Workflow automation is the process of automating a series of actions to accomplish a task with minimal human intervention. Essentially, it involves automating repetitive tasks to make work easier. Workflow automation software helps businesses enhance overall efficiency and productivity and increase the speed of process execution in an enterprise.
Utilizing technology and associated tools to execute repetitive organizational tasks by streamlining, optimizing, and mechanizing them is workflow automation.
Typical business processes are:
Diligent workflow automation is the solution to overcome the inefficiencies and impediments in manual workflow execution.
Workflow automation works by harnessing software or tools to automatically execute manual processes. It streamlines, optimizes, and reduces the turnaround time of processes in an organization.
Stakeholders get deeper insights into processes and more visibility into their responsibilities.
Due to reduced redundancies, you can improve organizational efficiency.
You can accomplish more tasks in less time. This greatly improves personnel's throughput.
Shorter turnaround times increase customer satisfaction, as their requests and organizational transactions get processed sooner.
Streamlined processes mean boosted profits.
Onboarding new employees
HR management
Payroll change approvals
Employee performance management
Financial management
Travel expense tracking
Inventory management
Invoice generation
Customer support ticket management
Call log tracking
Marketing leads
Content review processes
Email marketing workflows
Customer relation management
Point-of-sale systems
Customer follow-ups
IT service requests
New employee account setups
Merely automating the steps in a process will not suffice; you need a methodical approach to workflow automation. There are some practices to adhere to for workflow automation to be effective.
Let's take a look at the steps to effectively automate a workflow.
Workflow automation can be feasible and effective only if the organizational processes are clearly and thoroughly understood. You need a deep understanding of the following:
1. Inputs and outputs: Each workflow consists of a set of inputs and their corresponding expected, optimal outputs. You need to identify these and specify them exactly while automating workflows.
2. The transitional stages in workflows: From inception to completion, a workflow will have multiple stages in it. You need to define these stages clearly, as they govern the process flow within a workflow.
3. The approvers involved: The stakeholders for each workflow can approve or reject the transitions between workflow changes and are responsible for determining the flow of a workflow.
An understanding of the organizational processes will assist in the creation of efficient, productive, and optimally automated workflows.
A sketch or a brain map of the workflow will assist in its proper visualization. Once the automation team maps out the workflow from start to finish, they will have an idea of:
Who the approvers are
What the transition stages are
What the required inputs will be
What the expected output will be
The frequency of workflow execution
Mapping out workflows in this way is one of the best practices for efficient workflow automation.
Only when the users of the automated workflows can execute them without a hitch or without much training required can you deem the effort to be sustainable. This requires empathy on the part of the team that automates the workflow.
You need to ensure that you answer this question: Does the automated workflow meet all the process requirements? This includes the below factors.
You need to test the automated workflows with users before deployment for two reasons. The first is to assess whether the workflows execute as intended. The second is to ensure that you get proper feedback from users. This will enable you to remove missing requirements or unwanted process bloat in workflow execution after automation.
Any workflow which after automation brings with it additional effort is an exercise in futility. The intent is the simplification of processes, not to bring in additional complexity. An optimally automated workflow is one that gets executed in as few steps as possible.
Empathizing with users will ensure the creation of efficient and optimally automated workflows. The users’ perspective on how to automate the workflows will be invaluable, as they are the intended beneficiaries of the entire effort.
Multiple departments in an organization, such as IT, HR, finance, presales, sales, and marketing, will each have their own requirements. It’s essential that you segregate workflows by department to avoid overlaps and process conflicts. Segregating workflows by department for effective workflow automation comprises:
Once you categorize the workflows by department, then you can automate them easily. This process improves efficiency and saves time.
When the workflows are visually mapped out, well-defined, and segregated by their respective departments, then comes the phase of automating them.
There are several ways to accomplish workflow automation.
This software is prebuilt for specific workflow automation use cases. It has the advantage of being easily available. However, you cannot customize it according to your organization’s unique business requirements. Buying off-the-shelf software from a particular vendor will also lock you in with the vendor’s technology stack and product repertoire. If you want to upgrade or change your automated workflows, you will have to contact the vendor, which will entail an additional investment of time and money.
This is the process of automating your workflows from the ground up. This method, though it provides a bespoke automation solution, has the following disadvantages:
Once a workflow has been automated, the next step is to test and analyze its performance during execution.
Run simulations
User acceptance testing
Stress tests
Regular audits
Detailed reports
Real-time monitoring
Alerts and notifications
Define KPIs
Regular reviews
Feedback loops
Iterative updates
Version control
Bug fixes
Growth assessment
Optimization
The final step—and it's important—is to provide extensive training sessions to educate all staff members on how to use the new system, with various training programs and modules.
Interactive workshops
Q&A sessions
Role-specific training
Scenario-based learning
User manuals
Step-by-step guides
Quick reference sheets
Short video clips
Live webinars
Comprehensive FAQ
Help desk
Help desk support
Dedicated team
Troubleshooting guides
Refresher courses
Feedback integration
Regular surveys
Executive briefings
Regular updates
Periodic updates
Success showcases
Progress reports
Engagement meetings
Organizations operate based upon processes. Certain processes will be repetitive and have a high frequency of execution in the day-to-day activities of an organization. These manual business processes are the ones that need to be automated.
Process identification: The first step in workflow automation is identifying the processes that need to be automated. Each business process becomes a unique workflow.
Simplifying the business process into granular tasks: The next step is to break down a business process into granular tasks. These tasks become the steps in the workflow.
Data preparation and input: The next step is to input the task data into the workflow automation software. These inputs include the data required for the task, the documents that need to be sent to stakeholders, or the approval actions assigned to task owners.
Owner assignment: The fourth step is to assign owners for each task in the workflow. These owners are generally stakeholders in the associated business process. Task owners will be responsible for approvals and input of workflow data. Workflows will be assigned to task owners for execution.
Publish: The final step is to publish the workflow using the workflow automation software by providing it with the necessary data needed to accomplish the automation from inception to completion.
Low-code platforms make the entire process of automating workflows very simple.
Low-code means the usage of minimal coding to automate workflows and streamline business processes.
What are the advantages of low-code workflow automation?
To learn more about the on-premises-based AppCreator low-code platform, click here.
Workflow automation brings unparalleled efficiency to the table. Implementing it on a low-code platform like ManageEngine AppCreator is a win-win choice to improve the speed of workflow automation as well as to reduce operational expenditure.
Workflow automation can streamline various tasks across departments. For example, HR can handle employee onboarding, leave management, and payroll processing. In finance, it automates expense tracking, invoice generation, and financial reporting. Marketing tasks such as lead management, content reviews, and email campaigns can also be automated. Additionally, customer support ticketing, IT service requests, and approval processes across departments are common candidates for workflow automation.
Implementing workflow automation can vary in complexity. Off-the-shelf software is easy to implement but may not offer much customization. Building automation from scratch provides a tailored solution but is time-consuming and expensive. Low-code platforms, however, simplify the process significantly, allowing for quick and easy automation with minimal coding. These platforms are user-friendly and cost-effective, making them an attractive option for many organizations.
A workflow automation system focuses on streamlining and automating processes within an organization, optimizing task flows, and reducing manual effort. It handles repetitive tasks like approvals and data entry. In contrast, robotic process automation (RPA) uses software bots to mimic human actions, automating complex tasks that involve multiple systems and decision-making. While workflow automation manages the flow of tasks, RPA handles individual, rule-based tasks within those processes.