How to identify processes for BPA and RPA
Find out what BPA and RPA are, what benefits they provide, and how to effectively integrate them into your business.
The growing pace of global enterprise digital transformation has taken Business Process Automation (BPA) and Robotic Process Automation (RPA) to a whole new level. The vast possibilities of BPA and RPA solutions are driving more organizations to invest in it and develop their automation capabilities. According to Deloitte’s Global Intelligent Automation Study from the December 2020, 73% of organizations around the world use automation technologies. That’s a major uptick from the 58% of organizations using such technologies in 2019.
Regardless of their size, organizations now have access to various BPA and RPA solutions, and can choose between software as a service (SaaS) based automation solutions and custom-built platforms based on their needs and budgets. To the uninitiated, robotic process automation and business process automation entail identifying, refining, and combining a wide range of seemingly unrelated activities into a single digitalized system that reduces total costs, saves time, and maintains a high degree of service quality.
BPA and RPA: What do they do?
Business Process Automation is the method of automating business operations that takes a comprehensive approach to business operations and outcomes as a whole. It focuses on altering and merging several processes at various organizational levels, rather than on individual solutions. The purpose of BPA is to integrate all of the company’s applications in order to improve front-office and back-office operations.
Robotic Process Automation, unlike BPA, focuses on individual tasks that make up overall departmental operations. RPA takes over repetitive tasks and flows, freeing up employees’ time, for instance when a bot sends the first message to visitors on a website. RPA automates the process of logging in, detecting changes and errors, and repairing critical elements without the need for human intervention. The scope of application of bots has expanded, thanks to advances in machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI). RPA solutions are now used to improve company operations, risk management, and decision-making by management staff.
Determining which business processes should be automated
To begin, one must understand and evaluate which aspects of a business process are suitable for automation. BPA and RPA employ robots and software to replace manual activities in processes; as a result, you should start by breaking processes down into smaller tasks and workflows, and evaluate which ones can be automated.
If your process satisfies the following characteristics, it’s likely that it should be automated:
- The procedure has a lot of repetitive tasks that take place at a high frequency.
- There are many standardized tasks that follow specific business rules.
- The procedure is well-documented and stable, with no changes expected in the near future.
Determining the project’s scope, objectives, and success metrics
You can begin defining business goals when you’ve identified and selected your first project for automation. It shouldn’t be difficult with your current workflow. Your teams must answer some of these important questions before getting started:
How many manual tasks do you wish to eliminate from the process? How much time and effort do you want to save at work? For a single process instance, how much time do you want to save?
In terms of success metrics, it might be an increase in customer happiness as well as a reduction in human error. The scope of objectives of automation can be anything as long as there are commercial reasons to support, monitor, and evaluate it.
Choose an owner for your project and an automation solution
A good project owner is crucial to your success; someone with extensive business and technical skills would be an excellent candidate. Furthermore, they would require a defined time frame for this project so that the team could make timely choices, track progress, and solve for potential pitfalls.
To begin, you must first comprehend the characteristics of each form of automation system. That’s all there is to it:
- If your workflow has a lot of decision-making and approval steps, Business Process Automation might be the way to go
- Robotic Process Automation should be used if you have a lot of repetitive operations, such as screen capturing and moving files
A process is built up of blocks, with each block specifying which actions should be automated and which require human participation. The employee whose job is to be automated describes his or her job in detail so that the software can turn it into a finished procedure. This automation saves time and money, especially as the number of requests to be processed grows.
Partner with VBeyond Digital for end-to-end automation solutions
Using cutting-edge technologies, BPA and RPA boost the efficiency of company operations, regardless of industry. Of course, the sooner you identify the right solutions, the better. It’s important to realize, though, that it’s never too late to automate your business.
Whether you build the system from the ground up or use off-the-shelf alternatives, BPA software should be suited to your company’s specific needs. If you have no prior expertise in this field, it is recommended that you seek the assistance of a competent partner.
We, at VBeyond Digital, employ specialized knowledge and experience to identify suitable processes for BPA and RPA, and then develop bespoke solutions for you or modify your existing systems and SaaS applications to automate tasks.
Contact us to discuss your requirements in detail.
