From Concept to Reality: Practical Use Cases
What Automation Watchdog Does
Automation Watchdog gives you proof that the events you expected actually happened and on time. Think of it as a the heart rate monitor for your various automation workflows with the ability to customize the expected heartbeat pattern.
Core Concepts
A rule that defines what success looks like (when something should check-in, how often, and what counts as "on time").
A tiny API signal your workflow sends when it reaches the meaningful moment (e.g. work loaded to a queue, queue item completed or a report sent).
Satisfied
Check-in arrived within the allowed window → no alert.
Missed
Check-in didn't arrive in time → alert the team.
You send only metadata (which watch, machine or queue). No PII or business data.
What it Is / Isn't
A lightweight, PII-free heartbeat monitor that proves the right thing happened on time.
A log collector, job scheduler or RPA platform replacement. It complements those by eliminating daily "babysitting."
Three Common RPA Monitoring Patterns
Automation Watchdog handles the most critical monitoring scenarios in RPA environments. Each pattern addresses different workflow types and timing requirements.
Daily Dispatcher Assurance
Monitor time-based workflows that must complete within a specific window (e.g., M-F 3-4 PM).
Queue Processing
Monitor continuous workflows that should check in regularly while active (e.g., every 7 minutes).
Chained Reporting
Monitor workflows triggered by other processes (e.g., report generation after queue completion).
Daily Dispatcher Assurance (M-F, 3-4 PM)
Monitor time-based workflows that must complete within a specific window.
Performer Keeps Queue Moving
Monitor continuous workflows that should check in regularly while active.
Reporter Delivers Final Report
Monitor workflows triggered by other processes completion.
Use Case 1 — Daily Dispatcher Assurance (M–F, 3–4 PM)
Your Dispatcher must run successfully between 3–4 PM Monday–Friday. Today the RPA team checks on the job after 4 PM to verify success.
Type:
Scheduled Watch
Schedule:
M–F at 3:00 PM (local)
Check-in Type:
Fixed window = 60 minutes
Expectation:
A check-in must arrive by 4:00 PM each weekday
At 3:00 PM, AWD activates the watch window for the day.
Your Dispatcher runs and, on successful completion, sends a single API call (the check-in).
If AWD receives the check-in by 4:00 PM → Watch Satisfied.
If AWD does not receive a check-in by 4:00 PM → Alert sent to the team.
AWD auto-calculates the next active window for the following weekday.
- Job skipped, stuck, or failed silently
- Infra/job scheduler issues
- Credential/queue dependencies preventing completion
- No human polling at 4 PM
- No trawling through noisy platform alerts
- Clear, binary assurance: Did the expected thing happen on time?
Use Case 2 — Performer Keeps the Queue Moving
Your Performer robots pick items from the queue whenever they're loaded by the Dispatcher.
They should be completing work about every 3 minutes while items remain in the queue.
Today, the RPA team either checks queues manually or hears directly from their customer that something is wrong with the automation.
Type:
Rolling Watch (interval-based)
Activation:
When Dispatcher loads items to queue, it send and activate signal for this Watch
Check-in Type:
Cascading window = 7 minutes.
Set the window longer than the 3-minute average to allow normal variation, so alerts only fire when processing truly stalls.
Expectation:
At least one check-in every 7 minutes while queue is non-empty
Deactivation:
When queue is confirmed empty, the workflow sends a deactivate signal
Dispatcher loads items to the queue → activates the Performer Watch.
Each Performer robot, after finishing a queue item, sends a check-in signal.
As long as at least one check-in arrives within each 7-minute window → Watch is Satisfied.
If no Performer check-in is received within 7 minutes → Alert sent to the team.
When each Performer finds no more work, it sends a ‘deactivate’ signal. Once all Performers have deactivated, the Watch turns off until the next Dispatcher load.
- Queue trigger misfires, so Performers never start
- Performer crashes or hangs, leaving items unworked
- Infrastructure issue blocks all Performers from running
- Credentials, queue access, or resource contention issues cause silent failure
Use Case 3 — Reporter Delivers Final Report Within 30 Minutes
After the Performer robots finish clearing the queue, a Reporter process must generate and send a summary report (email, file, dashboard update, etc.).
The Reporter must complete its job within 30 minutes after the Performers finish.
Today, teams often check shared folders, inboxes, or dashboards to confirm the report arrived. If it fails silently, the gap may not be caught until the next business day.
Type:
Dependent Watch (chained to Performer completion)
Activation:
When Performer Watch is deactivated"
Check-in Type:
Fixed window = 30 minutes
Expectation:
Reporter must check in within 30 minutes of Performer completion
Deactivation:
Once Reporter check-in is satisfied, the Reporter deactivates the watch until next Performer run triggers it again
Performer completes the queue and deactivates the Performer Watch → triggers Reporter Watch.
Automation Watchdog opens a 30-minute active window.
Reporter runs, finishes, and sends a check-in (e.g., after emailing the report).
If Reporter check-in arrives in time → Watch Satisfied.
If no check-in within 30 minutes → Alert sent to the team.
Reporter deactivates the watch.
- Report never generated after queue completion
- Email service or file transfer fails
- Report takes too long to generate and misses SLA
- Process silently fails after queue handoff
Ready to Get Started?
Start your free 30-day trial today. No credit card required.