Many processes aren't slow because people work slowly. They are slow because the work constantly has to move from one system to the next. Each of these moves costs time, creates sources of error, and requires an approval.
Lagerhaus knows this pattern from its own advertising material production. So before any solution was discussed, one question stood in the room: where exactly does the process lose its time, and why?
That is exactly what we conducted a complete process analysis for. The result was not a tool and not a quick automation, but a solid requirements specification: the as-is situation in detail, a clear technical concept, and a cost estimate as a basis for decision-making.
The starting point: too many hands, too many systems
Advertising material production at Lagerhaus is a process with many participants and many steps. From the first idea to the finished, approved advertising material, a task passes through numerous stations.
The problem wasn't a single bottleneck, but the sum of many manual steps. Information was transferred by hand, files passed along manually, intermediate states coordinated one by one. Each of these actions is small in itself. In sum, they create a process that ties up far more time than it should.
“No single step was the problem. The problem was that there were so many of them.”
The real problem: system breaks and stage gates
On closer inspection, the real cause emerged: system breaks. The process didn't run in one continuous system, but kept jumping back and forth between different tools and platforms.
Each of these breaks has an unpleasant side effect. Wherever work moves from one system to the next, a control point emerges. Someone has to check, approve, forward. Across the entire process, many of these stage-gate mechanisms accumulate, where the work waits until it is allowed to continue.
“Every system break creates a stage gate. And every stage gate is a place where the process stands still.”
This combination of many manual steps and many approval points is a typical pattern in marketing processes that have grown over time. It doesn't come from bad planning, but from adding individual tools over the years without rethinking the overall process.
The approach: making the process fully visible
Instead of prematurely proposing an automation, we first mapped the process completely. Every step, every system switch, every approval point was documented.
This step is indispensable, because you can only meaningfully improve a process when you see it in full. Only when it's clear where exactly the breaks are and which stage gates serve which purpose can you judge which of them are truly necessary and which exist merely for historical reasons.
The result of this assessment was a complete, honest picture of the as-is situation. Not embellished, but the way the process actually runs.
The result: a complete requirements specification
The analysis produced a complete requirements specification. It consists of three parts.
1. The detailed as-is situation. The entire advertising material production process is mapped step by step, including all manual actions, all system breaks, and all approval points. This documentation is valuable in itself, because it makes the complete process visible in one place for the first time.
2. A clear technical concept. Based on the as-is assessment, we described what the process can look like in the future. Where can system breaks be closed, which manual steps can be automated, which stage gates disappear because they were only a symptom of the breaks? The concept is concrete enough to derive an implementation from it.
3. A cost estimate. The technical concept comes with an assessment of the implementation effort. This turns an idea into a basis for decision-making: what does the implementation roughly cost, and how does that compare to the expected benefit?
“In the end there is no wish list, but a document you can base an investment decision on.”
Why the requirements specification is the real value
It's tempting to start directly with an automation. A tool here, an interface there. The problem: without a clean understanding of the overall process, you automate individual steps without fixing the actual cause. The system breaks remain, they merely shift.
The requirements specification reverses this order. First, the process is fully understood. Then a target picture is designed. And only on this basis are concrete implementation and budget decided.
For Lagerhaus this means: when an implementation starts, it starts with a clear plan that addresses the right places. No patchwork, but a well-thought-out target process.
That is our approach at Soneo AI. We don't build isolated solutions. We first create clarity about where a process loses its time, and then start exactly there.
Do you have a process with many manual steps and constant system switches? We map it completely and show you where the breaks can be closed and what that costs.
Book a free initial consultationFAQ
What is a system break in a business process?
A system break occurs when work has to be transferred from one system or tool to another during a process. These transitions are often manual, cost time, and create sources of error. Frequently, each system break also spawns an additional control or approval point that slows the process down further.
What is a stage gate and why does it slow down processes?
A stage gate is a control point where a process only continues after someone has checked or approved. Individual stage gates are sensible. But when many of them accumulate, for example as a consequence of numerous system breaks, long waiting times arise in which the actual work stands still.
What is a requirements specification and what is it for?
A requirements specification documents the requirements for a solution completely and traceably. In a process analysis, it covers the detailed as-is situation, a technical target concept, and a cost estimate. It serves as a solid basis for making a well-founded investment decision instead of prematurely investing in individual tools.
Why is a process analysis worthwhile before automation?
Because automation without a complete understanding of the process often only speeds up individual steps while the actual cause, such as system breaks, remains. An upfront analysis ensures the implementation addresses the right places and the target process is well thought out.
How does a marketing process analysis at Soneo AI work?
We map the existing process completely: every step, every system switch, and every approval point. On this basis, we identify system breaks and unnecessary stage gates and develop a technical target concept including a cost estimate. The result is a requirements specification that allows the implementation to be planned on solid ground.
