What Is Enterprise Workflow Automation? 10 Best tools to get started
What is enterprise workflow automation? Are your teams stuck doing the same repetitive tasks over and over? Things like chasing approvals, manually entering data from one system into another, or onboarding new employees with a mountain of paperwork. Small tasks like these add up, slowing down your business and keeping your people from doing their most important work. There’s a better way. You can use enterprise workflow automation. Eric Ries taught us in The Lean Startup that the most successful organizations eliminate waste and optimize for rapid learning. Enterprise workflow automation takes this principle to its logical conclusion—removing friction from every business process while creating feedback loops that enable continuous organizational improvement. A system like this is a core part of any modern digital transformation strategy. This guide will give you a clear look at what an enterprise workflow system can do for you. We’ll cover the real-world benefits, how to choose the right enterprise workflow software, and a list of the best enterprise workflow tools to help you get started. What is Enterprise Workflow Automation? Let’s break it down. A workflow is just a series of steps needed to complete a business process. Approving an invoice, for example, involves several steps: an employee submits it, a manager reviews it, finance checks it against the budget, and finally, payment is issued. Without automation, this process relies on emails and people remembering to do their part. A process like that is slow and it’s easy for things to get lost. An enterprise workflow management system digitizes this entire sequence. An automated system routes the invoice from one person to the next, sends reminders, and keeps a complete record of every action. The software handles the administrative heavy lifting, so your team can focus on the actual decision-making. Key components and technologies Modern enterprise workflow solutions are built on a few key technologies. You’ll often see low-code workflow platforms that let you build processes with visual drag-and-drop tools. Many also incorporate robotic process automation (RPA) for automating tasks in older systems that don’t have modern APIs. Increasingly, artificial intelligence in workflows helps make decisions, predict outcomes, and handle exceptions. Strong API integration for workflows is what ties all your different business applications together into a single, seamless process. Enterprise vs. Standard Workflow Automation What makes it “enterprise”? You’re looking at scale, complexity, and security. Standard workflow tools are great for automating tasks for a single person or a small team. An enterprise workflow system is built to handle complex, cross-departmental processes for an entire organization. An enterprise system includes features like an automation governance framework and robust security to ensure everything runs smoothly and safely at scale. Benefits of Enterprise Workflow Automation Adopting enterprise workflow automation brings tangible benefits that you’ll see across your organization, leading to significant operational efficiency improvement. Improved process efficiency Eliyahu Goldratt’s The Goal teaches us that any system is only as strong as its weakest link. Enterprise workflow automation isn’t just about speeding up individual tasks—it’s about identifying and eliminating the constraints that limit your organization’s entire throughput. When you automate handoffs and approvals, you achieve a dramatic process cycle time reduction. For example, a large landscaping group we worked with made its billing process 7x faster, cutting the time spent from 30 hours down to just 4. Cost reduction and ROI Fewer errors, less wasted time, and more efficient use of resources all lead to lower costs. The cost reduction through automation is one of the most compelling benefits. You’re doing more with the same number of people, which directly impacts your bottom line. A proper automation ROI measurement will show you clear returns from increased productivity and reduced operational overhead. Enhanced collaboration and communication In many companies, departments work in their own silos. Enterprise workflow solutions act as a bridge. A workflow can start in sales, automatically trigger a project in operations, and then notify finance to begin billing, all within a single, connected system. A setup like this breaks down communication barriers and ensures everyone is working with the same information. Error reduction and quality improvement Manual data entry is a major source of errors. A simple typo can cause huge problems. Automation removes the human element from repetitive steps, ensuring tasks are done consistently and accurately every time. One of our clients, a major airport, reduced manual document handling by over 90%, which dramatically improved its data quality and compliance index. How to choose the right Enterprise Workflow Software With so many enterprise automation tools on the market, how do you pick the right one? You’re not just looking at features; you’re looking for a foundation for your future work. Identify your needs: Start by looking at your specific processes. Are you focused on finance workflow automation or HR process automation? The specific use case will influence which tool is the best fit. Assess integration: Your workflow tool must connect to the software you already use. Look for strong integration capabilities, especially with your core CRM and ERP systems. Think about your users: You shouldn’t need to be a programmer to build a workflow. Look for low-code workflow platforms with a simple, drag-and-drop interface that lets your business users create their own solutions. Evaluate scalability: The solution you choose today should grow with your business tomorrow. Make sure the platform can handle more complex workflows and a higher volume of tasks as your company expands. Review security measures: You’re trusting the software with your business-critical data. Ensure the platform has robust security features, access controls, and audit trails to support your compliance automation systems. Getting started with enterprise workflow automation In Leading Digital, the authors identify that digital leaders don’t just digitize existing processes—they reimagine them. Enterprise workflow automation provides the foundation for this reimagining. Define area and scope: Don’t try to boil the ocean. Start with a single department or process that is a known bottleneck. Identify key processes for automation: Look for tasks that are repetitive, rule-based, and involve multiple