Thanks to the pandemic, many companies accelerated their decision to undergo digital transformation and automate workflows. The question is where to start—and the biggest challenge is how to do it correctly.
The vast number of available technologies and solutions on the market can be overwhelming. Choosing the right strategy and tool is one of the most difficult decisions, which is why in this post we will guide you step by step through the process of preparing your company for business process automation.
Digital transformation is the best solution when we need to work in distributed and remote teams. Thanks to automation, we can relieve employees, streamline and control workflows, speed up document circulation and decision-making.
The benefits of digitalization include:
- reduction of administrative costs
- real-time access to complete data
- faster and more efficient document workflows
- better control over processes and finances
- faster and more accurate business decisions
- minimization of human errors and fraud
- higher employee satisfaction
- time savings and increased productivity
- positive environmental impact (paper elimination)
What do you need to create an efficient organization in a new remote or hybrid model? The answer is simple: effective communication. But what does that really mean? You need a secure and effective tool that provides everyone with access to company knowledge resources.
However, to choose the right tool, you first need to clearly define your needs and requirements. Here is how to prepare your company for business automation step by step.
1. Identify areas
The question “where to start” was much more difficult before the pandemic. Now the answer is easier, because companies have experienced firsthand which areas are most problematic when office work is not possible.
Many organizations already know which processes were hardest to move to remote work—and for most, these were manual, paper-based HR and administrative processes.
So the first step is to identify which areas need digitalization.
2. Map processes
Once you have identified key areas, analyze the processes themselves. Establish a hierarchy starting with those that have the greatest impact on your organization, and then identify the people involved.
Map the actual process flow and include exceptions—situations where the normal flow is disrupted. Identify bottlenecks where processes often get stuck. Define which elements are critical and what risks are associated with them.
For example, what happens if invoices are not paid on time? (Does the contractor withdraw? Do you lose credibility?)
3. Look for more efficient solutions
Only after mapping the process can you see what can be changed, simplified, or shortened.
Are there repetitive tasks? Can the process be optimized or streamlined?
It often turns out, for example, that all company expenses must be approved by the CFO, which significantly slows down the process. Maybe expenses up to a certain amount (e.g. 2,000 PLN) could be approved by the Chief Accountant instead?
Tip: Most companies create prototypes on paper or in Excel, without realizing they could design the process directly in the final tool—such as a business application. This allows for faster changes and avoids repetitive work, saving time.
4. Define requirements
Now it’s time to decide what functionalities your new tool should provide. Key features include transparency of processes.
Digitized workflows must still be visible within the organization and allow for audits and external control, just like paper-based processes.
The system should store a full history of logins, changes, and access events. You should also be able to store documents in a legally acceptable format.
Check whether the tool ensures compliance with regulations such as GDPR and allows integration with electronic signatures.
Security requirements are also crucial: cloud solutions, encrypted communication, individual logins and passwords, SSO integration, and secure environments.
Tip: There is no general requirement to keep paper copies of documents (except employment contracts). There are two ways to eliminate them:
- The system can generate a final summary (e.g. PDF) and send it to finance along with scanned originals.
- You can request a tax office interpretation confirming that digital copies are sufficient for audit purposes.
In most cases, the interpretation is positive.
How Qalcwise can help
Qalcwise is a tool for building applications that enable digitalization and automation of any workflow.
Our clients successfully move manually managed processes into applications (e.g. travel requests, financial reports, invoices, surveys, settlement documents), creating fully paperless offices.
Employees quickly discover that working with applications is more convenient—they no longer need to manually edit, copy, or send documents via email. Everything is done in one place, through a browser or mobile device.
Using cloud-based business applications reduces paper usage, costs, and processing time.
All employees can:
- edit documents online
- complete forms and requests
- submit expense reports via scanning (instead of copying receipts)
Applications also speed up approval times—electronic workflows significantly improve document processing.
Qalcwise applications can reduce process handling time by up to 90%!