Workflow vs. Application Automation Tools: Choosing the Right Tool for the Job

Workflow vs. Application Automation Tools: Choosing the Right Tool for the Job Introduction With the increasing popularity of workflow software, many IT departments are wrestling with the distinction between workflow programs and application automation tools. Both claim to automate business processes. The purpose of this document is to compare and contrast workflow and application automation. This document will show that workflow and application automation are similar, but that there are important distinctions, and that ultimately they serve different purposes. The document concludes by making the argument that your ultimate goal should be full automation. Terminology ..................................................................... 2 What is Workflow?............................................................. 2 What is Automation?.......................................................... 2 What are Workflow Tools?................................................... 3 What are Application Automation Tools? ................................ 3 How are Workflow and Application Automation Different? ......... 3 Full Automation: The Ultimate Goal ...................................... 4 Which Tool is Right for You? ................................................ 4 UC4 Workload Automation Suite: The Most Robust Application Automation Tool................................................................ 4 Copyright 2008 UC4 Software GmbH (UC4), all rights reserved. The materials in this publication are protected by copyright and/or other intellectual property laws. Any unauthorized use of the materials in this publication can result in an infringement of these laws. Unless expressly permitted, the copying of information or documents from this publication, in any form, without the prior written permission of UC4 is prohibited.
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Terminology Differences between workflow and application automation are obscured by non-specific, overlapping terminologies. Terms like "business process," "automation," "task," "job," and "rule" have different definitions when pertaining to workflow versus automation. These terms, as they are used in this whitepaper, are defined below.
Workflow . Task: an action or activity; a series of tasks make up a workflow process. . Rule: attributes that define how a task can be completed and how a task can be passed to the next person for action. . Work process: a series of tasks connected by rules; traditionally known as a business process.
Automation . Job: a single executable piece of work; jobs usually target a particular application or a specific executable program; a series of jobs make up an automated process. . Dependency: criteria that determine the sequence in which jobs will execute. . Business process: a series of jobs connected by dependencies; traditionally known as a job stream.
General . Step: generically refers to a task or job. . Process: generically refers to a work process or business process. So, in workflows we can now speak of a "work process with manual tasks held together by rules." In automation we can speak of a "business process consisting of application jobs connected by dependencies."
What is Workflow? Workflow is the tasks, procedural steps, organizations or people involved, required input and output information, and tools needed for each step in a business process. The NPD Group defines workflow as the "automation of a business process, in whole or part, during which documents, information or tasks are passed from one participant to another for action, according to a set of procedural rules." The two key points to both these definitions are: - the inclusion of "people" or "participants" taking "actions" - the "passing" of actions or tasks (according to procedural rules) between "participants" Further, workflow automation products allow a company to create a workflow model and components such as online forms and then use this to manage and enforce the consistent handling of work. For example, an insurance company could use a workflow automation application to ensure that a claim was handled consistently from initial call to final settlement. The workflow application would ensure that each person handling the claim used the correct online form and successfully completed their step before allowing the process to proceed to the next person and procedural step. Other examples might include appr... [download for more]