Definition
Business Process Automation (BPA) is the use of technology to automate complex business processes end-to-end. BPA goes beyond simple task automation to orchestrate multi-step workflows across departments, systems, and people.
Example
Automating the entire procurement process: purchase request submission, approval routing, vendor selection, PO creation, receipt verification, and invoice matching, all coordinated automatically.
Why it matters
BPA reduces processing time by 60-80% and error rates by 90% according to Deloitte research. When combined with AI agents, BPA becomes self-improving and exception-handling.