Making a Case for Robotic Process Automation (RPA): Proof of Concept

23 Dec, 2019 | Blogs

If you are reading this blog, then chances are that your organization intends to start its Robotic Process Automation (RPA) journey but is struggling to take the first step. Many businesses consider RPA proof of concept (PoC) as the catalyst that nudges them in the right direction. If you are looking for ways to convince your senior management about embracing automation, then RPA PoC can help.

A PoC is an effective way to understand if automation will be successful in the confines of a customized business environment and the way it will impact the existing systems. It also allows a chance to validate the chosen software/platform and the resources involved to ensure a successful roll-out of a larger program in the future. Other business benefits of an RPA PoC are:

Making a Case for RPA PoC

A successful PoC is always treated as a project that has a clear objective, a start, and end date as well as a set allocation of technology and resources. Even though PoCs are supposed to have quick turnaround time, it still requires careful planning, strong project management and disciplined timelines for various activities.

The mission-critical step of any RPA POC is choosing the process. This is where most people are possessed with “analysis paralysis.” To avoid over-complicating things, make sure the process you select:

Once you have selected a business process and established the target automation scope, a PoC can be conducted quickly. One of the greatest benefits of a RPA POC is that, once it is finished, you have a ready-made tool to show stakeholders how automation will work in your company’s environment. It is a way to build confidence and excitement for an enterprise-wide automation program with little investment. To learn about RPA PoC best practices, read our blog on Decoding PoC Development To Future Proof Your RPA Projects.

RPA POC

While the approach to RPA PoC may differ from one business to another, six common phases can help you make a case for RPA PoC:

Steps for RPA PoC

Plan

Determine the PoC’s end goals and outline the parameters of success. Some of the common processes selected for RPA PoCs are payroll, procurement to pay, inventory management, software development, password reset/unlock, etc.

Function Preparation

After determining the objectives and KPIs of the PoC, it is time to prepare the function that you’ve selected for the process. Thoroughly understand the process  that you’ve selected and observed it from a point of view of walk-through and documentation review. This step is critical for executing a successful RPA PoC since you need to know the existing process inside out.

Technical Preparation

Create an environment that supports the execution of the PoC. In most cases, all it takes to technically prepare for an RPA PoC is a laptop or a desktop that has the RPA platform installed and access to the right systems and data.

Execute

Now that you’ve identified the process and created an environment for PoC deployment, it is time for the actual deployment of the PoC, which usually takes 1-2 business days. It is always advisable to record the automation after the PoC development is complete. This helps others, most importantly your stakeholders, to view it at their convenience.

Conclude

In case your stakeholders haven’t seen the automation, this is your chance to showcase it to them and make a case for RPA. This is the time to measure the success and mull over the next steps, including rolling-out the bot or sharing the video with the department(s) to generate interest in automation.

Final Thoughts

We hope this blog will help you undertake your automation journey. If you’d like to get your first PoC done, then we’re just a click away. Simply click here and one of our RPA experts will reach out to you shortly!