process optimization

Business Transformation
ERP Selection Framework: The Questions to Ask Before Signing Any Contract
ByAnubhav Nagpal August 10, 2026June 25, 2026
ERP selection processes are typically structured backwards — organizations spend months evaluating features and days reviewing contracts, which is precisely backwards from what determines project success. This post provides a structured framework for evaluating vendors on the dimensions that actually predict outcomes: total cost of ownership, implementation partner accountability, customization governance, integration architecture, and reference quality at comparable scale, including a scoring template for making vendor responses comparable.
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Business Transformation
Operating Model Design: The Foundation Every Transformation Needs Before Technology
ByAnubhav Nagpal August 6, 2026June 25, 2026
Technology implementations fail not because of the software, but because the operating model the software is meant to support was never defined. This post covers the six components of an operating model, the correct design sequence, and how to run a current-state versus future-state gap analysis that actually drives change — written for senior operations, finance, and strategy leaders at mid-market organizations.
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AI Automation
RPA for HR Operations: Eight Processes Worth Automating First
ByAnubhav Nagpal July 31, 2026June 25, 2026
Mid-market HR functions lose significant time and create compliance risk through manual data entry across disconnected systems — and robotic process automation is a proven remedy for the right subset of processes. This post identifies eight HR processes with demonstrated RPA return on investment, covering the complexity, realistic ROI ranges, and the prerequisites each one requires before automation can succeed. The sequencing guidance here is designed for operations directors and HR leaders who want measurable results, not another stalled pilot.
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AI Automation
Five Signs Your RPA Programme Is Ready to Evolve to AI Agents
ByAnubhav Nagpal July 27, 2026June 25, 2026
Robotic process automation delivered real value for a specific category of processes — but most mid-market deployments have quietly expanded beyond what RPA was designed to handle. This post offers five specific diagnostic criteria for identifying when your programme has hit its structural ceiling, and a phased roadmap for evolving to AI-augmented automation without abandoning your existing investment.
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AI Automation
AI in Finance Operations: The Six Use Cases That Are Production-Ready Today
ByAnubhav Nagpal July 13, 2026June 25, 2026
AI automation in finance operations is past the pilot stage — but the maturity and prerequisites vary significantly across use cases. This post covers the six finance AI applications that are in production at mid-market companies today, with an honest assessment of typical ROI, deployment timelines, and what has to be true before the technology can deliver.
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AI Automation
When Not to Use AI: A Decision Framework for Operations Leaders
ByAnubhav Nagpal July 7, 2026June 25, 2026
AI automation creates real value in the right processes — and real liability in the wrong ones. This post identifies the four categories of operations work where AI consistently underperforms: exception-heavy processes, low-volume tasks, compliance-sensitive decisions, and trust-critical customer interactions. It includes a practical decision framework — the AI Fit Audit — for operations leaders who need a rigorous method for evaluating automation candidates before committing budget.
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AI Automation
How to Build an AI Readiness Assessment Before You Buy Anything
ByAnubhav Nagpal June 29, 2026June 25, 2026
Most mid-market AI deployments fail not because of bad technology, but because organizations buy before they diagnose. This post provides a scored, four-dimension AI readiness framework — covering data maturity, process standardization, governance, and change capacity — to help operations and technology leaders identify and fix critical gaps before committing vendor spend.
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Business Transformation
Insource, Outsource, or Automate: How to Make the Decision Deliberately in Finance Operations
ByAnubhav Nagpal May 23, 2026May 25, 2026
Key takeaways The insource/outsource/automate decision is almost never made deliberately — it accumulates through mergers, cost-cutting cycles, and ad hoc automation builds. Unpicking it requires a structured framework, not a cost comparison. Total cost of ownership calculations systematically understate outsourcing costs. In one UK energy retailer engagement, a BPO contract priced at 35% cheaper than…
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Lean Six Sigma
What Is Value Stream Mapping — and How to Run One in 5 Steps
ByAnubhav Nagpal March 29, 2026June 20, 2026
The short answer To run a Value Stream Mapping session, follow five practical steps: define one product family (a single type of work), map the current state with the people who do it, identify the waste and its root causes, design a future state that removes that waste, and build a 30-60-90 day implementation plan….
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Process Improvement
What Is Pareto Analysis (the 80/20 Rule)? A Problem-Solving Guide
ByAnubhav Nagpal August 5, 2023June 20, 2026
The short answer Pareto Analysis applies the 80/20 rule to problem solving: roughly 80% of effects come from 20% of causes, so you focus on the vital few rather than the trivial many. You run it in four steps — collect real data, sort and stack-rank problems by frequency or impact, draw the line at…
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