Six Levels of Autonomous Process Execution Management (APEM)

TL;DR

This paper defines six progressive levels of Autonomous Process Execution Management (APEM), drawing parallels with autonomous driving, to illustrate a gradual transition towards full automation in process management.

Contribution

It introduces a structured six-level framework for APEM, providing a clear roadmap for incremental advancement in autonomous process management.

Findings

Six levels of APEM defined, inspired by SAE levels for autonomous driving.

Transition between levels is gradual, facilitating incremental adoption.

Framework aims to guide future development and research in autonomous process management.

Abstract

Terms such as the Digital Twin of an Organization (DTO) and Hyperautomation (HA) illustrate the desire to autonomously manage and orchestrate processes, just like we aim for autonomously driving cars. Autonomous driving and Autonomous Process Execution Management (APEM) have in common that the goals are pretty straightforward and that each year progress is made, but fully autonomous driving and fully autonomous process execution are more a dream than a reality. For cars, the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) identified six levels (0-5), ranging from no driving automation (SAE, Level 0) to full driving automation (SAE, Level 5). This short article defines six levels of Autonomous Process Execution Management (APEM). The goal is to show that the transition from one level to the next will be gradual, just like for self-driving cars.