Domains of Robotic Process Automation - RPA

Introduction

Robotic process automation (RPA) is an emerging form of process automation technology based on the notion of software robots or artificial intelligence (AI) workers. RPA is currently one of the most popular Artificial Intelligence application areas as it allows companies with legacy systems to automate their workflows. RPA can be thought about as a digital spine connecting all applications. Having a digital spine to connect all applications is more valuable today compared to the past because we have a higher number of applications now. RPA bots replicate employee actions like opening files, inputting data, copy pasting fields in an automated way.  They interact with different systems via integrations and screen scraping, allowing RPA tools to perform actions like a white-collar employee. The sections that follow describe in detail the different domains that can be automated leveraging the RPA processes and tools.

“By 2025, automation technology innovations will assume control over tasks that are now performed by 250 million knowledge workers worldwide, freeing the remaining work force to devote their time and energy to more creative pursuits”  – McKinsey & Company

Domains of Automation

Software Life-Cycle Automation

This was the early stages of automation when users automated fragmented tasks using various techniques, such as VBA, Macro, command script, power shell, and message handling, to ease their workloads. Life Cycle Automation typically provides process workflows automation and is fully integrated with the Application. Life Cycle Automation typically provides the following capabilities:

Use Cases

• Service Management Workflow
• Business Process Workflows and tracking
• Automation via complex scripts or Command shell
• Event triggered instructions and Job Management
• User transaction simulation

Business Value

• Medium to high productivity gains
• Partial to full automation of task
• Secured & Sophisticated
• Required human interactions

Tooling    

Robotic Process Automation

RPA is the automation of business processes through the implementation of set of software technologies that work as a “virtual worker” or bots to manipulate existing application software in the same way that a person completes a process. These bots offer improved business efficiency, data security, and effectiveness by mimicking human actions and automating repetitive tasks across multiple business applications without altering existing infrastructure and systems. Enhanced productivity, reduced cycle time, and improved accuracy and compliance are some of the benefits of this technology.   Robotic Process Automation is the use of smart software to replicate process work that was previously done by humans. Robotics solutions differ from other types of automation because they are quick to implement, mimicking human processing and minimizing the need for costly systems integration.

Use Cases

• Service management and transaction processing and has applicability to services that are delivered by human resource-intensive work.
• Automation Testing
• Data Collection Reporting & Management
• Standard Self-Service Domain
• IT & Infrastructure Management
• Rule based monitoring alert handling and resolution

Business Value

• High productivity gains
• 100% automation of task
• Secured, Sophisticated & Scalable
• No human intervention Required
• Improved Control & Monitoring

Tooling

Advanced RPA Automation

Advanced RPA Automation are trained, and learn from, both IT and business professionals, utilizing their collective knowledge with a self-learning engine. Instead of having a  broad library of  individual scripts and run books that align with unique tasks. This self-learning automation solution has a library of possible activities and decisions, which it uses to complete tasks it never was explicitly taught or programmed to do

Use Cases

• Integration of  Intelligent Automation System Support and alert handling
• Data Management processing
• RPA with complex rules
• Complex chain of regular DBA activities
• Complex data collection and report generation

Business Value

• High productivity gains
• 100% automation of task
• Secured, Sophisticated & Scalable
• No human intervention Required
• Improved Control & Monitoring 

Tooling

Cognitive and AI Automation

Further evolution of RPA incorporates elements of artificial intelligence (AI) and cognitive abilities to mimic human thought processes using machine learning algorithms. It consists of multiple technologies that enable robots to sense, perceive, understand, learn, reason, and infer. Cognitive bots require threshold training to develop intelligent behavior. Greater benefits can be reaped when cognitive bots are combined with the power of cloud computing and cloud APIs.

Use Cases

• An automated online assistant e.g. consisting of a Natural Language Processing Dialog System, a talking animated Avatar, an expert system as well as chat and statistics module.
• Most solutions are cloud based :
  • Knowledge management web portal to maintain multiple virtual assistants
  • Provide multi-language support
  • Integrated chat system for the human agent to step-in

Business Value

• Significantly high productivity gains through 100% intelligence automation
• Secure and Scalable
• Improved control and monitoring
• Intelligence Decision Making
• Trained to handle unstructured inputs.

Tooling

Today organizations have understood that to stay competitive they must adopt processes that are streamlined, optimal and automated. In short “Automation First” has become a key strategy to meet organization goals and objectives and Virtual workforce has become a faster way of delivering business value.

Disclaimer

The views expressed in this article are the author’s views and AtoS does not subscribe to the substance, veracity or truthfulness of the said opinion.