Robotic Process Automation (RPA) became a go-to trend for businesses of all industries in the recent past, some industries are more adaptable than others. With this decade-old trending technology, some organizations are unfortunately implementing with minimal or no success or failed implementations or more challenges with original manual work.
According to McKinsey, “RPA can bring about a quick and robust ROI, i.e., up to 200% in the first year of deployment, and 20-25% cost savings.”
Based on the working experiences with several clients, below is the list compiled which addresses typical challenges and how to address them with your journey in RPA Adoption.
- Defining reasonable expectations
Given the RPA propaganda, it is easy to get carried away with an over-enthusiastic perspective. It is mandatory to keep you’re your objectives, goals, and expectations as close to reality rather than the hype of “everything is automated”. Perform a thorough analysis of the large-scale impact on the assessment of the outcomes of automation, and hence, on subsequent decisions regarding scaling up to the enterprise level.
- Managing human resistance
The “robots are taking our jobs” narrative, often used as a typical robotic process automation objection, is the core reason for the staff’s lack of willingness to accept new technologies.
Prior to engaging in the automation project, you should educate them regarding what software robots can and cannot do, and help them understand that the software robots are there to “complement” their work rather than “supplement” it. Moreover, with the trend, it is necessary to provide the required training for new skills to the teams.
- Feasibility Assessment Inaccuracy
Lots of organizations are skipping this important step in the RPA journey. Conducting RPA feasibility is a very significant step to having a clear understanding of what can be automated and what cannot. Process feasibility stands out as one of the critical steps in the RPA framework, which involves process examination, technical feasibility, and alignment with RPA tools. To ensure an accurate and thorough assessment, always have a separate assessment team of SMEs and automation experts to conduct the assessment.
- Inappropriate processes selection
As stated earlier, not all processes are suitable for software automation. One should identify processes with clear processing instructions based on standardized and predictive rules. Processes that require a high degree of manual input, having a non-structured and repetitive input involve activities that are more susceptible to human error; this is why they are also good candidates for automation. Similarly, processes that require decision-making and cognitive abilities are potentially not-so-good candidates either. Perform process mining to identify the processes that are best suited for RPA-based automation, which uses a data-driven approach to decide, rather than human inference.
- Technical and operational Debt
Technical debt is a second cost aspect of the legacy environment that is not fully resolved by the implementation of an RPA program. An RPA program will resolve some of the challenges caused by technical debt. In theory, RPA exposes the rules and structures that define a process in a more manageable way than is possible with legacy systems. But RPA does not replace the legacy code, and therefore there will always be times when that code requires change (adding additional data items, for instance). Adding a layer of RPA without transforming the underlying legacy code simply defers problems until tomorrow, increasing the technical debt.
Given that the ease of configuration is a core feature of RPA, it can be easy to forget to ask for and act out the suggestions of the technical staff regarding technical and operational issues. The solution is easy though, and it amounts to following RPA maintenance protocols after the implementation phase.
- RPA Tool selection
During the selection of the right RPA tool, one needs to look at the scope of usability the tool offers. An RPA tool is installed to speed up the manual and repetitive business processes & tasks, so the RPA solution must deliver greater ease with less complexity. Though some tools offer a wide range of advanced and attractive features, they may be lacking in usability, scalability, and flexibility. Such tools also demand higher prices and need intense training to use. So again, when selecting the preferred RPA tool, consider the ease of usability the tool offers. The enhanced usability and flexibility can lead to swift progress and improved operational efficiency and productivity.
- Dismissal of Support Services
Like any other service or product, RPA tools are not just deployed and forgotten about. In some cases, we call software robots as “digital workers” and while choosing the right RPA tool, make sure the vendor can assist with evolving business requirements over time and have mechanisms to provide support for digital workers. The vendor should provide effective assistance to reduce delays in implementation and reinforce maintenance processes. Preferably, the vendor should also provide usage training, supporting documents, and a team to offer timely assistance.
- Cost of ownership
Organizations must perform on regular internally all the costs associated with the RPA adoption. In some cases, one would see more significant ROIs than others but a holistic view is an important key to be considered. While performing cost analysis some of the key components must be cost avoidance and cost incurred at an organization/group/department level and not restrict analysis at the process level.
- Other Misconceptions
In addition to considering the challenges that can arise with implementation, the following are RPA misconceptions that can also be hurdles to the process:
- RPA is not worth the cost or investment
- RPA is very costly for SMBs
- RPA significantly reduces the importance of your IT department
- RPA is fully automated, so developers don’t need to have programming skills
- RPA bots can automate anything and everything
- RPA bots have immense cognitive abilities, even without AI integration
Conclusion
I personally believe that the experience I have gathered from various RPA projects has helped me to refine the approach to robotic process automation implementation challenges, making it easier for you to follow the way towards attaining your business goals.
Functionality is a core feature of RPA; software robots can be seen as tools for cutting down costs and enhancing productivity. To these ends, however, you must be able to acknowledge and overcome the challenges of RPA implementation. For any additional discussions, comments or consultation please reach out to us at [email protected]
