Robotic Process Automation and software robots that Process Automation workflows can significantly help companies that benefit everyone. However, the introduction can also go completely wrong.
Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and software robots open up entirely new possibilities for automation and offer clear advantages for companies. For their success, however, RPA mustn’t be introduced in a hasty ad hoc process but in a methodically and strategically well-thought-out way. Ignacio, the software provider for professional business process management, explains in five steps how companies can avoid pitfalls and optimally use the potential of RPA.
Process Automation In Five Steps:
Step 1: Define The Business Case
Every successful RPA initiative begins with an inventory of the processes that are already implemented in the company. Precise documentation of the processes with all variants and details is a solid basis for the subsequent automation. Automated process recognition tools help with the inventory, which cannot escape hidden system processes and deficits in the current process landscape. But processes are not the whole story. It is at least as necessary to get feedback from users and process participants. Which processes are the participants satisfied with? Where is something not going as it should? The aim of step 1 is to develop a clear idea of
Step 2: Refine And Test
The temptation is just to get started with automation now. But be careful: RPA does not make destructive processes better. They only make them faster. Step 2 is to run through several variants outside of productive operation to discover and realize optimization potential. It is advisable to concentrate on smaller, non-critical processes first, instead of going straight to the big shot and possibly failing. Non-business-critical processes, with which many users are dissatisfied, are the ideal optimization candidates. It is essential to set up a pilot to then test the optimized process under natural practical conditions.
3rd Step: Implement Automated Processes
Every workflow begins with a process objective that defines why a particular operation is being performed and which conditions must be met. Once every step has been described in a process diagram and all the necessary employee roles have been established, the process is implemented as an automated, executable workflow.
4th Step: Get Employees On Board
Optimized processes increase employee satisfaction and efficiency simultaneously, but as many employees as possible in the company should also know about it. It is therefore crucial for the company-wide introduction to inform employees and listen to them. Team meetings, a feedback mailbox, or a contact person can help break down reservations about automation technology and better understand the advantages that can be achieved with Robotic Process Automation.
5th Step: Monitor Processes And Measure KPIs
RPA optimizes workflows, but the software robots cannot evaluate themselves. Step 5 is to measure the RPA initiative’s success and ask yourself some basic questions: Do the automated processes generate the added value in practice that one had hoped for? Are there any planned gains in efficiency, time and savings? Are there unplanned side effects that partially compromise the success, and should the deployment be redesigned if necessary? The success control will never be finished and completed. It should be repeated at intervals, even if the results are initially positive.
The company-wide introduction of automated processes is not a sprint but somewhat resembles a marathon. Steps one to five are repeated cyclically. Robotic Process Automation increases company efficiency, lowers costs and increases employee satisfaction. “RPA has a positive effect on employee attitudes and corporate culture. They have the freedom to concentrate on more demanding work that better suits their skills and interests,”.
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