Approach

Design First, Automate Second.

Transformation isn’t about new systems. It’s about finally getting full value from the ones you already have.

At Better Business by Design, our approach is simple but powerful:
we start by understanding how work really happens, then use Intelligent Process Automation and a Digital Workforce to connect and optimise the systems you already rely on.
No rip-and-replace. No big-bang programmes. Just safe, practical steps that deliver visible wins.

Design First Automate second final

Why most transformations struggle

Most transformation programmes start in the wrong place:

  • Technology purchases made before clarity exists
  • Replacing platforms that are still fundamentally sound
  • Trying to automate processes no one truly understands

The result is familiar: delays, disruption, and transformation fatigue.
Our view is different — transformation should:

  • Respect your current IT landscape
  • Focus on how work flows between systems
  • Deliver measurable results in months, not years

That’s why we Design First, Automate Second.

Our core belief: maximise what you already have

We assume your existing systems are not the problem — the way work moves between them is.

  1. No unnecessary system replacementWe look for ways to make your current platforms work harder and smarter — not remove them.
  2. Flow before technologyWe focus on the end-to-end workflow: who does what, when, using which systems, and based on which rules.
  3. Automation as an extension of your environmentAutomation and AI sit on top of your current systems. Your tools stay; the way you use them evolves.

The Four Phases: Design First, Automate Second

Phase 1: Reveal the Truth

Before we change anything, we map real workflows across your existing systems — uncovering workarounds, hidden steps,
and the tasks your staff perform to compensate for system gaps.

Phase 2: Validate the Knowledge

We pull business rules out of people’s heads, resolve contradictions, and create a governed single source of truth
that both systems and automation can rely on.

Phase 3: Orchestrate the Work

We design guided flows across your current platforms, making data movement, hand-offs, and escalations
predictable, consistent, and traceable — without replacing your systems.

Phase 4: Automate Safely

Only once the process is stable do we automate.
Intelligent Process Automation and your Digital Workforce execute repetitive tasks across systems while your people stay in control.

Why Intelligent Process Automation is our starting point

transformation begins with design, results follow—consistently and measurably
digital helpers (elves)

We begin with a focused IPA initiative because it delivers fast, defensible outcomes using the systems you already have.
It removes friction, fills the gaps, and clears manual effort across finance, operations, HR, and customer service.

  • Works inside your existing systems
  • Targets workloads everyone knows are painful
  • Delivers measurable results quickly
  • Creates savings that fund further transformation

IPA is your first proof point — it shows that transformation is possible without touching core platforms.

Your Digital Workforce: more value from the same tools

Our automation layer becomes a Digital Workforce — a team of specialised elves that:

  • Interact directly with your existing applications
  • Execute validated rules consistently
  • Work across finance, HR, operations, customer service, and more
  • Operate 24×7×365 without fatigue or error

They don’t replace your people or your systems — they remove the manual effort stuck in between them.

What it feels like to work with us

We keep transformation clear, collaborative, and low risk.

  1. Start small, with a 3-Day Design SprintWe reveal the truth of a key workflow, validate the rules, and size the opportunity — using your current systems.
  2. Co-design a practical roadmapWe prioritise initiatives that deliver strong outcomes and create capacity quickly.
  3. Deliver and stabiliseWe build, test, and deploy automation with early-life support so your teams gain confidence.
  4. Scale what worksOnce the first initiative performs, we extend the approach into other areas — always following Design First, Automate Second.

How this supports you as a CXO

Our method is built to make you — CEO, CFO, COO, CIO, CHRO, CDO, CMO — the visible sponsor of a transformation that:

  • Improves performance without major system change
  • Reduces risk instead of adding to it
  • Produces hard numbers you can stand behind
  • Makes work better for people, not just cheaper for the organisation

You get a story your Board, ELT, and stakeholders will trust:

“We transformed how we work by finally getting full value from the systems we already own.”

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