A CIO plan for becoming a leader in Intelligent Process Automation

By demonstrating how to automate IT operations first, IT leaders can showcase the expertise needed to lead the business's overall IPA transformation. Intelligent Process Automation (IPA)--a set of technologies that combines process redesign, process automation, and machine learning--is rapidly reshaping the global economy, with significant gains for organizations that adopt it at scale. As an earlier McKinsey article explains, some companies across industries have already been able to automate 50 to 70 percent of tasks with return on investment generally in triple-digit percentages. While people often focus on the cost savings, IPA also provides significant other benefits, including speed, precision, and improved customer service. But for companies to get the full value of IPA, IT will need to play a leading role. The track record of early adopters clearly demonstrates that IPA projects carried out without the active participation of IT are likely to fail.