Workflows fail at the edges and that's where the risk lives
In real operations, the most important workflows are the ones with approvals, exceptions, compliance constraints, and accountability. Reliability means workflows run predictably, errors are handled intentionally, and humans stay in control where judgment is required.
Where reliability matters most
Reliability matters most when workflows involve:
Money movement and approvals
Access provisioning and security-sensitive changes
Compliance and auditability
Executive and board reporting
Customer-facing SLAs
What "reliable" actually means
Predictable execution
- the same inputs produce the same outcomes
- branching logic is explicit
Governed exceptions
- exceptions are expected and handled intentionally
- retries and escalations are designed, not improvised
Human accountability
- approvals and reviews are built into the workflow
- decision ownership is clear
Auditability
- a trace exists of what happened, when, and why
Why many automation approaches break
Failures often happen because:
- workflows are automated before the logic is clarified
- exceptions are ignored until they create incidents
- approvals live outside the system (email/chat)
- AI is introduced without boundaries
How RoboHen supports reliability
RoboHen supports reliability through:
- logic-first workflow definitions
- human-in-the-loop steps for approvals and reviews
- audit logging and traceability
- an execution model designed for predictable behavior