Hyperautomation: The Complete 2024 Guide

Hyperautomation has topped Gartner’s list of strategic technology trends for several years now, and for good reason. As adoption of automation and AI skyrockets, the tools and technologies are evolving, ushering in a new era of automation that promises to optimize business processes and improve user experiences like never before.

But what exactly is hyperautomation, and why should businesses pay attention? Learn all about that in this guide.

Skip to:

• What is hyperautomation?
• Why hyperautomation?
• Hyperautomation vs. automation: What's the difference?
• How will hyperautomation impact jobs and businesses?
• How can you get started with hyperautomation?
• Conclusion

What is hyperautomation?

Hyperautomation is about taking automation to the next level. According to Gartner, it’s “the combination of multiple machine learning, packaged software, and automation tools to deliver work.” 

In simpler terms, hyperautomation blends various advanced technologies like AI and machine learning with automation tools to automate and enhance processes beyond what was previously possible. It’s the idea of automating what can be automated.

Imagine a world where almost any repetitive task can be automated. Hyperautomation isn’t just about automating single tasks; it’s about creating a system where multiple processes across your organization can be automated and optimized. This involves several stages: discovering, analyzing, designing, automating, measuring, monitoring, and reassessing. It's a comprehensive approach that ensures continuous improvement.

Here's Gartner’s definition: Hyperautomation is a business-driven, disciplined approach that organizations use to rapidly identify, vet and automate as many business and IT processes as possible. 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.

In a sense, hyperautomation is an expansion of automation in both breadth and depth. Gartner explain it as going from thinking of automation as ‘simply’ RPA and task automation to thinking of automation as highly sophisticated, AI-based process automation to the level that organizations are building ‘digital twins’.

So, what does this mean for your business? By integrating hyperautomation, you can automate not just routine tasks but also complex processes in for example customer service, finance and accounting, supply chain management and data management.

This means faster operations, fewer errors, and more efficiency. Plus, it allows your team to focus on higher-value tasks, driving innovation and growth.

In essence, hyperautomation is the next big step in automation, combining AI, machine learning, and robotic process automation (RPA) to revolutionize how businesses operate. Ready to dive deeper? 

Next, let’s take a closer look at the benefits of hyperautomation.

Why hyperautomation?

Implementing hyperautomation in a business can lead to numerous benefits, both for the organization and its employees. Here are some advantages:

Benefits of hyperautomation

• Streamlined business processes and cost reduction: Hyperautomation increases efficiency by automating repetitive and manual tasks, leading to faster and more consistent processes. This not only boosts productivity but also reduces labor costs and minimizes errors, lowering overall operational expenses. For example, a company might use robotic process automation (RPA) for data entry, significantly cutting costs and improving accuracy. The San Diego State Court system used RPA to automate the data entry updates into their SAP financial system, and as a result, saw an optimisation in staffing resources. Read The San Diego State Court System’s success story here.
• Improved customer experience and employee satisfaction: Automated processes ensure high accuracy and consistency, enhancing the customer experience with reliable and prompt service. At the same time, employees can focus on more meaningful tasks, leading to higher job satisfaction and engagement. For instance, automated customer service chatbots can provide instant responses to queries, improving customer satisfaction and freeing up employees for strategic work. In US retailer Mattress Firm’s case, they used automation to reduce customer check out time by 20%, leading to increased customer satisfaction as well as internal employee satisfaction. Learn about Mattress Firm’s success story here.
• Digital transformation and scalability: Hyperautomation helps align business processes with technology investments, facilitating a smoother digital transformation. It also enables businesses to scale operations and adapt to changing market conditions by quickly adjusting automated processes. By eliminating low-value, manual work and providing insights and data at speed, hyperautomation helps businesses make informed decisions quickly and helps them adapt to changes in the market. For example, Saint Gobain were able to speed up time to market thanks to automated testing. Watch Saint Gobain’s success story here.
• Enhanced decision-making: Hyperautomation leverages AI and machine learning to analyze vast amounts of data, extracting valuable insights for more effective and informed decision-making. This allows businesses to make data-driven decisions, optimizing performance and strategy.

Challenges of hyperautomation

While hyperautomation offers numerous benefits, it also comes with its set of challenges:

• Data quality and technical skills: Poor-quality data and a lack of technical skills can hinder automation efforts. Investing in data management, cleansing, and upskilling employees is crucial. Implementing data governance policies can ensure high-quality data. Investing in no-code automation solutions so that dependencies on developers are reduced where possible can bridge skill gaps and save costly resources that are better spent elsewhere.
• Product selection and integration: The growing number of automation tools and platforms can make it challenging to choose the right solutions and integrate them seamlessly. Conducting thorough market research and consulting with experts and IT partners can help businesses select and orchestrate the most suitable tools for their needs.

By understanding and addressing these challenges, businesses can fully leverage the benefits of hyperautomation, driving efficiency, innovation, and growth.

Hyperautomation vs. automation: What’s the difference?

While both automation and hyperautomation aim to enhance efficiency and reduce manual effort, they differ significantly in scope and sophistication.

Automation typically focuses on automating individual tasks using tools like RPA. It addresses specific, repetitive tasks without manual intervention.

Hyperautomation, on the other hand, involves using multiple advanced technologies such as AI, machine learning, and RPA to create intelligent, end-to-end automation solutions. It is about scaling automation initiatives and integrating various automation tools to handle complex processes comprehensively.

That said, as AI continues to evolve, particularly with the widespread adoption of generative AI tools like ChatGPT and Copilot, the line between automation and hyperautomation is becoming increasingly blurred. 

These advanced AI tools are being integrated into automation systems, enhancing their capabilities and expanding what can be automated. As a result, we are moving towards a state where very few businesses operate with 'automation only'; most are incorporating AI and machine learning into their technologies and systems. Gartner's prediction that hyperautomation would become an unavoidable market state is proving true. 

Perhaps, it's more useful to think of hyperautomation as a continuum rather than a binary state. Businesses gradually progress along this scale, integrating more sophisticated AI tools over time, rather than fitting neatly into categories of either automation or hyperautomation.

However, for the sake of clarity, let’s compare the two terms on 5 key parameters:

How will hyperautomation impact jobs and businesses?

As hyperautomation continues to gain traction, it's natural to wonder how this trend will affect jobs and businesses. Understanding the potential return on investment in hyperautomation technology today is crucial for navigating this shift effectively.

First and foremost, it’s essential to recognize that the primary goal of automation is to augment human capabilities, not replace them. Hyperautomation should be viewed as a tool that empowers employees rather than a threat to their jobs. As Manjunath Bhat, Research Director at Gartner, aptly put it, “Robots aren’t here to take away our jobs, they’re here to give us a promotion.” This perspective highlights how hyperautomation can elevate the roles of employees, allowing them to focus on more strategic and creative tasks.

For businesses, hyperautomation represents not just an opportunity but an inevitable change. According to Gartner, organizations must "rapidly identify and automate all possible business processes" to stay competitive. This proactive approach can lead to significant benefits, including increased efficiency, cost savings, and enhanced decision-making capabilities.

Key impact on jobs

• Job transformation: Rather than eliminating jobs, hyperautomation transforms them. Employees can move from performing repetitive tasks to engaging in more meaningful work that requires human judgment and creativity.
• Skill enhancement: The integration of AI and machine learning into business processes necessitates new skills. Companies will need to invest in upskilling their workforce to manage and optimize these advanced technologies.

Key impact on businesses

• Efficiency and productivity: Hyperautomation enables businesses to automate a wide range of processes, leading to faster and more efficient operations. For example, according to McKinsey’s The Future of Work report on Reskilling and the Digital Transformation from 2020, automation can improve productivity in financial services by up to 30%. Today, with the advancement of technology, that number is probably even higher.
• Cost savings: By reducing the need for manual intervention and minimizing errors, hyperautomation can significantly cut operational costs. A global RPA Deloitte survey from 2020 found that 53% of organizations have already started their RPA journey, with most seeing a payback within less than 12 months.
• Enhanced decision-making: With AI and machine learning analyzing vast amounts of data, businesses can gain deeper insights and make more informed decisions. This data-driven approach can drive strategic initiatives and improve overall performance.

How can you get started with hyperautomation?

Hyperautomation, by its very nature, involves a blend of various technologies, making it crucial for businesses to select the right tools. As Gartner puts it, “Hyperautomation requires the selection of the right tools and technologies for the challenge at hand.” Therefore, ensuring that these tools can seamlessly communicate with each other, known as interoperability, is more important than ever.

When choosing a new tool or platform, prioritize ease of use, scalability, and cross-platform compatibility. A system that is difficult to use and scale will lead to a high Total Cost of Ownership (TCO) and a low Return on Investment (ROI). Moreover, tools that do not integrate well with your organization’s existing systems can incur additional costs and reduce efficiency.

Equally important is selecting a tool that aligns well with your team’s capabilities. Today’s teams are composed of individuals with diverse skills and backgrounds, so it’s essential to find a tool that is user-friendly and facilitates collaboration. Many automation platforms require users to write and read code, which can be a significant barrier. Choosing a tool that eliminates this need can give businesses a substantial advantage in the automation race.

This careful selection process is what Gartner refers to as “architecting for hyperautomation.” It means that organizations must have the ability to reconfigure operations and supporting processes in response to evolving needs and competitive threats. Achieving a hyperautomated future state requires hyperagile working practices and tools.

With a structured approach, businesses can successfully integrate advanced automation technologies and reap substantial benefits. Here are the steps to get started:

1. Assess your current processes

• Identify candidates for automation: Begin by evaluating your current business processes to identify repetitive, time-consuming tasks that can benefit from automation. Look for areas with high manual effort, frequent errors, or significant delays.
• Process mapping: Document these processes in detail. Creating a visual map can help understand the flow and pinpoint specific steps that can be automated.

2. Set clear objectives

• Define goals: Clearly outline what you aim to achieve with hyperautomation. These goals could include reducing operational costs, increasing productivity, enhancing customer satisfaction, or improving decision-making.
• Establish metrics: Set measurable KPIs to track the success of your hyperautomation efforts. Metrics might include process completion time, error rates, cost savings, and employee productivity. Make sure you measure from the start, as you will need these metrics later on to prove the ROI of your investments.

3. Select the right tools and technologies

• Research and evaluate: Conduct thorough research to find tools and platforms that meet your specific needs. Prioritize those that are easy to use, scalable, and offer robust interoperability with your existing systems.
• Focus on user-friendliness: Choose tools that your team can easily adopt. Platforms with no-code capabilities can help non-technical users contribute to automation initiatives.

4. Pilot and iterate

• Start small: Begin with a pilot project to test your chosen tools and technologies on a small scale. This allows you to gauge their effectiveness and make adjustments before broader implementation.
• Iterate and improve: Use feedback from the pilot to refine your approach. Continuously monitor the results and make necessary tweaks to optimize the automation process.

5. Invest in training and change management

• Upskill your workforce: Provide training programs to help your employees understand and utilize new automation tools effectively. Investing in their development ensures a smoother transition and maximizes the benefits of hyperautomation.
• Communicate benefits: Clearly communicate the advantages of hyperautomation to your team. Emphasize how it will augment their capabilities, reduce mundane tasks, and allow them to focus on more meaningful work.

6. Scale and integrate

• Expand gradually: Once your pilot project is successful, gradually scale your automation efforts to other areas of the business. Ensure that each new implementation is well-integrated with existing systems and processes.
• Continuous improvement: Hyperautomation is an ongoing process. Regularly assess and update your automation strategies to adapt to changing business needs and technological advancements.

7. Monitor and optimize

• Regular reviews: Conduct regular reviews of your hyperautomation initiatives to ensure they are meeting your objectives and delivering the expected ROI.
• Leverage analytics: Use data analytics to gain insights into the performance of automated processes and identify opportunities for further optimization.

Conclusion

Hyperautomation has been a leading trend in Gartner’s strategic technology lists for several years, thanks to its potential to revolutionize business processes and enhance user experiences. As automation and AI tools advance, hyperautomation blends these technologies to automate complex processes, providing faster operations, fewer errors, and greater efficiency.

In this guide, we explored hyperautomation’s definition, its benefits, and how it differs from traditional automation. Hyperautomation goes beyond routine task automation by integrating AI and machine learning, enabling comprehensive automation of business processes.

The benefits include streamlined processes, cost reduction, improved customer experiences, and enhanced employee satisfaction. Hyperautomation also facilitates digital transformation and scalability, allowing businesses to quickly adapt to changing market conditions.

However, challenges such as data quality, tool selection, and workforce upskilling must be addressed. By taking a structured approach—assessing current processes, setting clear objectives, selecting the right tools, starting small, and scaling up—businesses can successfully integrate hyperautomation.

As AI tools like ChatGPT and Copilot become more integrated, the line between automation and hyperautomation will blur. Businesses will gradually adopt more sophisticated AI tools, moving towards a hyperautomated state.

By embracing hyperautomation strategically, businesses can drive innovation and efficiency, positioning themselves for success in the evolving digital landscape.