Practical resources
Make your next automation decision a better-informed one.
Use these guides to define a process, locate the friction, and prepare a focused conversation with your team.
Banking and financial services: three useful starting points
Trace a transaction
Follow one example from its source to the final operating record. Document every transfer, manual check, and point where the team loses visibility.
Review the exception queue
Group open items by reason, age, and owner. Identify whether delays come from missing evidence, unclear responsibility, or a pending decision.
Define a useful report
Begin with the decision the report should support. Specify the audience, information required, refresh frequency, and action expected.
A practical scorecard for process improvement
| Measure | What to record | Why it matters |
|---|---|---|
| Cycle time | Elapsed time from receipt to reviewed completion | Shows where progress is delayed |
| Manual touches | Human interventions required per item | Reveals repeated handling |
| Exception age | Time unresolved items remain open | Helps prioritize stalled decisions |
| Rework | Items returned for correction or additional evidence | Shows where quality breaks down |
Use a consistent definition and review period for each measure. These are evaluation measures, not promised product results.
Process readiness checklist
- Name one recurring task and the result it must produce.
- List each source system and the person responsible for it.
- Record volumes, turnaround times, and the manual steps involved.
- Identify which decisions follow a rule and which require judgment.
- Choose a baseline measure so improvement can be evaluated.
What makes an exception actionable?
A flagged record is only the beginning. A useful review brings together the reason for attention, supporting evidence, an accountable owner, and the next decision.
Context
What happened, where did the information originate, and which records support the finding?
Ownership
Who can make the decision, and when should unresolved work be escalated?
Outcome
What action was taken, why was it appropriate, and what remains open?
Prepare for a walkthrough
Bring a plain-language description of the process, the systems involved, the bottleneck, and the outcome you want. Use fictitious examples when illustrating a record. Please do not send production records, passwords, or sensitive personal information through the website.
Questions to ask before automating
Where should we start?
Choose a repeatable process with a clear owner and a measurable problem. Define success before expanding the scope.
How should we measure progress?
Track cycle time, manual touches, exception age, and the share of work that requires rework. Compare results against the same baseline and time period.
What must stay under human review?
Identify ambiguous cases, approval obligations, and decisions with material business consequences. Document who can approve an outcome and how that decision is recorded.
An Accounts Payable review checklist
- List where supplier invoices arrive and who records them.
- Identify which supporting records reviewers need before an approval.
- Document approval responsibilities and coverage when someone is unavailable.
- Record how missing information, disputed amounts, and suspected duplicates are handled.
- Measure time waiting for review separately from time spent processing.
- Define the handoff to your existing accounting and payment process.
An Accounts Receivable review checklist
- Identify the source of customer balances and receipt information.
- Define how follow-up work is prioritized and assigned.
- Document the evidence needed to resolve disputed or incomplete items.
- Track unresolved age, repeated handling, and completed follow-up actions.