Jakob Freund, CEO of Camunda, a software company specializing in end-to-end process orchestration, discusses the challenges many organizations face when automating their processes. According to McKinsey, only 55% of large organizations report success with automation, with issues ranging from complexity to integration difficulties. Legacy systems and silos within the organization often hinder end-to-end automation efforts.
Deloitte reports that 92% of advanced automation adopters are focusing on or planning to implement end-to-end automation within the next three years. Process orchestration is key to achieving this goal, allowing teams to model, execute, optimize, and continuously improve automated processes. This approach involves collaboration between business and technical stakeholders, providing a clear path towards achieving business success with automation.
To advance process orchestration maturity, organizations should consider their team structure and culture. A decentralized Center of Excellence (CoE) model may be more suitable for modern development teams, allowing for flexibility and freedom to build on their terms while providing some level of governance over automation projects. Involving business stakeholders early on in the process planning stage and using BPMN can help ensure alignment and understanding across teams.
Moving beyond distinct projects and taking a strategic approach to automation is crucial for scaling efforts effectively. Instead of focusing on fixing what’s broken with stopgap measures, organizations should think about integrating legacy systems with modern software and incorporating human workflows with automation. Process orchestration plays a vital role in orchestrating complex processes across various endpoints and ensuring end-to-end automation.
Measuring success is essential for evaluating the impact of automation efforts and aligning them with key performance indicators (KPIs). Process orchestration provides visibility into the performance of all processes, enabling organizations to continuously improve and optimize them. By centralizing visibility and control, teams can incrementally enhance their processes to prevent potential failures before they impact customers or employees.
Highly mature organizations recognize the value of process orchestration as they can directly measure automation success and align technical wins with business outcomes. By focusing on advancing orchestration maturity and aligning processes with business goals, organizations can achieve benefits such as increased revenue, improved customer experiences, compliance readiness, and enhanced employee satisfaction.