Automation: the same work step without doing it by hand
Automation means that a work step that has so far been done by hand is from now on done automatically. A typical sign that automation is needed is that the same manual work gets done again every day the same way: copying data, checks, sending certain messages or filling in a certain file.
Example: when an incoming email has to be manually identified as belonging to a certain order and a confirmation sent to the customer every time, this step can be automated so that the system reads the message, identifies it and sends the first reply itself.
Integration: information flows between two systems
Integration means that two or more systems are connected so that information flows between them without anyone transferring it by hand. The need for integration arises when a business already has several separate services in use, but they don't talk to each other.
Example: when an order is created in one system but has to be entered by hand into another system, for instance the freight carrier's own portal, integration removes this manual entry step entirely.
Why it's worth knowing the difference
Automation solves a problem within one work step. Integration solves a problem between two or more systems. Often both are needed: first the systems are connected (integration), and then what's done with the connected information is automated (automation). If a solution is built around the wrong concept, it easily ends up either too narrow or unnecessarily broad.
How to tell which your business needs
- If the problem is that the same manual step repeats every day within one system, it's probably a need for automation.
- If the problem is that information has to be moved by hand from one system to another, it's probably a need for integration.
- If both occur, it's worth scoping the smallest working whole that solves the biggest manual step first, rather than trying to solve everything at once.