manumation

English

Etymology

Blend of manual +‎ automation

Noun

manumation (uncountable)

1. (business, nonstandard) Applying technology to automate a business process that produces the same results as the manual process before automation.
   • 1999, Frank Sklarsky (interviewee), “DaimlerChrysler: Revving the Finance Engine”, Financial Executive

     One operating tip: "Always move from manumation to automation," Sklarsky advises. "Any time there's a piece of information, record it once. Then you can funnel it where it needs to go and let the computer do the reporting."

   • 2003 April, Kalle Kangas, Business Strategies for Information Technology Management, page 179, Idea Group Inc., IRM Press

     Indeed, without a firm connection to good external benchmarks (best practice, best-of-class indicators) companies can fall victim to manumation, simply automating old, outdated processes.

   • 2005, Maria A. Wimmer, ed. Electronic Government: 4th International Conference, EGOV 2005, Copenhagen, Denmark, page 5 - citing L. Mohan and W. K. Holstein, Decision support systems: an applications perspective. Albany: Unpublished draft, 1998.

     In contrast, the "manumation" of processes through traditional MIS never facilitated such rapid change in strategy and structure.

   • 2006, C. Cristian Wulf, CFO Insights: Enabling High Performance Through Leading Practices for Finance ERP, John Wiley and Sons, page v:

     When asked about the biggest risk the organization faced with this effort, the CFO replied “Manumation. Automation of our existing manual processes. . . .”

References

• 1998, L. Mohan and W. K. Holstein, Decision support systems: An applications per-spective, unpublished draft, Albany