What Real Automation Means vs Task Mechanisation

Mechanisation means using technology to do the same job faster. Automation means redesigning the work so the old job no longer exists. The term was coined in 1952 by John Diebold. The process redesign part is what most companies skip. They mechanise the lever instead of installing the button.

Even if you redesign a process, you still need to ask whether the new system generates more value than it costs. If the automated solution costs more to build and maintain than the old one, you didn't automate anything. You financed a more expensive way to do the same job. Economic viability is half the definition of automation.