With more global enterprises and federal agencies recognizing the operational and financial efficiencies that automation provides, it’s not surprising to see a software tool like RPA gaining rapid popularity. How does UiPath define RPA?
Robotic Process Automation (RPA) technology integrates with the workforce to not only improve execution but also to tackle routine business processes. Think of a UiPath bot as a teleworker or virtual employee to which your employees can delegate repetitive (although necessary) tasks to free up your most valuable resources (your people) to focus on more strategic, creative and interpersonal work.
RPA providers offer different solutions within their technology suites. UiPath’s enterprise RPA platform, for example, consists of a studio for creating process automation, attended and unattended software robots that execute the automation, and an orchestrator – a management console that deploys, schedules and manages the robot workforce.
What areas does RPA software generally cover (finance, inventory, SCM, etc.)? Beyond improving overall productivity, what other ways can RPA improve office operations?
RPA’s virtual employees are agnostic to the type of work they perform. Local, state and federal governments can improve their overarching productivity anytime they apply a bot to their primary mission workflows or routine back-office activities. A digital worker is a disciplined and dedicated employee that executes your process exactly the way it is instructed to do, exactly when and where you want it to.
Major organizations are implementing RPA across a range of departments – from finance, accounting and human resources, to supply chain, customer service and marketing. These software robots handle critical enterprise duties like release management, centralized logging, reporting, auditing and monitoring, remote control, scheduling, workload management and asset management. With bots managing this workload at a fraction of the cost and time, employees are freed up and can focus on tasks that accelerate business operations, enhance customer service and improve the company’s bottom line.
Can you share some best practices for selecting the “ideal†RPA provider? What specific features should enterprises look for in the software?
In selecting the ideal RPA provider, decision-makers must assess both the product and the provider to ensure the chosen solution meets their unique needs. Agencies should look beyond the essential capabilities of executing repetitive, rules-based processes and consider the ease and user experience of the agencies’ offering once they have automated 10, 100 or 300 processes. The implementation of RPA software should allow for seamless integration with other systems to keep organizational and technological disruption to a minimum. Given sufficient training and a quality provider, seamless integration is both effective and profitable.
Focus on scalability, analytical abilities and training support to ensure rapid development, deployment and sustainment of the virtual workforce. Regarding scalability, the subscription model offers the option to procure an enterprise-ready platform where bots are incrementally increased as additional processes are automated. Buy the capacity you need and increase your capacity as your RPA program evolves. When it comes to analytics, a robust provider will be able to collect specific workflow metrics and generate analysis. Lastly, the development of your bot trainers’ capabilities should be generated with well-trained staff or third-party trainers who have easy access to the vendors’ training platform and a community of users willing to collaborate on challenges in an open and professional manner.
Consider Proof of Concepts (POC) or Pilots to take one or two processes through the lifecycle of training, deploying and sustaining a software robot. Consider a POC and Pilot efforts where you automate the same process to see for yourself the difference in the software development interfaces, understand the controlling software and allow your CIO time to assess the software on the existing IT infrastructure. With many RPA vendors providing software for pilots at no charge, it’s never been a better time to assess risk and understand an RPA product. Take advantage of a free trial to see how the solution works firsthand.
When it comes to implementing new technologies, adoption can often be hindered by executives’ apprehension regarding the solution’s security capabilities. Is that something UiPath has experienced? How can companies evaluate RPA platforms to ensure their data will not be at risk?
Securing data assets is a critical focus for all governments. The public expects more from the government with respect to their data because citizens are required to supply personal information, versus a private company where you have some choice to use or not use their service(s). Just as many companies have realized the value of leveraging automation solutions to help protect data, governments are appreciating the same. With recent legislation in the European Union (EU), RPA can help adhere to GDPR requirements levied on public sector and companies alike. To secure data assets when moving forward with an RPA provider, agencies must ensure that their selected automation platform is capable of operating behind a locked screen. This is a necessity to be GDPR-compliant and is the best way to avoid susceptibility to breach vulnerabilities or compliance penalties.
Additionally, RPA can make data pseudonymous before storing it and automatically inform customers in case of a data breach. The software can store all actions into an activity log file, too, so businesses can use this to better anticipate and manage compliance issues, proactively conduct internal reviews of compliance status and effectively respond to a regulatory audit if necessary.
Can you share some common fallacies about RPA that you would like to dispel from the minds of our readers?
With rapid changes in technology, there comes a range of misconceptions. As RPA solutions increasingly become more wide-spread, it is important to clarify the areas that might be slowing agencies or leadership from adoption. Most frequently, there is confusion around the impact bots will have on today’s workforce, and the technical savviness required to operate RPA systems.
Regarding the impact on today’s workers, bots will allow humans to work smarter and therefore more closely benefit the core mission of the organization – as opposed to replacing jobs. Bots integrate into the workforce to free people from robotic work and allow them to serve people better. As for the programming skills needed, organizations have bright and motivated employees that are already Subject Matter Experts in the workflow.
Lastly, there is confusion about the value (and cost) of RPA solutions as well as whether it is the “next silver bullet or just a shiny toy.†While there are implementation costs involved, leveraging RPA reduces costs internally and generates a significant increase in ROI. This technology can be leveraged to manage any repetitive, high-volume activity and is consistently showing ROI in six to 12 months in those organizations that are evaluating or have production bots.
UiPath has recently partnered up with Booz Allen Hamilton to drive process efficiencies in the public sector. Tell us a little about this venture. How is RPA going to benefit the U.S. Public Sector?
UiPath and Booz Allen Hamilton partnered to help federal agencies leverage the power of RPA. By combining UiPath’s market-leading RPA platform with Booz Allen Hamilton’s management and IT consulting capabilities, the partnership allows government agencies to leverage the most advanced solutions for enhancing core processes, delivering improved service and enabling federal employees to focus on more value-add work.
What are some common errors that you’ve seen organizations make while implementing RPA platforms?
RPA is a journey, as opposed to a project. To maximize the process, there are several ways businesses can prepare. For starters, during the decision-making phase, it’s critical to think about the ways RPA can complement existing technologies. Executives can run into difficulties if the selected RPA tool can’t integrate with a full stack of technologies. One way to prepare is ensuring there are strong relationships and coordination between business and IT.
Throughout the journey, executives should challenge the “why not?†if the software isn’t being implemented across all aspects of the mission and business workflows. For example, consider the power of attended frontend bots in addition to unattended bots and question why these functions aren’t in place. There may be more opportunities for automation throughout the enterprise, but the only way to find out is to ask.
A recent study by Deloitte UK, a Genpact whitepaper on intelligent automation and an article on CIO.com claim that RPA is ready to disrupt the way enterprises work. Please share your thoughts on this.
It’s true that RPA is a disruptive technology, but it isn’t the first technology to disrupt the enterprise. Throughout history, there have been countless instances where humans have innovated to find better ways of working, and while that innovation brought change, it also increased efficiencies.
RPA is no different. The technology offers fast implementation, outcomes, and payback and is ready to shift the way workforces function and allow for more efficiencies and improvement to the bottom line. Government organizations that plan effectively will excite their workforce about the opportunities RPA technology brings. The use of this remarkable technology will give companies a significant advantage over the competition that chooses to stick to the status quo.
Thank you for such deep insights into this most fascinating of IT trends, Jonathan. We hope to speak with you again, soon!
About UiPath:
UiPath is the leading platform for enterprise Robotic Process Automation (RPA). More than 1,500 business customers and government agencies use UiPath’s Enterprise RPA platform. With a thriving RPA developer community of more than 200,000 worldwide, UiPath is on a mission to democratize RPA and support a digital business revolution. Based in New York City, UiPath’s presence extends to 14 countries throughout North America, Europe, and Asia. The company is backed by Accel, CapitalG, KPCB, Credo Ventures, Earlybird’s Digital East Fund, and Seedcamp.