From human-centric to process-, data-, and AI-centric organizations

BOAT (Business Orchestration and Automation) is a novel technology class introduced by Gartner. It is hailed as the future of Business Orchestration and Automation, surpassing RPA, BPA, and Low Code. This technology facilitates the orchestration of diverse business processes, automating them while linking various enterprise applications and boosting business operations with embedded AI capabilities.

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BOAT marks a redefinition of how companies have traditionally operated for decades. The old world of silos, manual tasks, sequential workflows, and disconnected systems/data is replaced by a logic layer that connects people and systems, orchestrating them intelligently.

 

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The appropriate data, information, or task is automatically directed to the right people, functions, or systems at the right time and in the right format—autonomously and in real-time, across organizational silos and systems. Embedded AI supports continuous learning and improvement, while embedded safety ensures real-time compliance.

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Sounds great, but how? It all begins with existing core business processes. To fully leverage data and computing power, you must break down the processes into their most minor components, challenge each element, and reassemble them. Throughout this exercise, keep one key question in mind: 

 

"If I had all the data and systems available and could automate tasks and flow as much as possible, what would the process look like?"

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1. Question every activity and requirement in the current way of operating
    

2. Eliminate anything that doesn´t make sense. Simplify and optimize as much as possible
    

3. Involve people (right roles/functions) where it's wise. Otherwise, automate (tasks and flow)
    

4. Strive to execute in parallel as much as possible (challenge sequential processing)
    

5. Enrich the logic with business rules, roles, and integrations
    

6. Test and adjust by simulating as you go
    

7. Go live - monitor - learn and improve. Fast

Working through steps 1-7 is when the magic of BOAT software becomes evident. This is where you break down, redesign, connect, and execute your process logic. You can drag and drop, connect, input the business rules, prompt GenAI, and code; BOAT consolidates it into manageable and executable software in the background. Your traditional human-centric process configuration, characterized by manual, sequential, fragmented, and disconnected elements, is replaced by a connected and streamlined end-to-end process, unlocking the potential for automation, parallel processing, and intelligent orchestration.

In the process of fundamentally rethinking and redesigning your processes, you will not only unlock the potential for autonomous orchestration and automation but also discover how a new level of adaptive user experience, embedded intelligence, embedded safety, and composable architecture unfolds:

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Process-Out Approach

 

Adaptive User Experience. With BOAT in place, the right tasks/information will flow to the appropriate roles/functions at the right time in a suitable format. Multiple trigger events from different roles and systems can be combined, transformed, and processed, leading to a new level of "intelligent" and personalized user experience, including prompt-based functionality for additional information needs. BOAT continually learns and adjusts based on user behavior and needs, reducing the need for 10, 20, or 30 apps and systems.

Embedded Intelligence. With end-to-end processes orchestrated and automated, information about each step in each case flow is continuously processed and analyzed. An AI engine drives the intelligence underneath, continually providing improvement suggestions for the right roles.

Embedded Compliance. What, how, who, and in what order is now orchestrated autonomously. Compliance is built into the process configuration. Live monitoring, Management of Change, and automated documentation are out of the box—next-generation process-based management systems are embedded.

Composable Architecture. No system supplier will longer define or limit how you operate your core business. By regaining control over your core business processes, architectural components can be replaced based on their fit-for-purpose and ability to support the company's autonomous business orchestration and automation configuration.

One thing is sure: When you start challenging your business configuration by applying BOAT, you will be surprised by the emerging potential value and escalating effects. There is no free lunch, but BOAT will make the job and the journey worthwhile.