How do you implement RPA in your organization?

Roadmap

There are a few clear main steps to follow to ensure that RPA is a success. There is also the consideration of whether you want to tackle this process internally, work with outside help, or outsource it completely.

1. Define the goal

RPA is a means to an end, not an end in itself. What is the reason you want to get started with RPA? In what department(s) do you want to use it? Do you want to start saving money, free up certain people for other work? Are there a lot of human errors that need to be eliminated? It is important to think about this before you get started. This will also help determine the choices you will make along the way. 

2. Assess processes

Once you have the goal clear, you can look at which processes you would like to automate. Here it is important to critically assess these processes and adjust them where necessary. In fact, there are a few criteria a process must meet to be suitable for RPA:

• The process must be mature enough. By this we mean that the process does not change every week. This would mean that the RPA robot would also have to be adapted every week.
• The process must follow a certain logic. You can build many scenarios into an RPA robot, but they must be thought of and learned beforehand. If you have a process that does not follow logic and requires a new action every time, RPA is not suitable.
• The process must be cost-effective. If you perform a certain operation once a month for 15 minutes, it makes no sense to build an RPA robot for this. As a rule, the longer you spend with a particular process per week, the more it pays to automate it.

3. Select process and map

The advantage of automating with RPA is that you can build per robot and thus have a first process automated quickly. Although it seems logical to grab the most profitable process first, this is not always the most convenient. A good tip when you first start with RPA is to start with a small, non-critical process. This gives you a chance to get used to the new technology without the possibility of major problems. Then you can roll it out step by step and the big improvements will come naturally. 

A good tip when first starting with RPA is to start with a small, non-business-critical process.

After this, it is important to map out the process properly and in detail so that the RPA robot can be built properly and it is easy to track exactly what the robot is doing. Here, try to think of and record as many if/then scenarios as possible that are applicable.

4. Build the RPA robot

You are now ready to actually build the robot. You do this with RPA software. Here you have two choices, cloud solutions or a local solution. The advantage of cloud solutions is that you can often purchase them as a subscription and they are always up-to-date. The main disadvantage is that they are less suitable for accessing systems on local servers. The alternative is to work with a local solution. You have to install these in your network. The advantage is that this form is easier to work with local systems. The disadvantage is that it often involves higher licensing costs and must be updated regularly. 

Before you start using the RPA robot, it is obviously important to test it properly. Run through all the scenarios you noted when mapping the process. It is also a good tip to create your own accounts for the RPA robot in the systems it needs to log into. That way you can find out afterwards what it did.

5. Make the robot work for you

The RPA robot is now ready to work for you! Finally, you no longer have to do the boring chores yourself. However, it is important to regularly check if the robot is still working properly. In fact, one drawback to RPA technology is that if something fundamentally changes in the systems the robot is working in, the robot must also be adjusted to keep working. 

Completely hastle-free

Implementing RPA takes a lot of time and also requires specific knowledge of your organization. On the one hand process knowledge for properly assessing, mapping and improving the processes, on the other hand IT knowledge for programming and maintaining the RPA robots. An ideal solution that now also exists are parties, such as VionA, that can take the entire process out off your hands. VionA takes you step by step through the process and for a monthly fee ensures that you do not have to worry about the RPA robots. An additional advantage is that this solution is financially beneficial from the very first process because you pay per process.

VionA takes you through the process step by step and for a monthly fee ensures that you don't have to worry about the RPA robots.

Look here for inspiration and examples of scenarios.