A hand pinning a large process sheet to a pale plaster workshop wall

Business process automation

Where automation removes repetitive back-office work

Name: TreeSolid Systems GmbH
Address: Am Siebgraben 14, Oberkrämer, 16727, DE
Telephone: +49 33054 49763

Processes drawn true, then built to run. Business process automation moves defined, repetitive steps from manual handling into software — documents arriving by email, data copied between ERP and CRM, approvals waiting in inboxes.

TreeSolid Systems GmbH designs workflow automation, RPA, and low-code solutions around the systems you already run. This page explains the approaches, the starting points that work best, and the limits we respect.

Assess your process Compare RPA and workflow

Am Siebgraben 14, 16727 Oberkrämer · Monday to Friday, 9:00 AM–6:00 PM

Start with the distinction

The difference between RPA and workflow automation

Workflow automation controls a sequence: a task is created, assigned, checked, and passed on, with data moving between systems. RPA, or Robotic Process Automation, automates actions on screens, such as typing into a legacy application that has no interface. Workflow tools are stronger for approvals, notifications, and audit trails. RPA is useful for bridging old systems. Many mature projects use both, each where it fits.

One flow, several systems

Process orchestration across systems

Process orchestration coordinates several systems and people as one flow. An incoming invoice might be read, validated against the purchasing system, routed for approval, posted to accounting, and archived. No single system controls that whole chain. Orchestration software or custom services hold the sequence and the state at each step. When one step fails, the flow can resume instead of starting over. That design matters more than the choice of brand.

Choose a narrow first flow

Which processes are best to automate first

Good first candidates are frequent, rule-based, and visible. Invoice intake, customer onboarding, address changes, and standard reporting fit that description in many German firms. The process has clear inputs and a clear outcome, so testing is straightforward. First projects should be narrow enough to finish in a few months. A proven first flow builds confidence for wider automation later. It also teaches your team how to work with new tools.

Three routes, one decision

RPA, API-first and low-code — where each fits

RPA in practice

RPA bots log in, read fields, copy values, and confirm entries, following the same steps a clerk would take. That makes RPA attractive for legacy systems such as older ERP clients. The weakness is brittleness: a changed screen layout can break the bot. We use RPA where interfaces are unavailable or too costly to build. Where an API exists, an interface is usually the more stable choice.

API-first automation

API-first delivery connects systems through their programmatic interfaces instead of through screens. Data moves as structured messages, with validation at each step. Groenewold IT Solutions describes this approach as a preference for API-first automation over black-box bot projects, and the reasoning is sound. An API connection can be tested, logged, and monitored. A screen bot can only be watched. We design API connections where the systems support them.

Low-code with Microsoft Power Platform

Microsoft Power Platform combines Power Apps, Power Automate, Power BI, and Copilot Studio for low-code work. German organisations standardised on Microsoft 365 often use it for departmental flows, approval apps, and reports. Low-code shortens the path from a manual process to a usable internal tool. The limits appear with complex logic, high volumes, or strict performance needs.

Plan low-code delivery

Hands tracing a workflow sheet on an oak bench

Evidence from the bench — modelling before building

BPMN modelling before automation

Prozessmodellierung in BPMN shows the process as it should run, including decisions and handoffs. Automation built without that model tends to copy the current mess, including workarounds that nobody remembers. Modelling exposes missing data, unclear ownership, and steps that exist only on paper. SAP Signavio represents the enterprise end of this discipline, with process discovery and governance. Our modelling work brings the same rigour to mid-sized projects, scaled to the scope.

Systems of record

Connecting ERP and CRM systems

Automation only pays when it reaches the systems of record. ERP and CRM hold customer, product, and financial data, and departments keep local records beside them. We connect automation to those systems through APIs, events, or controlled file exchange.

Master data rules decide which system wins when values conflict. Without those rules, automation moves errors faster. With them, it removes the copying that creates errors.

APIs and events for live exchange where the systems support them
Controlled file exchange where interfaces are limited
Master data rules for conflicts, duplicates, and failed transfers

Workshop bench in low north light with a process sheet

AI inside enterprise processes

AI-assisted steps can read documents, classify incoming mail, or draft text for review. The value appears when AI handles unstructured input inside a defined flow. The risk appears when an AI agent changes records without limits or audit trails.

We design AI steps with validation, human review for sensitive actions, and logging of decisions. Custom AI that is deeply integrated into client systems, as described by providers such as Prozessautomatisierung.ai, needs the same discipline. Marketing claims about AI are not a substitute for architecture.

A consultant testing a workflow at an oak bench

Testing before sign-off

Measuring whether automation helps

Efficiency gains should be described in operational terms: fewer manual entries, shorter approval times, fewer missing documents. We agree those measures with the departments involved before the build. Volume and error counts are recorded during a baseline period. After launch, the same figures show whether the flow improved. Honest measurement includes the maintenance effort automation needs. A flow that nobody maintains will decay.

The verdict, repeated

Automation rewards clarity.

Some processes should be redesigned before they are automated. If a step exists only because a form was once required, removing it beats automating it. Poor data quality also blocks automation, because software will process bad data at full speed. In those cases consulting and process change come first. Saying so early saves a build that would formalise a broken process.

Close crop of a traced enamel lane on a vellum sheet

How we work

What a good automation engagement includes

A sound engagement covers needs analysis and status-quo assessment, process modelling, tool selection, implementation, testing, training, and launch support. Each phase produces a visible result: a diagram, a working flow, a test report. That sequence is how mature automation practices operate, including the approach described by SVA Digital Process Solutions. Skipping the early phases is the most common cause of automation projects that disappoint. The model and the scope protect the build.

Needs analysis
Process modelling
Tool selection
Implementation
Testing
Training
Launch support

Questions we hear first

Automation, answered plainly

For a fuller account of how we work, see Our Approach or the wider Services page.

What is the difference between RPA, workflow automation, and process orchestration?

Workflow automation controls tasks and approvals. RPA automates screen actions. Orchestration coordinates several systems and people as one end-to-end flow.

Which process should we automate first?

Choose a frequent, rule-based process with clear inputs and outputs, such as invoice intake or customer onboarding.

How do we connect automation to ERP and CRM?

Through APIs, events, or controlled file exchange, with rules for master data, duplicates, and failed transfers.

When is low-code enough?

Low-code fits contained internal tools and departmental flows. Custom software fits complex logic, high volume, or strict performance requirements.

Start with one process, drawn true.

Send us the process that costs the most desk time today. We will tell you honestly whether it should be automated, redesigned, or left alone — and what the first narrow step would look like.

TreeSolid Systems GmbH · +49 33054 49763 · [email protected]

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