Report highlights dangers of digital chaos in automation  

Camunda, a leader in process orchestration and automation, has released its 2025 State of Process Orchestration and Automation Report, which reveals that a significant majority of organisations are increasingly concerned about "digital chaos."

According to the report, 82% of organisations express fear of this chaos due to the growing complexity and interconnection of their automated processes. The average organisation currently manages approximately 50 endpoints for task execution within their business processes, representing a 19% increase over the past five years. This escalation introduces heightened business risks.

Kurt Petersen, senior vice president of customer success at Camunda, commented, “End-to-end process orchestration and automation are critical to delivering business outcomes. However, today’s digital infrastructures and processes are both complex and interdependent, making it a significant challenge.”

The report further indicates that the fear of losing control due to this complexity has resulted in increased compliance risks for 82% of the organisations surveyed, while 77% report an uptick in the likelihood of their core business processes failing. A notable 82% of participants warned that, if left unchecked, these risks could culminate in what they termed “Automation Armageddon.” Petersen elaborated that organisations often grapple with siloed tools and technologies, which impedes their ability to streamline operations or achieve comprehensive visibility across their processes.

In the realm of artificial intelligence (AI), organisations are actively journeying towards integrating AI capabilities—ranging from large language models to machine learning—to enhance their operations and customer experiences. However, many are currently using AI mainly as point solutions to address isolated tasks, rather than adopting it as part of a broader, strategic initiative. The report highlights that 85% of organisations encounter obstacles when attempting to scale and operationalise AI. Furthermore, 84% believe that a lack of transparency regarding AI applications in business processes is leading to regulatory compliance issues. An overwhelming 93% of respondents maintain that for AI to deliver true value, it must be fully integrated into orchestrated processes.

Many organisations have recognised the necessity of enhancing their automation management amidst increasingly diverse systems and processes. The report discovered that 82% of businesses are aware of the requirement for better tools to manage how their processes converge. Furthermore, while 79% report having implemented notable automation, they admit to lacking effective methods for controlling, managing, and sustaining these automation efforts. A significant 86% contend that hyperautomation is unattainable without robust process orchestration, and a similar 81% express that achieving an autonomous enterprise remains a distant goal without such orchestration.

Petersen added, “If organisations are to successfully operationalize AI across their entire business, AI applications and services must be orchestrated like any other endpoint within automated business processes. This will ensure they remain compliant and maximise the return on investment from their AI investments.” He emphasised that process orchestration is essential for managing complexity, connecting legacy systems, and coordinating various endpoints, underscoring its importance in realising the vision of hyperautomation and autonomous enterprises.

The insights in the report stem from a survey conducted by Coleman Parkes, which engaged 800 respondents across the UK, US, Germany, and France at organisations with more than 1,000 employees. The survey was carried out online between September 30 and October 28, 2024, with participants primarily responsible for or heavily involved in process automation within their organisations.

Camunda’s platform is designed to help organisations orchestrate and automate processes across people, systems, and devices, facilitating increased efficiency and operationalisation of AI. The company collaborates with over 700 clients, including notable names such as Atlassian, ING, and Vodafone, in the pursuit of digital transformation.