Modern automation is only getting more complicated for organizations. Research shows that the average number of components involved in an automation strategy has grown by nearly 20% year-over-year. While promises of greater efficiency and cost reduction have driven organizations to adopt Robotic Process Automation (RPA) bots and AI, the reality is far more complex.
Instead of the streamlined operations that they’d once dreamed of, organizations are dealing with a tangled web of tools and processes. As a result, they end up with frustrated teams, mounting technical debt and limited visibility into workflows. It’s clearly time to rethink longstanding automation strategies, moving away from this siloed and disjointed approach. This is where Business Orchestration and Automation Technologies (BOAT), a new term defined by Gartner, comes in. BOAT offers a path forward, classifying solutions that cut through the noise and bring clarity to enterprise automation.
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The cost of fragmented workflows and systems
Over the last decade, enterprises have quickly embraced a range of automation technologies to reduce manual work and improve efficiency. Tools like RPA integration platforms-as-a-service (iPaaS), workflow automation and AI have become widespread across industries. While these tools offer significant value, they often operate in silos, leading to a disjointed tech stack that only complicates automation efforts.
This fragmentation is creating more problems than it solves. In fact, 85% of organizations say that as multiple automated tasks are combined, managing the overall end-to-end process becomes more complex. Today, IT teams are tasked with managing dozens of automation tools, each with unique configurations, maintenance requirements and licensing agreements. Meanwhile, custom integrations between tools add to the maintenance burden, increasing the risk of system failures and amplifying technical debt. These disconnected tools create bottlenecks, delays, and lack of visibility into end-to-end processes, making it difficult to increase internal efficiency or deliver the best possible customer experience.
For example, a mortgage company may rely on separate RPA bots, business process management (BPM) tools and legacy systems to manage different stages of the loan approval process. Without a unified platform to orchestrate these tasks, manual interventions and delays are unavoidable, leading to higher costs and slower service.
Delivering the promise of process orchestration
BOAT is the concept of fully orchestrated end-to-end business processes across endpoints – the people, systems, and devices fulfilling the individual tasks within a process.
It is useful to think of a BOAT platform as the glue that holds various technologies and other endpoints together, providing a unified framework for managing workflows. A BOAT strategy consolidates automation efforts – rather than juggling lots of tools, organizations have a single platform to oversee workflows and address bottlenecks. This increases visibility to empower businesses to optimize operations, identify inefficiencies, and make smarter decisions.
Moreover, BOAT offers flexibility. Orchestration technologies with a composable architecture allow organizations to add or replace automation components (including emerging technologies like AI) without disrupting existing workflows. The result is a less complex, more efficient and scalable automation strategy.
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Future-proofing your enterprise automation strategy
The complexity of managing disparate systems can quickly become unsustainable, especially as organizations continue to adopt new technologies. Despite AI promising more simplicity, without proper orchestration these technologies can further complicate existing automation strategies.
Having a centralized orchestration layer is key to avoiding exacerbating this chaos. This layer can manage processes and tasks that predictably move from point A to B, alongside AI-driven processes that are more agile and change every time. By fully orchestrating these processes, organizations have the structure needed to future-proof their business, making sure they’re prepared for the changes AI-driven decisions bring.
For instance, BOAT can orchestrate document classification using AI with human oversight for high-stakes approvals and automated notifications across systems. By embracing this level of orchestration, organizations ensure AI is being used in a controlled and effective way, reducing risk of errors, all while ensuring regulatory compliance.
Rethinking your automation strategy
The path is clear for businesses struggling with automation overload. Having a fragmented collection of different tools and technologies has created more problems than it has solved. Organizations now need to move beyond task-based automation and start thinking holistically.
BOAT offers a clear solution to the growing complexity of automation. By consolidating tools, enhancing visibility, and enabling flexibility, it provides the foundation for a more efficient, scalable future. Ultimately, those organizations that adopt BOAT today will be better positioned to manage complexity, leverage the latest AI innovations and drive long-term success.
