SMART RPA

01/10/2019

Guy Kirkwood, COO & Chief Evangelist at UiPath, and Neil Murphy, Regional Sales Director at ABBYY talk about enhancing RPA with OCR capabilities to widen the scope of automation.

Guy Kirkwood (COO & Chief Evangelist at UiPath) and Neil Murphy (Regional Sales Director at ABBYY) uncover "The Holy Grail of RPA" in a talk about enhancing ...

30/09/2019

What is Intelligent Automation?

Intelligent Automation is a term that describes a holistic solution for digital transformation, mainly based on process management (BPM) to orchestrate users, tasks, systems and robots (RPA) depending on the business needs at each moment.

On the other hand, it also contemplates the use of analytics and AI (especially Machine learning) to make automated and intelligent decisions, and case management to provide processes with enough flexibility for end-to-end case management success.

Finally, it is worth mentioning that another key feature of this trend is the integration between the different systems used in the company. Integration will prevent the duplication of data in the systems and users will need only work on one platform.

12/11/2018

Differences between Test Automation and RPA
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There is multiple overlaps between a Test Automation Tool and RPA tool. For instance, they both drive screen, keyboard, mouse, etc. and have similar tech architecture. But following are the key differences between the two.

1.Goal
Test Automation
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Reduce Test ex*****on time through automation.

RPA
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Reduce headcount through automation

2.Task
Test Automation
Automate repetitive Test Cases

RPA
Automate repetitive Business processes

3.Coding
Test Automation
Coding knowledge required to create Test Scripts

RPA
Wizard-driven, and coding knowledge not required

4.Tech Approach
Test Automation
Supports limited software environment. Example: Selenium can support only web applications.

RPA
Supports a wide array of software environments

5.Example
Test Automation
Test cases are automated

RPA
Data entry, forms, loan processing, is automated

6.Application
Test Automation
Test Automation can be run on QA, Production, Performance, UAT environments

RPA
RPA is usually run only on production environments

7.Implementation
Test Automation
It can automate a product.

RPA
It can automate a product as well as a service.

8.Users
Test Automation
Limited to technical users.

RPA
Can be used across the board by all stakeholders.

9.Role
Test Automation
Acts as a virtual assistant.

RPA
Acts as a virtual workforce.

10.AI
Test Automation
Can execute only what is coded.

RPA
Many RPA tools come with an AI engine can process information like a human

Again, RPA tools like UIPath, Blueprism can be used for test automation. Vice versa, advanced automation tools like UFT can be used for RPA if you have good coding skill. But RPA tools for more fit for purpose.

11/11/2018

From today onward we are publishing series of articles that shows difference between test automation and RPA.
Stay tuned...!

19/10/2018

Key roles in a RPA project III

3 . RPA Developer

The RPA developer will use input from the Business analyst and the process charts to develop the robot. He (or she) is the expert at programming (and might test) the robot.

As there are many vendors of RPA software, an organization will have to be careful to choose the right RPA software. And, as RPA developers are thin on the ground, their cost can be considerable. Make sure the RPA developer has been certified by the software firm.

As the robot has to mimic user behavior in a process, performing tasks perfectly, it is important for the RPA developer to have a good understanding of the business and the process itself. He (or she) will have to spend time with the Business analyst during the workshops to gain an understanding of the tacit knowledge that surrounds the process.

It is also important that the RPA developer understands .NET technology and that he (she) is well versed in high-level programming languages like VisualBasic. Experience in working with web browsers (MS IE or Edge, Chrome and Firefox) is of importance as is knowledge of Citrix for remote desktop and virtualization in general.

16/10/2018

Key roles in a RPA project II

2.Business Analyst

The business analyst’s has three different roles in an RPA project.

During the Assign phase, the Business analyst works with the project manager in identifying the processes, evaluating the key criteria for RPA (which might be different from the CTO’s point of view and the business point of view). Having experience of business process mapping is of essence.

During the Approve phase, the role is centred on documenting the current process (gathering the tacit knowledge from the business users, their tasks and activities) and designing the new process (with the robot). It requires knowledge of drawing and documenting processes but also business acumen and a willingness to observe and ask questions.

During the Design phase, the Business analyst together with the RPA developer work with the business in detailing the process. This is done during a number of workshops. During this phase we tend to ask very specific questions about where, how and why one uses a system, what exceptions there might be in handling a specific task and which processes interact with the process we are automating.

11/10/2018

After discussing phases in RPA project , this week let’s talk about what are the key roles in a project.

To successfully implement an RPA project it is recommend to specify the roles at the start of the project. The roles can be filled by external (consultants or interim) or internal resources.

The three roles mentioned below make up the core team, the bare minimum. There are other roles that will help the project succeed. People with skills such as change management, IT architecture and Operation and maintenance will play crucial roles during the project but these roles should be defined when scoping the project. Often there are other IT projects ongoing and co-ordinating with these is crucial.

1.Project Manager
Books have been written about project management. Read those for a more extended role description.

In short, the project manager is responsible for the whole project, from assigning resources to getting the KPIs and measurements correct and getting the budget approved. These have to be done before the project starts.

During the project, the project manager is also responsible for developing the business case and present this to the steering committee. The business case is the formal document that outlines how profitable the RPA implementation is likely to be in pounds and pence (or dollars and cents) and its expected pay-back time.

08/10/2018

Four phases of success part V
4.Implementing
Implementing the robot is the exciting part. The robot is now released into the working environment, mimicking an employee’s behaviour. When installed, it is up to the business side to monitor the robot and handle any exceptions. If there are changes in the process, the robot may have to be reprogrammed and it is the business side’s responsibility to either do it themselves (if they have the programming knowledge) or bring it to the IT departments attention.

After having been in operation it is time to measure how productive it is and what the business impact is. Is the process faster? Do we save time? Does it increase revenue? Do we save resources?

After evaluating this first project, it might be time to look at your next automation project.😀😀😀

07/10/2018

Four phases of success part IV
3.Design stage
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At the design stage we would look at the process and start looking at which software vendor best fulfills the criteria outlined in the business case. Different software have different advantages which might and these might be better suited to the organizations needs and future demands. When that choice has been made we would acquire the license from the preferred vendor.

During this phase we would design the exact process and have it signed off by the business. It is then a question of designing the robot.

This stage ends with testing the robot. The robot should first be aimed for quick wins – activities in processes that do not add value but take time and effort. With agile iterations the robot will be programmed to increase the level of automation.

This is an iterative process and several iterations are performed as the robot is fine tuned. When the robot mimics the users behavior to a very high degree and when all exceptions have been programmed it can be ready for release.

06/10/2018

06/10/2018

Four phases of success part III
2.Approval stage
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The second phase, the approval stage, is labour intensive as it is during this stage an agreement about the pilot process to be automated is reached. When a decision about which process to automate first is reached, it is followed by a thorough investigation and documentation of the process.

After documenting the process in detail, we would also design the future process – the one with the robot. It will look different as some of the human interaction and activities are now performed by the robot.

Placing the current process chart next to the new process chart will visualize how the introduction of the robot will alter the process.

This stage ends with a Business case being presented to the steering committee and the sponsor of the project. It contains the expected cost and the Return on Investment (ROI).

04/10/2018

Four phases of success part II
1.Assess phase
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In the assess phase we investigate the process (or processes) that could be automated. Questions that we want answers to are:
➡️Is the process repeated several times a day?
➡️With a high degree of predicable outcome?
➡️Does it deal with structured data?
➡️Is the process cross organizational or is it contained within a department?

We also evaluate key criteria such as KPIs and critical success factors for the RPA implementation. These need to be agreed and set before the implementation so we can measure the effect the robot will have.

The stage ends with an assessment report that outlines the RPA project in more detail and the feasibility of it.