In our previous post, we introduced the Pathfinder Framework and its nine key dimensions for automation success. While each dimension plays a crucial role, the true power of the framework lies in how these dimensions interact and reinforce each other. In this post, we'll explore these critical relationships and how they contribute to a holistic, effective approach to automation.

The key here is that none of these dimensions exists in a silo, they are all interconnected. Understanding the relationships that each dimension has with other dimensions is key to understanding how to use this framework to work through program goals and diagnose/resolve challenges that your program is experiencing. Read through each of the dimensions and their interconnected dimensions, then check out the example at the bottom of this post to see how this framework could help your program examine challenges you may be facing.

Strategy & Vision

Your Strategy & Vision is the north star that guides all other dimensions. It informs your Operating Model & Delivery, ensuring that your team structure and processes align with your strategic objectives. It shapes your Value Measurement & Analytics, defining what success looks like and how it will be measured. And it provides the foundation for your Evangelism & Stakeholder Management efforts, helping you communicate a compelling vision that rallies support for your program.

Governance & Risk Management

Governance & Risk Management provides the necessary guardrails for your automation journey, ensuring that innovation stays on track. It works hand-in-hand with Development & Deployment, establishing the standards and controls that ensure security and reliability. It informs your Operating Model & Delivery, ensuring that your team structure and processes incorporate necessary oversight. And it guides your Change Management & Adoption strategies, ensuring that new solutions are introduced in a controlled, compliant manner.

Operating Model & Delivery

Your Operating Model & Delivery is the engine that turns automation strategy into tangible results. It closely interacts with People & Skills, defining the roles, responsibilities, and skill sets needed for successful delivery. It shapes your Development & Deployment practices, ensuring that your delivery processes produce high-quality, reliable solutions. And it must align with your Governance & Risk Management framework to balance speed and control.

People & Skills

Your people are the power source that fuels your automation program. The People & Skills dimension works closely with Operating Model & Delivery to ensure you have the right talent in the right roles to drive success. It informs your Opportunity Identification & Pipeline Management, as the skills of your team influence which opportunities you can pursue. And it's a key factor in your Development & Deployment success, as your team's capabilities directly impact the quality and reliability of your solutions.

Opportunity Identification & Pipeline Management

Effective Opportunity Identification & Pipeline Management is like a map, guiding you to the most promising automation destinations. It leverages insights from Value Measurement & Analytics to prioritize opportunities based on business impact. It aligns closely with Strategy & Vision to ensure that pursued opportunities move the program in the right strategic direction. And it relies on effective Evangelism & Stakeholder Management to ensure a steady flow of high-value ideas from across the organization.

Development & Deployment

Robust Development & Deployment practices are the tools that build reliable, scalable automation solutions. This dimension must align closely with Governance & Risk Management to ensure that development practices adhere to necessary standards and controls. It relies on People & Skills to ensure that the team has the necessary capabilities. And it must integrate with the processes defined in your Operating Model & Delivery to ensure consistent, efficient execution.

Change Management & Adoption

Change Management & Adoption is the bridge that connects your automation solutions to real business value. It works hand-in-hand with Evangelism & Stakeholder Management to communicate value and drive buy-in for new initiatives. It relies on Value Measurement & Analytics to demonstrate the impact of changes and secure ongoing support. And it must align with Development & Deployment to ensure that new solutions are introduced smoothly and reliably.

Value Measurement & Analytics

Value Measurement & Analytics is the instrument panel that guides your automation journey, providing the data and insights needed for strategic decision-making. It aligns closely with Strategy & Vision, providing the metrics that demonstrate progress towards key objectives. It supports Evangelism & Stakeholder Management by supplying the proof points that build advocacy and executive support. And it informs Opportunity Identification & Pipeline Management, helping to prioritize initiatives based on business impact.

Evangelism & Stakeholder Management

Effective Evangelism & Stakeholder Management amplifies the impact of your automation program, turning isolated successes into organization-wide momentum. It translates the metrics from Value Measurement & Analytics into compelling stories that build support and enthusiasm. It aligns closely with Strategy & Vision, ensuring that stakeholder engagement efforts reinforce strategic objectives. And it contributes to Opportunity Identification & Pipeline Management by encouraging stakeholders to identify and champion high-value automation ideas.

Navigating the Automation Journey Together

As you can see, the nine dimensions of the Pathfinder Framework are deeply interconnected, each one influencing and enabling the others. By understanding and leveraging these relationships, you can create an automation program that is more than the sum of its parts – a program that delivers sustained, transformative business value.

Lets look at an example of how an automation program can use this framework to address challenges they may face. Let’s say your automation program is struggling to develop a healthy pipeline of automation opportunities. Is that the problem? Or is it a symptom of a different problem?

If you notice, this program dimension aligns closely with the Strategy & Vision, Value Measurement & Analytics, and Evangelism & Stakeholder Management dimensions. A challenge with your opportunity pipeline should cause examination in these other complimentary areas:

• Do you have a clearly articulated program strategy that is well communicated and is used to prioritize automation opportunities?
• How are your evangelism efforts going? Are you working with more/different stakeholders than you were last year?
• How are you keeping existing stakeholders up to date with program wins and program capabilities?
• What metrics are you using to delivery wins? Are they aligned to your organization’s key objectives? Are they aligned to your stakeholders OKRs?
• What efforts has your CoE been doing to educate users of your organization on program wins and the power that AI powered automation can unlock for them?

By understanding the key relationships between the various dimensions of the Pathfinder Framework, organizations can not only set goals for where they want to go, but also address challenges they face as they continue to scale.

In future posts, we'll explore each of these relationships in more depth, providing practical guidance on how to harness the power of the Pathfinder Framework in your own automation journey. Until then, consider how these dimensions interact within your own program, and where you might focus your efforts to strengthen these critical connections. Where do you feel like your program is strong? Where do you have opportunities for improvement?

Remember, the path to agentic process automation excellence is a journey, not a destination. By leveraging the Pathfinder Framework as your guide, you can navigate this journey with confidence, unlocking the full potential of AI-powered automation for your organization.