Business as Code vs. BPM: Which is Right For Your Workflows?

Business automation is a critical driver for efficiency and innovation. Traditionally, Business Process Management (BPM) systems have been the go-to solution for modeling and automating workflows. However, a new paradigm is emerging: Business-as-Code.

This blog post explores the differences between Business-as-Code and traditional BPM, helping you understand which approach might be the best fit for your organization's workflow needs.

Understanding Traditional BPM

Traditional BPM platforms often rely heavily on visual modeling tools for defining business processes. Think flowcharts, drag-and-drop interfaces, and graphical representations of tasks and decisions. These platforms are designed to be accessible to business analysts and less technical users, abstracting away the underlying implementation details.

Pros of Traditional BPM:

• Accessibility: Often requires less technical expertise to model basic processes.
• Visibility: Visual models can be easy to understand for stakeholders across the business.
• Governance: Many platforms offer features for process governance, compliance, and monitoring.

Cons of Traditional BPM:

• Complexity: Can struggle with highly dynamic or complex logic.
• Integration Challenges: Integrating with custom systems or complex APIs can be difficult.
• Version Control: Managing changes and versions can be cumbersome compared to code-based systems.
• Scalability: Scaling complex or high-volume processes can sometimes be challenging or costly.

Embracing Business-as-Code

Business-as-Code takes a different approach by treating business processes definitionally – as code. This means using programming languages to specify workflow logic, data transformations, and system interactions. Platforms like .do enable this by providing an environment where you define, execute, and deliver business logic as code.

What is Business-as-Code?

Business-as-Code means automating business processes by defining them programmatically. Instead of manual steps or complex low-code visuals, you write code that specifies the logic, data flow, and interactions, often using agentic workflows to handle complexity and decisions.

Consider this example from the .do platform:

interface Task {
    name: string;
    description: string;
    status: "open" | "in-progress" | "completed";
}

interface CreateTaskRequest {
    projectName: string;
    taskDetails: Task;
}

const createTask = async (projectName: string, task: Omit<Task, 'status'>): Promise<Task> => {
    const requestBody: CreateTaskRequest = {
        projectName,
        taskDetails: {...task, status: "open"}
    };
    const response = await fetch("/api/create-task", {
        method: "POST",
        headers: { "Content-Type": "application/json" },
        body: JSON.stringify(requestBody)
    });
    return response.json();
};

This TypeScript snippet defines an interface for a Task and a function createTask that interacts with an API to create a new task. This is a simple example of how business logic can be defined and executed using code within a Business-as-Code platform like .do.

How does .do help with Business-as-Code?

.do provides an AI-powered platform where you can define your business logic using code, build agentic workflows, and then deploy and manage these as scalable services. You can easily expose these workflows as simple APIs for integration.

Pros of Business-as-Code (especially with .do):

• Flexibility and Power: Code allows for highly complex and dynamic logic.
• Integration Capabilities: Seamlessly integrate with any API or system.
• Scalability: Leverages the power of cloud infrastructure for inherent scalability.
• Version Control: Utilizes standard software development practices (Git, etc.) for robust versioning.
• Testability: dễ dàng viết unit tests và integration tests cho quy trình nghiệp vụ.
• Reusability: Code components can be easily reused across multiple workflows.
• Agentic Workflows: .do enables the creation of agentic workflows, which combine traditional automation with AI-powered agents to make intelligent decisions and adapt to dynamic situations.

Cons of Business-as-Code:

• Technical Expertise: Requires development skills to define and manage workflows.
• Initial Learning Curve: Teams may need to adapt to a code-centric approach.

Business as Code vs. BPM: Which is Right For You?

The choice between Business-as-Code and BPM depends on your specific needs and organizational capabilities.

• Choose Traditional BPM if: Your primary focus is on visually modeling less complex, human-centric processes, and you have limited development resources available for automation.
• Choose Business-as-Code if: You require high flexibility, complex logic, deep system integrations, scalability, and want to leverage AI for autonomous decision-making within your workflows. You have development resources available and want to apply software engineering best practices to your business processes.

Platforms like .do highlight the power of Business-as-Code by offering a robust environment to define, execute, and deliver business logic as code and agentic workflows. This approach empowers your business to adapt rapidly and build sophisticated, scalable automation solutions.

Empower Your Business with Business-as-Code on .do

Business-as-Code brings the benefits of software development to the world of business process automation. By defining your business logic programmatically on a platform like .do, you unlock the power to transform your operations, build intelligent agentic workflows, and deliver business as code.

Explore the possibilities of Business-as-Code and see how defining, executing, and delivering business as code with the .do platform can empower your organization. Visit business-as-code.dev to learn more.

FAQs

• What is Business-as-Code? Business-as-Code means automating business processes by defining them programmatically. Instead of manual steps or complex low-code visuals, you write code that specifies the logic, data flow, and interactions, often using agentic workflows to handle complexity and decisions.
• How does .do help with Business-as-Code? .do provides an AI-powered platform where you can define your business logic using code, build agentic workflows, and then deploy and manage these as scalable services. You can easily expose these workflows as simple APIs for integration.
• What are the benefits of adopting Business-as-Code? By treating business processes as code, you gain benefits like version control, testability, scalability, reusability, and the ability to rapidly adapt to changing business needs. It brings software development best practices to business operations.
• What are agentic workflows? Agentic workflows on .do combine traditional automation with AI-powered agents that can make decisions, interact with various systems, and adapt to dynamic situations within the defined business process.
• How do I define and execute my business logic on .do? You define your business logic and agentic workflows within the .do platform using code (e.g., TypeScript). .do handles the execution environment, scaling, and provides tools to expose your workflows as APIs.