Executive Summary
Challenge:
LARS Group’s newly formed Automation Center of Excellence (CoE) faced critical scaling challenges: poor visibility into their automation pipeline, difficulty proving ROI to justify initiatives, inefficient manual processes, and low engagement in ideation for new AI and automation use cases.
Solution:
Implemented SilkFlo, the purpose-built innovation management platform, providing the CoE with centralized control, automated ROI calculations, streamlined AI pipeline management, and tools to boost company-wide engagement.
Results:
- 9× larger automation pipeline – from 16 to 144 qualified opportunities in just 4 weeks
- Saved the CoE team 5+ hours weekly which were previously lost to manual tracking,
- 50% increase in employee satisfaction with automated processes, proving the CoE’s strategic value
- Streamlined business case creation with automatic ROI calculations
The CoE Bottleneck: From Pilot Success to Scaling Struggles
Setting the Foundation
LARS Group, a 50-year leader in home automation and lighting manufacturing, began their digital transformation journey in April 2020 with a clear mission: reduce employee workload from repetitive tasks and redirect their talents toward higher-value activities.
Working initially with consultancies, LARS identified and automated their first set of processes with low-code tools like RPA and . The success was immediate and compelling.
“Once these initial processes had been automated, the benefits had been realized and the success stories had been shared around the business, we saw that these tools could become the foundation of a wider digital transformation program.”
– Roland Szymanski, Head of Operations
The Scaling Challenge
After proving the concept, LARS established their own Automation Center of Excellence (CoE) by bringing together Lean Six Sigma veterans, RPA experts, and subject matter specialists (learn how to build a CoE here). However, establishing their formal Automation Center of Excellence (CoE) brought familiar growing pains that directly impact CoE leaders:
- Governance & Standardization Gaps: As initiatives grew, the lack of a centralized repository and standardized process created data inconsistencies and made scaling governance difficult.
- Lack of Strategic Visibility: Managing the burgeoning automation pipeline across disparate spreadsheets created chaos. Without a single source of truth, tracking progress, identifying bottlenecks, and reporting on performance to leadership was frustrating and time-consuming.
- Difficulty Proving ROI: Manually creating business cases for each potential AI and automation use case took hours, hindering the CoE’s ability to quickly justify investments and prioritize the innovation pipeline effectively.
- Inefficient Ideation & Engagement: Relying on emails for ideation yielded poor results and wasted valuable CoE time (up to 5 hours weekly) chasing submissions, limiting the inflow of quality AI and automation use cases.
“I remember one instance, when asking for a progress report, I didn’t see anything for over 4 weeks. The lack of visibility into our program performance was frustrating.”
– Roland Szymanski, Head of Operations
SilkFlo: The Platform for CoE Visibility, ROI & Scaled Governance
Facing pressure to scale effectively and demonstrate value, LARS Group’s Head of Operations, Roland Szymanski, sought a dedicated platform. He chose SilkFlo, recognizing its power to directly empower the Center of Excellence:
“I looked at the different ideation and CoE management tools out there, then I found SilkFlo. The founder, the product, and the roadmap were a great fit – not to mention the value.”
– Roland Szymanski, Head of Operations
The transition took less than a week and SilkFlo provided the structured framework LARS Group’s CoE needed:
- Unified Pipeline Management:
Centralized dashboards offered real-time visibility into the entire AI pipeline and automation pipeline, from ideation to deployment. This gave the CoE immediate, actionable insights for progress tracking and reporting. - Automated ROI & Business Case Generation:
SilkFlo automatically generated data-driven business cases, calculating ROI based on development time, running costs, and expected savings. This drastically reduced manual effort and enabled faster, more confident prioritization of AI and automation use cases. - Engaging Enterprise-Wide Ideation:
SilkFlo’s Idea Generator created an accessible ecosystem for all employees to submit, explore, and track automation candidates, transforming ideation from a chore into a collaborative process. - Centralized Governance & Repository:
As the program scaled, SilkFlo provided a secure, central hub for reviewed automations and documentation, enabling the CoE to manage the growing innovation portfolio effectively and maintain governance standards. “SilkFlo allows us to grow our automation pipeline from both the top-down and the bottom-up. This has allowed us to truly scale.” - Secured Automation Repository
As more employees joined the automation initiative, SilkFlo provided a central repository for storing and sharing internally reviewed automations, ensuring governance and security while scaling across departments.
“The business case feature compares the cost savings of the estimated development time and the running costs. This delivers a solid ROI calculation and now serves as a basis for our decisions. No other ideation tool does this!”
– Roland Szymanski, Head of Operations
Transformative Results: Empowering the Automation CoE
The impact on LARS Group’s Center of Excellence was immediate and significant:
- 9x Pipeline Growth:
Expanded the qualified AI and automation pipeline from 16 to 144 opportunities in just four weeks, giving the CoE a rich backlog of high-potential projects. - Increased CoE Efficiency:
Saved the core team 5+ hours weekly, allowing them to shift focus from tedious manual tracking and discovery meetings to strategic implementation and value delivery. - Enabled Data-Driven Decisions:
Automated ROI calculations provided the CoE with the quantitative backing needed to confidently prioritize the pipeline and secure necessary resources. - Facilitated Scaling:
Provided the structure and visibility required to manage a rapidly growing portfolio and implement a Continuous Automation mindset. - Demonstrated Value:
A 50% increase in employee satisfaction scores for automated processes (tracked in SilkFlo) provided tangible proof of the CoE’s positive impact beyond just financial metrics.
“SilkFlo allows us to grow our automation and AI pipeline from both the top-down and the bottom-up. This has allowed us to truly scale.”
– Roland Szymanski, Head of Operations
The Future: Strategic Focus for the CoE
With SilkFlo providing the operational backbone, the LARS Group CoE now operates with a strategic focus, a Continuous Automation (CA) mindset, confidently managing their AI pipeline and automation pipeline using agile sprints. They leverage SilkFlo for backlog tracking, assessments, ROI calculations, and managing the workflow from ideation to implementation. Most importantly, the impact extends beyond financial metrics. Roland concludes:
“Our employees have been central to this project from the first automation. Since using SilkFlo and involving them more in the journey, we have seen the employee satisfaction score for our automated processes (tracked in SilkFlo) increase by 50% on average. It shows our efforts are having a positive effect on their willingness to embrace new technologies.”
Is Your CoE Ready to Overcome Bottlenecks and Scale Impact?
If LARS Group’s challenges – struggling with AI pipeline visibility, proving ROI for AI and automation use cases, inefficient ideation, and scaling your Center of Excellence – sound familiar, SilkFlo is built for you.
Stop battling spreadsheets and start driving strategic value. See how SilkFlo can provide your CoE with the platform to:
- Gain real-time visibility and control over your entire AI and automation pipeline.
- Automate ROI calculations and build winning business cases in minutes.
- Engage your workforce to build a robust pipeline of quality use cases.
- Streamline governance and scale your initiatives with confidence.
Request a demo today. Let’s explore how SilkFlo can help you unblock your innovation pipeline and accelerate measurable results in weeks.
