At the start of 2020, RPA is already worth a staggering total of $1.5 billion. This means that companies are increasingly integrating this new hot-button tool into their processes and infrastructure. However, when utilizing something as new as RPA into an organization, how can organizations get the most out of it?
Implementing RPA is just the start
Deploying sustainable RPA into a company’s processes is harder than just clicking a button and turning it on. Many common pitfalls that companies get caught-in, fall under the categories of organizational, technical and process.
- Organizational pitfalls occur when there is a lack of leadership, IT support, RPA strategy and established responsibilities.
- Process pitfalls happen when choosing a process with insignificant business impact, a process experiencing frequent changes, and a process where better custom solutions exist.
- Technical pitfalls arise when companies don’t fully leverage their chosen solutions, rely on outdated solutions, and don’t take advantage of RPA resources and vendors.
After purchasing RPA, organizations start considering how their IT infrastructure, initial integration into existing systems, on-boarding processes and future procedures & frameworks will have to be adjusted. Unlike a lot of digital tools and platforms out there, RPA not only needs to be carefully implemented and maintained, but also adapted for specific industries.
Don’t get advice, get a partner
Despite RPA’s ability to perform tasks on its own, the overall success and RoI it brings is wholly dependent on a trusted team of experts that have deep knowledge of both RPA and specific industries. Possessing knowledge about RPA and its capabilities is crucial but having an expert that also has extensive industry experience provides organizations with clear direction. The best way to establish a team onboard for the long-haul, is to create an RPA Center of Excellence (CoE). A CoE provides a strong and centralized structure and governance for a variety of aspects of automation such as skills, resources, assets, coding, security standards, and best practices.
One of our clients, a leading provider of electrical connection and protection solutions, wanted to start automating a range of their processes such as Sales Order Processing, Purchase Order Processing, Journal Entries process and Customer Credit Requests. Since the client was totally new to RPA, they did not know how to implement it into their current infrastructure and strategize for the future. We took a three-pronged approach to our solution by providing: advisory services, project management and development, and the RPA bot licensing and maintenance.
Advisory services provided the client with a solid foundation in which their RPA process could be implemented and then developed. We ensured that the launch would be successful by providing guidance on important elements such as Bot ID Creation, Impact Assessments, Design Standards, Post Production Support and more.
Project management and development gave the client much needed support in streamlining a variety of their processes, while ensuring that RPA would optimize their services. We involved the client in the development and planning process for implementing RPA into their organization, which provided them with an Executive-level vision on a successful automation journey.
RPA bot licensing and maintenance focused on giving specific bot licenses for the client that would fit their long-term RPA plan. Maintenance support for the bots proved to be invaluable, as the client was ensured that each one was delivering excellence and maintaining high standards of operation.
Developing a plan with the future in-mind
It can be easy to get caught-up in RPA’s various capabilities, especially since it has such a quick implementation and payback phase. However, the true power of RPA is the fact that it can be built into an overall organizational strategy. Regardless of any changes that the future holds, having a knowledgeable partner by your side will help you side-step common pitfalls.
- RPA is more than just an automation, it is an adaptable tool that can be utilized for any long-term strategy.
- The right partner will take the time to fully understand your organization’s goals, objectives and needs.