Automation and monitoring of procurement processes
“Cloudomation saves us a lot of time and makes our daily work easier.
It supports us in monitoring our processes and helps us avoid errors.”
René
Operator and SPOC of the Morawa project team
Challenge
- The legacy automation software, that managed internal processes, was discontinued.
- Manually operating would take considerable time, therefore it is not a viable option.
- Need to migrate processes within a 3-month timeframe.
- The new solution has to integrate multiple systems while maintaining the overall process structure.
- Operators need a solution that provides visual process monitoring.
Solution
- Migration of processes from the legacy automation software to Cloudomation Engine in close coordination with operators from Morawa.
- Creation of a flexible scheduler that could mimic the complex schedules in the legacy setup.
Result
- The legacy procurement process (orders management, invoicing, crediting) now runs in Cloudomation Engine.
- Considerable time saved with automated workflows and error handling.
- Additional monitoring of schedules that notifies operators in case of scheduling failures.
- Unresolved process errors are immediately detected and can be resolved quickly.
- Operators can monitor processes visually.
What was Automated?
On-Premise Solution
An on-premise instance of Cloudomation has been set up in the company’s data center.
Use of HashiCorp.
Credentials are securely stored in a HashiCorp Vault.
Integration of third-party systems, automatic error resolution, notifications, and scheduling.
Connectors have been set up to the systems involved in the processing. Workflows analyze logs and respond accordingly to return codes, handle errors with retries, and automatically notify operators if a problem persists. Workflows are scheduled with various parameters (e.g., monthly; in specific calendar weeks; only on weekends), taking time zones, holidays, and other exceptions into account.
- A Cloudomation on-premise instance was set up within the company’s data center.
- Connection credentials are stored safely in a HashiCorp Vault.
- Connectors were set up to the systems involved in the processing to
- execute Batch jobs via PowerShell,
- implement locking via a stored procedure in a Microsoft SQL database,
- transfer logs via the Secure Copy Protocol,
- access files on an FTP server,
- set up email and Microsoft Teams notifications.
- Workflows parse logs and proceed according to return codes, handle errors with retries, and notify operators automatically if an issue persists.
- Workflows are scheduled with various parameters (e.g. monthly; in certain calendar weeks; only on weekends), while correcting for changes in the time zone and allowing for holiday calendars and exceptions.
How did we Develop the Automation?
A Cloudomation automation expert and a Cloudomation project manager coordinated with stakeholders to assess technical and business requirements. The implementation was done by two Cloudomation experts with a time expenditure of 3 weeks. The implementation consisted of creating automation scripts, schedules and connectors, that depicted the business logic of the legacy process. After the implementation, the customer had a ready-to-use workspace with the procurement process automatically running.
During the implementation phase, the project team was in close contact with the operator team of Morawa. Progress was monitored in weekly calls. Together with Morawa, we implemented a stepwise rollout to replace legacy processes one-by-one.
What are the Next Steps?
- Extending capabilities of the current scheduling solution, so more edge cases can be covered.
- Integrating and automating further steps of the procurement process.
Meet Your New Platform Engineering Tool
Streamline operations, optimize collaboration, and deliver faster. Let’s discuss how our platform can help you overcome challenges and hit your goals.