Robotic Process Automation: Implementation Guide

Introduction

Dealing with complex issues specific to certain areas of your business? 

Traditionally, you were advised to adapt your processes to fit the software. However, with the development of integrated cloud solutions, this is no longer the sole approach. Automation is the truly valuable answer. It is evolving in new ways that could be beneficial to explore. No more ‘vanilla’ versions of software. Business needs come first.

Many companies are recognizing this trend worldwide, marking just the beginning of a larger shift. Statista projects that the robotic process automation market will surpass $13 billion by 2030. This significant growth underscores the importance for businesses to invest in this advanced technology and enhance their processes.

Naturally, implementation will come with its own difficulties. Here are a few to keep an eye on:

• Resistance to Change: Employees often resist automation due to concerns about job security or discomfort with new tech. To overcome this resistance, it’s important to implement transparent communication about RPA’s advantages and its effects on job roles.

• Integration Issues: Bringing RPA implementation approach into your existing IT systems and applications can be challenging. Legacy systems, which may not be designed for automation, can complicate integration. Effective integration requires detailed planning and technical expertise to ensure everything works together smoothly.

• Data Security and Compliance: Business has to ensure their RPA implementations adhere to applicable regulations and implement strong security measures to safeguard data integrity.

• Skill Gaps and Training: Companies should focus on training their staff or hiring new experts to ensure that they can make the most of automation.

• Lack of Clear Objectives: No clear goals? No success. That’s the reality of robotic process automation implementation. Begin with a solid vision, then use measurable standards to guide and evaluate your progress.

However, all challenges in RPA implementation can be addressed.

Reviewing Whether RPA Aligns with Your Business Objectives

A business needs to have a comprehensive picture of what aspects are being considered before implementing RPA. To simplify this, we offer the top 6 questions you can ask yourself. 

Read the section below. 

1. What Processes Can I Automate?

Automation has its limits. As a business leader or top executive, you are the one best positioned to identify which processes are prime candidates for automation. Since every business operates differently, you must evaluate your operations and divide them into three groups: those suitable for RPA, those for IA, and those best handled by human input.

Automating repetitive tasks, high-volume processes, and rule-based operations can save time and money. Focus on areas with structured data, clear outcomes, and those prone to errors. Legacy systems and time-consuming activities are also ripe for RPA.

2. Are my Processes Optimized?

The key lesson here is that automating a broken process won’t solve its problems; it’ll only exacerbate them. You must choose processes that are functional and free of bottlenecks. Start by analyzing their effectiveness, identifying any red flags, fixing those issues, and then automating. This approach ensures you’re automating wisely.

3. Where Can I Put Automation?

4. How do I Select an IA or RPA Vendor?

Our advice? Look for partners that showcase the latest technologies and innovations. This ensures your vendor will provide future-proof solutions. It’s also vital to choose vendors with solid automation experience and RPA implementation best practices. Many offer basic automations, but those can cause scaling problems as your business grows. You don’t want to hit that roadblock, do you?

Additionally, consider key elements such as structure, price, cloud access, security, adaptability, and ease of accessibility.

If you’d like to explore our automation solutions further, contact IntexSoft for additional information.

5. What Sort of RPA Implementation Methodology Should I Use?

To determine if RPA is right for you, first define what you hope to achieve and set KPIs to measure success. Map your processes to spot automation opportunities, then conduct a feasibility study to evaluate technical and financial aspects. Test RPA with a pilot project, track its impact, and compare different vendors. Ensure that the RPA solution can scale and integrate with your existing systems. Regularly review and refine the implementation to ensure it continues to deliver value.

6. What roles and responsibilities do I need?

As any business leader endeavors to find a smart strategy, we have one suggestion: Set up a center of excellence. 

This team will focus on identifying automation opportunities, training staff, ensuring standards and governance, mitigating risks, and staying ahead with new technologies. They will also help create proof of concepts (POCs) to turn your ideas into effective, actionable results.

RPA Implementation Roadmap

How to develop RPA implementation plan? This is the main question of our article. Read below for the top 8 steps to keep in mind.

Step 1.  Assess for Successful RPA Implementation Opportunities

The initial step should be identifying processes with strong automation potential. As previously noted, the ideal candidates are those that are rule-driven, repetitive, handle structured data, and process high volumes of transactions. Data entry, report generation, and invoice processing are often successfully automated by companies.

If you have many complex processes to sort through and prefer to avoid hiring an expert, you can still assess whether RPA is a good option. Consider technical complexity, the quality of your data, and the likelihood of exceptions. This will give you a sense of what’s truly feasible.

Step 2: Analyze Cost-Benefit and ROI

Your top priority? ROI. Don’t wait to estimate it—do it early on. Calculate potential RPA implementation cost savings, productivity boosts, and improved efficiency. These factors will help you figure out what kind of returns to expect.

Analyze the direct and indirect benefits of RPA, including reduced manual work, faster process turnaround, and fewer errors. Weigh these against the initial costs of implementation, such as software licenses, training, and system integration, to understand the potential gains.

Account for intangible benefits like improved customer satisfaction and scalability when calculating RPA’s ROI. These insights will help you make a more convincing case for the technology discussed.

Step 3. Choose the right RPA vendor

You have some latitude in this step. We suggest prioritizing vendors that showcase both RPA proficiency and a strong track record in your industry.

Check this list for more angles worth considering:

• Technology Capabilities: Does the vendor deliver the features you need? Can it integrate well with your existing system?

• Domain Expertise: Does the vendor know the ins and outs of the processes you’re automating? Have they achieved success through RPA implementation examples in your field before?

• Pricing Options: Is their pricing structure right for your budget? Explore how scalable and flexible their licensing packages can be.

• Support Services: Make sure to review their support, maintenance, and training services. A reliable support team is a must-have.

Step 4. Prepare a Seamless Robotic Process Automation Workflow

Begin by developing an automation workflow that is both logical and intuitive. The objective is to closely mirror human decision-making processes. Arrange the workflow to align with the natural sequence of tasks and decisions a human would make.

Anticipating exceptions and errors is vital when assessing processes. As you construct your automation flow, account for scenarios that might not proceed as expected. Define protocols for how the bot should manage different types of exceptions or errors. Implementing these protocols will help mitigate disruptions and keep operations running smoothly.

Effective RPA implementation hinges on precise data processing. To ensure this, integrate data manipulation and validation techniques into your workflow. Data manipulation entails transforming and organizing information to meet automation needs, while data validation confirms the accuracy and completeness of the data being processed.

Step 5. Pilot RPA in selected processes

Create a solid business case and begin with automating one or two pilot processes. Assess performance improvements and use these initial tests to educate and refine your strategy. 

Think of pilots as the first strokes on a canvas. They play a crucial role in obtaining stakeholder buy-in and understanding the full scope of automation’s potential and limitations. You can identify the elements for successful enterprise-wide implementation by careful work at this stage.

At this point, you will focus on the end-to-end automation of your selected use cases to fully illustrate the capabilities of RPA technology.

Step 6. Scale RPA across the organization

• Before you scale up RPA across your organization, assess how your initial implementations performed. Review the pilot phase to identify what worked well and what aspects need to be adjusted.

• Then, formulate a comprehensive plan for RPA deployment throughout your organization. Your strategy should adopt a phased approach, prioritizing processes by their complexity, impact, and readiness for automation. Address technical needs, resource distribution, and timelines in your plan.

• Implement standardized RPA processes and best practices across departments. Create clear guidelines for process documentation, automation design, and maintenance to streamline scaling.

• Be sure to include ongoing staff training and regular monitoring of ROI indicators as part of your strategy at this stage.

Step 7. Manage the RPA Lifecycle

Time to launch your RPA solution! Step 7 is about starting the deployment and planning for ongoing success with regular maintenance. Your strategy should cover governance, how the system will operate, organizational structure, and how you’ll manage any changes.

This step boils down to a few crucial tasks: 

• Implement the final strategic model, which could involve setting up chargeback systems and establishing an RPA center of excellence.

• Define the operating model, governance setup, and process prioritization system.

• Ensure that change management and communication plans are effectively maintained.

Step 8. Future-proof your RPA strategy

Having assessed all critical RPA implementation steps, refer to the table below. It outlines the key actions needed to ensure your strategy is well-prepared for the future.

Framework for Future-Ready RPA Solutions

Final Words on How to Implement RPA

Implement robotic process automation and revolutionize your business, but it must be executed carefully. The cost of implementing robotics process automation can vary, and each stage of the process, from learning the basics to managing complexities, is essential to unlock its total value.

If you’re versed in the basic components of RPA implementation but need answers to your unique questions, reach out to IntexSoft. Our experts are always available for free consultations with business leaders and executives.