No real surprises in a February 22 Information Age article by Andrew Ross discussing issues relating to RPA implementation, but he does point to the biggest issue facing all autonomous technology uptake: understanding what needs to get done and how.
As “swivel chair” software, Robotic Process Automation (RPA) promises to be a game changer for small to midsize businesses looking to increase worker productivity by reducing the amount of time they spend doing human-as-machine labor. But many workflow systems have developed organically, over time. This organic growth incorporates a lot of activity that may no longer make sense. Automating the process as-is can build in inefficiencies.
But Ross’s article illuminates the big problem facing business owners: Alex Rinke, CEO of Celonis, told Information Age he’s “heard of many failed RPA initiatives; and it’s often because enterprises fail to understand their inefficiencies before implementing automation.”
There’s no doubt about it, RPAs and Machine Learning are going to radically improve the speed of your business. But you need to work closely with system specialists like ATC to understand what needs to get done and how best to do it.