Large-scale automation of business processes requires a new development approach. Across sectors, business processes are undergoing the most profound transformation since companies replaced paper files with electronic records. A new suite of technologies, including robotic process automation (RPA), smart workflows, and artificial-intelligence techniques such as machine learning, natural language tools, and cognitive agents, promises to radically improve efficiency while eliminating errors and reducing operational risk. Research by our colleagues at the McKinsey Global Institute suggests that, across industries, there is already the potential to automate more than 30 percent of the tasks that make up 60 percent of today's jobs. In finance and insurance, for example, workers spend more than half their time collecting and processing data, tasks that are eminently suitable for automation using techniques that are already available today.