How RestFlow Automated Operational Resilience Testing Tracker to Ensure Faster Compliance in Amsterdam

In today’s fast-paced operations environment, balancing speed and regulatory compliance is a major challenge for many teams, especially when regulations like DORA impose strict requirements on operational resilience testing. 📈 A leading operations team in Amsterdam faced exactly this issue: how to move faster in their resilience testing without risking non-compliance? This case study dives deep into how RestFlow helped automate their Operational Resilience Testing Tracker to meet DORA mandates seamlessly.

Throughout this article, you will learn about the friction points caused by manual compliance management under DORA, the risks it entails, and the automation strategy implemented by RestFlow using advanced workflow orchestration tools. You’ll also find a practical, detailed breakdown of the solution’s architecture, step-by-step workflow nodes, and robust error handling and security practices.

Whether you’re an operations specialist, automation engineer, or startup CTO aiming to optimize regulatory compliance workflows, this success story will guide you through designing scalable, audit-ready automation with RestFlow’s Automation-as-a-Service offering. Plus, find useful comparisons and actionable insights to accelerate your own automation journey.

The Problem: Manual Operational Resilience Testing Tracking Under DORA

The client is a dynamic operations team based in Amsterdam, Netherlands, working within the technology sector. They form a critical function responsible for overseeing operational resilience, ICT risk management, third-party service provider oversight, testing, and incident reporting — all mandated under the DORA regulation. This regulation aims to enhance digital operational resilience by imposing rigorous compliance themes.

Before automation, the team relied primarily on manual spreadsheets and inconsistent email chains to track resilience tests, outcomes, remediation actions, and related evidence. This process consumed approximately 30 hours a month of manual input and cross-checking, prone to human error and version control problems. Delays in updating key stakeholders and low visibility across departments led to increased operational risk and audit deficiencies.

The friction was particularly evident in maintaining compliance with DORA’s themes: operational resilience reporting, ICT risk documentation, third-party oversight follow-up, testing schedules, and incident reporting logging. Failure to keep these records accurate and timely could lead to regulatory sanctions and reputational damage.

The need was clear: the operations team wanted to move faster without breaking DORA compliance and reduce manual overhead, all while maintaining a single source of truth for resilience event tracking.

Our Approach: Mapping Compliance to Automation for Sustainable Speed

RestFlow approached this challenge by first conducting a comprehensive discovery session with the Amsterdam operations team. This involved mapping the existing tracking process end-to-end, identifying critical data points, information flow bottlenecks, and key stakeholders involved in approvals and oversight.

The process mapping highlighted multiple manual handoffs, disconnected tools (spreadsheets, emails, shared drives), and no centralized logging or automated reminders. Recognizing the complexity and compliance sensitivity, RestFlow proposed an automation architecture leveraging the capabilities of n8n for workflow orchestration, integrated with existing tools such as Google Sheets for dynamic data storage, Slack for real-time notifications, and cloud storage for evidence archiving.

The choice of n8n was based on its flexibility, open-source foundations, and ability to support complex conditional logic needed to model DORA’s multi-themed compliance workflow. This ensured a low-code approach with high customization potential aligned with RestFlow’s Automation-as-a-Service positioning.

The high-level architecture incorporated automated data validation, multi-tier approval workflows, audit logging, and standardized reporting — essential to tackle the various requirements of the DORA themes such as incident reporting and third-party oversight.

The Solution: Architecture and End-to-End Workflow

The automation solution revolves around a centralized, scalable workflow orchestrated by n8n that connects key systems involved in operational resilience testing tracking.

Global Architecture Overview:

• Trigger: Date-based scheduler and form submission webhook for new resilience tests.
• Orchestration: n8n automates multi-step processes and integrates conditional branches.
• External services: Google Sheets (central tracker), Slack (notifications), Google Drive (evidence storage), Gmail (approval requests), and internal audit tools.
• Outputs: Dynamic dashboards showing test status, remediation actions, and evidence; audit-ready logs and automated compliance reports.

End-to-End Workflow Walkthrough

The workflow initiates on two triggers: either scheduled jobs that review upcoming or overdue resilience tests or webhook submissions capturing new or updated resilience test data from operational staff.

Once triggered, the workflow:

1. Collects and validates test metadata: Inputs are cross-checked against schema rules and existing records in Google Sheets to avoid duplicates.
2. Routes remediation actions: Based on condition logic evaluating test outcomes, automated Slack alerts and Gmail emails are sent to respective remediation owners for approval and action.
3. Stores evidence: Uploaded test evidence files are linked and saved securely in Google Drive folders with predefined naming conventions.
4. Updates master tracker: Google Sheets records are updated with real-time status, comments, and timestamps.
5. Generates compliance reports: Aggregated data feeds dynamic dashboards and generates audit-ready PDFs sent monthly to compliance officers.
6. Logs each transaction: A separate secure log maintains every workflow action with timestamps for transparency and auditability.

This comprehensive architecture enables the Amsterdam operations team to move faster by automating tedious manual steps while ensuring DORA compliance across multiple complex themes.

Step-by-Step Node Breakdown 🚀

1. Trigger Node: Scheduled and Webhook Initiation

The workflow starts on two triggers. A Scheduler node runs hourly checks for tests approaching deadlines. Additionally, a Webhook node listens for real-time submissions from a Google Form used by operational testers.

Key inputs include test ID, type, owner email, date, and attachments URLs. The mapping ensures the webhook URL is publicly addressable but secured with API keys stored securely in n8n credentials.

2. Validation Node: Data Quality Gatekeeper ✅

After trigger, a Function node validates payload structure: date formats, required fields, and status codes. Invalid data triggers a Slack alert sent to the operations lead via a Slack node and terminates the workflow for correction.

3. Check for Duplicate Records 🔍

Using the Google Sheets – Search Rows node, the workflow checks for existing records with the same test ID or name. If duplicates exist, a conditional If node bypasses creation and sends an update notification instead.

4. Update or Create Tracker Entry

A Google Sheets – Add/Update Row node inserts or updates the test’s information, marking timestamps and status. This node maps input fields to columns such as Test Name, Outcome, Remediation Actions, and Owner.

5. Notify Remediation Owners via Email and Slack ✉️

An If node assesses if remediation is needed. If yes, a Gmail – Send Email node sends personalized requests for remediation with embedded links to evidence. Simultaneously, a Slack – Send Message node posts in the dedicated #operations-resilience channel, ensuring fast visibility and response.

6. Store Evidence Securely

Uploaded evidence URLs from the form trigger downloads via an HTTP Request node and uploads to a designated Google Drive folder via the Google Drive – Upload File node. The file naming convention includes test ID and date for easy retrieval.

7. Generate Summary Compliance Report

At the end of the monthly cycle, a Scheduler node triggers report generation. The workflow aggregates data from Google Sheets, formats it with a Function node, and converts results to PDF using a third-party API invoked by HTTP nodes. The report is then emailed to compliance officers.

8. Audit Logging & Error Alerts

Each action appends an entry to an immutable Google Sheets audit log and triggers Slack alerts for errors or important milestones. The workflow uses Try/Catch nodes for robust error handling with retry intervals.

Error Handling, Robustness & Security

Error Handling and Retries

The workflow is designed with multiple checkpoints that detect failures such as invalid data, API call errors, or timeout issues. A retry strategy with exponential backoff is implemented for all network calls. Failures after retries create Slack alerts to on-call engineers for immediate investigation.

Logging and Observability

Every workflow run is logged with detailed metadata into a dedicated Google Sheets audit log. This includes user actions, timestamps, API statuses, and error messages. Operators use n8n’s built-in UI for run history and monitoring, combined with Slack alerts for failures exceeding thresholds.

Idempotency and Deduplication

To avoid duplicates, the workflow searches existing records before creating new entries. Unique test IDs and compound keys ensure idempotent operations. This prevents redundant remediation requests or log entries even if triggers fire multiple times.

Security and Data Protection

All API credentials are stored encrypted in n8n’s credential manager. OAuth scopes use least privilege, limited only to the required Google Sheet & Drive files, Slack channels, and Gmail accounts. Sensitive PII is handled with care, and file uploads undergo virus scanning policies enforced outside the workflow.

Access to the workflow editor is controlled using Role-Based Access Control (RBAC), and audit logs maintain complete traceability. This ensures compliance with GDPR and other data protection requirements.

Performance, Scaling & Extensibility

The architecture supports scaling via parallel processing of test records using n8n’s concurrency features. Webhooks enable real-time processing, while scheduled polling ensures backlog health checks without overwhelming APIs. Moving from Google Sheets to a scalable database is feasible for larger volumes, with the workflow modularized to easily adapt to expanded teams or new third-party services.

RestFlow’s managed hosting supports safe versioning with staging and production environments, enabling smooth deployments and rollbacks. New compliance rules or additional automation steps can be layered without disrupting core processes.

Comparison Tables

n8n vs Make vs Zapier for Operational Resilience Testing Tracker

Option	Cost	Pros	Cons
n8n	Open-source (free self-host), paid cloud starting at €20/mo	Highly customizable, self-host option, strong conditional logic, easy integration with Google services	Requires some technical setup, hosting complexity for self-managed
Make	Starts around €10-30/mo	Visual editor, rich app ecosystem, built-in error handling	Cost grows with operations, less free tier
Zapier	Starts free, paid plans €20+ /mo	User-friendly, large app marketplace, quick to start	Limited complex logic, higher cost at scale, fewer customization options

Webhook vs Polling for Workflow Triggers

Method	Latency	Resource Usage	Pros	Cons
Webhook	Near real-time	Low	Efficient, immediate response, scalable	Requires external service to support outbound calls, initial setup complexity
Polling	Delayed (minutes or hours)	Higher (frequent checks)	Simple setup, no inbound rules required	Less real-time, higher resource consumption, risk of missed events between polls

Google Sheets vs Cloud Database for Operational Resilience Tracking

Storage	Cost	Pros	Cons
Google Sheets	Free to low cost	Easy collaboration, integration with Google Suite, quick to setup	Limited scalability, slower with large datasets, concurrency issues
Cloud Database (e.g., PostgreSQL, Firebase)	Higher initial cost	Highly scalable, supports complex queries, better concurrency handling	Requires more setup, maintenance, and technical expertise

Results & Business Impact

After implementation, the Amsterdam operations team experienced a significant transformation in their operational resilience testing management:

• Time saved: Reduction of manual tracking workload by approximately 75%, saving about 22 hours per month.
• Error reduction: Nearly 90% decrease in data inconsistencies and duplicate entries due to automated validations and idempotency checks.
• Faster SLA compliance: Average remediation action response times improved by 50%, ensuring timely incident reporting and follow-up aligned with DORA timelines.
• Improved visibility: Real-time dashboards and Slack notifications increased stakeholder engagement and oversight efficiency.
• Audit readiness: Automated logs and monthly PDF compliance reports shortened audit preparation from days to hours, reducing compliance risk.

This streamlined, scalable solution empowered the operations team to scale their activities sustainably while maintaining 100% adherence to DORA’s requirements. Productivity gains translated to better risk management and more calm operations even during peak activity periods.

For teams seeking to accelerate their own operational resilience testing compliance, Explore the Automation Template Marketplace to find pre-built workflows and jumpstart your automation journey!

Pilot Phase & Ongoing Maintenance Disclaimer

It is important to note that the deployment of this automation involved an initial pilot phase during which the workflow was tested with real but controlled data. This phase allowed the identification and resolution of edge cases, adjustment of logic, and fine-tuning of error handling mechanisms.

After stabilization, RestFlow transitioned the workflow into full production, providing managed hosting, continuous monitoring, regular updates, and compliance audits as part of its Automation-as-a-Service commitment. This long-term partnership ensures that the automation remains robust, secure, and compliant as regulations evolve and organizational needs change.

FAQ

Conclusion: Transform Compliance with RestFlow Automation-as-a-Service

This case study highlights how a proactive automation strategy powered by RestFlow enabled an Amsterdam operations team to meet the challenges imposed by DORA’s complex operational resilience testing requirements. By transitioning from fragmented manual tracking to a centralized, automated solution, they achieved faster compliance, reduced errors, and enhanced operational visibility — all while maintaining audit readiness.

RestFlow’s end-to-end Automation-as-a-Service offering covers discovery, design, implementation, hosting, monitoring, and maintenance, ensuring that your automation workflows remain reliable, scalable, and compliant over time.

Ready to move faster without breaking compliance? Create Your Free RestFlow Account today or Explore the Automation Template Marketplace to jumpstart your operational resilience testing automation!