Ep. 53 Process Automation for Large Systems

March 7, 2023

(Recorded at Monk’s BBQ, in lovely downtown Purcellville, VA.)

Big problems need big solutions. Let us take a look at the Veteran’s Benefits Administration as an example.

It has been reported that the VBA completed a record 1.7 million total claims in fiscal 2022. It disburses about $100 billion in benefits. That would certainly qualify as a major problem for any workflow scenario.

No management course in the world would teach that anyone can manually handle that level of complexity.

The role of process automation is to take a look at an overwhelming situation, like the one presented above, determine what the repetitive tasks are, and design an automated process to speed up the delivery process.

That sentence is quite an easy one to write, however, there are many permutations to automation.

Let’s start with how the data is stored before the automation is even considered. If a large organization chooses an architecture that involves data lakes or data warehouses, they limit itself to a central storage facility.

"Because the whole point of digitizing a process is to empower your people to actually make positive change"

Mike Beckley, Appian Tweet

During the interview with Mike Beckley from Appian, he recommends beginning a process that can streamline intake. From there, the manual processes can be automated and then you can make the workflow more efficient.

Design process automation can be established, but one has to remember that workflows can change and compliance requirements may update as well. A systems analyst must have a way to easily visualize the automation process so it can adapt to a changing world.

Appian has been a leader in helping federal systems automate, they are reported to be used in over 200 federal agencies. Results have included a drastic time reduction in processing claims, increased accuracy, and elimination of redundant systems.

Listen to the interview to hear how Michael responds to questions about artificial intelligence, continuous improvement, and the Software Bill of Materials.

If you enjoyed this article, you may want to listen to Ep. 47, Understanding FedRAMP High and Platform Technology