Operations terms,
explained.
Plain-English definitions of the terms that come up in automation and operations work — so you can talk about the work with confidence.
Workflow Automation
Workflow automation is the use of software to run a sequence of business tasks with minimal human involvement — routing work, moving data, and triggering actions automatically so repetitive steps execute without manual effort.
Standard Operating Procedure (SOP)
A standard operating procedure (SOP) is a documented, step-by-step instruction for completing a recurring task the same way every time — so the work is done consistently by anyone, not just the person who happens to know it.
Business Process Optimization
Business process optimization is the practice of analyzing how work actually happens, finding bottlenecks, duplicated steps, and wasted effort, and redesigning the process so it runs with fewer steps, fewer hand-offs, and lower cost.
Systems Integration
Systems integration connects separate software applications so data flows between them automatically — eliminating manual re-entry and giving the business one consistent view of its information.
Robotic Process Automation (RPA)
Robotic process automation (RPA) uses software bots to mimic the clicks and keystrokes a person makes in an application — automating rule-based, repetitive tasks without changing the underlying system.
AI Operations
AI operations is the application of AI to run business processes — using models to classify, extract, generate, and route work so repetitive cognitive tasks are handled automatically and consistently.