Guide to Successful RPA Implementation Journey

But an organization can reap the benefits of robotics only when the RPA implementation & planning is done in the right way, and to guide you for the successful RPA implementation, we have sorted this step-by-step RPA implementation guide for you all!

What is RPA?

Robotic process automation (RPA) is an automation solution that uses artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) capabilities to handle high-volume, repeatable tasks performed by humans.

A successful RPA implementation automates repetitive tasks, helping your organization increase efficiency.

According to a study by Global newswire, the global robotic process automation market is projected to reach USD 23.9 billion by 2030 and is poised to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 27.7% from 2021 to 2030.

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Expectations from Robotic Process Automation

One of the most frequently asked questions while implementing RPA is the expectations, and how will it scale in the future with advanced robotics?

RPA is already helping businesses in data management, revenue generation, improving process performance, and much more.

Moving forward,  businesses can implement RPA & meet their expectations, which are:

• No-code RPA: Facilitating development with no-code RPA solutions would help businesses simplify their processes even further, especially in no-code development environments.
• Utilizing process mining to auto-extract process knowledge from RPA solutions can help businesses simplify the RPA implementation process.
• Expanding bots to have more extensive capabilities to function well in RPA marketplaces enables developers to submit their code easily.
• Open-source RPA: Since RPA is expanding exponentially, the demand for transparent RPA with open source is also increasing.

Understanding Business Challenges in RPA implementation

Before starting on the RPA implementation journey, organizations must assess their challenges and how RPA will be beneficial for their organization.

Businesses face various challenges in RPA implementation that range from organizational and technological to financial and regulatory challenges.

1. Organizational Challenges

Technological advancement of such a scale requires organizations to buckle up and prioritize RPA initiatives. However, limited resources, lack of the right skills, and lack of sense of urgency are some of the barriers that enterprises need to overcome to implement RPA successfully.

2. Technological Challenges

Implementing an enterprise-wide digital workforce requires the right tools, skills, and technology.

40% of the organizations implementing RPA faced cybersecurity and data privacy concerns. Implementing RPA means granting access to all your legacy data systems to RPA bots, and in such case scenarios, there is a fear of data mishandling.

Apart from data privacy risks, difficulty in scaling applications is a real challenge. For example, only 3% of organizations have scaled their digital workforce, according to the Deloitte Global RPA Survey.

3. Financial & Regulatory Challenges

For RPA implementation, the total cost of ownership (TCO) poses a great risk. This is because software costs such as OS costs, bot licenses, and hardware costs for machines, servers, and databases are high.

Ensuring regulatory compliance is another aspect that must be considered while RPA development. Businesses and IT teams should collaborate and actively provide business updates to the RPA support team to update scripts in the production environment.

In order to counter these challenges, businesses should make decisions based on individual and organization-specific requirements such as RPA’s implementation timeline and functional requirements.

A proactive enterprise-wide discussion about the expected results would allow organizations to make the most of the RPA and its benefits.

Apart from understanding and mitigating the challenges, the stepwise approach to RPA implementation, as discussed in the next section, is also beneficial for the proper implementation of RPA steps.

A well-prepared implementation approach helps you to take full advantage of the technology.  The Final RPA Implementation Journey involves the below-mentioned steps:

Step 1: Program Initiation

A clear RPA business plan is a cornerstone of successful deployment. The program initiation phase helps an organization understand the feasibility and advantage of an RPA solution.

Step 2: Assessing Potential Opportunities

The organization’s initial process assessment is essential to attain the best results. Make sure the focus is on:

• Input and output volume
• Process variability
• Value unlocked via automation

Volume and process variability should remain in equilibrium, directly affecting cost benefits. In addition, enterprises should consider data security, cybersecurity, and scalability during an evaluation for the implementation of RPA steps.

Step 3: Developing Proof of Concept

After process selection, enterprises should experiment with robotic process automation tools and technologies to understand their work.

Aim at the key elements of the process and not the complete initiative. Cross-check if the bot has the caliber to work and deliver the best results. This will help create an effective proof of the complete concept and ensure the efforts don’t go in vain.

Step 4: Deploy a Pilot

Once you attain conceptual proof, run the pilot. Implementing this step for RPA implementation further reduces bot deployment inefficiencies.

Deploying a pilot helps you understand if you are investing in the right software.

To ensure that, measure the bot’s performance vs. the manual process. Then, keep running the traditional process against the bot. This process helps in proving its actual worth.

Step 5: Resource Organization

Before pilot production, companies organize cross-functional project teams and resources. The responsibilities must be well-defined to ensure business goals are in sync.  A successful strategy includes a plan where businesses should consider employees’ suggestions and potential impacts, and training programs are welcomed.

Step 6. Setting up an Implementation Plan

A comprehensive implementation plan with a detailed strategy is the need of the hour. A complete team of business analysts, project managers, operating staff, and RPA developers is necessary for the streamlined implementation of RPA.  You also have to consider maintenance costs and additional software development costs.

Step 7: Operate and Monitor

When bots are up and running, don’t forget to analyze their performance. Ensure they are not overloaded. Operational benefits and greater productivity are worth considering.

If you are feeling overwhelmed with the above-mentioned stepwise RPA implementation journey, here’s a quick checklist to help you to simplify the process further:

• Start with ‘simple to automate’ processes and list out processes to automate.
• Perform a feasibility assessment & make sure existing processes are efficient.
• Consider app scalability and AI support & prepare for advanced robotics.
• Conduct an audit trail & addressing data privacy risks.
• Analyze the cost-friendliness of RPA applications.
• Follow a Comprehensive Team Approach.

Selecting the Right RPA Vendor for your RPA Implementation

The RPA implementation needs are different for different organizations, and to fulfill them, you need RPA vendors who can understand these needs and offer you customized solutions.

Here’s a list of parameters you should consider while selecting a vendor for the RPA to avoid any bottlenecks in the implementation:

• Cost and time required to deploy the bots
• Ability to deliver bots that can handle financial complexities
• Provisions for encrypting the data and ensuring their privacy and confidentiality
• Presence of an audit trail feature, which records the transactions made by the bot
• The RPA bot supplied by the vendor should be non-intrusive and well-equipped to adapt to the change in technologies.

Along with the organizational credentials, the technical skills of the vendors should be verified.

5 Benefits of Successful RPA Implementation

The global robotic process automation market size was valued at USD 1.89 billion in 2021 and is projected to expand at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 38.2% from 2022 to 2030.

The benefits of adopting the RPA systems range from boosting productivity, improving employee engagement, accelerating time to market, and generating more revenue. Successful RPA implementation can generate operational and strategic advantages.

Source: Medium

When various tasks have to be differently processed, which adds costs as well as complexity, especially for large enterprises. But the benefits offered by RPA make this technology worth every penny:

1. RPA Gives Accuracy

Human error results in the loss of billions of dollars annually. Do you remember the simple typo that caused the stock market to plunge 1000 points and wipe out $1.1 trillion in 2010?

To achieve the highest level of efficiency, it is important to eliminate errors. The average benchmark for data entry errors ranges from 2 to 5%. This risk is significantly elevated with tedious and repetitive tasks that induce boredom.

2. Productivity Enhancement

RPA never takes leaves or never goes on vacation. They keep working tirelessly, round the clock, with consistency and efficiency.

The productive gains of RPA are real as well as measurable. According to a new study from the Information Services Group (ISG), a leading global technology research and advisory firm, RPA enables companies to execute processes 5-10 times faster with approx 37% fewer resources.

3. Time and Labor Saving

As per The National Association of Software and Services Companies, RPA reduces up to 35-65% in labor costs and delivers a return on investment (ROI) in as few as six months.

Source: Medium (Graphical Representation of Time Saving)

4. Scalability

The robotic workforce can be as large or as small as per your requirement. The new bots can be deployed quickly, and that too at a minimum cost.

Whenever there is peak business activity like a new product launch, RPA can handle the improved transaction volume. This means there is no need to hire new staff and train them.

5. Improvement of Service Level 

Businesses that deploy RPA to handle routine tasks can refocus their employees on creative, strategic work and deliver better customer service.

An intelligent way to integrate it into business operations is to allow the bots to work efficiently on tasks.

For example, you can improve service levels by automating tasks during customer interaction, reducing time to resolution, and decreasing customer frustration.

6. Flexibility & Adaptability

RPA is compatible with any software system. It mimics human action without coding changes, making it flexible and adaptable to virtually any business. ERP, CRM, and industry-specific applications are the best candidates for RPA.

Key Takeaway

Big names like AT&T, Gamestop, and Verizon, have already adopted the RPA system, and soon, there will be more joining the league. RPA would be implemented across a number of operations in the organization including processes that are customer-focused. They will be fit to deal with the data-intensive tasks error-free, sparing the sector significant time and liberating individuals to aim at high-value work.

You can successfully implement RPA when you have the right team with you. Minimize efforts, enhance client satisfaction, and boost revenue. For this, you have to test the waters and ensure every step you take is scrutinized.

Still on the fence and thinking whether or not you should bot-o-mate your business tasks? Check out the Robotic Process Automation Implementation to get the competitive edge required to get ahead in your industry.