Process automation in the pharmaceutical industry can cover a wide range of areas, from document workflows and approval processes to finance, HR, and collaboration with field-based employees. However, this does not mean that every process needs to be digitalized at once.
How do you choose the right process to start with, and what should you consider before introducing automation? We explore these questions in this article.
Key takeaways
- It is best to start automation with a specific process rather than trying to digitalize an entire business area at once.
- Repetitive, multi-step processes involving multiple stakeholders typically offer the greatest automation potential.
- Before introducing automation, it is worth reviewing the existing process and eliminating unnecessary steps.
- Processes that rely heavily on emails, spreadsheets, and manually exchanged documents are often strong candidates for digitalization.
- A successful first implementation can provide a foundation for automating additional processes across the organization.
Why Do Pharmaceutical Companies Automate Business Processes?
In pharmaceutical companies, many processes involve multiple departments and stakeholders. A single workflow may involve Finance, HR, Administration, head office employees, field teams, and individuals responsible for different stages of the approval process.
Simply using multiple systems does not always solve the problem. Some processes still take place between these systems, relying on emails, spreadsheets, or documents passed between employees. As a result, additional manual tasks emerge, such as forwarding information, sending approval reminders, checking the status of requests, or entering the same data multiple times.
Process automation in the pharmaceutical industry makes it possible to move these activities into a structured workflow. The system can route tasks to the appropriate people, manage subsequent process steps, send notifications, and keep a record of the entire process.
Where to Start with Process Automation in the Pharmaceutical Industry?
The first step should not be choosing the technology. Instead, start by identifying a process that currently generates a significant amount of unnecessary work or makes the efficient flow of information difficult.
It does not have to be the most complex process in the organization. A better starting point is a process with a clearly defined workflow, where both the problem and the expected outcome of automation can be easily identified.
A good candidate for automation is a process that:
- is performed regularly,
- involves multiple people or departments,
- consists of repetitive steps,
- requires multiple approvals,
- generates a large volume of emails,
- involves manually passing documents between employees,
- requires the same data to be entered multiple times,
- makes it difficult to quickly check the current status of a request.
If several of these characteristics apply, the process is worth taking a closer look at as a potential candidate for automation.
How to Prepare a Process for Automation?
Before moving an existing process into a digital system, it is worth taking a closer look at how it actually works in practice.
1. Map the Current Process
The first step is to determine who initiates the process, what information is required, which activities are performed at each stage, and who is responsible for making decisions.
Key questions to consider include:
- What triggers the process?
- Who is involved?
- What data and documents are required?
- Who provides approval, and at which stage?
- Where does the process most often get delayed?
- Which information is transferred or re-entered manually?
2. Identify Bottlenecks
The next step is to identify which parts of the process generate the most work or cause the greatest delays.
These may include waiting for approvals, manually checking whether data is complete, passing documents between departments, re-entering information into another system, or repeatedly asking for status updates.
3. Simplify the Process Before Digitalizing It
Automation should not simply mean transferring the existing way of working into a digital system.
If a process includes unnecessary steps, repeated entry of the same data, or approvals that add little value, these elements should be simplified before automation begins.
Digitalization is an opportunity to redesign and improve a process, rather than simply replicate it in a digital environment.
4. Define the Target Workflow
Once the process has been streamlined, you can define how it should work after automation.
For example, an employee submits a form, the system uses the information provided to route it to the appropriate person, and once it is approved, automatically triggers the next step. Throughout the process, participants can track the current status in real time.
Which Processes Are Worth Automating in a Pharmaceutical Company?
The choice of the first process to automate depends on the organization’s specific needs. However, there are several areas where repetitive tasks, document-heavy processes, and multi-step workflows are particularly common.
Document Workflow and Approval Processes
Document-related processes may include document preparation, verification, routing to the appropriate people, approval, and archiving.
Automation makes it possible to define the document workflow, assign responsibility for individual steps, and establish rules that determine how the document moves through the process. Users can also check the current status without having to contact other participants for updates.
Contracts and Partner Collaboration
Processes related to preparing, generating, and approving contracts are also strong candidates for digitalization.
One example is the implementation of Qalcwise at Exeltis Poland. The platform was used to digitalize processes related to planning and settling participation in conferences, as well as generating and approving sponsorship agreements. The solution was used by both head office employees and field representatives.
This example shows that automation can cover the entire process flow – from entering information, through subsequent approval stages, to generating the required documents.
HR Processes and Employee Services
Onboarding and offboarding often require coordination between HR, managers, IT, and Administration. The same applies to various employee requests and internal document workflows.
An automated workflow can assign tasks to the appropriate people, manage subsequent process stages, and notify users about actions that are still pending.
Processes that can be digitalized include:
- onboarding and offboarding,
- employee requests,
- internal document workflows,
- approval processes,
- task handovers between departments.
Finance and Procurement Processes
Invoice processing, purchase requests, expense management, business travel expense management, and advance payments are further examples of processes that may involve repetitive tasks and multi-step approvals.
Instead of manually forwarding a document to the next person, rules can be defined so that the system automatically routes it through the appropriate workflow. The route may depend, for example, on the type of request, its value, or the relevant organizational unit.
Processes Involving Field-Based Employees
In pharmaceutical companies, processes involving employees who work outside the head office are particularly important.
Digitalization enables field-based employees to initiate a process and provide the required information without having to send documents via email. Data entered at the beginning of the process can then be used by head office teams and throughout subsequent stages of the workflow.
How Does a Process Change After Automation?
Automation is not simply about replacing a paper form with a digital version. More importantly, it changes how information and tasks flow between the people involved in the process.
Instead of submitting a request by email and manually forwarding documents from one person to another, an employee initiates the process through a form, and the system automatically routes tasks to the appropriate participants based on the defined workflow. There is also no need to manually follow up on pending approvals, as relevant notifications can be sent automatically.
Access to information also becomes easier. Instead of checking the status of a request by email or phone, users can view it directly in the system. Data entered at the beginning of the process can be reused at subsequent stages, eliminating the need to enter the same information multiple times.
As a result, process data, documents, and history are no longer scattered across email inboxes, spreadsheets, and other tools, but are available within a single environment. Automation therefore not only reduces manual work but also makes it easier to monitor and manage the entire process.
Does Process Automation Require Replacing Existing Systems?
No. Business process automation does not necessarily mean replacing ERP, HR, or other systems already used by the organization.
In practice, automation often focuses on digitalizing processes that operate between existing systems and connecting information that was previously transferred manually.
For this reason, the ability to integrate an automation platform with the existing IT environment is an important part of the project. It allows organizations to use data that is already available in their systems and reduce the need for manual data re-entry.
How Does Qalcwise Support Process Automation in the Pharmaceutical Industry?
Qalcwise is a platform for building AI-powered business applications that enables organizations to digitalize processes in line with their specific ways of working.
The platform can be used to create forms, multi-step workflows and approval paths, define user roles and permissions, automate notifications, and monitor the status of ongoing processes.
Qalcwise can also integrate with other solutions already used across the organization. This allows the platform to complement the existing IT environment rather than requiring organizations to replace it.
Automation can start with a single process and then be gradually extended to additional applications and workflows on the same platform. This allows organizations to expand digitalization in line with their evolving business needs.
Process Automation in Pharma – Start with a Specific Business Problem
Automatyzacja procesów w branży farmaceutycznej nie musi rozpoczynać się od dużego projektu obejmującego całą organizację. Znacznie ważniejsze jest znalezienie procesu, który obecnie generuje dużo pracy manualnej, opóźnień lub problemów z przepływem informacji.
Jego analiza, uproszczenie i przeniesienie do cyfrowego workflow mogą stać się pierwszym krokiem do stopniowej digitalizacji kolejnych obszarów. Dzięki platformie Qalcwise organizacja może rozpocząć od konkretnej potrzeby, a następnie rozwijać kolejne aplikacje i procesy wraz ze zmieniającymi się wymaganiami biznesowymi.