A Pragmatic Approach for Automating IT Processes Through IT Tools

Author Companion Summary

This page is an author companion summary of my published Cutter Executive Update:
Pruseth, D., & Iyer, R. S. (2016). A Pragmatic Approach for Automating IT Processes Through IT Tools. Cutter.
The full published version is available on Cutter: Read the official article on Cutter.

Summary

IT organizations often run large numbers of processes across planning, development, testing, release management, operations, governance, and reporting. When these processes remain manual or fragmented, they can slow down delivery, increase errors, reduce transparency, and make it difficult for leadership to measure performance or identify bottlenecks.

This companion summary discusses the core ideas from the Cutter Executive Update, “A Pragmatic Approach for Automating IT Processes Through IT Tools.” The article focuses on automating software development lifecycle and IT processes through a practical combination of tools, methodology, execution discipline, and measurable business outcomes.

The central argument is that IT process automation should not be treated only as a tooling exercise. Successful automation requires clarity on objectives, process maturity, stakeholder alignment, governance, tool integration, and adoption. Organizations must first understand which processes are suitable for automation, what outcomes are expected, and how the automation effort will be measured.

The article uses a real-life case study from a large stock exchange in the Asia-Pacific region to describe how a pragmatic and holistic automation approach can generate substantial return on investment. In such environments, IT processes must support reliability, auditability, speed, compliance, and operational control. Automation can help standardize workflows, reduce manual effort, improve traceability, and strengthen execution consistency.

A key lesson is that automation should be implemented through a structured framework rather than isolated tool deployment. The organization needs to define automation priorities, map current process pain points, select appropriate IT tools, integrate them into the SDLC, and manage change across teams. Without process discipline and adoption planning, tools may remain underused or create additional complexity.

The article also highlights common execution challenges. These may include resistance to change, lack of process standardization, tool integration issues, unclear ownership, fragmented data, and difficulty demonstrating ROI. Addressing these challenges requires strong sponsorship, clear governance, user training, and continuous measurement.

In summary, the article argues that automating IT processes can deliver significant benefits when implemented pragmatically. The goal is not automation for its own sake, but better delivery speed, quality, transparency, control, and business value. For enterprise architects and IT leaders, the key is to connect automation strategy with process improvement, tooling architecture, governance, and measurable outcomes.

Suggested Citation

Pruseth, D., & Iyer, R. S. (2016). A Pragmatic Approach for Automating IT Processes Through IT Tools. Cutter.