The amount of time we spend doing repetitive work is mind-boggling, with manual computer tasks and data entry taking up a good portion of an office worker's day. A recent survey indicates that people estimate they waste five hours each week on tasks that should be automated. According to McKinsey, the number is even higher, with at least one-third of job activities deemed automatable in about 60% of occupations. Whether it's data collection, approvals, or updates, many tasks don't require creativity or intuition, essential attributes that serve to increase job satisfaction. Instead, the monotony of the work lowers satisfaction, leading to lower productivity and other inefficiencies.

When automation moved to the cutting-edge of most ventures, numerous organizations felt hesitant to implement this new innovation. Instead of zeroing in on the massively expansive and verifiable advantages of using automation for business process improvement, business pioneers feared change and employees stressed over losing their jobs. Nonetheless, with the progression in automation technology, patterns like hyper-automation are developing, implying that organizations are presently moving their practices towards making "people-centric smart workplaces." This change has introduced another period for business operations that depend on technology and automation tools to keep up a competitive edge. This is particularly evident in the financial services industry.

If you've ever played with Legos, you know the possibilities are endless. A few blocks can become a toy car. Add a few more and you've got a miniature house. Keep going and you've got an intricate city or life-size statue. The blocks themselves fit together in a near-infinite number of ways.

Business process management is now a mature discipline. It has formal approaches, methods, techniques and a rich set of concepts. It has also evolved to the point where it is applied to projects of all sizes and supports both business process improvement and business transformation. As BPM evolved, so did the enterprise's business processes. They became too large and complex to be managed without automated tool support.

Afshar is the author of The Pursuit of Social Business Excellence. Automation is at heart of digital business transformation. Researchers from MuleSoft identified 7 key digital transformation trends that will shape the future of work in 2022 and beyond. One trend, hyperautomation, could be the key to unlocking digital value. Hyperautomation can increase productivity, accelerate time‑to‑market, and transform employee and customer experiences in a hybrid and connected work environment.