What is automation?

Automation broadly refers to the use of technology to perform tasks with minimal human intervention. It encompasses a wide range of techniques and technologies applied in various ways. The key aspects of automation include the following:

• Reduced human involvement: The goal is to minimize the need for team members to manually perform tasks, leading to increased efficiency and productivity. A secondary benefit is team member satisfaction, which we will discuss later in this chapter.
• Use of technology: Automation relies on various technologies, from simple tools and scripts to complex artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms.
• Pre-defined instructions or processes: Automated tasks are typically guided by pre-programmed rules, instructions, or decision-making criteria. This could include primary data management algorithms, as defined in Chapter 10.

There are a number of types of automation beyond those covered in this chapter. For the purposes of...