Selecting the right workflow automation platform can determine whether your digital transformation succeeds or stalls. While many organizations search for the "Gartner Magic Quadrant for workflow automation," the reality is more nuanced.
Gartner replaced the traditional BPM Magic Quadrant with a Market Guide for Business Process Automation Tools, reflecting how automation technology has evolved beyond simple workflow management into comprehensive orchestration platforms.
What happened to the gartner magic quadrant for workflow automation?
Understanding the distinction between Gartner's research methodologies is critical for making informed vendor decisions.
Gartner retired the BPM Magic Quadrant in favor of the Market Guide for Business Process Automation Tools. This shift acknowledges that workflow automation has expanded from standalone solutions into workflow integrated platforms combining multiple capabilities.
The market guide provides a broader view of the BPA tools market, helping enterprise application leaders understand key features, functionality, use cases, and representative vendors without the competitive positioning of a Magic Quadrant.
Key differences:
- Market Guide: Provides market overview, trends, and representative vendors for emerging or rapidly changing markets
- Magic Quadrant: Evaluates vendors on completeness of vision and ability to execute in mature markets
For workflow automation specifically, Gartner introduced the Magic Quadrant for Service Orchestration and Automation Platforms (SOAPs) in 2024, recognizing that traditional workflow automation has evolved into enterprise-wide orchestration.
Gartner's market guide for business process automation tools
The Market Guide represents Gartner's comprehensive analysis of the workflow automation software landscape in 2025.
According to Gartner's latest research, 80% of BPA customers will use these tools as a process and composition layer on top of existing business services and APIs. This workflow orchestration approach enables enterprises to build flexible automation layers without replacing core systems.
The guide evaluates vendors across four critical use cases:
- simple workflow automation,
- end-to-end automation,
- case management, and
- service orchestration
helping organizations match their specific needs with appropriate solutions.
Core BPA capabilities evaluated:
- Visual workflow design and process modeling
- Integration with enterprise applications and APIs
- Business rules engine and decision automation
- Analytics and process performance monitoring
- Low-code development environment
- Collaboration and task management features
Workflow gartner evaluation: How platforms are assessed
Gartner evaluates workflow automation tools across multiple dimensions to provide comprehensive market insights.
For platforms included in the Market Guide, Gartner assesses vendors based on their product capabilities, market presence, and customer satisfaction. The evaluation considers how well vendors address the four primary use cases and their ability to support organizations at different automation maturity levels.
Unlike the Magic Quadrant's competitive positioning, the Market Guide focuses on helping buyers understand market dynamics and identify vendors worth evaluating for their specific requirements.
Gartner magic quadrant workflow vs related magic quadrants
Understanding the relationship between different Gartner research helps organizations evaluate the complete automation ecosystem.
While no standalone Magic Quadrant exists specifically for "workflow automation," several related Magic Quadrants provide relevant guidance:
Magic Quadrant
|
Focus Area
|
Relevance to Workflow Automation
|
|
Service Orchestration and Automation Platforms (SOAPs)
|
IT workload automation and orchestration
|
Critical for infrastructure workflows and cross-system automation
|
| Enterprise Low-Code Application Platforms (LCAP) |
Application development with workflow capabilities |
Enables building custom workflow applications |
| Robotic Process Automation (RPA) |
Task automation and bot workflows |
Complements BPA for legacy system integration |
This ecosystem approach reflects how modern workflow automation requires multiple technologies working together rather than a single platform handling all automation needs.
Workflow automation magic quadrant: Why positioning matters
For vendors included in Magic Quadrants like SOAPs or LCAP, their positioning signals important characteristics.
Leaders:
Demonstrate strong execution and clear market vision. These vendors typically serve large enterprises with complex requirements and offer comprehensive features, but may be overkill for smaller organizations or specific use cases.
Visionaries:
Show innovation and forward-thinking strategies but may lack the market presence or execution capabilities of Leaders. Often good choices for organizations willing to invest in emerging technologies.
Challengers:
Execute well with significant market presence but may lack innovation or long-term vision. Solid choices for organizations prioritizing stability and proven capabilities.
Niche Players:
Focus on specific markets or use cases. Can be ideal for organizations with specialized needs that align with the vendor's strengths.
How Kissflow aligns with Gartner's BPA framework
Kissflow was recognized as a Representative Vendor in Gartner's Market Guide for Business Process Automation Tools.
Kissflow provides a low-code platform that enables business users and IT teams to build, automate, and optimize workflows without extensive coding. The platform addresses all four key use cases outlined in Gartner's Market Guide, from simple workflow automation to complex service orchestration.
With pre-built integrations, visual process design, and advanced analytics, Kissflow helps organizations implement the composable automation strategy Gartner recommends for modern enterprises.
Platform Capabilities:
- No-code/low-code workflow builder with drag-and-drop interface
- Pre-built workflow templates for common business processes
- Integration with 1000+ applications and systems
- Real-time analytics and process performance dashboards
- Mobile-first design for on-the-go approvals
- GenAI-powered process recommendations
Workflow automation Gartner trends 2025
Five major trends are reshaping how organizations approach workflow automation according to Gartner's research.
Hyperautomation:
Organizations combine BPA with RPA, AI, and analytics to automate end-to-end processes. Rather than automating individual tasks, enterprises orchestrate multiple technologies to handle complex enterprise workflows that previously required extensive manual intervention.
Vendor Rationalization:
Companies consolidate their automation stack by selecting vendors offering core BPA capabilities plus adjacent technologies like LCAP (Low-Code Application Platforms), iPaaS (Integration Platform as a Service), and RPA. This consolidation reduces complexity and total cost of ownership.
Composability:
The adoption of BPA platforms as an orchestration layer continues rising. Instead of point solutions for each department, organizations build a composable automation fabric that coordinates processes across services and systems.
Process Optimization:
Enterprises shift focus from simply automating existing processes to continuously optimizing end-to-end business operations. Advanced analytics identify bottlenecks and suggest improvements based on actual performance data.
Generative AI Integration:
Vendors integrate GenAI capabilities through market solutions or proprietary models. These AI features assist with process discovery, generate workflow templates, provide intelligent recommendations, and enable natural language interaction with automation platforms.
FAQs on Gartner workflow automation
1. Is there a Gartner Magic Quadrant for workflow?
No, Gartner replaced the BPM Magic Quadrant with a Market Guide for BPA Tools. Related Magic Quadrants exist for SOAPs and LCAP.
What is BPA according to Gartner?
Business Process Automation tools help organizations design, execute, and monitor business processes involving diverse systems and people.
How does Gartner evaluate workflow platforms?
Gartner assesses platforms across four use cases: simple workflows, end-to-end automation, case management, and service orchestration.
What is the difference between BPA and RPA?
BPA orchestrates end-to-end processes across systems while RPA automates repetitive tasks within applications using software bots.
Which workflow automation tools does Gartner feature?
The Market Guide includes representative vendors like Appian, Pega, Kissflow, ServiceNow, and others meeting specific criteria.
