10 Ways Intelligent Automation Can Enhance Efficiency in SAP Ariba

Introduction

SAP Ariba is a powerful procurement and supply chain management solution that significantly improves Source-To-Contract efficiency. However, there are still further opportunities to enhance the efficiency and effectiveness of the process using complementary Intelligent Automation (IA) technologies. In this blog, we'll explore various IA opportunities that can be implemented in parallel or built upon your SAP Ariba rollout to elevate your procurement processes.

Intelligent Automation Opportunities

1. Automate Sourcing Information Gathering with RPA: Develop a bot to collect and input data captured during the sourcing process to reduce manual effort and improve accuracy. This automation can streamline the gathering of information at different stages, chasing approvals, and sending notifications.
2. Streamline Contract Publishing with RPA: Create an automated process to publish contract workspaces after receiving a signature on the final document, reducing delays and cycle time.
3. Simplify Supplier Onboarding using RPA and Document Extraction: Develop an automation to input data between systems during supplier onboarding, reducing manual effort and improving data accuracy.
4. Enhance Data Visualisation using RPA and AI: Utilise RPA bots to automate the creation of various dashboards and KPI reports using data from different systems (SAP Ariba, Spend Management, Risk Management), enhancing data visualisation and accessibility.
5. Use RPA to Automate Input Between Systems Unintegrated with SAP Ariba: Often, there are still systems with no or limited integration with SAP Ariba. Data and information input from unintegrated systems or desktop applications such as Excel or Word can be time-consuming and error-prone. Implementing RPA can automate the input of data from these disparate sources, reducing manual effort and enhancing data accuracy.
6. Implement Document Extraction Tools for Unstructured Data: Combine document extraction tools and RPA to automate the extraction and input of key information from documents such as Contracts, Purchase Orders, and Supplier Onboarding Documents (Insurance, Tax, Bank Information, etc.).
7. Automate Updating Open POs with Payment Terms Changes: Develop an automated process for updating existing open POs when payment terms change to improve accuracy and reduce manual effort.
8. Automate Purchase Requisitions using ChatBot and RPA: Creating purchase requisitions in SAP Ariba can be a lengthy process, requiring users to log in and fill out forms. Data entry errors can lead to complications. Implement a Chatbot to assist users throughout the purchase requisition process, minimizing manual efforts and reducing errors then combine with RPA to automatically raise requests into Ariba.
9. Suggest Catalogue Items for Non-Catalogue PRs: Implement an automation that suggests catalogue items as alternatives during the approval phase to reduce non-compliant spend and tail-end suppliers.
10. Automate Invoices without Linked POs: Develop a bot to identify discrepancies, collect missing information, and automate invoice creation to reduce manual effort and improve accuracy.

Conclusion

While SAP Ariba already offers significant improvements in Source-To-Contract efficiency, harnessing complementary Intelligent Automation technologies such as RPA and AI can further elevate procurement processes. By implementing these opportunities in parallel or building on your existing Ariba rollout, you can unlock additional cost savings and efficiency to future-proof your Source-To-Contract process.