manumation

manumation

English

Etymology

Blend of manual +‎ automation

Noun

manumation (plural manumations)

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benchmarks (best practice, best-of-class indicators) companies can fall victim to manumation, simply automating old, outdated processes.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 Albany: Unpublished draft, 1998.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, page v, John Wiley and Sons

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• 1998, L. Mohan and W. K. Holstein, Decision support systems: An applications per-spective, unpublished draft, Albany