ROBOTIC PROCESS AUTOMATION

Robotic process automation (RPA) is software that automates repetitive, rule based tasks, mimicking human actions like data entry, clicks and navigation. It streamlines workflows, boosts efficiency and reduces errors.

There are three types of robotic process automation (RPA) and they are; attended, unattended, cognitive/intelligent and hybrid robotic process automation.

Attended robotic process automation is characterized by human in the loop automation. It is flexible and excellent at exception handling but it is limited in scalability and depends on humans to monitor the process. They find application in customer service and data validation. Examples include desktop automation, guided process automation etc.

Unattended robotic process automation is characterized by autonomous automation without humans in the loop. It is scalable and can be operational 24/7 throughout the day. Its main drawback is their limited adaptability and error handling capabilities. They are very suitable for back office processes and data migration. Examples include, batch processing, scheduled task etc.

Cognitive/intelligent robotic process automation adds AI capabilities such as natural language processing, machine learning and computer vision on top of traditional robotic process automation. This allows bots to handle semi-structured or unstructured data such as reading emails, interpreting scanned documents or understanding voice inputs.

Hybrid robotic process automation (RPA) combines attended and unattended architecture. It result in a flexible and highly scalable process but its main drawback is their complexity and high deployment cost. They are well suited for end to end processes and dynamic workflows. Examples include, complex workflows, dynamic tasks etc.

Robotic process automation works by recording user actions such as capturing steps, clicks and data entry. Then it configures the workflows to determine rules and triggers. Thereafter it executes tasks assigned using software bots to perform automated actions. Finally it monitors to optimize the process by tracking performance and updating the process as required.

The advantages of robotic process automation are; it dramatically reduce time on repetive, rule based task. It operates 24/7 without fatigue or breaks. It is highly accurate and eliminates human data entry errors. It is non-invasive that is it works on top of existing systems without infrastructure changes. It is fast to deploy relative to full software integrations. It is easily auditable and compliant with regulatory logging requirements.

The disadvantages of robotic process automation are; it is brittle such that any change to the user interface (UI) of an underlying system can break bots. It cannot handle exceptions or ambiguity without human escalation. Its high maintenance burden as software and processes evolve. It is limited to rule based, structured data workflows. It does not learn or improve, the same mistakes is repeated if not corrected manually. It can create technical debt if deployed without proper governance.

Robotic process automation finds applications in the following; banking and finance for loan processing, fraud detection alerts, regulatory reporting etc. healthcare for patient data entry, insurance claim processing, appointment scheduling etc. human resources for onboarding, workflow payroll processing, compliance tracking etc. retail for order management, inventory updates, return processing etc. telecommunications for service provisioning, billing reconciliation, SLA monitoring etc. and so on.

The future of robotic process automation will depend on the advances and development of the following technologies; AI integration in processes will enable smarter automation decision making. Its increased adoption will expand its role beyond IT to other industries. Humans will take a back seat and be released to focus on more interesting and complex tasks.

 

SOURCES:

• Robotic process automation by Romil Rawat, Rajesh Kumar, Chakrawarti, Sanjaya Kumar Sorango, Rahul Choudhary, Anand Singh Gadwal and VIvek Bhardwaj.
• Becoming strategic with robotic process automation by Leslie P. Willcocks, John Hundle and Mary C. Lacity.
• Robotic process automation: guide to building software robots, automate repetitive tasks and become an RPA consultant by Richard Murdoch.
• The robotic process automation handbook: A guide to implementing RPA systems by Tom Taulli.
• Digital workforce: reduce cost and improve efficiency using robotic process automation by Rob King.