What is business process automation software?
Business process automation (BPA) software helps teams design repeatable workflows, reduce manual handoffs, and automate execution with clear rules, approvals, and audit trails. The best BPA tools connect process documentation with automation so improvements translate into faster, more reliable operations.
Impact
Results teams are seeing
70%
Faster approval cycles
Average improvement across customer workflows
4.2x
ROI in year one
Based on time saved and error reduction
89%
Team adoption rate
Because visual workflows are intuitive
Capabilities
What you can do with Process Designer
Visual process design (BPMN-first)
Model how work gets done in a way stakeholders understand—and keep it consistent as teams scale. No more tribal knowledge hiding in spreadsheets.
No-code automation with approvals
Automate stable steps, pause for human sign-off when needed, and keep a complete decision trail. Your automation adapts when processes change.
Operational Knowledge as the foundation
Turn scattered know-how into reusable knowledge that guides people and automation reliably. Every decision is grounded in context.
Auditability & governance built-in
Track changes, exceptions, and approvals so compliance is a feature—not an afterthought. Know exactly what happened and why.
Integrations that fit your stack
Connect to your existing tools via APIs, browser agents, or direct integrations. Automation works across the systems you already use.
Use cases
Where teams apply Process Designer
Real workflows that benefit from visual design, automation, and governance.
Invoice and purchase approvals
Standardize checks, route exceptions for approval, and keep an audit trail. Reduce approval time from days to hours.
Customer onboarding
Automate handoffs between sales, legal, and implementation. Ensure every step follows the same SOP—no dropped balls.
IT service workflows
Reduce resolution time with clear escalation paths, approvals, and automation steps. Track SLAs automatically.
Operations reporting
Automate data collection and recurring updates across systems. Spend time on insights, not copy-paste.
Compliance workflows
Document controls, automate evidence collection, and maintain audit-ready records without manual effort.
Employee offboarding
Coordinate IT, HR, and facilities with a single workflow. Nothing falls through the cracks.
How it works
From chaos to clarity in 4 steps
Capture the process
Collect steps, decisions, and exceptions from the people who do the work. Use recordings, interviews, or existing documentation.
Model it visually
Create a clear BPMN workflow model and align stakeholders on the same source of truth. Everyone sees the same picture.
Automate stable steps
Turn repeatable steps into automation; keep humans in the loop for approvals and edge cases. Start small, expand as confidence grows.
Improve continuously
Update the SOP and automation together so improvements stick. Measure performance and iterate based on real data.
Implementation
Your path to process excellence
A phased approach that delivers value at each step.
Week 1–2
Discovery & quick wins
Identify your highest-impact process. Interview stakeholders. Map the current state.
- Select pilot process
- Stakeholder interviews
- Current state documentation
- Success metrics defined
Week 3–4
Design & validation
Build the visual workflow in Process Designer. Walk through edge cases. Get stakeholder sign-off.
- BPMN workflow created
- Exception paths modeled
- Approval points defined
- Stakeholder review completed
Week 5–6
Automation & testing
Connect integrations. Configure automation steps. Test with real scenarios.
- Integrations connected
- Automation rules configured
- Test cases executed
- User acceptance testing
Week 7+
Launch & iterate
Go live with monitoring. Gather feedback. Expand to additional processes.
- Production deployment
- Performance monitoring
- Feedback collection
- Continuous improvement
Industries
Tailored for your industry
Financial Services
Challenge
Compliance requirements demand documented processes and audit trails for every decision.
How we help
Every workflow step is logged. Approvals create evidence. Regulators get what they need without extra work.
Example: Loan origination, KYC verification, transaction monitoring
Healthcare
Challenge
Patient safety depends on consistent processes, but documentation often lags behind reality.
How we help
Visual SOPs that staff actually follow. Automation handles routing and reminders. Records stay compliant.
Example: Patient intake, referral management, prior authorization
Manufacturing
Challenge
Quality and safety require strict adherence to procedures, but paper-based systems slow everything down.
How we help
Digital workflows replace paper checklists. Exceptions trigger approvals. Quality data is captured automatically.
Example: Change control, supplier qualification, production release
Success stories
How teams transformed their operations
Insurance claims processing
InsuranceChallenge
Manual claims triage taking 3+ days with inconsistent decisions and no visibility for customers.
Solution
Visual workflow with automated data extraction, rule-based routing, and approval steps for exceptions.
Result
Claims triage reduced to under 4 hours. Customer satisfaction up 35%. Auditors love the decision trail.
18x
Faster triage
35%
Higher CSAT
Purchase order approvals
ManufacturingChallenge
PO approvals stuck in email chains, causing procurement delays and frustrated suppliers.
Solution
Structured approval workflow with budget thresholds, auto-routing, and mobile approvals.
Result
Average PO approval time dropped from 5 days to 6 hours. Finance team freed 12 hours/week.
5d → 6h
Approval time
12h/wk
Time saved
Avoid these
Common mistakes (and how to avoid them)
Automating before documenting
If you don't know what the process actually is, automation just speeds up chaos. Edge cases explode.
Map the process first. Standardize the SOP. Then automate the stable parts.
Skipping the approval layer
Full automation without human checkpoints works until it doesn't. One bad decision can cascade.
Keep approvals for high-stakes decisions. Automation handles the predictable; humans handle the judgment calls.
Building automation in a silo
IT builds what they think the process is. Business works around it. Nothing improves.
Co-design with process owners. Use visual workflows so everyone can see and validate.
Why business process automation matters now
The pressure to do more with less isn't going away. Manual handoffs, email approvals, and spreadsheet tracking are holding teams back.
The automation gap
Most organizations have documented their processes. Far fewer have connected that documentation to actual execution. That's the gap BPA closes.
Start with the pain
Don't automate because you can. Automate the process that's actually causing delays, errors, or compliance risk. The ROI will be obvious.
BPA vs RPA: What's the difference?
Robotic Process Automation (RPA) mimics human clicks. Business Process Automation (BPA) orchestrates entire workflows with rules, approvals, and human judgment where needed.
Pro Tip
Use RPA for screen-scraping legacy systems. Use BPA for coordinating work across people and systems. Often you'll use both together.
What teams say
Trusted by process professionals
"We went from 'nobody knows how this works' to a documented, automated process in three weeks. The visual approach made all the difference."
Sarah Chen
Head of Operations at FinServ Corp
"Finally, automation that business users can actually own. Our process analysts design the workflows themselves now."
Marcus Reiter
VP Digital Transformation at MedTech Solutions
Getting started
Your checklist for success
Before you start
Identify your pilot process
Choose something painful enough to matter, simple enough to succeed
Get stakeholder buy-in
Process owner, IT, and at least one end user should be involved
Document the current state
Even a rough sketch is better than assumptions
Define success metrics
Time saved? Errors reduced? Customer satisfaction? Pick 2-3.
Plan for exceptions
What happens when the happy path fails?
Set up integrations
Identify the systems your workflow needs to connect to
Frequently asked questions
Learn more about how Process Designer works and how it can help your organization.
Is this the same as RPA?+
Not exactly. RPA focuses on mimicking UI clicks and can be brittle when interfaces change. Process Designer combines process knowledge with automation (including browser agents) and supports approvals and governance so automation stays reliable as processes evolve. Think of it as orchestration that can include RPA-style steps when needed.
Do I need developers to automate workflows?+
No. You can design workflows visually using drag-and-drop. For agentic steps, you describe the goal in plain language and use approvals where needed. Technical users can extend with code when required, but most workflows are built by business analysts and process owners.
How do approvals work?+
Approvals are first-class steps in your workflow. A workflow can pause execution, notify the right person via email or Slack, and proceed only after sign-off. Everything is logged—who approved, when, and any comments. Perfect for compliance and audit requirements.
Can we start with documentation before automation?+
Absolutely. Many teams start by documenting and standardizing SOPs using visual workflows, then automate the stable parts once the process is consistent. This incremental approach reduces risk and builds organizational confidence.
What integrations are available?+
Process Designer connects to common business tools via APIs, webhooks, and direct integrations. For systems without clean APIs, browser agents can interact with web interfaces. Custom integrations are also possible for enterprise requirements.
How long does implementation take?+
A typical pilot process can be live in 4-6 weeks, including discovery, design, testing, and launch. Simpler workflows might be ready in days. The visual approach means less back-and-forth between business and technical teams.