RPA vs. BPA vs. DPA: Choosing the Best Approach for Your Business

Process automation plays a crucial role in driving digital transformation for businesses across industries. As of 2024, the global process automation market has surged to 202.54 billion, with key technologies like Digital Process Automation (DPA), Business Process Automation (BPA), and Robotic Process Automation (RPA) leading the way. Each of these solutions brings unique benefits to the table, helping enterprises optimize their operations.

However, understanding the distinctions between digital process automation versus business process automation versus robotic process automation can be tricky, especially when determining which is best suited to your business objectives. In this article, we’ll break down these automation solutions, examine real-world examples, and help you determine the right fit for your organization. 

Infographic showing the difference between RPA, BPA and DPA

What is Digital Process Automation (DPA)?

Digital Process Automation (DPA) refers to the use of technology to automate complex business workflows. It aims to streamline entire processes rather than just individual tasks, utilizing digital tools for repetitive tasks and incorporating AI, machine learning, and analytics for decision-making and more complex processes.

Key Features and Examples  of DPA

• End-to-end automation

DPA manages entire processes, from data collection to approvals and reporting.

Example: A financial services company can use DPA to automate end-to-end processes such as:

• Expense management: Automating expense claims, approvals, and reimbursements.
• Policy management: Streamlining the creation, review, and approval of internal policies.
• Customer onboarding: Automating document collection, verification, and account setup.
• Travel management: Handling travel requests, approvals, and expense tracking.

By automating these processes, the company ensures compliance with regulations like the Digital Operational Resilience Act (DORA) while improving efficiency and reducing errors.

• No-code workflow automation

DPA platforms often include no-code interfaces, allowing non-technical users to build and modify workflows without IT support.

Example: In healthcare, providers can use a no-code DPA platform to design a Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPPA)-compliant patient onboarding workflow. Administrative staff can:

• Create and modify digital admission and discharge forms
• Automate approvals for patient records
• Streamline data collection and storage

This eliminates the need for IT involvement, speeds up onboarding, and ensures compliance with healthcare regulations.

• Real-time collaboration

DPA enables teams to work together seamlessly with shared data and insights, reducing delays and improving decision-making.

Example: In a manufacturing company, the finance, procurement, and operations teams can use DPA to collaborate on invoice processing. Here’s how it works:

• Teams review, edit, and approve invoices within a single digital workspace
• Real-time collaboration features like integrated chat and document editing reduce approval times
• Automated notifications ensure no invoice gets stuck in the approval queue

What is Business Process Automation (BPA)?

Business Process Automation is all about automating specific tasks within a business process. It’s designed to reduce manual effort, minimize errors, and improve task efficiency.

Unlike DPA, which focuses on the digital transformation of entire systems and workflows, BPA is more procedure-specific, automating distinct, well-defined tasks within corporate operations.

Key features and examples of BPA

• Task-specific automation

Focuses on individual tasks like data entry or invoice processing. For example, a hospital can use BPA to automate patient appointment scheduling or staff rotations.

• Rule-based systems

BPA follows predefined rules to execute tasks consistently.  In financial services, BPA can streamline loan approvals by automatically assessing credit scores, verifying documentation, and determining loan eligibility based on set criteria—reducing processing time and human errors.

• Integration with existing tools

BPA integrates with existing tools and systems within an organization to streamline operations. By working with current platforms like CRM, ERP, or project management systems, BPA eliminates manual tasks, ensuring smooth communication between different departments and reducing data silos

BPA is perfect for businesses that need to automate repetitive, rule-based tasks but don’t require end-to-end process optimization.

What is Robotic Process Automation (RPA)?

Robotic Process Automation uses software robots (or “bots”) to automate repetitive, rule-based tasks typically performed by humans. It’s designed to handle high-volume, repetitive tasks with precision and speed.

Key features of RPA

• UI-level automation: Mimics human actions to interact with systems and applications
• High-volume task handling: Excels at tasks like data extraction, form filling, and report generation
• Structured data expertise: Works best with structured inputs and predefined rules

RPA is ideal for businesses that need to automate repetitive tasks but don’t require complex process management or collaboration features.

Learn more about the key differences in the Forrester Report "RPA, DPA, BPM, and DCM Platforms: The Differences You Need To Know".

DPA vs. BPA vs. RPA: The Key Differences

Here’s a quick comparison of DPA vs BPA vs RPA to help you understand the differences between these approaches:

To sum up, everything you should know about DPA vs BPA vs RPA, you should remember these 3 simple rules.

1. DPA is best for businesses looking to optimize end-to-end processes and improve collaboration

2. BPA is ideal for automating specific tasks within a process

3. RPA is suited for repetitive, rule-based tasks that don’t require human judgment 

DPA vs BPA vs RPA: The Major Use Cases and Examples

To make the right choice between DPA vs BPA vs RPA, it’s best to understand how these technologies work in real-world scenarios. Here are a few practical use cases for each.

DPA use cases

DPA is perfect for automating complex, end-to-end workflows. Here are three key use cases:

Loan and credit approvals

Automating loan and credit approvals can significantly reduce processing time and errors. DPA streamlines the entire process, from application submission to credit checks and final approval, while ensuring compliance with financial regulations.

Approval processes

Multi-level approvals for documents, budgets, or project plans can be time-consuming and prone to delays. DPA tracks progress in real-time, sends automated reminders to stakeholders, and ensures approvals are completed efficiently.

Find out how fast and intuitive it can be to build an insurance claims approval process with FlowForma Copilot in this interactive demo.

BPA use cases

BPA excels at automating specific business processes. 

Invoice Processing

Automating invoice processing can save businesses hours of manual work. For instance, Grant Thornton, a global financial services firm, automated multiple processes that originally left a huge paper trail. Automation allowed them to experience 60% process time improvement and mitigated major process risks for the company. 

How Grant Thornton Achieved a 60% Process Time Improvement with FlowForma

Onboarding Processes

Another great example where using BPA can prove highly beneficial is the onboarding process. For most organizations, the process flow is semi-structured with interconnected parts and responsibilities. BPA allows you to let go of age-old checklists and other manual methods and automate the entire process. 

See FlowForma Copilot in action! An onboarding process is built in minutes with the power of AI. 

RPA use cases

RPA is ideal for handling high-volume, repetitive tasks. Here are two key use cases:

Data Entry and Migration:

Transferring data between systems manually is time-consuming and error-prone. RPA automates this process, ensuring data consistency across platforms and freeing up employees for more strategic tasks.

Report Generation:

Creating and distributing routine reports can be a tedious task. RPA bots extract data from multiple systems, compile it into a report, and distribute it to stakeholders—all without human intervention.

Why Should Businesses Consider FlowForma for DPA and BPA? 

When it comes to automating workflows, businesses need a solution that’s powerful, flexible, and easy to use. FlowForma stands out as the ideal choice for both Digital Process Automation and Business Process Automation. Here’s why:

No-code & user-friendly interface

FlowForma’s no-code platform empowers non-technical teams to design, modify, and deploy complex workflows, eliminating reliance on IT and speeding up implementation. For example, HR teams can create employee onboarding workflows, or finance teams can automate invoice approvals without writing a single line of code.

AI-powered efficiency

A look at FlowForma’s AI Copilot

The built-in AI Copilot guides users through workflow creation, automates repetitive tasks, and even assists with document generation. This reduces errors, accelerates approvals, and ensures that processes run smoothly. For instance, the AI Copilot can automatically suggest workflow optimizations based on real-time text, image, or voice prompts. 

Seamless integrations

FlowForma integrates smoothly with existing systems like ERPs and CRMs, ensuring real-time data access, unified reporting, and enhanced cross-departmental collaboration. 

Compliance & security

With robust compliance management features, FlowForma helps organizations adhere to regulatory standards like GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) and HIPAA. Automated audit trails, secure document handling, and role-based access ensure your workflows are both efficient and compliant.

Scalability & flexibility

FlowForma adapts to evolving business needs, whether it’s optimizing invoice processing in finance or streamlining employee onboarding in HR. Its scalable architecture ensures it grows with your business, delivering measurable cost savings and operational efficiency.

Ready to explore more about DPA vs BPA vs RPA and see automation in action? Book a demo or start your free trial today.

FAQs

What is the main difference between DPA, BPA, and RPA?

DPA focuses on end-to-end process optimization, BPA automates specific tasks, and RPA handles repetitive, rule-based tasks.

Which is better: DPA, BPA, or RPA?

It depends on your business needs. DPA is ideal for complex workflows, BPA for task automation, and RPA for repetitive tasks.

Can DPA replace RPA and BPA?

Yes, DPA can encompass both BPA and functionalities, offering a more holistic approach to automation. DPA can also work alongside RPA to achieve wider automation objectives.