API-driven process automation is the modern, best practice approach to Process Automation. It involves replacing human tasks with calls to an API. In other words, rather than have a person execute that task, we tell a system to do it instead.
The most obvious examples of this automation are where the task involves a human entering data into and / or retrieving data from an application. If the same functionality surfaced in that application’s user interface can be accessed via the applications set of APIs, then the BPM server can invoke that API, and cut out the human participation in that task.
Designing and building APIs is one of Leonardo’s core service offerings. For us, it’s easy to identify ways in which to use existing or new APIs to take process automation and orchestration to the next level.
Using its Process Modelling for Automation skills, Leonardo works with its clients to identify areas in which the target BPM technology can enable a better “To Be” process.
Leonardo’s ability to help clients achieve API-driven Process Automation is based on our unique combination of process design, process orchestration, and integration capabilities.
Whether it’s identifying how to exploit existing APIs to increase automation, or creating new APIs, our API-driven processes deliver maximum levels of automation. It's important to realise that there are likely many valuable APIs external to your organisation. ProgrammableWeb lists over 18,000 public APIs, ranging from banks to stock exchanges, from weather forecasters to Google Maps, from AWS to LinkedIn, from SMS gateways to Australian Government entities, and from Microsoft Graph to Australia Post.
Typically the functions performed by the API are rote. Automating tasks via APIs frees your people to instead undertake more productive tasks that require human intelligent and judgement.
