How Does Your Business Progress from Excel Hell to Autonomous Operations? The 5-Stage Automation Maturity Model
TL;DR: Enterprise automation maturity progresses through five distinct stages, from manual spreadsheet processes (Stage 1: Excel Hell) to autonomous operations (Stage 5). Most organizations remain trapped between Stage 1 and Stage 3 (IT-Led Automation), while Stage 4 (Business-First with Governance) delivers optimal ROI for 90% of enterprises. Analysis of 850+ deployments shows Stage 4 organizations achieve 250+ hours weekly savings and €150K average first-year returns without requiring full digital transformation.
Martin Pecha Oct 16, 2025 12 min read
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