Strategic Approach to Automation: How to Plan Your RPA Steps

Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is changing the global business environment dramatically. As more businesses discover the benefits of RPA, they quickly get convinced that it is among the most helpful automation types to implement for a solid digital transformation. However, in the end, how to implement RPA most efficiently remains the essential question.

Successful Automation Strategy for RPA

The golden rule for implementing RPA is to adopt a comprehensive strategic approach. A careful RPA strategy will move you beyond just saving the day and help your business prosper in the long run. This guide aims to help you design a step-by-step RPA transformation pathway.

Set your ultimate goals

RPA is about continuous work instead of sudden digital transformation. You should refrain from applying what your competitors do but focus on what you need. The competitive advantage will follow a well-crafted strategy. You should decide which RPA vendor suits your needs. Knowing your goals will help you get the most professional help.

A successful RPA strategy requires a clear goal, a realistic timeline, and a reasonable budget. Planning before acting will also enable you to consider the resources you need for RPA infrastructure. 

Finally, team spirit is significant: Your employees should know what automation is about and share your vision. 

Pick the processes to automate

You should check which aspects of your business will need automation since not all processes necessarily work well with RPA. It is crucial to justify your decisions based on metrics like ROI. Then, think about how automating these processes will fit your long-run digital transformation adventure.

Process eligibility is a great way to show you which tasks to automate. By automatically repeating tasks completed without human skills, process eligibility gives you a clue about the tasks you can hand over to RPA. The assessment checks various factors, such as the repeatability of the task and the structure of the data. 

Robusta Process Discovery Tool is one of these eligibility tools that can give you detailed insight, including ROI measurements.

Pay attention to user experiences.

The user story aspect is sometimes overlooked, but it is central to a well-thought RPA strategy. A user story is a general explanation of a software feature written from the perspective of the end-user or customer. It is quite informal, but it reflects the value of the feature delivered to the customer.

Process analysts can also record user interactions. They can simulate them to see how the desired automation performs. You can pay attention to the user side and analyze the RPA workflows. End-user stories will provide a new perspective on the processes to be automated.

Plan the implementation process and prepare for it

This step includes the activities necessary to prepare and implement once you decide what and why to do. Firstly, you should support your IT environment and train your human capital resources for the implementation. 

You initiate your RPA process based on the appropriate tools you choose for your RPA workflows. First, a detailed process map is needed to figure out the expected role of RPA bots.

Unexpected minor issues may arise in the initial preparation process for various reasons. 

Therefore, you should run tests once your programming is complete. It will help you map out the scenarios and fix any problems before running your pilot.

Implement and track

If everything has been smooth until now, you are finally ready for the RPA implementation. First, however, do not forget to randomly select the bot outputs to inspect and evaluate their performance during the process. 

When they all work as they should, you should also see whether they can handle the changes in the system. These checks will help you evaluate the automation performance.

Indeed, a strategic approach to RPA requires you to track the success of your attempted RPA transformation. Compare your current metrics with pre-implementation ones to understand how your RPA transformation changed your indicators. 

Being aware of how you proceed from the past indeed reflects the future of your business. These insights will guide you with your next RPA and broader digital transformation goals.

Key takeaways

Implementing RPA is a continuous and challenging process for businesses that aim at prospering in the digital world. However, the benefits of a step-by-step automation process are irreplaceable for your long-term prospects: It increases your profits or beats your competitors and enhances your brand value.

To plan your transformation strategy carefully along the lines we mentioned above, you can seek support from the high-end expertise of Robusta. 

Contact us today to discuss how we can help you build the best RPA transformation strategy.