What is business process automation?

In practice

The wins usually come from removing hand-offs rather than from removing people. A quote that takes three days because it waits twice in an inbox does not need a faster typist; it needs the wait removed. That is why the first deliverable of a serious BPA project is a measurement of where time is actually spent, not a tool selection.

Where it fits in a build

It suits organisations where several systems each hold part of the truth and staff spend their day moving information between them. It is a poor fit where the process changes fundamentally every quarter, in which case flexibility matters more than automation.

Common mistakes

• Starting from a product and looking for a process to apply it to.
• Ignoring the reporting requirement until the end, when the data model can no longer answer the question.
• Counting saved hours that nobody reallocates, so the benefit never appears anywhere.

Related terms

• Workflow automation
• System integration
• ERP

Working on something that involves this?

ASTACKRA designs and builds AI systems, automation and custom software for businesses that need technology shaped around their own workflow. If this term turned up in a proposal and you want a straight answer about whether it applies to your situation, ask us — no obligation, and we will tell you if the answer is no.