A Guide to Automation: Source to Settle

Is your Source to Settle process completely integrated? Are you using the available technologies to automate most of your Source to Settle processes (S2S)? Did you know that automating S2S processes can lead to Lower TCO, working capital optimization, availability of material and more opportunities to pursue new sources of value? With many discrete systems, organizations should move to systematic automation of business processes.

“Organizations need to move from opportunistic to systematic automation of business processes” – Gartner

For successful implementation of any business process, the following components need to be addressed. A common theme among best-in-class organizations is how they enable each of these components to help improve each other.

  • Resources: Resources are an essential part of any system process. Right resources with the right skills will automatically fit into the right roles. Also, getting resources trained on the latest processes will help improve efficiency.
  • Processes: Any process that needs to be automated, needs to be defined. A well-defined process can complement your resources and your chosen platform. Even the best platform is ineffective with a poorly defined process.
  • Performance Measurements: Ability to collect, report and analyze data from different systems continuously while studying processes, strategies to see whether results are in line with what was intended or should have been achieved.

“What you can’t measure…you can’t improve” – Lord Kelvin

  • Platform: With the right platform that will provide necessary capabilities across S2S to efficiently and effectively drive value. It will help keep track of all moving parts and allowing all departments to work smoothly with the same information.

 

Automation for Enterprise Resource Planning Customers

For any enterprise resource planning (ERP) shop, most of the activities related to a source to settle can be accomplished using standard modules from within the enterprise application, which means there is an excellent opportunity to automate most of the business processes using the right tools.

The below diagram illustrates the standard modules available for Oracle JD Edwards Enterprise One (E1) related to Source to Settle.

 

The below tables address specific modules available in ERPs related to Source to Settle process and whether there exists an opportunity to automate certain tasks. 

 

Automation of Source to Settle in E1

Source to settle is a complicated business process with multiple different stakeholders. As much as automation can bring in high value, it can be challenging task. With tools such as AtomIQ that integrate deeply with E1, this can help automate different portions of the business process thereby driving values to users. AtomIQ automation can reduce organizational costs by achieving great levels of process standardization and control for regulated industries.

AtomIQ, with its process automation ability using different trigger points, addresses the three key aspects related to automation.

Notification: Using AtomIQ’s Robotic Process Automation (RPA) repeatable tasks such as sending alerts when there is an exception to the rule defined in a business process, can be automated which were otherwise performed by users.

Visualization: Giving visual abilities to users based on the notifications can help users react to alerts and always stay on top. For example, a view of spent analysis (actual vs budget), supplier performance dashboard featuring stock outs and late delivery, $ of goods returned or scrapped at no cost to supplier etc. can be a game changer for users when it comes to decision making.

ActionAtomIQ’s ability to trigger actions such as calling batch application, E1 orchestration, business functions like an end user means, there is little to no customization to existing business process defined in E1. With AtomIQ’s decision-making ability, there is absolutely no margin for error. For example, tasks such as requisition approval based on budget check, PO generation, PO approval, holding payment etc. can be automated using AtomIQ.

As process automation is gaining traction, organizations can begin evaluating the existing process as a possible target for automation. Organizations can also leverage exiting tools that can drive automation or maybe explore tools such as AtomIQ that can help jump-start their journey to automation.

Learn more about how AtomIQ’s action framework enables business process automation by contacting us for a one-on-one demo for you and your team.

Upcoming Webinars