This document discusses process automation and the different types of tools available. It begins by listing various process automation platforms and categorizing them as either low-code or pro-code. It then outlines a typical adoption journey from human tasks to full process automation. Key differences between task and process automation are explained. The rest of the document dives deeper into concepts like process complexity, scale, and the tradeoffs between standard, tailor-made, and open-source process automation solutions. Case studies and a map are used to illustrate examples across these different dimensions.

1. From Human Workflow
to High-Throughput
Process Automation
Daniel Meyer, Chief Technology Officer (CTO), @meyerdan
Bernd Ruecker, Co-Founder and Chief Technologist, @berndruecker

3. But: HOW?

4. Zapier
Process Street
Salesforce
Apache Kafka
Tray.io
SAP
Apache Camel
Appian
Pega
Apache Airflow
Camunda
AWS Step Functions
…
Integromat
Pro Code
Low Code
Task Automation Process Automation
Buy
standard software
Make
Tailor-made software
@berndruecker

5. https://www.infoworld.com/article/3617928/understanding-the-process-automation-landscape.html
@berndruecker

6. Zapier
Process Street
Salesforce
Apache Kafka
Tray.io
SAP
Apache Camel
Appian
Pega
Apache Airflow
Camunda
AWS Step Functions
…
Integromat
Pro Code
Low Code
Task Automation Process Automation
Buy
standard software
Make
Tailor-made software
@berndruecker

7. A Typical Adoption Journey
Human work
Human task orchestration
Backend integration
e.g. via API
Frontend integration
e.g. via RPA
More task automation
e.g. using DMN
or machine learning
Task
Automation
Process
Automation
@berndruecker

8. Source: Talk at Camunda Con 2020 (https://blog.bernd-ruecker.com/process-automation-in-harmony-with-rpa-720effdb0513)
@berndruecker

9. Source: Talk at Camunda Con 2020 (https://blog.bernd-ruecker.com/process-automation-in-harmony-with-rpa-720effdb0513)
@berndruecker

10. Task vs. Process Automation
https://blog.bernd-ruecker.com/how-to-benefit-from-robotic-process-automation-rpa-9edc04430afa
Task
Automation
Process
Automation
RPA bot
orchestration
@berndruecker

11. 11
Camunda RPA Bridge
External
Tasks
REST API

12. 12
Process Design & Modeling to Orchestrate Bots

13. 13
Process Design & Modeling to Orchestrate Bots
RPA Bots as reusable bricks
(via templates)

14. 14
Process Design & Modeling to Orchestrate Bots
Configure RPA Bot invocation

15. Pro Code
aka developer friendly
@berndruecker

16. Your glue code to implement the RESTcall
Your code to provide a RESTendpoint
Pro Code
aka developer friendly
@berndruecker

17. Demo
https://github.com/berndruecker/customer-onboarding-camundacloud-springboot

18. High
Throughput
Low
Latency
Things you can’t see in this demo
Easy
Provisioning
Fault
Tolerant
@berndruecker

19. 19
Open Architecture
Process
Automation
Leverage
diverse
technology
stacks
Run on
different
platforms at
scale
Orchestrate diverse
endpoints

20. 20
But:
Do we always
need
custom code?

21. 21
Certain problems can be solved without custom code
BPMN DMN
Simple
Forms
Connectors and
Integrations
…

22. 22
Coming with 7.16: Camunda Form Builder

23. 23
On the Roadmap: Connectors Framework
Out-of-the box
connectors
Community
connectors
Partner
connectors
Custom
Connectors
Connectors Framework
Integrate with

24. Accelerators
Faster
onboarding of
new developers
Improve
developer
productivity
Increase
reuse
Built on top of
existing APIs
Keep the
power
and
flexibility
…that don’t
get in the way

25. 25
@berndruecker

26. „…high-performing
organizations were consistently
twice as likely to exceed these
goals [profability, market
share, productivity]
as low performers.“
@berndruecker

27. „…high-performing
organizations were consistently
twice as likely to exceed these
goals [profability, market
share, productivity]
as low performers.“
@berndruecker

28. „…high-performing
organizations were consistently
twice as likely
to exceed these goals
[profability, market share,
productivity]
as low performers.“
@berndruecker

29. DORA
@berndruecker

30. -> pro code techniques
@berndruecker
State of DevOps
2021

31. The industry
accelerates!
State of DevOps
2021

32. Still puzzled?

33. The Process Automation Map
Unique
Standard
Desired
Unnecessary
Complex
Simple Process complexity
Process Innovation
Process
Big
Small Scale
Process
Task Scope
Planned
Ad-hoc or temporary Project setup
e.g. accounting software e.g. onboarding process that needs
to include a lot of legacy systems
e.g. insurances using telematics
data
e.g. webshop selling
innovative products
e.g. integrating one
standard cloud system
with another
e.g. one business
department solving a local
pain
e.g. end-to-end load origination
process invoking lots of other services
e.g. lots of applications, people or
developers involved. Large volume of
instances.
e.g. automating one
single task in a larger
process
e.g. end-to-end processes like
customer onboarding, loan
origination, order fulfillment.
e.g. a budgeted IT project resulting
in an application having a couple of
years life time.
e.g. a one-time data
adjustment for millions of
records
Commercial Off-the-shelf
Tailor-Made

34. Example
https://camunda.com/customer/nasa/

35. Unique
Standard
Desired
Unnecessary
Complex
Simple Process complexity
Process Innovation
Process
Big
Small Scale
Process
Task Scope
Planned
Ad-hoc or temporary Project setup
The Process Automation Map
@berndruecker

36. 37
Solution
Seamless integration with the existing Java
infrastructure was a key reason Camunda
was chosen to drive order execution within
300 ms – even at scale. Simple
configurability and process transparency that
can be updated as requirements change
drove Zalando’s choice of Camunda.
Camunda’s open
platform supports our
individual needs in a way that
closed BPM suites just
cannot achieve. Our BPMN
process models are executed
directly, which improved
communication between
business and development,
which also shortens
development cycles.
Marko Lehn
Software Engineering Team Lead
Zalando
Challenge
Zalando is Europe’s largest online platform for
fashion, partnering with over 1,500 brands in
15 European markets. Since 2014, every
order placed by Zalando’s 16 million
customers has been executed by Camunda
Platform. Zalando needed to replace a home-
grown system that was inflexible and difficult
for business stakeholders to use.
Results with Camunda
“
Zalando adds transparent and predictable order
fulfillment at scale… stay calm and shop online
Annual online orders
processed by Zalando using
Camunda
144 million
With documented processes
that align technical reality
and business expectations
Process execution time for
order completion at scale
Case Study
300 ms clarity

37. The Process Automation Map
Unique
Standard
Desired
Unnecessary
Complex
Simple Process complexity
Process Innovation
Process
Small Scale
Task Scope
Ad-hoc or temporary Project setup
Big
Process
Planned

38. Unique
Standard
Desired
Unnecessary
Complex
Simple Process complexity
Process Innovation
Process
Big
Small Scale
Process
Task Scope
Planned
Ad-hoc or temporary Project setup
Sweet
Spots
@berndruecker
Commercial Off-the-shelf
Low Code
Tailor-Made
Pro Code

39. Unique
Standard
Desired
Unnecessary
Complex
Simple Process complexity
Process Innovation
Process
Big
Small Scale
Process
Task Scope
Planned
Ad-hoc or temporary Project setup
Anti-Pattern: Fix missing developer bandwith with low-code
Low Code
Developer
Bandwith
@berndruecker

40. 41
Quick Summary

41. Thank You!