17 Nov, 2020 | Blogs
If you’re reading this article, then chances are you’ve tirelessly watched demos, heard vendor pitches, and have had rounds of team meetings and still don’t have an answer to the question whether to buy or build RPA solutions. Even though you understand the importance of robotic process automation (RPA) for re-engineering and optimizing your processes, you still are unsure about the best approach. Don’t worry, you are not alone. To decide whether to buy or build RPA solutions is complex since RPA is more than just using a bot in your business workflow. In this blog, we’ll look at the key factors to consider for ending the dilemma of buying or building an RPA solution.
To begin with, it is crucial for the people who will be using the solution to have a baseline knowledge of the technology. Those within your organization should know how, why, and what part of processes and workflows will be automated and how RPA will assist them. The process efficiency and role change should be understood by each team member to avoid roadblock and dysfunction within the organization. There should also be a team of selected members who will act as solution coordinators. They should be able to troubleshoot potential problems that could come up after weeks or months following RPA’s deployment. Even if you go ahead to seek external vendors, building a team of RPA experts within your team is a huge value-added proposition for maintaining, scaling, or modifying your RPA solution.
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Factors to Consider For buying or building An RPA Solution
Below are some of the points and factors when deciding your company’s RPA journey. Regardless of your company’s size, always look for a tactical or strategic automation solution. Here are some other factors to consider:
End-to-end automation
When planning for RPA, it is not enough to look for a bot that extracts, sorts, and reconciles data. RPA is highly scalable and, therefore, it is vital to think big and start small. For this, have a complete understanding of how RPA will integrate into your existing workflows and legacy systems. While it is easy to build an RPA solution if the automation scope is narrow, it is best to get an external RPA vendor involved if you want a robust automation solution comprising several moving parts. Ascertain the KPIs and desired outcomes to determine the success of your RPA implementation program. Remember to always think strategically when starting your automation journey.
RPA Capacity
Implementing an RPA software without any real planning of resources, people, and investment required to sustain such a technology is a sure recipe for failure. Keep in mind several tasks, elements associated with RPA solutions, and functions when determining whether to buy or build an RPA solution. Ask questions like “what is your IT department’s bandwidth to assist in the automation planning,” “what’s your budget?,” “are all the stakeholders on board?,” “are all employees informed about how RPA will help them?” these are some of the many variables you need to consider.
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Speed of Deployment
Whether to buy or build an RPA solution also depends on how soon you need to automate your business process and start seeing actual results. RPA vendors can deploy the solution real quick since they the subject matter expertise and all the experience required to deploy the solution at the earliest. This is helpful for companies that have high-volume workflows and cannot take away precious time and resources from their employees. Understanding the volume, urgency, and overall goal cannot be overlooked in buy or build an RPA dilemma.
Maintenance
While RPA is highly accurate for processing large volumes of data in minutes, it still needs updates and maintenance for optimal operational functionality. Understanding the importance of an RPA solution, its development, evolution, and maintenance should help you decide if whether you want to seek external help or create a solution in-house. Just remember, being RPA conversant is not the same as being an expert in understanding the various aspects of the solution for its timely maintenance and updates.
Also read: Why is Digital Transformation a Necessary Disruption?
Let Nuummite Consulting Help You
Whether you want to build or buy RPA solutions, we are here to help. We combine our consulting experience with our subject matter expertise to provide you the best advice and a bespoke solution that is well suited for you needs. Get in touch with our RPA experts to know more!