more than four years of experience developing internal automation processes, D&V Philippines has now begun exploring how these capabilities can create additional value for clients.
One of our first client-facing automation projects involves a Netherlands-based client and a workflow related to VAT filing.
The process involves generating financial reports and moving information through different applications before it can eventually be submitted through the relevant government platform. Instead of treating every part of the workflow as a separate manual task, the project looks at how the overall process can be streamlined through automation.
Another client automation initiative is also being explored for an Australian client.
These projects follow the same principle we apply internally. Before the automation is built, the team needs to understand the client's current process, data accuracy, calculations and handovers, the applications involved, and where their main pain points are.
Only then can our IT team determine where automation can have the greatest impact.
As our automation capabilities develop, this also presents an opportunity for us to provide an additional layer of value alongside the support we already provide for our clients.
Even after automation is successfully developed, the process is not finished. The people using it need to understand how it works.
At D&V Philippines, automation deployment can include user manuals, walkthrough sessions, knowledge transfer and training. Department heads and the teams using the automation are included so that employees understand both the new workflow and how their responsibilities may change. Feedback then becomes an important part of the process.
Once employees begin using the automation, they may discover something that the development team did not initially see.
Rather than seeing automation as the final stage, the workflow becomes a continuous cycle: Understand. Improve. Simplify. Automate. Gather feedback. Improve again.
As AI becomes increasingly incorporated into technology, the capabilities available to organizations will continue to expand. For development teams, AI can already assist with activities such as troubleshooting.
Without AI, developers may sometimes need to rely heavily on trial and error to determine where an issue is coming from. AI tools can help make that process more linear by assisting with identifying and optimizing possible solutions. Eventually, AI-driven and agentic automation may allow organizations to create more advanced workflows capable of interpreting information and supporting employees in more complex tasks.
D&V Philippines is also continuing to prepare for this direction, with its broader AI strategy focused on responsible adoption, governance and human-AI collaboration.
But even as technology becomes more advanced, the basic principle remains the same: the company still needs to understand what it is trying to automate.
Automation can make businesses more productive, consistent, and scalable.
It can reduce manual errors, improve visibility, lessen administrative workloads, and create more time for employees to focus on responsibilities that require their expertise.
But automation should not be the goal by itself. The goal should be a better process.
Before automating, companies need to understand the workflow, identify its pain points, and determine whether every step is still necessary.
Because once technology is introduced, it will amplify whatever process has been built underneath it. And if companies want automation to deliver the right results, they first need to make sure they are automating the right process, in the right way.
The biggest lesson from our own automation initiatives? Automation can come second; it’s willingness that needs to come first.
It can begin with one repetitive task: One inefficient workflow. One process that creates unnecessary errors. What matters is the willingness of the teams involved to examine the process and find a better way to perform it.
The department performing the work needs to be willing to explain its challenges. The technology team needs to understand the operational requirements rather than simply building what is required. Management needs to support the investment of time and resources. And everyone needs to be willing to refine the process when feedback shows there is a better approach.
Everybody can automate, but willingness drives automation projects forward.
Narene Nicolas is a Vice President of Global Operations and the Chief Technology Office at D&V Philippines. Connect with her on LinkedIn.
-- This article has been written in collaboration with Aly Tagamolila, a content and creative specialist at D&V Philippines.