What is Workflow Automation?

• Workflow Automation Definition

  Workflow Automation Definition

  Workflow automation uses software to streamline and automatically execute tasks and processes based on predefined guidelines. For example, you can create automated workflows to notify personnel, respond to network performance issues, and handle various other tasks, reducing the need for manual intervention. This approach not only minimizes errors but also saves time and resources. Workflow automation can be either static, where the steps follow a fixed sequence, or dynamic, where the software determines the next step based on a template or set of conditions.
• What does workflow automation solve for?

  What does workflow automation solve for?

  Workflow automation is designed to address a range of common challenges that many businesses encounter, particularly when managing IT and service desk processes. If you’ve ever wondered, “How do I automate my service desk processes?” or “How can I make our IT teams more efficient?” workflow automation offers the solutions you need.

  • Eliminating Manual Errors: Human error is one of the biggest risks in manual processes. Workflow automation helps ensure tasks are completed accurately and consistently every time, reducing the likelihood of mistakes.
  • Improving Efficiency: Manual tasks can slow down your team, taking time away from more critical work. Workflow automation streamlines these tasks, speeding up completion times and making your IT teams more efficient.
  • Ensuring Consistency: Inconsistent processes can lead to varied outcomes, which can be frustrating and time-consuming to correct. Automation helps ensure every step follows a predefined process, leading to reliable and consistent results.
  • Reducing Response Times: Delays in addressing issues can have significant consequences for your business. Workflow automation enables faster responses to critical tasks, such as handling service desk requests or IT alerts, helping ensure problems are resolved quickly.
  • Alleviating Resource Overload: Repetitive tasks can overwhelm your team, leading to burnout and reduced productivity. Workflow automation takes on these routine tasks, freeing up your team to focus on more strategic, high-impact work.

  Workflow automation addresses these key issues, helping businesses of all sizes enhance their operations, reduce inefficiencies, and achieve more consistent outcomes. Whether you’re looking to automate your service desk processes or make your IT teams more efficient, workflow automation provides a powerful solution. 
• Examples of Workflow Automation

  Examples of Workflow Automation

  Workflow automation is especially valuable when dealing with repetitive tasks, tasks requiring high accuracy, or processes that could be made more efficient through automation. Here are some specific examples of how workflow automation can be applied:

  • Ticketing Systems: IT helpdesk tickets can be automatically assigned to appropriate support agents based on the type of issue, location, or priority. Notifications and escalations can also be automated with an ITSM workflow automation tool.
  • Patch Management: Workflow automation can help schedule and deploy software updates and patches to servers and endpoints. Not only can a workflow automation tool execute updates and patches at specific times, but it can also lower the risk of vulnerabilities.
  • Monitoring Alerts: Enterprise workflow automation systems can help automatically categorize and prioritize alerts, routing critical incidents to the appropriate teams for rapid response.
  • Inventory Management: An IT asset management process workflow combined with the right workflow automation software can allow you to track and manage hardware and software IT assets by automatically updating inventory records, issuing purchase requests, and managing warranty expirations.
  • Network Monitoring: An incident management process workflow can automatically detect performance issues, generate alerts, and initiate predefined actions to address network problems without human intervention.
• What is workflow automation software, and how does it work?

  What is workflow automation software, and how does it work?

  Workflow automation software is a specialized tool designed to streamline and automate business processes and tasks within an organization. It simplifies workflow execution by automating repetitive and rule-based tasks, facilitating efficient task assignment, and providing a structured framework for managing processes. Many solutions also include built-in workflows for incident management, IT asset management, service desk operations, or change management, helping to reduce the burden on IT departments and improve overall efficiency.

  he first step in using workflow automation software is to identify which processes would most benefit from automation. Automated workflows can greatly improve the speed and accuracy of inefficient, repetitive manual tasks and tasks prone to human error.

  Once you've identified the processes to automate, it's important to consider the design of the workflow and clearly define your goals. Whether you're aiming to increase productivity, reduce errors, or manage resources more effectively, selecting the right workflow automation software is crucial. Look for a solution that offers the features and functionality necessary to achieve your specific objectives.

  After selecting your workflow automation software, you'll need to train your team to use it effectively. Establish key performance indicators (KPIs) to measure success, and be prepared to adjust your automated workflows as needed to better meet your goals. Additionally, collecting and acting on employee feedback will help ensure your automation efforts deliver the desired results.
• Key features in workflow automation tools

  Key features in workflow automation tools

  Not all workflow automation tools are created equal. Some offer robust capabilities and a wide range of features that can significantly enhance your organization’s efficiency and productivity, while others may fall short. When evaluating workflow automation solutions, it’s important to look for key features that will best support your business needs:

  • Easy Configuration and Management: The ideal workflow automation tool should be easy to configure, manage, and modify without requiring coding knowledge. It’s a huge advantage when your team can operate the tool without needing a specialized team of experts to manage it daily.
  • Highly Customizable Workflows: Look for tools that allow you to freely configure and customize workflows to meet the unique needs of your teams. Customizable workflows enable you to streamline processes across different departments, adapting to the specific responsibilities and tasks of various roles. 
  • Artificial Intelligence (AI) Integration: AI can significantly enhance workflow automation by handling routine tasks and allowing your team to focus on more critical activities. For example, SolarWinds^® Service Desk uses SolarWinds AI to automatically suggest relevant knowledge base articles to end-users during ticket creation, helping to reduce the number of tickets IT teams need to handle. This frees up your IT staff to concentrate on higher-priority issues.
  • Reporting and Alerts: Effective workflow automation tools should offer robust reporting and alert capabilities. These features allow you to monitor workflow performance, identify areas for improvement, and gain valuable insights into what’s working well and where adjustments may be needed.
  • Seamless Integrations: The ability to integrate with various third-party systems via API or webhooks is crucial. Flexible integrations help ensure that your workflow automation tool can seamlessly connect with other tools and systems involved in your processes, creating a unified and efficient workflow environment. 
• Benefits of Automated Workflows

  Benefits of Automated Workflows

  Automated workflows can be a game-changer for your organization, transforming how your team operates by handling routine tasks and freeing up valuable time for more critical and strategic work. By embracing workflow automation, your organization can unlock a host of powerful benefits:

  • Increased Efficiency and Productivity: Automated workflows take over tedious, repetitive tasks, executing them faster and more consistently than humans. This process allows your team to focus on high-value activities, significantly boosting overall efficiency and productivity across the organization.
  • Reduction in Errors: Human error is inevitable, but with workflow automation, mistakes become far less common. Automation tools follow predefined processes with precision, unaffected by external factors like fatigue or distractions. These tools lead to higher accuracy in task execution, helping ensure that routine tasks are completed correctly every time.
  • Enhanced Scalability: As your organization grows, so do the demands on your IT team. Workflow automation software scales effortlessly to manage increased workloads, reducing the need to hire additional staff. This scalability allows your organization to expand without compromising efficiency or quality of service.
  • Improved Employee Morale: By automating low-value, repetitive tasks, your IT team can focus on more challenging and fulfilling work. This shift not only boosts productivity but also enhances job satisfaction, leading to higher employee morale and retention.
  • Greater Visibility and Accountability: Automated workflows provide clear visibility into task progress, helping ensure that nothing falls through the cracks. They also automatically assign tasks to the right people, holding individuals accountable and helping ensure timely action on critical tasks.
  • Enhanced Communication and Collaboration: Workflow automation increases transparency across the organization, enabling seamless communication and collaboration among team members. By improving coordination, your team can quickly identify and eliminate bottlenecks, leading to smoother operations.
  • Superior Customer Experience: Automation allows your organization to proactively identify and resolve issues, leading to faster response times and improved customer satisfaction. Streamlining processes and enhancing service delivery can provide a better overall experience for your customers.
• Workflow Automation vs. RPA

  Workflow Automation vs. RPA

  While workflow automation and robotic process automation (RPA) are sometimes used interchangeably, they have distinct functions and advantages.

  Workflow Automation focuses on optimizing and streamlining a sequence of tasks within a process. It involves coordinating steps requiring human actions, approvals, tasks, and decisions to achieve a specific goal. Workflow automation helps ensure that no steps are missed, making it particularly valuable for businesses handling repetitive processes like data entry, document management, task routing, and assignment. Instead of automating each step individually, workflow automation automates the entire sequence of tasks using predefined rules and guidelines. This approach reduces the need for manual intervention, minimizes errors, and enhances overall efficiency and accuracy.

  Robotic Process Automation (RPA), on the other hand, extends automation further by using software robots, or bots, to mimic human interactions with software applications and systems. These bots can replicate keyboard strokes, mouse movements, and clicks based on predefined rules and workflows, allowing them to complete tasks quickly and accurately on your behalf. Like workflow automation, RPA reduces manual intervention, decreases error likelihood, and increases efficiency and productivity. RPA is particularly well-suited for automating repetitive tasks that involve interacting with multiple systems or applications.
• Use Cases for Workflow Automation

  Use Cases for Workflow Automation

  1. IT Service Desk Management

  Before Automation: 

  • A user submits a ticket for a password reset.
  • You manually check the queue, assign the ticket to yourself, reset the password, and then update the ticket status.
  • If the issue requires escalation, you manually notify a senior technician.
  • This process might take 30 minutes to an hour, depending on your workload.

  After Automation: 

  • The ticket is automatically assigned to you based on predefined criteria, such as issue type and availability.
  • An automated workflow resets the password for simple requests, updating the ticket and notifying the user without manual intervention.
  • If the issue requires escalation, the system automatically routes the ticket to the appropriate technician.
  • The process now takes a few minutes, significantly reducing resolution time and improving user satisfaction.

  2. Data Backup and Recovery

  Before Automation: 

  • You manually initiate a backup, check the logs, and verify that the backup is completed successfully.
  • If an issue occurs, you troubleshoot the problem, rerun the backup, and update your logs.
  • Restoring data requires several manual steps, including selecting the backup file, verifying data integrity, and confirming the restoration.

  After Automation: 

  • Backups are scheduled and executed automatically, with the system monitoring for errors and notifying you if something goes wrong.
  • The tool generates logs and reports, giving you visibility into the backup process without manual checks.
  • In the event of a data loss, the restoration process is automated, requiring minimal input from you and helping ensure a quicker recovery time.

  These examples highlight how workflow automation can take complex, manual processes and transform them into efficient, automated workflows. The result is a more productive work environment, reduced errors, and significant time savings for you and your team.