What even is orchestration?
Source: Dev.to
Introduction
I accidentally ended up in the process automation and orchestration space when I started my career, and somehow—still more accidentally—I’m still there. As Taylor Swift says, “help, I’m still at the restaurant.”
Being in the enterprise‑software world this long, I’ve seen the pendulum swing back and forth between:
- Buy a full‑suite platform – “it has everything you need.”
- Avoid vendor lock‑in – “pick the pieces that fit.”
AI has certainly left its mark, but it hasn’t changed things dramatically. You’ll hear people and companies argue for:
- A specialized, purpose‑built platform with a very specific set of use cases or personas.
- An agnostic platform that fits any and all needs.
It’s no different in the process‑automation and orchestration space.
The Core Problem
We still have the same separation of ownership and responsibility between the thing we want to improve and how it’s actually improved.
- “The business” – pitched as a non‑technical group of diagram‑drawing, process‑optimizing suits.
- “The development team” – adds the code and system integrations to make the diagram actually work, but doesn’t own the process.
I still remember early‑career days when a business partner asked, “Can you just give me a Visio diagram and turn that into BPMN for me?” The standards were too technical—the very standards (BPMN) that were supposed to be the literal language bridging the gap between business and development turned out to be a barrier. Interesting.
Hypothesis
People in tech generally understand process automation and why it’s beneficial, but only certain roles within tech really resonate with the term “orchestration.”
Let’s explore where orchestration truly shines, then you can tell me your definition.
The Conductor Analogy
“You have a bunch of different instruments kind of doing their own thing, but together, with the help of a conductor, they make a beautiful, coherent piece of music happen. The conductor gives clues on when to speed up, slow down, or play with more or less intensity.”
The analogy doesn’t always translate cleanly to tech, but it’s a useful mental model.
What the Internet Says
| Source | Definition |
|---|---|
| Red Hat | “Orchestration is the coordinated execution of multiple IT automation tasks or processes. It is usually applied across multiple computer systems, applications, and services to ensure that deployment, configuration management, and other processes are performed in the proper sequence.” |
| Databricks | “Orchestration is the coordination and management of multiple computer systems, applications and/or services, stringing together multiple tasks in order to execute a larger workflow or process. More specifically, orchestration is the coordinated execution of multiple IT automation tasks or processes across multiple computer systems, applications and services. These processes can consist of multiple tasks that are automated and can involve multiple systems.” |
| Orkes | “Orchestration is the process of coordinating distributed software components and systems so that they execute seamlessly as an automated, repeatable process.” |
These definitions read a lot like DevOps definitions: multiple systems, coordination, automation, and repeatability.
When to Use Orchestration
Bottom line: Anytime you want to do something complex—chain together a sequence of tasks or coordinate multiple systems, applications, or services (ad‑hoc, scheduled, or event‑driven)—you probably want a clear, reusable orchestration approach.
Automation vs. Orchestration
| Aspect | Automation | Orchestration |
|---|---|---|
| Scope | Single task, often human‑in‑the‑loop | Complex, multi‑step workflows |
| Human involvement | Usually none (or minimal) | May involve humans (human‑in‑the‑loop) |
| Complexity | Low to moderate | High, often spanning many systems |
Tangible Example: Two‑Step Approval Process
- Scenario – You have data scattered across multiple disparate systems and need to make a decision.
- Goal – Coordinate those systems to use the data for an informed decision without merging everything into one big database.
How it works
| Step | Action | System(s) Involved |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Employee submits a purchase request (e.g., $150). | Front‑end form → Request Service DB |
| 2 | System checks signature authority against the org chart. | Authorization Service, HR DB |
| 3 | If under the employee’s limit, auto‑approve. | Notification Service |
| 4 | If over limit, route to manager for approval. | Manager’s inbox, Approval Workflow Engine |
| 5 | If manager’s limit is exceeded, route to next level. | Same as above, escalated |
| 6 | Once approved, trigger procurement process. | Procurement System, ERP |
All the required data (org chart, authority limits, item price) lives in different databases or even different systems. Orchestration ties them together into a seamless, repeatable workflow.
Emerging Territory: AI Orchestration
Agent orchestration, multi‑agent systems (MAS), and AI pipelines all fall under the umbrella of AI orchestration.
- MAS provides the foundation for today’s AI agents to work together.
- Agents need data, then they process it, make decisions, and hand off results to other agents or downstream systems.
This is where orchestration meets AI, enabling coordinated, autonomous work across heterogeneous components.
Takeaway
- Orchestration = coordinated, repeatable execution of multiple automated tasks across many systems.
- It bridges the gap between business intent and technical implementation.
- It can involve humans (human‑in‑the‑loop) or be fully autonomous.
- Real‑world examples (e.g., two‑step approvals) illustrate its value.
Now, what’s your definition of orchestration? Feel free to share!
Orchestration: A Quick Overview
“Thing with other agents, and something complex happens.”
I’m intentionally being a bit hand‑wavy here because I don’t have a concrete real‑world example yet—just a lot of marketing blogs about specialized agents working together to achieve a common goal.
Why Organizations Turn to Orchestration
-
Home‑grown solutions hit limits
- Teams stitch together custom scripts and tools.
- Eventually they encounter maintenance or scaling problems.
-
Beyond CRON & scheduled jobs
- The need for real‑time, event‑driven processing (listeners, webhooks) emerges.
-
Mixed execution models
- Organizations require a blend of scheduled, event‑based, and manual tasks.
- Responsibilities span technical and non‑technical roles.
- This is usually when they start investigating platforms that can handle the complexity.
Questions to Consider
- What’s your definition of orchestration?
- Are you doing orchestration within your organization?
- How did you evaluate your options?