TELKOMNIKA (Telecommunication Computing Electronics and Control)
Vol 24, No 4: August 2026

Decentralized multi-agent orchestration for legacy order-to cash optimization

Rahul Kumar Thatikonda (University of Connecticut)
Sucharitha Donepudi (Point Park University)



Article Info

Publish Date
01 Aug 2026

Abstract

Legacy enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems serve as the operational backbone of global commerce but often create bottlenecks due to their rigid, monolithic design. As organizations incorporate artificial intelligence (AI), these outdated systems struggle to support high-speed, parallel workflows, creating a significant integration challenge. This paper introduces a non intrusive modernization approach that overlays a decentralized multi-agent system (MAS) onto existing infrastructure without requiring invasive code changes. By developing a digital twin of the order-to-cash (O2C) process, we train autonomous agents through multi-agent reinforcement learning (MARL) to manage credit validation, inventory allocation, and fulfillment. We adapt the centralized training, decentralized execution (CTDE) framework to meet O2C constraints, enabling agents to learn globally optimal strategies while operating independently. Simulation results show that this architecture surpasses rule-based robotic process automation (RPA) baselines, increasing total throughput by 6.9% over a monolithic setup, though at a 6.3% error rate due to aggressive allocation policies. These results indicate that decentralized agent-based orchestration provides a scalable approach for modernizing legacy ERPs, offering increased agility without the risks associated with platform replacement.

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Journal Info

Abbrev

TELKOMNIKA

Publisher

Subject

Computer Science & IT

Description

Submitted papers are evaluated by anonymous referees by single blind peer review for contribution, originality, relevance, and presentation. The Editor shall inform you of the results of the review as soon as possible, hopefully in 10 weeks. Please notice that because of the great number of ...