While perusing my daily technology readings I noticed that a low code product that a previous company was using, Mendix, has released an RPA Product. This caught my attention as it seemed like a similar concept to BPMN which I am currently working with. I decided to take a deeper dive and here is what I found out.
RPA – is for automating tedious, manual and time consuming tasks. This will free up workers to do other types of work that cannot be automated. It lower costs and speeds up execution. Humans tend to have think time and make mistakes that automation will avoid. This is all common attributes for any automation use cases.
RPA requires less technical know how that API integrations. RPA is faster and less expensive than APIs? Business users can create their own “robots”. This sounds like a version of BPMN to me! Clearly putting automation tools into the hands of business is a common and valuable theme. RPA is better to use than API’s when it is easy to implement and by business users.
RPA can be used to augment or replace legacy systems. Cost will be a driver in deciding on approach. TCO must be accurately estimated. This statement seems accurate once I saw some demos. You can automate in between small tasks that an end user performs which removes the need for the end user to be a blocker.
We should never develop automation for flawed or not well defined process. This applies to any type of automation. It does well to make it a step when designing automation that the select steps includes these.
Items to consider:
- Ensure you have the right people on the RPA project.
- Ensure that there is value in automating the process. Like any effort there must be value and avoid resistance to using the automation.
- Ensure that there is value in automating the process. Like any effort there must be value and avoid resistance to using the automation.
- Ensure you have proper communication of the strategy.
- When starting an RPA project look at the the processes that will be automated; how well defined are they? Do they need definition or simplification? What experience do team members have in RPA.
The impact is automation will enhance the customer experience. This is a key in any strategy to ensure the outcome will be used and will positively impact customers
Low code / RPA: Low code tools cannot access legacy systems. RPA can prototype the integrations within a low code solution. They can work hand in hand.
In summary BPM is the holistic end to end automation of processes. RPA is more of way to automate small repetitive tasks. In fact it feels like excel could be used as an RPA when it pulls data from a source and creates a sheet or output. RPA can be an external call to an RPA vendor that does the required steps of automating the authentication, performing the tasks and sending back the required payload.
Folger Farrah Product and Designs Blog 