Process orchestration for improved workflows across all departments and systems

Process automation as a key factor in digital transformation. When is process orchestration needed?

To keep pace, companies often implement a wide range of technologies and tools to automate individual tasks and process steps: CRM tools, ERP tools and AI-powered automation tools are piling up on top of existing legacy systems.

Whilst these tools generally solve local problems and make individual steps more efficient, without a meaningful integration of all processes and technologies, they lead to new problems elsewhere.

When process automation creates more problems than it solves

If individual processes and tasks are viewed in isolation and automated only locally, this can stand in the way of the actual automation objectives. Let’s take the example of a customer complaint:

Perhaps a customer can simply submit their complaint via a digital portal and receive a quick, automated response. The relevant member of staff is also automatically notified and can begin investigating the complaint.

This requires rapid coordination with other departments such as production, sales, logistics and, in the case of refunds, the finance department as well. If these departments all have separate processes that are not linked to the customer service complaints process, the process takes an unnecessarily long time and carries a high risk of errors.

The complaint then gets stuck for weeks between different departments, cannot be investigated or resolved, and causes a great deal of frustration for both the customer and the staff involved. And this is despite the fact that the sub-process within customer service was perfectly automated and digitised.

Most processes span a wide range of different endpoints, software systems and departments. If they are automated only within a single team, device or software system, this creates bottlenecks at other endpoints. 

This highlights the difference between task automation, process automation and process orchestration:

• Task automation means that, with the help of technology, certain tasks are carried out automatically without human intervention. For example, the customer receives an automatic notification regarding the status of their complaint without an employee having to send it manually. 
• Process automation is an objective whereby as many tasks as possible within a process are to be carried out automatically. However, it is almost impossible to eliminate all manual steps from the process. 
• Process orchestration coordinates all components within a process or across multiple processes. It combines both manual and automated tasks to improve a process. 

Effective process orchestration brings companies closer to the goal of complete end-to-end process automation.

Why so many companies fail at end-to-end process automation

The key challenges that companies face when automating their processes are as follows:

• Local automation silos
  It is possible to integrate a specific software solution for every problem. However, this results in a patchwork of individual technologies, and automation is always limited to a narrowly defined area. If all other departments continue to operate in a cumbersome manner, this leads to bottlenecks and new problems elsewhere.

• Lack of IT-business alignment
  For successful end-to-end process optimisation, all stakeholders must speak the same language. Above all, IT and business specialists must communicate effectively to ensure that IT solutions truly meet business requirements.

• Lack of process transparency
  In many cases, a process cannot be traced end-to-end, and key performance indicators are difficult to verify and therefore unreliable. This makes process optimisation virtually impossible.

• Lack of flexibility
  The more tools, devices and technologies involved in a process, the more difficult it becomes to change that process. A change in one place may necessitate changes to many other systems. These changes are not always implemented correctly and lead to new problems and errors. In the worst-case scenario, these are then rectified by local changes – the process becomes completely bloated by ad-hoc solutions.

When is process orchestration necessary? 

Process orchestration is best carried out using comprehensive software that links all processes, tools and technologies. As soon as your business processes exhibit the following characteristics, orchestration is necessary:

• The process involves a wide variety of endpoints (people, devices and systems). 
• There are complex process interdependencies that go beyond a simple sequence of steps. 

The more diverse the endpoints are – for example, when employees use different devices, applications and automation tools – the more important it is to have powerful process orchestration software. This is the only way to effectively connect all technologies and teams. 

Such software differs from other automation software primarily in that it can also map highly complex processes. In reality, processes are rarely a simple sequence of steps, but rather follow a more sophisticated logic: some steps are carried out in parallel; certain steps are interdependent and alter the process; and if steps are executed too slowly, a process may need to be escalated after a certain period of time.

If existing automation tools do not offer the ability to map more complex processes, staff will develop their own workarounds. This makes the process increasingly opaque.

Process orchestration as the solution to all automation problems

We’ll show you how all classic automation problems can be solved through process orchestration with linqi.

IT-business alignment through communication standards

In linqi, processes are modelled according to the BPMN 2.0 standard. This enables a common language between IT and business experts and makes the process models comprehensible to both sides.

Furthermore, linqi is a no-code software solution. All functions are accessible visually, which drastically reduces development time and makes the actions understandable to all stakeholders – even those with no IT background.

Connecting all endpoints and systems

With linqi, all process steps – from manual tasks to automated software solutions – can be managed, regardless of the number of people, devices and systems involved. Virtually all systems can be integrated into linqi to establish meaningful connections and break down silos. Even complex process conditions and interrelationships can be represented as workflows and automated.

This makes processes transparent across all systems and departments – even the interrelationships between different processes become apparent. This reduces the likelihood of errors and opens the door to improvements.

Flexible, continuous process improvement

Thanks to the increased process transparency and linqi’s own analysis tools, areas for improvement can be easily identified. The actual optimisation of processes is also easier to implement in linqi: if a single process step is changed, linqi automatically detects where this creates bottlenecks and underutilised processes. The error rate is minimised and changes can be implemented holistically.

With the help of the graphical process designer, the new process design can be tested first before it is implemented in day-to-day business operations. In this way, all processes can be improved flexibly, reliably and continuously.