NBN Co to join Telstra, CBA in automation drive

NBN Co is set to adopt intelligent process automation technology as part of an internal transformation effort.

The network builder indicated it will follow the lead of CBA and Telstra in establishing an internal centre of excellence to oversee company-wide adoption of intelligent process automation (IPA).

CBA revealed at the end of last year that it was building an automation and robotics centre (AROC) to transform its operations, while Telstra unveiled a similar project last week. Both are using technology from US vendor Blue Prism.

NBN Co is similarly seeking to create an internal hub to design and promote “effective governance, controls, alignment, authority and standards” for IPA.

The centre is intended to “inspire the vision of NBN Co’s process automation future by acting as an authority” on the technology, and managing a pipeline of projects that will take advantage of it.

IPA is one “innovative, high yield method” that NBN Co hopes to take advantage of in its pursuit of “major process change across NBN”.

The same initiative will also adopt zero-based design (ZBD) and seek to bring the approach into the way NBN Co manages process change.

ZBD is an invention of The Business Solution to Poverty co-authors Paul Polak and Mal Warwick. It “requires that you begin from scratch, without preconceptions or existing models to guide you, beginning with your goal in mind”. Among its other attributes is that nothing is sacred.

In the context of process change, that could mean any number of NBN Co processes or ways of working may be transformed or automated.

“Zero-based design is a high impact approach to process design, that drives innovation and constraint free thinking and utilises agile methods to deliver a minimal viable process that brings game changing results,” NBN Co said.

NBN Co is presently recruiting for a manager, senior manager, and senior associate to oversee ZBD adoption as well as an “executive manager” to drive IPA adoption.