What is workflow automation?

In practice

The useful build starts by mapping the process as it actually runs, including the exceptions people handle informally, rather than as the policy document describes it. The exceptions are usually where the time goes. Automating the clean path and leaving the messy one untouched produces a system everyone works around.

Where it fits in a build

It applies to any repeated process with hand-offs: enquiry to quote, order to delivery, claim to settlement, tender to submission. If the current answer to "where is that job?" involves asking someone, there is a workflow worth building.

Common mistakes

• Automating the process as documented rather than as performed.
• No owner at each stage, so work stalls invisibly between people.
• No manual override, which guarantees that the first unusual case is handled outside the system and never comes back.

Related terms

• Business process automation (BPA)
• Robotic process automation (RPA)
• Audit trail

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.