It’s Time Startups Hire a Chief Automation Officer

"Civilization advances by extending the number of important operations which we can perform without thinking of them."
‍Alfred North Whitehead

Just as civilization progressed by automating essential yet routine tasks—whether it's the invention of the wheel, the assembly line, or even the internet—today's startups are leapfrogging stages of growth by automating their operations.

Automation in startups serves a similar purpose; it takes repetitive, time-consuming tasks off human hands, allowing teams to focus on creative, complex problems that still require us, humans, to think and create.

The invisible engine of automation is what allows some startups and scale-ups to operate at scale with small teams, win over their competitors, significantly improve their unit economics. In one word: win.

But building such an engine doesn’t happen organically overnight. You will need someone to orchestrate it all.

Citizen Development is a Game-Changer. But Don’t Expect It To Run on Autopilot

No-code platforms have democratized the process of automating business operations. With drag-and-drop interfaces and pre-built modules, these platforms are putting the power of automation in the hands of "citizen developers"—people without formal coding skills but who understand the business processes deeply.

Citizen development allows startups to quickly implement solutions ranging from simple workflow automations to complex data integrations, all without writing a single line of code, without even bothering tech teams.

This is great. But it’s not without its caveats.

Citizen development can lead to more chaos than value if not properly managed. A disjointed set of no-code solutions, cobbled together without a coherent strategy, can create operational bottlenecks, data inconsistencies, and even security vulnerabilities.

That's where the Chief Automation Officer comes in.

Chief Automation Officers To Pilot Citizen Development

Just like a restaurant’s kitchen needs its chef, startups need a Chief Automation Officer (CAO) to turn the citizen development opportunity into a tangible win.

The core of the CAO’s mission is to make sure citizen development delivers business outcomes in line with the company’s objectives.

While their exact role may take different forms and shapes depending on the organization, you can expect CAOs to wear the following hats:

Automation Roadmap Owners

One of the key responsibilities of a CAO is to align automation initiatives with the company's broader objectives. They set priorities, ensuring that automation projects deliver maximum impact in terms of cost reduction, revenue generation, or customer satisfaction.

Toolstack Masters

The CAO is also the maestro of the company's internal tool stack, orchestrating how different solutions communicate with each other to create a harmonious tech environment. For this they will need a solid understanding of the capabilities of the SaaS applications the different business teams are using, APIs that can augment these capabilities, and no-code platforms that could be leveraged on top. Oh and there is this AI thing everyone seems to talk about these days.

Skillset Commanders

CAOs seek to maximize the efficiency and productivity of everyone. In this role, they act as enablers, turning operators into no-code operators by helping them to leverage existing technology and automation tools to work more efficiently. They also manage a team of automation specialists and no-code builders dedicated to building more advanced projects.

Organizational Change Drivers

Last but not least, CAOs are drivers of organizational change. They're not merely creating a strategic roadmap for the company’s automated future and selecting or implementing tools; they need to evangelize about the potential of no-code to transform operations and instill an automation-first mindset into the company culture.

Still An Option Today… A No-Brainer Tomorrow?

As startups continue to recognize the transformative power of automation, the role of the Chief Automation Officer will only become more critical.

Whether employed as a full-time executive or as a fractional leader for smaller ventures, the CAO is set to become a cornerstone of the startup ecosystem. By managing and guiding the company's automation efforts, the CAO ensures that startups not only keep pace with their growth but also position themselves for sustainable success in an increasingly automated world.