5 Things That Can Destroy Your RPA and IA Business Case

In the world of Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and Intelligent Automation (IA), success stories often overshadow the complexities and challenges encountered along the way. Drawing on extensive experience across numerous RPA and IA projects, this blog aims to shed light on the pitfalls that can undermine your business case and how to navigate them effectively.

Understanding the Landscape

Complex system landscapes and siloed technologies can significantly inflate development and maintenance costs. A case in point involved a global client with a high-volume, time-consuming process ripe for automation. The catch? Each region operated a different instance of SAP, necessitating multiple bots. Understand IT Architecture: A deep dive into the IT landscape is essential for crafting a scalable automation strategy that accounts for regional variations.

Aligning with the Broader Technology Roadmap

The disconnect between automation initiatives and the broader technology roadmap can impact the payback period, especially with impending platform replacements. Integration with Technology: Integration with the technology roadmap ensures that automation efforts complement upcoming system upgrades or ERP implementations, safeguarding your investment.

Addressing Process Complexity

Often, there's a gap between documented processes and their real-world execution, leading to underestimations of process complexity. Understand Process Nuances: Engage directly with process participants and/or leverage process mining tools to capture the full scope and variability, ensuring a realistic assessment and preparation for automation.

Evaluating the Economics

The allure of automating low-cost or outsourced functions must be balanced against the total cost of ownership of RPA or IA solutions. Financial Prudence: Conduct thorough cost-benefit analyses to ascertain the financial viability of automation projects, particularly when considering the replacement of low-cost human resources.

Fostering Change Management

Even the smoothest projects can falter in the adoption phase due to inadequate change management. Effective Communication: Effective communication, education, and the appointment of change champions are critical to ensuring user acceptance and maximising the utilisation of new automation solutions.

By sharing these insights, the aim is to help organisations maximise the benefits of their automation deployments, ensuring a strategic, informed approach that navigates the complexities of RPA and IA projects.