Robotic Process Automation – Beyond the hype

Many of our members recently enjoyed a stimulating discussion with Joanne Griffin the founder of AdaptIQ, to look beyond the hype to the real opportunities presented by Robotic Process Automation (RPA).

RPA should hold no fears for finance leaders to understand and is similar to other automation projects. Keys takeaways from the meeting were:

The opportunities offer by RPA are significant

  1. Robotic processes offer an opportunity to automate repetitive processes at scale
  2. They offer excellent levels of accuracy, the ability to scale and reduce costs significantly

Don’t implement in a vacuum

  1. Common pitfalls are lack of organisational buy in, not selecting the right processes, poor implementation and insufficient post-implementation support
  2. Its is very important to get full buy in from the IT function and address IT governance considerations
  3. Implementation is a full-scale transformation journey with wide-ranging impact
  4. It is important that the cost of maintaining robotic processes is allowed for at the outset

Build an ecosystem

  1. Automation is a team support
  2. The project sponsor is key
  3. Develop a clear roadmap to capture the return on investment
  4. The choice of technology partner is key

Scale deliberately

  1. Many RPA programmes are stalling after the proof of concept stage
  2. Strong change management processes and realistic expectations are important
  3. A focus on building transferable skills is required to facilitate scaling

You can download the slides from the presentation here: Automation – Beyond the Hype