Workflow automation
Definition
Workflow automation routes a task through its defined steps, owners and conditions automatically: who gets it, what must be checked, what happens on approval or rejection, and what is recorded. It removes coordination work rather than performing the work itself.
It is the connective layer of an operational system — approvals, escalations, deadlines, notifications — and often the fastest visible win in a first automation project.
It becomes powerful when combined with agents that also execute the steps, not only route them.
In practice
- Deterministic routing, deadlines and escalation rules
- Full status visibility for every open case
- Foundation for later agent-based execution
Related terms
- Business process automation (BPA)Business process automation is the systematic execution of a recurring business process by software, from trigger to result, including the data, rules and hand-offs involved. Unlike single-task tools it targets the whole chain: intake, decision, execution and record.
- OrchestrationOrchestration is the coordination layer that decides which agent, model or service handles which step, in what order, with which data, and what happens on failure. It is what turns individual agents into a dependable operational system.
- Robotic process automation (RPA)Robotic process automation uses software robots that operate existing applications through their user interface — clicking, typing, copying between screens. It automates rule-based routine work without changing the underlying systems, and breaks when those interfaces change.