Most organisations have dozens of processes that still run on e-mail, paper forms and spreadsheets: purchase requests, invoice approvals, vendor onboarding, employee onboarding, change requests. Each one is small, but together they consume a large amount of time, create compliance risk and frustrate employees. Low-code workflow automation is one of the fastest ways to fix that.
Signs a process is ready for automation
- It is high volume and rule-based, with clear approval logic.
- It crosses departments, so hand-offs cause delays.
- People regularly ask “where is my request?“
- Auditors need evidence of who approved what, and when.
- Data is re-keyed from forms into ERP or HR systems.
Where the fast wins usually are
- Procurement: purchase requisitions, capex approvals and vendor onboarding.
- Finance: invoice approvals, expense claims and payment requests.
- HR: onboarding, offboarding, leave and travel requests.
- Operations and quality: deviations, change requests and customer complaints.
- IT: access requests and service requests.
How to measure ROI
Keep the business case simple and measurable. Track:
- Cycle time: how long a request takes from submission to completion, before and after.
- Effort: minutes of manual handling per request multiplied by volume.
- Errors and rework: rejected or incomplete requests.
- Compliance: approvals outside policy, missing evidence and audit findings.
- Experience: requester and approver satisfaction.
Governance matters
Low-code makes it easy to build, which is exactly why governance matters. Define who can build, set standards for naming, data and security, and review new apps before they go live. Platforms such as Kissflow let IT set these guardrails while business teams adapt processes within them.
Start small, scale fast
Pick two or three high-impact processes, deliver them in weeks, measure the results and use that success to build momentum. TBCLTech runs short process discovery workshops to identify and prioritise automation opportunities. Get in touch to find your fast wins.