Top 17 Challenges of RPA Implementation

27 Feb, 2020 | Blogs

Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is a game-changing technology that provides the perfect formula to cut costs, optimizes processes and improve ROI. As companies realize the potential of this technology, more than 75% of business leaders in support functions like Finance, Human Resources and Contact Center plan to implement it by end of this year (ISG Insights). But like other technologies, there is no resting on one’s laurels with RPA. There are certain challenges of RPA implementation that companies need to consider before they get maximum value from their RPA investment.

17 Challenges of RPA Implementation

  1. Lack of skilled resources: With the growing popularity of RPA, the demand for skilled resources has been on the rise. Your RPA deployment can hit a roadblock if there is a shortage of skilled resources in your team. After all, the success of RPA projects relies heavily on hiring the right resources or back-filling a key resource in case of attrition.
  2. Automating processes end to end: Sometimes there are processes that cannot be completely automated with RPA. These processes then require the use of Machine Learning algorithms, which can be an added cost to the company and the project.
  3. Not enough support from Business: Most RPA implementations fail due to a lack of required support from the businesses for workflow diagrams, plan B for all what-if scenarios, and business rules for several types of data processing by the bot.
  4. Proper team structure: One of the biggest challenges of RPA implementation is a proper team structure where resources are shared between teams and proper processes are defined for a smooth hand-off.
  5. Cultural change: RPA implementation requires a cultural and mindset shift within the organization, starting from the senior leadership. More than often, misguided information about RPA and its impact can create fear among people that they might lose their jobs.
  6. Wrong use-cases for automation: Identifying wrong use cases for automation is a common mistake that challenges RPA implementation and results in lower ROI. That’s why it is important to make a case for a proof of concept before taking the leap of faith.
  7. Not following best practices: If the team ignores best practices during RPA implementation, then this can potentially result in more time being invested in debugging the code and making it difficult for teams to re-use the workflow.
  8. Inadequate support from the vendor: As with any other technology, having support from the RPA platform vendor is critical for the success of your project since they have the expertise in utilizing the tool and have worked with several customers on different RPA implementations.
  9. Unclear expectations: Not knowing the expectations of the team, management and other stakeholders involved in the RPA implementation can hamper its progress. Without a clear goal, it is difficult to measure the success of technology.
  10. Siloed implementation: Teams working in silos can risk crossing wires with the IT architecture, security, and infrastructure, and this can potentially result in them being excluded from the corporate disaster recovery plan.
  11. Inconsistent outcomes: Lack of controls and tracking mechanisms for the automated processes can result in inconsistent outcomes, which can jeopardize the possibility of scaling RPA.
  12. Technical ambiguity: Sometimes RPA deployment doesn’t lead to expected results due to ambiguity among the technical staff. When people fail to ask important questions related to operating requirements during the implementation, then the automation deployment can go for a toss.
  13. Lack of ownership: When people are unaware of their roles and responsibilities in the new automated environment, it can create disconnected dots. This leads to a lack of ownership and accountability among various teams.
  14. Wrong platform: One of the top challenges of RPA implementation is choosing the wrong platform due to a lack of knowledge of all the processes. Sometimes, the deciding factor is the cost, which can result in companies choosing a platform that doesn’t suit their business needs.
  15. Lack of infrastructure: Companies fail to consider their infrastructure and hastily choose to invest in RPA. This is one of the biggest challenges of RPA implementation since, without the proper infrastructure to deploy RPA, you cannot get the desired results.
  16. No internal team: RPA deployment requires an internal team that has all the necessary skills to work alongside the RPA vendor for a successful implementation.
  17. RPA maintenance: When organizations fail to consider RPA maintenance, it can open Pandora’s box of problems. For every rule-based automation, it is advised to initiate maintenance protocols to maintain the output.

These were our top 17 challenges of RPA implementation that organizations face. We hope these challenges will act as a checklist for you to be better prepared during RPA implementation and ensure that you don’t stumble into one of these roadblocks. To get started with your RPA journey, contact us now.