Skip to main content

Hyperautomation Definition: 5 Ways to Explain It

Catherine Canary, Appian
August 22, 2023

Hyperautomation is more than a buzzword. It’s the new gold standard for business processes. And to get your organization’s leadership on board, you need to be able to explain why.

According to experts at Gartner, "by 2024, hyperautomation functionality will be the dominant competitive differentiator among low-code development tools." This change is raising the bar for basic tech stack expectations, breaking old rules, and opening up a world of exciting possibilities.

So, what is hyperautomation really about? It's a way of using multiple automation technologies in concert to help organizational processes run better. Gartner describes hyperautomation as "a disciplined approach that organizations use to rapidly identify, vet, and automate as many business and IT processes as possible.” In a world where old systems are losing efficiency and speed is crucial, hyperautomation is fast becoming a business imperative. 

In this blog, we'll hear from experts who know a lot about hyperautomation. Each expert has a different way of looking at hyperautomation and its top benefits for transforming the way businesses work. As we explore what they have to say, we'll see how hyperautomation is getting ready to change everything for businesses—from the way they run to the way they compete and succeed in the market.

[ Want to learn more about how to succeed with hyperautomation? Get the report: Gartner® Emerging Technologies and Trends Impact Radar: Hyperautomation Report ]

5 experts explain hyperautomation, in their own words.

1. Challenging the status quo.

Juan Jimenez, a Lead Software Engineer at Appian, describes hyperautomation as a way to make organizations take a closer look at how they work. Jimenez says it's important to think about ways automation can be used in different parts of a company.  

"Hyperautomation drives an organization to look through an automation lens, inspecting every aspect of an operation, and challenging their day-to-day operations by asking what can, and should, be automated," says Jimenez. This way of thinking helps companies get more done.

But hyperautomation is about more than just getting tasks done, Jimenez says. It encourages companies to keep exploring and finding new and better ways to do their work. By thinking about automation opportunities, businesses can find ways to make lots of different parts of their work easier and faster. Jimenez believes that this mindset can help companies grow and improve in many areas, both big and small. 

"This philosophy brings enormous value to an organization because it enables them to challenge how things are done,” says Jimenez. “With an automation mindset, organizations discover novel ways to optimize and automate many areas, small and large, that would otherwise have been left unnoticed."

2. Conducting a symphony of automation.

Sam Merrill, a Product Strategy Manager at Appian, uses a musical analogy to explain hyperautomation. He likens hyperautomation to an orchestra, where a low-code process platform plays the role of a conductor. 

According to Merrill, "Hyperautomation, the future of low-code platforms, is akin to an orchestra. The low-code platform acts as a conductor, orchestrating a symphony of technologies, including AI, machine learning (ML), APIs, robotic process automation (RPA), and business process management (BPM)."

Merrill's viewpoint emphasizes how different technologies, like instruments in an orchestra, work together under the guidance of the low-code platform. These technologies, such as artificial intelligence (AI), ML, APIs, RPA, and BPM, collaborate like musicians playing their parts in harmony. This orchestration simplifies complex processes, helping businesses grow and transform. Just as an orchestra produces beautiful music, hyperautomation creates efficient and innovative solutions, leading organizations toward success in a rapidly evolving business landscape.

3. Unleashing human creative potential.

Alex Stark, a Senior Product Marketing Manager at Appian, brings a pragmatic and insightful perspective to the concept of hyperautomation. She emphasizes that hyperautomation is all about saving time for teams, allowing human workers to channel their energy into creative thinking and problem-solving. 

Stark's viewpoint highlights how hyperautomation goes beyond just automating tasks. Instead, it equips teams with valuable data and insights, empowering them to craft custom solutions for challenges that might have seemed opaque before. In her own words, "Hyperautomation saves teams time so that human workers can focus on what they do best—thinking creatively."

An important element of this is the synergy between creative problem-solving and the low-code design tools that are built into many hyperautomation platforms. This combination fuels teams to implement innovative solutions efficiently for rapid results. 

"Combining that creative problem solving with low-code design means these teams are implementing innovative fixes and seeing return in record time," says Stark. Her perspective resonates with the notion that hyperautomation isn't merely about streamlining processes; it's about unlocking the potential of human ingenuity to create tailored and impactful solutions that drive better business outcomes and customer experiences. In essence, Stark’s insights shed light on how hyperautomation empowers teams to thrive in a landscape where creative thinking and technological prowess intertwine to usher in transformative outcomes.

4. Equipping your business for the future.

Dan Kies, an Appian Account Executive, has a view of hyperautomation that is particularly applicable to the modern, fast-evolving workforce. Kies emphasizes how hyperautomation can be a critical bridge between a new generation of workers and technologies and the legacy systems that have been in place for years.

A hyperautomation approach doesn't necessitate extensive training on outdated systems, making it a strategic fit for businesses seeking change without upheaval. And by taking a hyperautomation approach, businesses cater to the needs and aspirations of a new generation, providing them with the advanced technologies and systems they expect to see in a modern workplace. 

Furthermore, Kies underscores that hyperautomation should be seen as a business strategy rather than just a technology approach. He encourages embracing hyperautomation to enable rapid product development and experimentation at a lower operational cost. "Hyperautomation is a business strategy. It allows your best resources, your people, to spend less time on repetitive tasks. Hyperautomation means you have easy ways of doing hard things that weren't possible before," says Kies. 

Kies' insights paint a picture of hyperautomation as a transformative, intelligent automation strategy that aligns with the needs of modern businesses, the workforce, and the broader culture. His perspective shows the power of hyperautomation to enable efficient processes, quick experimentation, and a thriving, forward-looking organization.

5. Taking a holistic approach to technology.

Finally, we’ll hear from Gartner, the organization that coined the term hyperautomation in the first place. Gartner defines hyperautomation as a strategically disciplined approach adopted by organizations to quickly assess, validate, and automate a wide spectrum of business and IT processes. 

According to Gartner, "Hyperautomation involves the orchestrated use of multiple technologies, tools or platforms, including: artificial intelligence (AI), machine learning, event-driven software architecture, robotic process automation (RPA), business process management (BPM) and intelligent business process management suites (iBPMS), integration platform as a service (iPaaS), low-code/no-code tools, packaged software, and other types of decision, process and task automation tools." 

Gartner's perspective positions hyperautomation as a catalyst for businesses to navigate change, optimize processes, and innovate, amplifying their capabilities in an ever-evolving digital landscape.

[ Ready to ditch your manual processes and kick off your intelligent process automation efforts? Find out what steps to take by reading the Process Automation Guide. ]

Join the hyperautomation revolution: your next move.

Across all our experts’ unique perspectives, a clear theme has emerged: hyperautomation is all about embracing change. As they talk about hyperautomation, they all describe a future where technology and creativity unite for unparalleled success.

Gartner's vision predicts a tech industry shift where hyperautomation takes center stage. Juan Jimenez and Sam Merrill teach us to see beyond tasks, to orchestrate technology like a symphony. Alex Stark underscores freeing human potential for innovation, while Dan Kies shows us how to bridge old systems to pave the way for modern possibilities.

Now, it's your turn. Start your hyperautomation journey to reshape your business. Unleash creativity, optimize processes, and lead change. Check out our guide to get started.