Implementing BOAT with Flokzu & Cogent: A layered architecture for end-to-end process automation

This article delves into implementing the BOAT (Business Orchestration and Automation Technologies) architecture using Flokzu and Cogent to create efficient, scalable, and adaptive process automation solutions. The approach is structured into three key layers: human-interaction processes managed in Flokzu’s no-code platform, repetitive tasks automated with Cogent’s Robotic Process Automation (RPA), and an integration layer connecting external systems like ERPs, CRMs, and databases. Together, they demonstrate how BOAT empowers organizations to streamline workflows, reduce manual efforts, and enhance collaboration across teams.

Aimed at digital transformation leaders, BPM specialists, and automation professionals, this article explores the unique benefits of each layer, showcasing how their integration drives operational efficiency, scalability, and comprehensive orchestration. By aligning these technologies, businesses can effectively advance their digital transformation strategies.

Introduction

Business process automation (BPA), as a crucial component of business process management (BPM), is a cornerstone of digital transformation. It enables organizations to enhance operational efficiency, agility, and scalability. The BOAT (Business Orchestration and Automation Technologies) architecture provides a clear and structured framework for achieving cohesive process automation. By organizing business processes into three layers—Human Interaction Process Layer, RPA Automation Layer, and System Integration Layer—BOAT simplifies the orchestration of activities and optimizes resource management.

This article explores the practical implementation of BOAT using Flokzu as the primary tool for process orchestration, amplified by Cogent‘s RPA capabilities and advanced integration technologies. Organizations can manage, optimize, and scale their processes effectively by structuring automation in three specialized layers, paving the way for streamlined operations and sustained growth.

Objectives

This article has two main objectives:

1. Describe the BOAT architecture and its value in structuring scalable and efficient automation solutions, highlighting the distinct roles of its three layers. 
2. Present a concrete example integrating Flokzu, Cogent’s RPA, and other systems, illustrating how the BOAT architecture improves operational efficiency and interaction between different tools.

Public

This article is intended for digital transformation leaders, BPM professionals, automation specialists and developers looking to dive deeper into architectural solutions for process orchestration and automation. It is also helpful for any professional interested in implementing BOAT in their organization, as it allows them to visualize a modular architecture and how different technologies can work in synergy to optimize processes.

Layer 1: Processes with Human Interaction

The Human Interaction Process Layer forms the foundation of the BOAT architecture by managing processes that require active participation from people at different stages. With Flokzu at its core, this layer empowers organizations to automate human-centric tasks such as approvals, form submissions, document handling, and customer service workflows.

Flokzu’s no-code platform offers an intuitive, visual environment where business users—often referred to as “citizen developers”—can design, automate, and manage workflows without writing a single line of code. This eliminates the dependency on IT teams, accelerating deployment and fostering agility in process improvement.

By enabling non-technical users to create and modify workflows independently, this layer promotes efficiency and collaboration, allowing organizations to respond swiftly to ever-evolving business needs. It serves as the starting point for digital transformation by simplifying the orchestration of human-driven processes and setting the stage for further automation layers.

Key features of the human interaction process layer

1. Fast, Codeless Deployment: Flokzu enables rapid process design and implementation through visual modeling, eliminating the need for coding. This accelerates digital transformation and allows business users to adapt workflows to evolving needs quickly.
2. User-Friendly Interface: Intuitive design makes it accessible to all users, enabling the creation of tailored forms, business rules, and workflows with minimal training.
3. Empowered Citizen Developers: No-code features give non-technical users full autonomy to create, update, and manage workflows, ensuring agility without relying on IT teams.
4. Seamless Maintenance: Business users can easily update processes, forms, and rules, ensuring workflows remain aligned with changing objectives while minimizing delays and costs.

Example: customer requests reception process 

For example, let’s consider a process of receiving customer requests for products or services, which must be quoted and, if the customer accepts, invoiced. While this is a simplified administrative process, it effectively highlights the main elements:

• Tasks (performed by humans or automated) as part of a diagram modeled in standard BPMN notation.
• The roles of users who complete those tasks are according to the instructions and documentation provided during the process.
• Set of previously established procedural rules.

The following illustration presents this process modeled using the BPMN standard notation, which, as you’ll  see, is very easy to understand. The process includes several stages performed by humans (depicted as blue tasks), bifurcations (gateways represented as diamonds, and automated tasks (such as emails, shown in orange, to notify the customer of a request rejection).

Users interact with Flokzu through a form containing fields to enter relevant information specific to this process. The following illustration shows a simplified form, created without programming (thanks to its no-code capabilities). It includes different types of data (including attachments) and serves as an example of these concepts: 

Key takeaways for Layer 1

• Flokzu’s no-code platform empowers business users to automate processes without IT resources, boosting speed, flexibility, and autonomy.
• Human-centric tasks, like approvals and document handling, are easily managed in this layer.
• Promotes innovation from all levels of the organization, allowing improvements to materialize.
• Seamless integration with subsequent layers enhances workflow efficiency.

Layer 2: Robot Automation (RPA)

The RPA Automation Layer focuses on automating repetitive, rule-based tasks, significantly reducing manual effort and enhancing efficiency. By leveraging Cogent’s RPA technology — a Hyperclear Group company — organizations can streamline tasks like data entry, email parsing, document processing, and system updates.

In this layer, RPA Digital Workers can operate independently or integrate seamlessly with Flokzu workflows. For instance, when a user submits a purchase order in Flokzu, an RPA Digital Worker can extract the data, update a financial system, and even generate and send an invoice automatically.

Additionally, RPA is invaluable for integrating with legacy systems that lack modern interfaces, such as APIs. By mimicking user interaction, digital workers facilitate data exchange, allowing older systems to seamlessly participate in automated workflows. This layer exemplifies how automation technologies can optimize processes and drive business scalability.

This layer of automation and integration allows organizations to focus on strategic tasks while maintaining operational efficiency in routine tasks.

Key features of the RPA automation layer

1. Automating Repetitive Tasks: Cogent’s RPA Digital Workers handle routine tasks like data entry, transaction processing, and document handling, reducing errors and boosting speed.
2. Continuous Operation: Digital workers work 24/7 without breaks, ensuring faster task completion and uninterrupted process productivity.
3. Integration with Complex Processes: Digital workers seamlessly collaborate with Flokzu’s no-code workflows, combining automation with human interaction for sophisticated processes.
4. Focusing on Strategy: By automating repetitive tasks, employees can shift their focus to more strategic activities, boosting both efficiency and employee morale.

Example: automatic start of the customer request reception process

Continuing with the example presented above, let’s imagine now that the customer has different channels through which he can request products or services:

• He can do it by mail, in plain text, or in different email inboxes. A digital worker can monitor those email inboxes, extract the emails, validate that they are a request for quotation, extract the critical data, and invoke the Flokzu API to start the process. It will pass in the API parameters the relevant values that allow the form to be completed in Flokzu (Date, name of the customer making the request, description of the request, etc.).
• However, the client can also make the request through other systems, which store their data in a database. These systems may not support the invocation of web services via the Flokzu API, so the digital worker can connect to those systems via its user interface, extract the data, and send it to Flokzu. It can also directly access the database of that external system, detect that new tuples have been created, fetch the data, and send it to Flokzu.
• Even in more basic configurations, a communication mechanism is based on text files left in a shared file system. The digital worker can monitor those shared folders, extract information from the text files left there, and start a process in Flokzu to send the relevant data.

The following image illustrates all these examples of starting the process from different sources. A Cogent’s RPA digital worker will monitor those sources, extract the relevant information, and trigger a process instance in Flokzu. After that, the process runs as usual in Flokzu. 

The concepts exemplified at the beginning of the process are equally applicable in the middle or at the end of the process to exchange information between Flokzu and other tools through a RPA digital worker.

Another useful example: extracting invoice data

An RPA Digital Worker monitors incoming invoices, automatically extracting key data such as vendor name, invoice amount, and date. It then inputs this data into an accounting system and updates the corresponding Flokzu process instance with the processed details. This automation reduces human error and speeds up the entire payment process.

Key takeaways for Layer 2

• Digital workers perform repetitive tasks quickly and without fatigue, significantly reducing processing times and costs.
• Rule-based automation ensures consistent task execution, eliminating deviations and improving quality.
• Digital workers integrate with diverse data sources, from legacy systems to mailboxes, enhancing connectivity with Flokzu or other systems.
• Easily adjust digital workers workloads to meet demand, scaling operations up or down as needed.
• Frees human resources for strategic, high-impact activities by offloading routine tasks.

Layer 3: Integration with other systems

The System Integration Layer is the third and final layer in the BOAT architecture, enabling seamless connectivity between Flokzu and key enterprise systems such as ERPs, CRMs, databases, and third-party applications. This layer ensures efficient orchestration across systems, allowing business processes to leverage real-time data for more informed decision-making. For example, when a customer service agent tracks an order in Flokzu, the system can pull the latest updates from the ERP or CRM. Additionally, Flokzu can trigger updates in other systems, such as marking a sales order as fulfilled in the ERP ensuring data and processes are synchronized across the organization.

Key features in the integration layer

1. Connecting via APIs and Webhooks: Flokzu integrates with external systems through REST APIs and Webhooks, enabling real-time, secure data flow between applications and allowing processes to respond instantly to changes.
   
2. Integration with ERPs, CRMs, and Databases: This layer connects Flokzu and Cogent’s RPA digital workers to ERPs, CRMs, and internal databases, ensuring seamless data access, updates, and avoiding inconsistencies.
   
3. Custom Connections and Advanced Techniques: For more complex integrations, this layer supports custom connections, such as direct queries to legacy systems or consuming advanced APIs, providing full flexibility for unique IT environments.
   
4. Data and Process Synchronization: Flokzu orchestrates tasks across systems, ensuring that processes, such as pulling data from a CRM and sending it to an ERP, are synchronized and aligned across all systems.

Example: sales data dump to ERP 

Continuing with the example, let’s imagine that we wish to invoice the customer directly in the corporate ERP at the end of the process. The following illustration shows this automation, replacing the human task of invoicing with one that automatically creates the invoice directly in the ERP system. 

Depending on the ERP’s capabilities and features, this integration can be highly complex. If the ERP provides an API, the integration could be direct, leveraging  Flokzu’s service-oriented architecture. Through the ERP’s exposed API, Flokzu could send all the information relevant to the invoice and wait for confirmation that it was correctly invoiced. 

However, if the ERP lacks a public API and can only be accessed via its user interface, a Cogent RPA digital worker would need to simulate a human interaction. The digital worker would nagivate through the screens, forms, and fields and press the buttons to issue the invoice. In this case, Flokzu would “trigger” the digital worker, send it all the information, and wait for the digital worker to confirm that the invoice was issued. 

Key takeaways for Layer 3

1. Optimized Information Management: The integration layer avoids data silos, ensuring a global view and real-time access across multiple systems, enhancing transparency and operational efficiency.
2. Maximized ROI: By connecting Flokzu and Cogent’s RPA digital worker with key enterprise systems, organizations can fully leverage existing investments, improving return on investment.
3. Scalability and Adaptability: As the business grows, this layer supports incorporating new tools into workflows without disrupting existing processes, allowing automation to evolve with changing needs.
4. Centralized Orchestration: The integration layer unifies IT systems and drives intelligent, efficient orchestration across people, digital workers, and systems, completing the BOAT architecture.
5. Streamlined Data Exchange: This layer ensures seamless data transfer between systems, reducing the need for manual updates.
6. Reduced Errors: Automation of data updates minimizes manual effort and error rates.
7. Improved Business Insights: Real-time data flows enable more informed decision-making and enhanced business insights.

Case Study: Real-World Application of BOAT with Flokzu in HR Onboarding

A global tech company implemented the BOAT (Business Orchestration and Automation Technologies) architecture using Flokzu to streamline and automate their HR employee onboarding process. By combining Flokzu with Cogent’s Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and integrating it with their HRIS (Human Resource Information System), the company could accelerate new employee onboarding, reduce manual tasks, and ensure a consistent and error-free process.

Workflow

The company’s onboarding process involved several manual steps, such as creating employee profiles, filling out forms, scheduling orientations, and provisioning access to internal systems. This process also required input and approval from departments like HR, IT, and Payroll. Traditionally, each step took several days, often resulting in delays, missed steps, or incorrect information being recorded.

With the BOAT architecture, these tasks were split into three layers:

1. Layer 1: Human Interaction Processes (Flokzu)
   In the first layer, Flokzu was used to handle tasks that required human interaction. This included HR managers reviewing and approving new hire documents and inputting initial employee data into the system. Using Flokzu’s no-code platform, HR personnel could create forms and workflows to gather employee details, approve documents, and ensure compliance. Tasks like sending welcome emails and scheduling orientation meetings were also managed directly through Flokzu, ensuring that all steps were tracked and completed on time.

Example: The HR representative uses a Flokzu form to collect the new employee’s personal information, review legal documents (such as NDAs), and approve the employee’s first-day schedule. Notifications and task assignments are automatically triggered to the relevant department manager(e.g., IT for equipment provisioning, Payroll for salary setup).

2. Layer 2: Robot Automation (RPA)
   The second layer focused on automating repetitive tasks using RPA digital workers from Cogent. For example, once the HR representative entered the new hire’s details into Flokzu, the digital worker automatically generated login credentials for the new employee, added them to the company’s email system, and created an employee profile in the HRIS system. The digital worker also automated provisioning company equipment, updating internal access permissions, and syncing the data across different HR and IT systems.

Example: The RPA digital worker automatically generates an employee’s company email address, updates their profile in the HRIS, and notifies the IT department to prepare the necessary equipment (laptop, access cards, etc.). The bot also checks the company’s database to ensure all legal paperwork, like tax forms, is complete and up to date.

3. Layer 3: Integration with Other Systems
   The final layer involved integrating the company’s HRIS, Payroll, and IT systems. Through APIs and Webhooks, Flokzu and RPA digital workers were seamlessly connected to various systems to synchronize data, ensuring no manual entry was required and no information was missed. For example, when an employee’s details were approved in Flokzu, the system automatically updated the HRIS database and sent the relevant data to the payroll system for salary processing. This integration eliminated the need for HR staff to re-enter information into multiple systems, reducing the risk of human error.

Example: Once the new employee’s profile is complete, Flokzu pushes the employee data to the HRIS system for record-keeping and payroll. Simultaneously, the RPA digital workers sends the necessary access information to IT for system setups, while Flokzu triggers the completion of the onboarding process checklist.

Results

By implementing the BOAT architecture with Flokzu, the company achieved the following benefits:

• Reduced Onboarding Time: The time taken to onboard a new employee was reduced by 40%, from taking several days to just a few hours. Automating data entry, approval workflows, and task assignments achieved this.
• Error Reduction: Human error was reduced significantly with digital workers handling repetitive tasks and Flokzu managing workflows. This ensured that all necessary steps in the onboarding process were completed accurately and on time.
• Improved Employee Experience: New hires could access their systems, equipment, and company resources much faster, leading to a more positive onboarding experience.
• Increased Operational Efficiency: The HR team focused more on strategic tasks, such as employee engagement and training, rather than administrative work.

The integration of Flokzu, RPA, and existing systems helped the company to create an automated and scalable onboarding process that delivered faster, more efficient, and more consistent results for their growing workforce.

Conclusions

In conclusion, the BOAT architecture implemented with Flokzu and Cogent’s RPA capabilities provides organizations with a scalable, modular, and highly efficient solution for process automation. Businesses can streamline workflows, reduce operational costs, and enhance overall performance by integrating the three key layers—Human Interaction, RPA Automation, and System Integration. The flexibility of this architecture allows it to evolve with the business, seamlessly scaling to accommodate new systems and processes, making it a future-proof solution for digital transformation.

The BOAT architecture optimizes the synergy between human-centric workflows, robotic automation, and third-party system integrations. This layered approach maximizes the value of each component, offering a comprehensive and adaptive solution for businesses looking to automate processes and accelerate digital transformation. By automating repetitive tasks, enhancing collaboration, and synchronizing systems, organizations can achieve greater efficiency, reduce bottlenecks, and free up resources for higher-value activities.The BOAT architecture is flexible enough to adapt to different realities, whether communicating directly through APIs or using the digital worker layer as an intermediary. 

Adopting BOAT with Flokzu empowers businesses to not only improve operational efficiency but also foster innovation by allowing teams to manage workflows independently, automate routine tasks, and maintain seamless integration across systems. This end-to-end automation approach is a catalyst for driving digital transformation, ensuring that organizations remain agile and competitive in a rapidly evolving landscape.