How to Get Started With Business Process Automation: 7 Steps

Updated August 2026

Business process automation (BPA) can help organizations reduce manual work, eliminate repetitive tasks, improve accuracy, speed up approvals, and give employees more time to focus on higher-value work.

But getting started with business process automation does not mean automating everything at once.

The most effective approach is to identify processes that are good candidates for automation, prioritize them based on business impact, map the current workflow, define measurable goals, choose the right automation technology, build and test a pilot, and then scale what works.

In this guide, we’ll walk through seven steps for getting started with business process automation, including how to identify processes to automate, calculate potential ROI, choose an automation platform, avoid common mistakes, and build a practical automation roadmap.

What Is Business Process Automation?

Business process automation is the use of software and technology to automate repetitive tasks, workflows, approvals, data movement, notifications, and other steps within a business process.

Instead of employees manually moving work from one step to another, an automated process can perform those actions based on predefined rules.

For example, consider an employee equipment request:

Manual process:

Employee sends an email → manager reviews request → HR or IT receives the request → employee information is entered into a spreadsheet → equipment is ordered → employee is notified.

Automated process:

Employee submits a request form → manager receives an automated approval request → approved request is routed to the appropriate department → equipment information is recorded automatically → notifications are sent → the request is tracked through completion.

The goal is not simply to eliminate human involvement. Good business process automation puts people where they add the most value while allowing software to handle repetitive, predictable work.

How to Get Started With Business Process Automation

Getting started with BPA can be broken down into seven steps:

Identify processes that are good candidates for automation
Prioritize processes based on impact and effort
Map the current process
Define goals and calculate potential ROI
Choose the right automation technology
Build, test, and launch a pilot
Measure results and scale successful automations

Let’s look at each step in detail.

1. Identify Processes That Are Good Candidates for Automation

The first step is not choosing an automation platform. It is identifying the business processes that could benefit most from automation.

Look for processes that are:

Repetitive
High volume
Time-consuming
Rule-based
Prone to human error
Dependent on email or spreadsheets
Involve multiple people or departments
Require frequent approvals
Require employees to enter the same information in multiple systems
Have clearly defined steps and outcomes
Have measurable processing times or costs

Common examples include:

Human Resources

Employee onboarding
Employee offboarding
Employee change requests
Leave requests
Benefits requests
HR service requests
Employee document approvals

IT

IT support requests
Access requests
Hardware requests
Software requests
New employee technology setup
Account provisioning
Equipment assignment

Finance and Purchasing

Purchase requests
Purchase approvals
Invoice approvals
Expense approvals
Vendor onboarding
Budget requests

Operations

Work orders
Maintenance requests
Inventory requests
Quality-control processes
Document approvals
Internal service requests

Customer Service

Customer requests
Case routing
Escalations
Approval workflows
Customer notifications

A useful rule is to look for processes where employees repeatedly receive information, make a predictable decision, update a record, notify someone, and move the work to the next step.

Those characteristics often indicate that automation could provide significant value.

2. Prioritize Processes Based on Impact and Effort

Once you have identified potential processes, do not try to automate all of them at once.

Instead, rank them based on potential business impact and implementation effort.

A simple prioritization framework can help:

Factor	Low	Medium	High
Process frequency	Monthly	Weekly	Daily
Manual effort	Less than 1 hour/week	1–5 hours/week	More than 5 hours/week
Error or rework	Rare	Occasional	Frequent
Business impact	Low	Moderate	High
Number of handoffs	1–2	3–5	6+
Automation complexity	High	Moderate	Low

Processes with high business impact, significant manual effort, and relatively low implementation complexity are often good candidates for an initial automation project.

For example, an employee onboarding process that requires several departments to complete repetitive steps may be a better first automation project than a highly complex process that requires extensive judgment and has many unpredictable exceptions.

Start With a Manageable Process

Your first automation does not need to transform the entire organization.

A better approach is often:

Choose one process → automate it → measure the results → improve it → use what you learned to automate the next process.

This reduces implementation risk and gives employees a concrete example of what automation can accomplish.

3. Map the Current Process Before Automating It

One of the most important steps in business process automation is understanding how the process works today.

Do not automate a broken process without first understanding why it is broken.

Before building a workflow, document:

What triggers the process?
Who starts it?
What information is required?
What steps happen next?
Who is responsible for each step?
Where are approvals required?
What decisions need to be made?
What happens when something is rejected?
What exceptions occur?
What systems contain the required information?
How is the process completed?

A simple process map might look like this:

Employee submits equipment request → Manager reviews → Approved? → IT receives request → Equipment assigned → Employee notified → Request closed

Then document the exceptions:

Manager rejects → Employee notified

Equipment unavailable → Purchasing notified

Request missing information → Returned to employee

These exceptions are important because they often determine how successful the final automation will be.

Look for Bottlenecks

While mapping the process, identify where work gets stuck.

For example:

Requests sit in an employee’s inbox
Managers forget to approve requests
Employees enter incomplete information
Staff manually copy data between systems
Employees cannot see request status
Different departments maintain separate spreadsheets
The same request is entered into multiple systems

These bottlenecks represent opportunities for automation.

4. Define Your Goals and Calculate Potential ROI

Before automating a process, establish what success looks like.

Your goals might include:

Reduce processing time
Reduce manual data entry
Reduce errors
Speed up approvals
Improve visibility
Improve compliance
Reduce administrative costs
Improve employee or customer experience
Standardize processes across departments

Whenever possible, establish a baseline before implementing automation.

For example:

Current process

500 requests per year
20 minutes of employee time per request
167 hours of manual work annually
Average completion time: 3 business days

Target after automation

5 minutes of employee time per request
42 hours of manual work annually
Average completion time: 1 business day

That gives you measurable targets for evaluating the project.

A Simple Business Process Automation ROI Formula

You can estimate potential labor savings with a simple calculation:

Annual labor savings = hours saved per transaction × transactions per year × hourly labor cost

For example, if automation saves 15 minutes per request, your organization processes 1,000 requests per year, and the average labor cost is $30 per hour:

0.25 hours × 1,000 × $30 = $7,500 in potential annual labor savings

That does not represent the entire value of automation. Faster processing, fewer errors, better visibility, improved compliance, and a better employee experience can also have significant business value.

5. Choose the Right Business Process Automation Technology

Once you understand the process and its requirements, you can determine what type of technology makes sense.

There is no single automation technology that is right for every business process.

Depending on the process, organizations may use:

Workflow automation
Business process management (BPM) platforms
Low-code or no-code platforms
Robotic process automation (RPA)
Application integrations
Custom software development
AI-powered automation

Consider Your Existing Technology Environment

Your existing technology stack should be an important factor in your decision.

For example, organizations that already use Microsoft 365, SharePoint, and Microsoft Teams may benefit from an automation platform that works within that environment rather than requiring employees to adopt an entirely separate system.

Microsoft’s Power Automate is one option for automating workflows across Microsoft and other services. However, organizations should evaluate whether it provides the forms, workflow management, applications, data management, user experience, security, deployment options, and administrative capabilities their processes require.

For organizations looking to build business applications and automate processes within Microsoft 365 and SharePoint, NITRO Studio provides a low-code/no-code approach for creating forms, workflows, and business applications.

Learn more about NITRO Studio

Questions to Ask When Evaluating an Automation Platform

Before selecting a BPA platform, consider:

Does it integrate with the systems we already use?

Look for support for the applications, databases, directories, and collaboration platforms involved in your processes.

Can business users make changes without extensive development?

Low-code and no-code tools can make it easier for business teams to maintain workflows and applications.

Can it handle approvals and business rules?

Many processes require conditional routing, multiple approval levels, escalations, and exception handling.

Can it provide visibility into the process?

Users should be able to see where work is, who is responsible, and what needs to happen next.

Can it scale?

The platform should support additional processes, users, departments, and integrations as your automation program grows.

Does it meet your security and compliance requirements?

Organizations in regulated industries should evaluate permissions, data handling, deployment options, auditing, and other security requirements before implementing automation.

6. Build, Test, and Launch a Pilot

Once you have selected your technology, start building the workflow.

For your first automation, keep the scope manageable.

A good pilot should:

Automate a clearly defined process
Have measurable objectives
Include the right stakeholders
Address common exceptions
Be tested before launch
Have a defined owner
Include a plan for measuring results

Test More Than the Happy Path

One of the most common automation mistakes is testing only the normal scenario.

For example, if the normal process is:

Submit request → Approve → Complete

also test:

Submit request → Reject

Submit request → Missing information

Submit request → Approval delayed

Submit request → Request canceled

Submit request → Assigned employee unavailable

Submit request → System integration fails

Testing these scenarios before launch can prevent problems after the workflow goes into production.

Get Users Involved Early

The employees who perform the process every day often know where the biggest problems are.

Ask them:

What takes the most time?
Where do requests get stuck?
What information is usually missing?
What exceptions happen most often?
What would make the process easier?
What information do you need to see?
What would make you more likely to use the new system?

Their feedback can help you build an automation that actually improves the process instead of simply digitizing the existing problems.

7. Measure Results and Scale What Works

After launching your first automated process, measure the results against your original goals.

Useful business process automation KPIs include:

Processing time
Cycle time
Approval time
Number of manual steps
Employee hours saved
Error rate
Rework rate
SLA compliance
Number of requests processed
User adoption
Cost per transaction
Customer or employee satisfaction

If the results are positive, use what you learned to improve the workflow and identify the next process to automate.

A practical automation strategy looks like:

Pilot → Measure → Improve → Standardize → Scale

Over time, individual automated processes can become part of a broader business process automation strategy.

What Business Processes Should You Automate First?

If you are not sure where to begin, look for processes with high volume, repetitive steps, predictable decisions, and measurable costs.

Some common starting points include:

Employee Onboarding

Automate the movement of information and tasks between HR, managers, IT, facilities, and other departments.

IT Service Requests

Automate request intake, routing, approvals, notifications, escalations, and status tracking.

Purchase Requests

Replace email-based purchasing processes with structured requests and automated approval routing.

Document Approvals

Automatically route documents to the appropriate reviewers and notify users when action is required.

Employee Service Requests

Give employees a consistent way to request HR, facilities, finance, or other internal services.

Equipment Requests

Automate equipment requests, approvals, assignment, notifications, and tracking.

Customer Requests

Automatically capture requests, assign them to the right team, send notifications, and escalate overdue work.

These processes are often good candidates because they involve structured information, repeatable steps, and multiple handoffs.

When Should You Not Automate a Process?

Automation can provide significant benefits, but not every process should be automated.

A process may not be a good candidate if:

It happens only a few times a year
The process is constantly changing
Every case requires significant human judgment
There are too many unpredictable exceptions
The process has not been standardized
The cost of automation is greater than the expected benefit
Employees spend very little time performing the process

Automation works best when there is enough repeatable work to justify the investment.

And remember: automation should improve a process, not simply make a bad process happen faster.

Common Business Process Automation Mistakes to Avoid

Organizations can run into problems when they approach automation as a technology project instead of a business improvement initiative.

Automating Too Much at Once

Trying to automate dozens of processes simultaneously can create unnecessary complexity.

Start with a focused process and expand from there.

Choosing Technology Before Understanding the Process

Buying an automation platform before documenting the process can result in a poor fit.

Understand the requirements first.

Ignoring Exceptions

A workflow that works perfectly for the most common scenario can still fail if exceptions are not addressed.

Document and test them before launch.

Failing to Define Success

If you do not establish baseline measurements, it is difficult to determine whether automation actually improved the process.

Define KPIs before implementation.

Forgetting About User Adoption

An automated process is only successful if employees actually use it.

Make the experience intuitive, provide training when necessary, and involve users during development.

Treating Automation as a One-Time Project

Business processes change.

Review automated workflows periodically and update them as business requirements evolve.

How Business Process Automation Fits With Microsoft 365

For organizations already invested in Microsoft 365, business process automation can often be incorporated into the tools employees already use.

Microsoft 365 provides technologies such as SharePoint, Teams, Power Automate, Power Apps, and other services that can support different types of workflow and application automation.

However, Microsoft 365 organizations may also need capabilities beyond basic workflow automation, particularly when building complete departmental applications that include:

Custom forms
Business data
Multi-step workflows
Approval routing
Role-based permissions
Notifications
Dashboards
Reporting
Mobile access
Integrations
Auditability

The right approach depends on the complexity of the process and the organization’s technical and business requirements.

For organizations that want to build business process applications using their Microsoft environment, NITRO Studio provides tools for creating custom forms, workflows, and applications using Microsoft 365 and SharePoint.

Explore NITRO Studio

Business Process Automation With NITRO Studio

NITRO Studio is a low-code/no-code business application and workflow platform designed for organizations using Microsoft 365 and SharePoint.

Organizations can use NITRO Studio to create applications and automate processes such as:

Employee workflows
IT service requests
Purchasing
Approvals
Asset management
Document processes
Departmental requests
Customer service processes

Instead of building every application from scratch, organizations can use configurable forms, workflows, business rules, and other capabilities to create applications around their specific processes.

See how NITRO Studio supports business process automation

Crow Canyon also provides professional services to help organizations evaluate and optimize business processes within Microsoft 365.

Learn about Crow Canyon Professional Services

A Practical Business Process Automation Checklist

Before automating a process, work through this checklist:

Frequently Asked Questions About Business Process Automation

What is the first step in business process automation?

The first step is to identify a business process that is a good candidate for automation. Look for processes that are repetitive, high volume, time-consuming, rule-based, error-prone, or dependent on manual handoffs. Once you identify a candidate, document the existing process before deciding how to automate it.

What business processes should you automate first?

Start with processes that have significant business impact but are relatively straightforward to automate. Employee onboarding, IT requests, purchasing, approvals, equipment requests, and other structured workflows are common starting points.

How do you know if a process is a good candidate for automation?

A process is generally a strong candidate when it occurs frequently, follows predictable steps, requires manual data entry or handoffs, has measurable processing costs, and can be governed by defined rules. Processes requiring extensive human judgment or that change constantly may be less suitable.

How much does business process automation cost?

The cost depends on the number and complexity of processes, the automation technology, integrations, users, implementation requirements, and deployment model. Organizations should evaluate both the implementation cost and the expected savings from reduced manual work, faster processing, fewer errors, and improved visibility.

How long does it take to automate a business process?

Simple workflows can sometimes be implemented relatively quickly, while complex processes involving multiple systems, departments, integrations, and exceptions can require substantially more planning and development. Starting with a focused pilot can help organizations establish a realistic timeline before expanding the project.

What is the difference between workflow automation and business process automation?

Workflow automation generally focuses on automating a specific sequence of tasks or actions. Business process automation is broader and can encompass an entire business process, including forms, data, workflows, approvals, business rules, notifications, integrations, reporting, and human decision-making.

Can you use Microsoft 365 for business process automation?

Yes. Microsoft 365 includes several technologies that can support business process automation, including SharePoint, Teams, Power Automate, and Power Apps. The best technology depends on the complexity of the process, required functionality, existing systems, and organizational requirements.

Getting Started With Business Process Automation

Business process automation does not have to be a massive digital transformation project.

The best place to start is with one well-defined process that creates measurable business value.

Identify the process, map how it works today, determine what is slowing it down, define measurable goals, choose the right technology, build a focused pilot, and measure the results.

Then use what you learn to improve the process and expand automation to other areas of the organization.

For organizations using Microsoft 365 and SharePoint, platforms such as NITRO Studio can provide a way to build and automate business applications while working within the Microsoft environment.