Table of Contents

1. What is Robotic Process Automation?

2. Robotic Process Automation Tools
3. Benefits of Process Automation
4. A Critical View on RPA
5. Robotic Process Automation vs. Jobs
6. Business Process Management vs. Robotic Process Automation
7. Innovation
8. Artificial Intelligence
9. Implementing RPA
10. RPA and Company culture
11. RPA Case Studies
12. Top 7 Robotic Process Automation Books
13. Robotic Process Automation Certification
14. Top 10 OpEX Video Presentations
15. Btoes.com
 What is Robotic Process Automation?
A Definition of Robotic Process Automation

Robotic Process Automation is an enabler of the transformation of business processes

to become more efficient, agile, meet compliance requirements, enhance customer
experience or improve the general quality of deliverables. It brings the ability to drive
the automation of existing or emerging technology in a number of industry
sectors. There is attended RPA with human intervention and unattended without
human intervention RPA.

Robotic Process Automation is transforming how companies maximise their efficiency

across all industries. Using AI robots and software, businesses are able to replicate
the behaviours of a human worker with a near 0% defect rate. However, for companies
practising Operational Excellence, there is a fine line to walk between streamlining to
maximise efficiency, and quality of the product/service - for example, in the case of
areas such as Customer Experience. Learn more about Robotic Process Automation
in Operational Excellence.

Robotic Process Automation Tools

RPA tools

RPA tools are software programs that operate on the user interface of other computer
systems in the way a human would do . They basically recognize and read fields on a
screen of an application software, modify the content if necessary and enter it into
other fields of the same or different software. All of that happens based on predefined
rules . The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) and Cognitive Automation
components into the RPA tools makes them even more powerful since RPA starts
handling unplanned situations and deal with unstructured data. Also, the handling of
verbal information is possible using “Chatbots” in an RPA environment.

The use of RPA basically transfers the application of robots from the industrial
manufacturing environment to the office and service area. Just like industry robots
automate routine manufacturing and assembly steps RPA robots automate the human
work with data and information. Read more.

Robotic Process Automation is mainly used to automate processes which are:

 Repetitive
 Prone to error
 Rules based
 Involving digital data
 Time critical and seasonal
 Buying an RPA licence could be cheaper than a salary of an employee which is a plus
for this technology. Furthermore the Automation System will most likely beat the
human in accuracy, timeliness, and operational flexibility. Read more.

Benefits of Process Automation

Why Robotic Process Automation?

Everybody is talking about the benefits of Robotic Process Automation (RPA) but what
are they? With Assistance of RPA some tasks don't have to be done by humans, which
leaves them with more time to do other tasks, like being creative and enhancing the
business in other ways, the RPA can't. For example customer satisfaction. The
employees will also be able to add more value as they have more time. Both RPA and
employees should work together.

Other benefits are:

 Decreased cycle times and improved throughput

 Flexibility and scalability
 Improved accuracy
 Detailed data capture

A Survey conducted by Deloitte in September 2017 shows that "awareness of

robotics remains high. Even more organisations have investigated the RPA
opportunity and/or built a proof of concept. They are convinced robotics will deliver a
significant productivity increase and that it is applicable for a significant portion of their
activities."

"RPA can also add value in the technical field of software integration. The tools
can read the data produced by one application and enter it into another one, achieving
an integration effect without developing costly interfaces or changing existing
software. This leads to efficiency effects in the information technology department and
provides business users the required integration to enhance process
performance.

In the meantime, RPA solutions are offered by a continuously growing number of

vendors. The Gartner Group, for example, mentions 15 vendors in their RPA market
guide. RPA software is offered often at an aggressive pricing or even for free.
Also implementation cost start at a relatively low level. All this makes RPA look like a
pragmatic and powerful solution. As a consequence more and more public and private
organizations use or plan to use RPA." Read the whole Article by Dr. Mathias
Kirchmer.
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A Critical View on RPA

Risks of RPA

"While all this sounds promising, the use of RPA creates also some risks, like basically
every automation technology does. While RPA helps to do routine work faster and at
a higher quality it also can make mistakes faster and with certainty. There is no human
check before executing an action. Poor data quality or the insufficient definition of
business rules can lead, for example, to the ordering of the wrong parts – fast and in
big quantities. Or missed claim types can lead to significant rework in the claims
handling, overcompensating the automation benefits. RPA requires detailed
knowledge about the business process it is used in – otherwise expected performance
improvements will not be realized.

The use of RPA may also just cover symptoms without correcting the real reasons for
issues. RPA may, for example be used for the automated reconciliation of account
differences. However, in the mid and long-term, it would be much more beneficial to
correct the issues leading to those differences. Hence, RPA may hinder real progress.

RPA vendors stress that their tools are easy to implement and use – also for a
business person. This may be right for simple straight forward applications. However,
to achieve full potential of sophisticated RPA environments some expert know how is
required for implementation and ongoing adjustment. This should be part of the
process management capabilities of the organization, or RPA expectations may not
be met or not met fully.

These potential risks can make RPA a dangerous illusion. However, those risks can
be minimized by addressing RPA the right way." Read more.

Watch this exclusive video on 'Demystifying Jidoka: Transforming machines to

become Autonomous, to operate without human intervention':

Business Process Management vs.

Robotic Process Automation
How does RPA influence BPM?

We’ve been discussing the imperative value of collaborative BPM for years and it’s
certainly no longer a new concept. Yet many BPM initiatives that start off with the best
intentions begin to stagnate when the project becomes the exclusive domain of highly-
trained process experts working in isolation. For BPM to reflect the digital world,
process initiatives need to expand their focus away from process design. Adoption of
process thinking across departments and throughout your team is more important than
process design perfection. Therefore, tapping into the wealth of knowledge and
experience already available to you within your workforce is the real key to achieving
success. The best way to win people over to a new, targeted and compliant approach
is to involve them in creating the solution. Process stakeholders are the most capable
of recognizing bottlenecks and issues in the processes they carry out on a daily basis
– they are also unlikely to resist changes and improvements that they have suggested
themselves.

Despite the obvious importance of process modeling and simulation, aspects such as
automation and workflow should also be intrinsic to fit-for-purpose business software
applications in the digital world. BPM practice needs to go beyond modeling and also
embrace the operationalization of business processes in modern digital workplaces,
by automating tasks and carrying out operational processes in a target-driven and
measurable way. Read more.

Innovation
What is Innovation really ?

Researching what Innovation means seems to be harder than expected. But then we
found this very interesting Blog by Idea to Value about Innovation which doesn't give
THE definition but has a whole different approach to giving a definition: asking experts
and thought leaders of the industry.

"Innovation is truly a confusing buzzword which many people love to hate.

Every business leader agrees that it is important. But nobody can quite seem to agree
on what it actually is or what it means.

If you ask Google for an innovation definition, it is less than helpful, coming up with
over 300 million results with thousands of definitions. Its own definition is pretty much
useless: “the action or process of innovating”. Using the traditional sources for a
definition such as the Oxford dictionary also doesn’t help much, with their answer
being “Make changes in something established, especially by introducing new
methods, ideas, or products”

So I contacted a selection of my fellow innovation experts to see how they talk about
innovation with their clients, and compiled the results for you here. I asked them all:

1. What is your definition of “innovation”?

2. What mistake do companies often make when they talk about innovation?
3. What simple thing can a company do to change their conversation / perspective about
innovation?" Read more.

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 Artificial Intelligence
What is Artificial Intelligence?

Did what we have seen in many films over the past years become the reality? Have
machines evolved?

Artificial Intelligence (AI) are machines which are able to solve problem, as well as
learning new information and behavior by interacting with humans and the
environment. There are many ways we are in contact with Artificial Intelligence on a
daily basis Siri on our IPhone and Alexa by Amazon are only two examples on how
much it has already changed our lives. But very importantly A.I. has reached
businesses where it can complement our human skills, help improve processes and
make us more effective. Click here to see more examples of Artificial Intelligence in
our Everyday life.

'SILICON-BASED LIFE FORMS & CUSTOMER SERVICE: MY INTERVIEW WITH A

ROBOT', by Ian Gotts, CEO and founder of Q9 Elements, introducing his interview
with a robot:

"Recently my iMod – an iPod with internal electronics replaced with Hi-Fi components
– stopped working. (Yes I am a Hi-Fi nerd but the sound quality is fantastic). As it was
expensive and had been modified in the US I wasn’t too comfortable giving it to just
anybody to fix. So I asked around and the iPod Surgery was recommended.

I went to their site which seemed pretty self-explanatory. I found the model of my iPod
and selected “Not sure what is wrong with it” and “Please send me pre-paid box”. I
paid my money via credit card on the website and received an email from a chirpy,
enthusiast chap called Nano Norm telling me the pack was on its way. A few days later
the packaging arrived, complete with instructions and a postal bag.

So far, so good. All achieved without talking to anyone. I sent off the iPod and waited.

I then got another email from Nano Norm telling me my iMod had arrived but was
“resting to get its strength up before the surgery tomorrow”.
Over the next couple of days I got updates on my iMod. Apparently he’d “pulled
through” but needed a new battery and I authorized this online. The next day I heard
that “the little fella is right as rain, but is resting before he travels back to you”.
Now we both know that Nano Norm is a jpeg and silicon-based and so is my iMod,
and that I am carbon-based life form. But throughout the process we’ve all seemed to
get along and communicate pretty well. Nano Norm kept me up to date every step of
the way – with good humor. [...]

My iMod has arrived back with me and I am very happy. Which got me thinking. Why
is Nano Norm so good at customer service? What are his philosophies and how do
they differ from those who offer poor customer service? So I asked to interview him,
and here is the transcript.

Ian: What’s your customer service philosophy?

Nano Norm: Well, we are called iPod Surgery, so we thought we’d treat every iPod
and iPhone as though they were coming into surgery. Loved ones (owners) are
naturally concerned about the surgery, so we need to keep them informed.

Ian: So how do you achieve this?

Nano Norm: The entire end to end process needs to be understood so that nothing
falls through the gaps. We looked at every possible route through the process and
anticipated the problems. And also we identified when I’d need help for exceptions.
Sounds daunting, but it is critically important and it doesn’t actually take that long. That
gave us the customer touch points.

Ian: Sounds easy to do, so why do others fail?"

Click here to read the whole article and interview.

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Implementing RPA
Implementing RPA

Presented by Mamta Patel, Administrative Laboratory Director, Rockford Health

System

Prior to process automation, the Lab at Rockford Health System had 7 different
platforms and touchpoints for employees. Hear how Mamta and the team:

 Demonstrated the benefit and ease with process automation

 Addressed patient concerns that were not being considered before automation
Brought 4 generations of employees together to secure buy-in
Want to learn more about implementing RPA? click here.

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RPA and Company culture

RPA and Culture change

"In the [...] BTOES Research Report about the state of Operational Excellence it
becomes clear: Intelligent robots and processes are starting to take over our offices
and replace more and more human office workers. The number one technology
solution organizations plan to invest in is Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and
Artificial Intelligence (AI). But what does that mean? Do robots really take over the
control of our operations? [...]

The use of RPA basically transfers the application of robots from the industrial
manufacturing environment to the office and service area. Just like industry robots
automate routine manufacturing and assembly steps RPA robots automate the human
work with data and information. Robots have not “taken over” manufacturing –
although they have been present there for a long time. They provide efficiency and
often quality impacts, if used the right way. But, they also need to be used in the right
context and have to be “trained” and maintained appropriately. They don’t just work
on their own. They require appropriate human help. [...]

Intelligent robots have started their work in our offices. However, they don’t take the
office over but help to minimize routine work for the human workforce who can
concentrate on more challenging tasks requiring a higher qualification. The
implementation of RPA and the following ongoing process improvement requires new
skills combined with modern business process management capabilities. At the end,
intelligent humans make intelligent robots work – to deliver best results for an
organization." Read the whole article to learn about Dr. Mathias Kirchmer's approach
to this conclusion.

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 RPA Case Studies
Top Case Studies

Robotic Process Automation and Machine Learning with IBM Watson

We are pleased to provide our community with a Case Study from IBM on their
developing Artificial Intelligence, IBM Watson.

IBM Watson is currently one of the most advanced forms of Artificial Intelligence in the
Healthcare Tech industry. A question answering computer system, capable of
answering questions posed in natural language, Watson was developed in
the DeepQA project by a research team.

Since 2014, with senior leadership commitment from IBM Global Business Services
and IBM Research, cognitive automation solutions have been deploying over
thousands IBM client accounts across the world, over 40,000 IBM practioners now are
leveraging automation innovations in IBM services delivery, the team have
achieved >40% efficiency and productivity gains across their global workforce
as measured in quantified labor hours saved and marked increases in key operational
metrics.

To download this case study on IBM Watson click here.

To find case studies on Related Topics click here.

To see Blueprism's case study archive click here.

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Top 7 Robotic Process Automation

Books
The 7 Best Robotic Process Automation Books

Robotic Process Automation: Guide To Building Software Robots, Automate Repetitive

Tasks & Become An RPA Consultant

by Richard Murdoch
"A must-read for entrepreneurs looking to cut costs at their startup, programmers who want to
stay relevant in a fast-changing world of automation, students or anyone looking to transform
their careers, lives and the world around them."- Amazon

The Simple Implementation Guide to Robotic Process

Automation

(RP

A): How to Best Implement RPA in an Organization

by Kelly Wibbenmeyer

"In this guide to implementing RPA, the author examines critical issues, including how to:

overcome common problems when implementing RPA in a full-scale effort; start an

RPA implementation and successfully carry it out; obtain funding and support from
leaders; and build an RPA team poised to succeed.

The book includes pros and cons of various deployment strategies as well as key
factors to consider for each option. Its filled with real examples and time lines to give
you a realistic view of how to manage the process.

This is a perfect quick-start guide to ensuring your organization has thought of all of
the factors required to successfully navigate your RPA deployment."- Amazon

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Learning Robotic Process Automation: Create Software robots and automate

business processes with the leading RPA tool - UiPath: Create Software robots ... with
the leading RPA tool – UiPath

by Alok Mani Tripathi

"This book is the perfect start to your automation journey, with a special focus on one
of the most popular RPA tools: UiPath.
Learning Robotic Process Automation takes you on a journey from understanding the
basics of RPA to advanced implementation techniques. You will become oriented in
the UiPath interface and learn about its workflow. Once you are familiar with the
environment, we will get hands-on with automating different applications such as
Excel, SAP, Windows and web applications, screen and web scraping, working with
user events, as well as understanding exceptions and debugging. By the end of the
book, you'll not only be able to build your first software bot, but also you'll wire it to
perform various automation tasks with the help of best practices for bot deployment.
[...]

If you would like to pursue a career in Robotic Process Automation or improve the
efficiency of your businesses by automating common tasks, then this book is perfect
for you. Prior programming knowledge of either Visual Basic or C# will be useful."
- Amazon

Robotic Process Automation Tools, Process Automation and their benefits:

Understanding RPA and Intelligent Automation

by Srikanth Merianda and K, Kiwa

"Owning a business is an unpredictable web of

consistency, direction, duties, and connections. Yet,
there are Business Process Management (BPM)
apparatuses out there and also Robotic Process
Automation (RPA) that substantial undertakings are
utilizing to enable them to deal with these sorts of
issues. With the assistance of innovation, individuals
will have the capacity to commit a greater amount of
their opportunity to undertakings that really enhance
the nature of an organization's administrations and
create thoughts, rather than exhausting their vitality
and potential in details." - Amazon
 Robotic Process Automation

by Florian Quarre

"Author Florian Quarre has created a toolbox of go to tools, cheat sheets and approaches that
have resulted in program success. This book is that toolbox: a pragmatic, turnkey playbook to
design, fund, launch and operate an automation competency in an organization, drastically
driving down operating cost, increasing operational efficiency, and augmenting ops teams,
regardless of whether they are automating one small process in a medium sized organization,
or transforming mission critical operations of a Fortune 500 company. Inside, discover insights
on: Operational automation Program funding and operation Vendor selection Operations
scaling Reporting, communication, and adoption ...and much more. With this book, readers
gain valuable access to a tried and true, field tested approach to automation that is guaranteed
to deliver value and help them insert themselves as transformation leaders of their
organizations-at scale."- Amazon

The Rise of the Robots: Technology and the Threat of Mass Unemployment

Martin Ford

"In a frightening tour of artificial intelligence’s rapid advances, technology expert Martin Ford
draws on a wealth of economic data from both the US and the UK to outline the terrifying
societal implications of the robots’ rise. From health and education to finance and technology,
his warning is stark: any job that is on some level routine is likely to be automated and if we
are to see a future of prosperity rather than catastrophe we must act now."- Amazon
Implementation of Robot Systems: An introduction to robotics, automation, and
successful systems integration in manufacturing

by Mike Wilson

"Implementation of Robot Systems will enable you to approach the use of robots in your plant
or facility armed with the right knowledge base and awareness of critical factors to take into
account. This book starts with the basics of typical applications and robot capabilities before
covering all stages of successful robot integration. Potential problems and pitfalls are flagged
and worked through so that you can learn from others’ mistakes and plan proactively with
possible issues in mind. Taking in content from the author’s graduate level teaching of
automation and robotics for engineering in business and his consultancy as part of a UK
Government program to help companies advance their technologies and practices in the
area, Implementation of Robot Systems blends technical information with critical financial and
business considerations to help you stay ahead of the competition."- Amazon

Find more.

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Robotic Process Automation

Certification
Get the right RPA Training!

Sometimes books and blogs don't help and you just need to learn it from professionals.
You can take lessons and learn about Robotic Process Automation from experts and
get certified at the end of the courses.

Click here to see a list by CIO of '7 Process Automation training and certification
courses'.
 Table Of Contents
 What is Robotic Process Automation?
 Why Automate Repetitive Tasks? (Benefits of RPA)
 How RPA Reduces Cost?
 Why Learn RPA?
 How Robotic Process Automation Works?
 RPA for Invoice Processing
 Process Suitability Check for RPA
 Quick Wins for RPA
 RPA Use Cases in Various Industries
 RPA Implementation Plan
 RPA Tool Selection Checklist
 Top 10 RPA Tools List
 List of Companies Using RPA
 Why RPA Fail?
 Robotic Process Automation Training
 Robotic Process Automation Jobs
 Robotic Process Automation Salary
 Not Just Robotic Process Automation
 Difference between Test Automation and RPA
 Difference between RPA and Industrial Automation
 RPA Tutorial Conclusion
What is Robotic Process Automation?
Robotic Process Automation or RPA (nowadays for everything there is an
acronym) is an emerging form of business process automation, which focuses
on automating the repetitive tasks which are currently performed by a
human. RPA is different from the traditional way of programming which
requires a lot of back end coding.

In simple words rpa means:

“robots are going to do the computer-based repetitive tasks which are now
performed by humans”.

Don’t worry, not literally as in the below pic

Robotic Process Automation in Wild Imagination

Let me now go in detail:

 When I say robots are going to do the human tasks that don’t mean
physical robots are going to sit in front of the computer and do the tasks, it
means a software application that will replicate the actions or tasks
exactly the way how a human does.
 RPA will automate low-value clerical activities performed by humans. Most
importantly RPA is only for clerical process automation and not for all
human activities.
Now, this would have suddenly rung a bell – humans are going to lose jobs!??

The answer is Not Exactly!

Of course, there will be some changes in the way how we have been working
so far. RPA is going to open up new opportunities for human workers. Robotic
Process Automation is a way of Artificial Intelligent workers performing the
tasks.
We should be smart enough to find those new opportunities and prepare
ourselves to grab it as and when it arises (In fact now is that right time).

What is Robotic Process Automation?

Why Automate Repetitive Tasks? (Benefits of RPA)

When a job gets monotonous people lose interest, but not robots! then why do
humans have to do those monotonous, low value adding, repetitive jobs?

Humans can do much better interesting jobs!

When something is delivered without interest, chances are more for errors. In
the case of robots, there are no such complications as robots don’t have
interests, unlike humans.

Industrial experts substantiate the Benefits of RPA with the reasons:

1. To avoid human errors and to reduce human efforts.

2. To save time and improve productivity, accuracy, and consistency.
 3. Enhance the business analytics and easy standardization of workflow.
4. To have a frictionless delivery of tasks.
5. Complete Audit trail for any kind of compliance purposes.
6. Cost reduction.
The 6th one is interesting, it involves COST, Lets discuss about it in detail

How RPA Reduces Cost?

One of the most commonly declared benefit of RPA is the cost reduction.

Source: Automation Anywhere

I’ll explain 5 ways in which RPA can reduce the cost. Cost reduction is one of
the parameters to assess the Robotic Process Automation ROI (Return On
Investment).

We can divide this RPA cost-benefit analysis into 2 major factors contributing
to it. Employees & Customers, all the Automation/Transformation should be
done keeping in mind these 2 major factors.
Higher Employee Satisfaction and Better Customer Experience.
Employees:

 FTE Redeployment – Rather than calling it as FTE reduction the better

way to look at it is Employee redeployment to other higher value-added
tasks. Since the repetitive tasks are automated using RPA which brings
cost saving in terms of reduced FTEs in those processes.
 Reduction in Attrition – Employee engagement and satisfaction improves
when repetitive tasks are removed from them. Which in turn will reduce
the employee burnout and attrition!
 Reduction in Rework – Cost involved in Rework is completely eliminated
by automating the tasks, only need to handle the Exceptions
Customer:

 Reduction in Cycle time – Automating the repetitive tasks will reduce

cycle time for completing the task, which will in turn help in higher
productivity. Higher quality services in reduced cycle time will satisfy any
customer.

Why Learn RPA?

Let me explain this with 2 examples from the past

Example 1: Ok! now think it in this way, when computers were

introduced there were objections from many groups of people around the world.
People were saying “computers are going to take away the human jobs” but
were it so??
One of the biggest revolutions that have ever happened in history was ‘Books to
Computers’. Now I don’t have to explain anything more about the billions of
opportunities computers created. How computers have changed the word!
People who were smart and fast enough to adapt to computers, grabbed the
opportunities while others were busy protesting.
Example 2: Opportunities didn’t stop there, it was keep
flowing from then. I would want to take one more simple example from the past:
Microsoft Excel has been a fantabulous application and it’s a bread and butter
for millions of people around the world. But in excel also people do monotonous,
low value adding, repetitive jobs, so what’s next??
Some people were smart enough even there too, found opportunities for
automation and simplification. They learned more about Excel
formulas, Macros, VBA, etc. and grabbed those opportunities.
They got paid well and grew in their career (I too have the similar experience)
while others were still struggling with untidy monotonous jobs in Excel.
So what I’m trying to make you understand is Robotic Process
Automation is one such golden opportunity!
Now lets come out of that era of Excel Formulas, Macros and VBA, the world
has gone further from there!

For example who likes to sit and process 100s of invoices every day
throughout their life?? No-one right!! So what’s next??
RPA is going to be that change. Robots will do that kind of jobs exactly the way
how a human does.

Before we get into a discussion about the opportunities that RPA going to
create, it’s required to clearly understand How RPA Works!

How Robotic Process Automation Works?

First, let me say the good news – RPA is Code Free! Hurrah! Yes RPA doesn’t
need a single piece of code or need any programming skills to automate a
process. (There are no rpa programming languages that you need to learn,
however programming skills on .net or VBA or any programming language
will provide an added advantage, we will discuss it in the RPA Jobs’ section
below)
Then how does RPA work? – RPA works using Demonstrative Steps.
As I mentioned above it’s a way of Artificial Intelligent or rather, virtual
workers performing the activities as exactly as a human does.
Let’s take a business process example when a new joiner comes in the team
how he/she gets trained to do a task, the same way these virtual workers also
need to be trained step by step.

Who are the best people to train the new joiner? of course not the IT
engineers!

Its the SMEs and Process Experts.

Similarly, the best people to train the RPA robots are also the Business
operations people. The subject matter experts and process experts.

The best part with virtual workers are Once trained then lifetime permanent
worker, no attrition, unlike human workers

Below is an example of how Robotic Process Automation works in an Order

Management Process.
Source: UiPath
Process experts with no programming skill can become RPA experts in a few
weeks. As per studies, a few weeks of training on RPA tools can make
operations people to independently automate the process.

RPA for Invoice Processing

Now that we learned What is RPA, Why RPA and How RPA Works! Let’s see a
robotic process automation example, Where RPA can automate a real process
scenario.

Financial Services is one area where RPA is getting implemented rapidly. You
can watch the below video to understand how RPA automates the traditional
Invoice Processing Process.

RPA for Invoice Processing

Robotic Process Automation for Invoice Processing can be summarized in 5

major steps.

1. Extracting Invoice: RPA will extract the PDF copies of Invoices from
Email, or Workflow or from a dedicated folder etc.
2. Reading Invoices: Once the invoices are extracted, the Robot will read
the specific fields in the Invoices that need to be updated in the ERP.
 3. Verification of Invoices: RPA will verify the Invoice details like the
Company code, Supplier number, VAT etc with the database and if
verification passes it moves to the next step.
4. Inputting Invoice details in ERP: Once the required information is
gathered and verified from the Invoices, RPA robot will open the ERP and
key in all the fields that need to be filled. It can be in SAP, Oracle or
whatever ERP your company uses.
5. Confirmation: Once the data has been successfully inputted in the ERP
system, the robot will provide confirmation. Either it can be over email for
each Invoice or a consolidated email for all posting. If require a report
with all the posting details in excel etc. it can be provided, it’s highly
customizable however the organization wants.
In the above case after step 3 if the verification fails either bot can be
configured to skip that invoice and move to the next or inform the responsible
person immediately to check what action needs to be taken next or even send
back the invoice to the vendor etc.

So as I mentioned earlier all these factors are highly customizable however

the organization wants depends upon the right RPA tool that the organization
selects for the automation.

Process Suitability Check for RPA

Not all processes are suitable for RPA, so how to identify the right processes
for Robotic Process Automation. I’ll explain 5 checkpoints to identify the right
processes for RPA.

 Rule Bases Process – Select only the Rule-based process for RPA. Rule-
based process are those where a series of simple “If…then” logic can be
applied without involving any human decision.
 Stable Process – Identify a process which is been performed in the same
way for a period not less than 6 months. Also, ensure there are no frequent
changes expected in the process in the near future.
 Standard Inputs – Ensure the identified Stable Rule-Based Process always
should have Standard Input, else it’s not a suitable process for RPA.
These are very basic 3 Golden Rules to qualify a process for RPA. In addition
to this, to get a better ROI also make sure the identified process qualifies the
below checks too.

 Repetitive Manual Process – Its ideal to select repetitive manual process

for automation to gain FTE reduction cost benefit.
 High Volume – Also the process should quantify in terms of high volume
to gain a better return on investment for automation.
This helps you in identifying the right process for robotic process automation.
Quick Wins for RPA
You now know, how to select the right process for rpa automation.

I’ll show you 2 transactional Processes that are being Automated using RPA
across the industry.

 Invoice Processing: Financial services is one area where RPA is getting

implemented rapidly. 34% of the financial organizations rely on manual
process and 47% of the AP professionals consider manual data entry &
inefficient processes as their biggest challenge. End to End Invoice
processing can be automated using RPA. Invoice Processing automation is
usually a quick win for organizations in terms of ROI. We have a video with
steps involved in Invoice Processing automation using RPA, feel free to
check it out.
 KYC Process Automation: KYC process is one of the areas where
Financial Institutions incur a huge cost. On average Banking institutions
spend around 48 to 52 Million US Dollars per year on the KYC compliance.
The turnaround time to complete the KYC process on an average takes 8
days. Banking institutions deploy around 150 to 1000+ Full-Time
Employees in the various levels of the KYC process. Considering most of
the steps in the KYC process are standard, using OCR technologies with
RPA can automate the K Y C process.

RPA Use Cases in Various Industries

Any industry that uses a computer for monotonous jobs can leverage the
benefits of RPA. RPA is making its way into every industry possible, below are
some of the RPA adoption by industry and the use of RPA.

 Banking
Use – Customer support, service desk, KYC, Loan processing etc.

 Business Process Outsourcing

Use – ERP Automation, Logistics data automation, Invoice processing, web-
integrated rpa etc.

 Insurance
Use – Remove or reduce the lot of paperwork by introducing the Virtual
Infrastructure. Claims processing, appeals processing, responding to partner
queries etc.

 Utility
Use – Billing, meter-reading exceptions, debt recovery, and customer service
 Legal
Use – Switch from a bunch of papers to making all required documents
digitally available in seconds.

As of 2017, almost 80% of the industries are already using RPA solutions in
one or the other way.

RPA Implementation Plan

RPA implementation methodology can be broadly classified into 6 steps.
Below is the approach to be followed for a successful RPA implementation.

1. Identify the Automation Opportunities

2. Optimize the Identified Processes
3. Build a Business Case
4. RPA Vendor Selection
5. Pilot RPA Development
6. Ramp up and Continue Building Expertise RPA bots.
I have written a more detailed article on the RPA implementation approach,
you may please check the same. Also, you can download the FREE
Infographics on the RPA Journey

RPA Tool Selection Checklist

It’s a hard decision! since all most, all the rpa vendors are providing about
similar rpa tools in terms of as an automation solution.

Below are some of the points to be considered while making an RPA Tool
Selection:

 Technology
First and foremost is the technology in which RPA tool has been built, like
Microsift .NET, IBM Mainframe, Java, web etc. The tool has to be platform
independent, considering many of the organizations perform their day to day
tasks outside the local desktop using Citrix or Virtual machines etc. So the
automation solution should be able to support any application and platform.

 Interface
Next most important feature is the RPA tool’s user interface. A complex user
interface will delay the process of implementation and increase the learning
curve and adaptability. A more user-friendly interface like drag and drop, auto
capture, image recognition etc. would be better.

 Management
It is important to know how effectively and easily the robots can be managed
considering these robots are going to be replacing your human workforce.
There should be a high level of visibility and control in terms of process
monitoring, process change, development, re-use etc.

 Security
I would say security is one of the most important factors to be considered.
How safe are the robots when compared to humans? After all robots/RPA
tools are also a piece of software, so how much more security controls can be
implemented, test the code rigidly and lock it up, the better. Automation
solutions that support the compliance process (like HIPPA – For Healthcare
industry, SOX – Financial Sector, PCI DSS – Credit card related organization
etc.) are some of the factors to be considered in terms of security.

Top 10 RPA Tools List

Below are some of the leading Robotic Process Automation vendors providing
the RPA tools to automate the processes.

 1. Blue Prism
The term Robotic Process Automation was invented by Blue Prism, that itself
proves they are the pioneers in Robotic Process Automation software
development. Blue Prism has been recognized by the American IT research
and advisory company Gartner, Inc.
They already have more than 100 customers around the world and partnered
with biggest giants like NHS, Accenture, Hexaware, Hewlett Packard
Enterprise, Capgemini, IBM etc.

Blue Prism

Highly recommended to download the Free Brochure on Blue Prism product

overview.
 2. UiPath
They are one of the most leading RPA vendors in the industry, already
providing robotic process automation solutions to companies like SAP, EY,
J.P.Morgan, Deloitte, Accenture, Capgemini, BBC etc.

Below are 3 Robotic Process Automation products provided by UiPath:

UiPath Studio
Front Office and Back Office – UiPath Robots
UiPath Orchestrator

 3. AUTOMATION ANYWHERE– Go be great.

Automation Anywhere is another top RPA vendors providing powerful and
user-friendly robotic process automation tools to automate tasks of any
complexity. They are partnered with companies like EMC2, KPMG, Deloitte,
Accenture, Genpact, Infosys etc.

Below is the robotic process automation product by Automation Anywhere:

Automation Anywhere Enterprise

 4. Softomotive
Softomotive is one of the leading Robotic Process Automation providers offers
sharp business solutions, premium support and professional services that
organizations need to get the most out of their enterprise automation. They
have been trusted by more than 6,000 companies worldwide, (Intel, IBM,
SIEMENS, Accenture, Vodafone, pwc, Adobe, Xerox, Cognizant etc).
Softmotive has been operating for more than 10 years in the software
automation market, and they offer the most reliable and scalable automation
solutions, bridging the gap between best-of-breed technology and continuous
innovation to deliver true business transformation.

They are the same Company created the most powerful and easy to use
Desktop Automation Solution – WinAutomation, for individuals and small
teams. Revolutionizing the automation market since 2005.
Softomotive has developed a Robotic Process Automation Product exclusively
for enterprises, which will dramatically reduce the operational costs, increase
efficiency, improve productivity and accelerate performance. These software
robots are named as:

ProcessRobot
Schedule your live ProcessRobot product demo
 5. Pega
Pegasystems is a software company to develop strategic applications for sales,
marketing, services, and operations. They have a wide variety of products
designed for different industries like Financial Services, Insurance, Healthcare,
Communications, and Government etc.

The advantage of Pega’s robotic process automation tool is that they already
have industry leading BPM (Business Process Modeling) platforms and
recently acquired OpenSpan RPA software company. Which makes Pega a
complete solution, enterprises no longer have to choose between automation
vs. digital transformation.
Robotic Automation & Intelligence
 6. KOFAX from Lexmark
Kofax is a leading software company owns the trademark for “First Mile” of
customer engagement.

They have a Robotic Process Automation and Web Data Integration product
called Kofax Kapow. Which is highly scalable and flexible to provide any kind
of robotic automation and artificial intelligence capabilities.

Kofax Kapow
 7. NICE
NICE is a leading RPA solutions providers in the industry having solid 6
customer success stories. Their Free ebook on Robotic Process Automation
Case Studies and RPA Infographics provide more insights about the company
and RPA.

NICE
 8. G1ANT
UPDATE: G1ANT has been liquidated as of 2018: G1ANT Liquidation Details
UK Companies House & G1ANT Endol UK Report
Another pretty straight forward and a new Robotic Process Automation
vendor who operates on 3 simple steps automation.

Performance audit, Work automation and Technology Transformation.

G1ANT
 9. Novayre Solutions
Novayre Solutions is a Spanish software company specialized in software
development, integration and automation. They have been providing business
intelligence and automation solutions since 2008. Novayre Solutions
developed a Robotic Process Automation with a unique name called Jidōka,
which means “automation with a human touch” in Japanese. The whole idea
behind this RPA tool is to replicate human behavior using computer
applications.

Jidōka
Request a Jidōka demo
 10. WorkFusion
WorkFusion is a software company committed to developing AI-powered
software products to transform the work. The company headquartered on
Wall Street in New York City with branches in India, US, and Europe. Key
concepts or focus are of WorkFusion are Robotic Process Automation,
Artificial Intelligence, and Cognitive Automation.

WorkFusion is already partnered with companies like Deloitte, Cognizant, HCL

Technologies, EY, L&T Infotech, TATA, Virtusa, FIS™, and Wipro.

RPA Express & Smart Process Automation

Update 2019: Strongly suggest you check the best rap tools list 2019, list of
more than 70 rpa tools with features, training, free/paid, etc.

List of Companies Using RPA

Now that we know the industry-wide usage of RPA, list of RPA Vendors,
Implementation Plan, etc. It is good to know a list of companies which are
already using RPA. This was a request from many of my readers as well, so I
have written a detailed article with the list of companies using RPA. Feel free
to check it out!
Why RPA Fail?
We have discussed the Advantages of robotic process automation, it is also
important to understand some of the key Disadvantages of RPA too.
1. Process Flow and Application – As we mentioned RPA works using
Demonstrative Steps and follows exact steps at keystroke level how it
has been trained, so if there is a change in the process flow it will affect the
RPA output. Also if there is a system/application change then the RPA
needs to be reconfigured according to the new application change.
2. Speed of RPA – The performance of RPA solution, to a great extent
depends upon the system speed and the application speed.
While Implementing RPA if the below the prerequisites for rpa is not
considered properly, then chances are high for leading the Robotic Process
Automation to a failure.
 Early adoption of RPA
Early implementation of RPA is one of the major reasons why RPA fail. Many
organizations and professionals are now in a hurry to implement RPA in their
respective areas and get the RPA seal. This hurry can lead to a wrong process
selection for automation.

A wrong process selection in terms of Complexity, Maturity, Cost-effectiveness

etc. will lead the RPA journey to failure. So to avoid this mistake, it is highly
important to strictly follow the RPA Implementation methodology (mentioned
earlier), especially step 1 & 2.
 Lack of knowledge
Operations, IT infrastructure, and the RPA vendor/tool are the 3 key factors of
RPA journey.

Operations – There should be a clear understanding of the process that needs

to be automated, including the exceptions if possible. This understanding has
to be clearly communicated and documented between the operations and the
RPA development teams.
IT Infrastructure – You can develop an outstanding RPA solution but what if
it does not work in your environment. So it is important to have a clear
understanding of the infrastructure where the bot has to run. For eg: whether
it should be a desktop solution or an inside Citrix solution or it’s a published
environment etc.
Considering all these factors its also important to choose the right RPA tool for
the development by strictly following the tool selection checklist.

Robotic Process Automation Training

A few years ago it was very difficult to find rpa study materials, robotic
process automation books or even institutes to learn RPA, but now the
situation has changed. There are lots of institutes and websites providing
offline and online RPA tutorials and courses, many of them are free as well.

You should approach RPA learning in 3 stages:

 Understanding the Basics of RPA
Understanding what is RPA is the first and foremost stage in the learning
curve and fortunately, by reading this tutorial, you are done with phase one.
All you need to know about RPA is extensively covered here.

As an additional reference, you can check the courses in Udemy on Robotic

Process Automation.
 Understanding RPA Tools and Vendors
In phase two you need to get more familiar with RPA tools and vendors. A
question which is asked by most of the beginners are, which is the best rpa
tool to learn?

Most of the RPA vendors are providing training on their respective tools for
free. To start with I would suggest you to go with UiPath as they have a very
detailed UiPath RPA Academy which is damn helpful to learn RPA for
beginners.
 Hands-on with RPA Tool
The second and third step should go parallel, if you decide to start with Uipath
then the advantage is they have a Community version of the UiPath software
available for free. So while learning with UiPath RPA Academy you also get a
hand on with the software.

There are other vendors also provide free RPA software like RPA
Express from WorkFusion etc.
Not all vendors provide their RPA tools for free, in such cases joining for a
specific rpa certification course will provide you an opportunity to be hands-
on with those particular rpa tools.

Robotic Process Automation Jobs

Companies and industries follow different job structure and hierarchies
however below are some of the common Robotic Process Automation jobs
available.

 RPA Business Analyst

RPA BA s are generally the SMEs of the process, it is always better to train the
Subject Matter Experts of the process as RPA Business Analysts as they have
in-depth knowledge on the process that needs to be automated. Process
knowledge is very much required for the preparation for process map which
will be used during the designing and automation.
So if you are a non-techie but a subject matter expert looking for a career shift
to RPA then RPA Business Analyst would be the right choice for you.

 RPA Solution Architect

RPA SAs play a key role in characterizing the entire RPA solution by closely
working with RPA BAs in the initial stage. They have an important role from
defining the RPA solution architecture to a successful implementation of the
RPA solution. They select the appropriate set of technological tools and
features and ensures the alignment of the solution with enterprise guidelines.

 RPA Developer
These are the people who actually develop RPA robots using various RPA
Tools. RPA developers are in charge of designing, developing, testing the
automation workflows and supporting the implementation of the RPA
solution. They work closely with RPA Business Analysts, RPA Solution
Architects and the Implementation Engineers.

Though it is said RPA is code free, developers with knowledge on

programming languages like .net, vba etc. can outshine in this role.

 RPA Infrastructure Engineer

These are basically the implementation or infrastructure engineers who get
involved during the implementation of the RPA bot. They might not require
the RPA developer knowledge however they should have the infrastructure
knowledge like the windows server, Citrix etc. and also they should know the
implementation process for specific RPA tools in various infrastructure.

 RPA Supervisor
This is basically the managerial role, who manages or leads the overall
automation journey. Resource allocation, performance monitoring,
coordinating with various teams, project planning etc. are some of the roles of
an RPA supervisor.

 RPA Service Support

This can be one of the overlooked RPA jobs but very critical as they are being
the primary line of help for the RPA deployment in any organization.

You can find more relevant Robotic Process Automation jobs and job
descriptions here

Robotic Process Automation Salary

one of the most commonly discussed topic on RPA is Robotic Process
Automation Salary. How much does the RPA professionals make annually?
Though it is not appropriate to share the salary information, some of the
surveys show that geographic locations have a big impact on the annual salary
of RPA professionals.

 North Americans – 68% of the RPA professionals make more than $100K
annually.
 Europeans – 48% of the RPA professionals make $50K to $100K annually.
 APAC region – 50% of the RPA professionals make less than $50K
annually.
You can have a quick glance on the Glassdoor website to see some of the RPA
jobs and approximate salary offered for each rpa job levels.

Not Just Robotic Process Automation

Robotic Process Automation is getting high traction as its being implemented
in the business of every industry. Companies that master automation will
dominate their industry.

But Automation is not just RPA, I’ll explain 5 other Process Automation
options that can be implemented in your industry.

 Business Process Management (BPM)

BPM is not an automation technology as such but focuses on improving
corporate performance by managing business processes. BPM use various
methods to discover, model, analyze, measure, improve, optimize, and
automate business processes. Something like the use of workflow capability to
integrate business processes across multiple systems.

 Desktop Automation
Automating rule-based business and IT process using simple bots or Macro
recorders. Excel VBA Macros are the best example for desktop automation,
also there are many Desktop automation tools are available now with
advanced features. Mostly Business processes can easily implement Desktop
automation by themselves, without the involvement of the IT team.

 Robotic Process Automation (RPA)

Robotic Process Automation is Enterprise-grade automation, next level to the
Desktop Automation. RPA can replicate the tasks exactly how a human does
including the front end system to system integration.

 Intelligent Automation (IA)

Intelligent Automation is the next level to RPA. In Intelligent Automation RPA
has the ability to learn the judgemental activities by observing human users
processing the requests. Whereas in RPA it just mimics the activities exactly
how a human does without any judgemental capability.

 Cognitive Automation
Again, Cognitive Automation is associated with RPA where it uses cognitive
computing capabilities and Artificial Intelligence. Unlike other types of AI,
such as machine learning, or deep learning; cognitive automation solutions
imitate the way humans think. Cognitive automation brings intelligence to
information-intensive processes.

 Artificial Intelligence
Artificial Intelligence is a much-advanced area of Computer Science, where a
computer, a computer-controlled robot, or software is made to think and act
intelligently just like humans. AI capabilities are being tested and used in
many industries and process including Process Automation. A self-driven car
is one of the examples of AI capability.

So whatever industry you are in, you have to master automation to be a leader
in your industry.

Difference between Test Automation and RPA

One of the other common topics people usually discuss; “Is Selenium an RPA
tool?” “What are the difference between Test Automation and RPA?”
“Selenium vs rpa”, etc.

Yes, there are some similarities between test automation tools and rpa tools
since both of them are automation at keystroke level activities. But both are
not the same, below are some of the key difference between Test Automation
and RPA

 Activity
Test automation is predominately for repetitive test case automation, whereas
rpa is for business process automation. Though both can be used for vices
versa activities, test automation tools would require programming skills to
automate the business process.

 Programming
Test automation requires programming skills to create the test scripts
whereas rpa tools mostly drag and drop based process flow development.
Also, rpa tools can be used by the end uses as well with limited training but
test automation tools are for technical users only.

 Platform
RPA is platform independent, means it can interact with multiple platforms,
web-based applications like Citrix as well as Microsoft Office and other
desktop applications. Whereas test automation has a certain limitation on
platform support.

 Savings
Test automation saves the test execution time as a virtual assistant, whereas
the robotic process automation focuses on reducing the FTE cost through
automation hence can be considered as a virtual worker like a human.

Difference between RPA and Industrial Automation

Last but not least, just do not get confused with Robotic Process Automation
and Industrial Automation, both are entirely different, though RPA and
Industrial Automation focus on replacing human workforce.

Industrial automation is a different ball game altogether, It is the second step

beyond mechanization in the scope of industrialization, uses actual robots and
machines to replace human.

Whereas as RPA is for Business Process Automation using Software programs

to mimic the way how a human actually does the process. RPA is also stepping
to the next levels using AI capabilities.

RPA Tutorial Conclusion

Let me conclude this rpa tutorial for beginners in simple words :

Give robots’ job to robots and humans' jobs to humans

#rpaCLICK TO TWEET
RPA topics keep getting published here, Join our Global RPA Community and
be a Global Learner.
Ask Us if you need this robotic process automation tutorial pdf and the
subsequent updates.
We have covered almost all the major topics related to RPA basics in this
beginners tutorial. Please let me know all your questions and thoughts on
Robotic Process Automation in the comments section below, I’ll reply to them
in the RPA Q & A session.
RPA Journey (Implementation
Infographics Guide)
AnsonAutomation, Robotic Process Automation

This RPA Journey tutorial specifically focuses on the RPA Implementation

Process or the Steps to be followed during the RPA implementation process.

I hope you have already read the Ultimate RPA Guide for Beginners before
proceeding with this tutorial. If not, I would suggest you have a quick glance
on the same. The Ultimate RPA Guide for Beginners is for the absolute
beginners who wants to know everything about Robotic Process Automation
(RPA) in a layman’s language.
From the inception to the saturation there are multiple stages to be passed
through in this journey. This RPA implementation methodology has been
prepared after a few years of research and studies. I have tried to cover all the
aspects in this tutorial.

Follow the below step by step instructions for a successful RPA implementation.

First thing first! I would like to consider RPA implementation as a journey

rather than a Project.
 1. Identify the Automation Opportunities
This should be first step of the rpa journey, I call it as the “WHAT” step. You
need to identify what all you can automate. To make this step easy I have
made a list of areas that you can quickly look for identifying automation
opportunities.

 Rule Driven Processes

 Repetitive Processes
 Data entry Processes
 Volumes Driven Processes
 Frequent human errors
2. Optimize the Identified Processes
This is an important step after an automation opportunity has been identified.
Optimize the existing process before jumping into automating it in the ‘As Is’
way of process. Analyze the existing the process and identify the improvement
areas using the quality techniques like Lean, Kaizen etc. Before you start with
the RPA implementation all the inefficiencies in the existing process should
have been removed.

3. Build Business Case for the RPA Journey

This is more of the initial documentation process, I call it as the “WHY” step. In
this step you need to document the key areas of this automation journey. You
can prepare a well drafted Business Case covering all the below points.

 Why does this automation require?

 What are the benefits because of this automation
 What are the pain areas that can be removed because of the automation?
 Identify the extended impacts of this automation; process that might affect
this RPA automation
 Define the metrics to measure the automated process
 Define the span of control ratio between the bot and human
 What is the plan of action for re-deploying the existing resources after
automation

4. RPA Vendor Selection

This is the “HOW” stage of RPA journey, in this stage you can choose from 2
options, either you can develop an in-house automation, or you can buy a
solution which is already available in the market. RPA is growing rapidly and
there are multiple vendors providing RPA solutions
(UiPath, Blueprism, Automation Anywhere etc.) . I have covered more than
20 vendors & tools in the earlier post (You can refer the same for more
details).
Also, there are many factors need to consider before selecting any robotic
process automation tool depending upon the industry you are operating.
Some of the factors like:

 Technology
 Interface
 Management
 Security
 Pricing
Each of these RPA tool selection checklists are covered in detail in the RPA
Ultimate Tutorial, you should refer the same for more details.
It is also advisable to have a look into the automation solutions used by other
companies as well within your industry. Which will give you more insights
and try to leverage your network to understand more about the processes
that have already been automated by others using RPA.

I have made a list companies using different robotic process automation,

which will be helpful for this analysis.
5. Pilot RPA Development
This is where the initial rpa bot development or programming begins. Here
you have 2 options either you can hire trained RPA developers, or you
can train your SMEs (Subject Matter Experts) on the RPA tool which you have
finalized. Both the options come with its own advantages and disadvantages.
The RPA developer who comes with automation experience will be faster in
terms of development but might take time to understand process that need to
be automated.

Whereas an SME has the expertise on the process, but he/she might take time
to learn the RPA solution.

Considering the fact RPA is Code Free or minimal code requirement, if the
SME has the potential and eagerness to learn the RPA tool then I would
suggest the latter will be a better option for your Pilot RPA development.

Many of the RPA tools have a Free/Community version or a Trail version

available with lots of training materials, which can be actually leveraged for a
kick start.

Companies have already started training their existing SMEs/resources on the

RPA solutions which are useful to their business needs most.
Based experience the suggested approach for an RPA implementation is
to target for the quick wins, minimum risk and quick returns in the initial
stage and then slowly move on to the expertise bot buildings.
Slow and steady wins the race is the best suggested approach for a successful
RPA implementation.

Some of the factors need to be considered during the pilot RPA development
are:

 How long should your pilot be?

 Plan for the programming/development
 Plan for the change management
 Plan for the pilot launch
 Plan for the risk management during the pilot stage.
 Evaluate ‘What Went Well’ and ‘What Could Have Been Better”

6. Ramp up and Continue Building Expertise RPA bots

This is the stage where you write your (Success) story and expand your RPA
scope, and as per me this is where your RPA journey begins. You should create
a beautiful story to leverage your success, your story should contain the below
points:

 Process
 Business Challenge
 Solutions used
 Business benefit: Human work saved, ROI achieved, Accuracy achieved,
Time saved, Peak volume handled in terms of SLA etc.
 Other processes in scope of automation after the Pilot RPA implemented.
I have summarized these RPA Implementation steps in the below
Infographics, feel free to share it!
 3 Robotic Process Automation Training Stages
This is in continuation to the previously published 2 exclusive tutorials
related to Robotic Process Automation (First of its kind on the web).

1. Robotic Process Automation Complete Overview.

2. Companies using Robotic Process Automation
After I published the above mentioned 2 successful articles on RPA, people
started contacting me to know more about Robotic Process Automation
Training, Robotic Process Automation Certification, Robotic Process
Automation Courses etc.

When I get enquires from my readers I research more on those topics on

various sources to give the best in class result. So I can guarantee even this
article is also an exclusive one, as you won’t find the information gathered
here anywhere else on the web.

**UPDATE** When I was publishing this article in 2017 there were hardly any
books available related to Robotic Process Automation, other than the 2
mentioned below. However, now in 2018, in a matter 1 year there are whole
lot of books available on Robotic Process Automation Training,
Implementation and so on. You just have to search for Robotic Process
Automation Books in Amazon and you will find a list of books available on
RPA.
Also, there are many training institutes and academies provides RPA
certification courses. You can find a details list here! Check the RPA
Training under each RPA vendor
Robotic Process Automation Training Stage 1: Understanding RPA

There are hardly any books available on the subject Robotic Process
Automation, however since 2013 IRPAAI (Institute for Robotic Process
Automation & Artificial Intelligence) have been offering advises to their
customers on how to implement robotic process automation on several
domains.
They also have an e-book published on robotic process automation, this book
definitely gives some clarity around the various aspects of RPA as an
introductory robotic process automation training material. Below will be your
learnings after you go through this guide:

1. Introduction to Robotic Process Automation: a Primer

 Difference between RPA and traditional automation
 Clarity on RPA and its consequences on the meaning of work
 Scope of RPA in terms of reducing labor cost and increasing efficiency and
accuracy
 Impact of RPA in the outsourcing industry and on the employment rate in
general
 Who is already using RPA and how it fits particularly well in the
healthcare, finance, and insurance sectors
Note: Refer List of companies already using Robotic Process Automation.
 Steps to be taken before jumping into implementing RPA as the solution.
There is a Kindle Edition of this book available for the new generation readers
since June 2015.

Introduction to Robotic Process Automation: a Primer

2. One more book I could found was RPA Robotic Process Automation:
Business and Business at the Speed of Light
This book claims to be the first Brazilian book on RPA and one of the first in
the world. And the books talks more about the importance of
automation/RPA, Scope of RPA & how everything links to the speed of light.

Seems to be a worth read based on the summary provided by the

author Rogério Figurelli. The only challenge is this book is available in the
Portuguese Edition. I have manged to read the summary with the help of
Google Translate.

Reason I mentioned about this book here because I do have readers from
Portugal, Brazil and Angola. You might get benefited.
 RPA Robotic Process Automation: Business and Business at the Speed of Light
Robotic Process Automation Training Stage 2: Understanding the RPA Tools and
Vendors

Now that you know what is RPA? , scope of it, how to implement etc. its time
to get familiar with the Robotic Process Automation Tools and Vendors.
I have already covered this part in: Robotic Process Automation Complete
Overview [Tools,Vendors,Jobs etc.] , so go ahead read this and come back to
this page to know more about Robotic Process Automation Courses in Stage 3.
Robotic Process Automation Training Stage 3: Hands on with RPA Tools

As you have learned in the previous stage there are multiple vendors and
tools are available for robotic process automation. Many of these vendors also
provide direct training on their tools also provide trial versions of the tool for
the aspirants to try out.

There are also few institutes providing courses on specific robotic process
automation tools.

List of Institutes providing Robotic Process Automation Training Courses.

Note: I do not have any affiliation or connections with any of these institutes or
trainers and neither have I attended their training. These are some of the
institutes came across as part of my research on robotic process automation
training and thought of sharing with my readers if someone gets benefited out of
it.
1. Tek Classes
They provide training on Blue Prism, UiPath and Automation Anywhere (3
separate courses with course certificate). A detailed course over overview
available on the website with Key Features, Curriculum etc. and also a Course
Preview Video.

Both Instructor LED Online Training and Self-Paced Video Learning are
available on the above mentioned rpa tools.

Robotic Process Automation Courses

2. Next Space
Next Space provides 3 days full time or 20 days part time RPA training on
some of the below RPA Tools. Both online and classroom training options are
available. There is a generic overview about the training is available on the
website but nothing specific on the tools.

Interested candidates can get in touch with the institute.

Automation Anywhere, Blue Prism, Contextor, EdgeVerve Systems, Kofax,
Kryon Systems, NICE, Pegasystems, Redwood Software, Softomotive, UiPath,
WorkFusion

3. eKnowledge Infotech
They provide 4 weeks class room or online training on below Robotic Process
Automation tools:

Blue Prism, UiPath, Automation Anywhere

There is a brief description available on training, trainer and what you can
expect out of this training.

4. Open Source Technologies

They provide Robotics Process Automation Training in Hyderabad, India.
They have seprate courses for Automation Anywhere, Blue Prism, UiPath and
Open Span.

A Course Content PDF available on the website which is free to download and
also can request for a demo.

5. Hope Tutors
They provide online and class room training on Automation Anywhere, Blue
Prism, UiPath and Open Span. A detailed course curriculum available on the
website and even you can directly call them to have free demo session on the
training they provide.

Looking forward to your feedback on training and drop me a note if you know
there are other institutes providing robotic process automation training
across the globe. So that I’ll get it added to the list.
Intellipat

Table of Contents

Robotic Process Automation Introduction

Robotic Process Automation: Imagine doing repetitive and mundane tasks in your
desktop every day like copy-pasting from several sources to an Excel sheet to make
some data analysis or emailing a bunch of contacts at regular intervals. It will be pretty
exhausting and boring to do such tasks on a monthly or yearly basis, right? What if I
say thatRead More
RPA Architecture

RPA Architecture: The architecture of Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is a

combination of several tools, platforms, and various infrastructure elements to form a
complete RPA tool. There are several blocks available in the RPA solution: Learn end-
to-end RPA concepts through the RPA Course in Hyderabad to take your career to a
whole new level! Applications under robotic process execution -Read More
RPA Life Cycle

Life Cycle of RPA: The life cycle of RPA doesn’t have a defined structure but, in general,
there are four stages in RPA. They are: Analysis: Identification of the business process
for RPA development Development: Fulfillment of requirements Testing phase:
Performance of quality checks Deployment and maintenance: Deployment and
maintenance of bots Watch this RPA video [videothumb class="col-md-12"
id="USKABywFWIQ" alt="RPA"Read More
RPA Tools – Robotic Process Automation Tools Tutorial

RPA Tools: As RPA is slowly becoming a new dominant technology in the industry,
more and more companies are getting inclined toward inculcating RPA in their back-
office tasks. This has led to an exponential growth in the demand for RPA tools as
well. There are various tools available in the market to implement RPA. These tools
are used by organizationsRead More
RPA UiPath – What is Uipath Tutorial

What is Uipath?: In this tutorial we are majorly concentrating on RPA UiPath, it is a

leading RPA platform that helps the organization to effectively automate business
processes. RPA UiPath is an open platform which is easy to learn and collaborate. It
is also extensible, features hundreds of built-in, customizable and deep integrations
with ERP, BPM and AI technologies. ItRead More
UiPath Studio

Uipath Studio - User Interface: The user interface of UiPath Studio has multiple panels
for easier access to specific functionalities. It can be docked, function as floating
windows, or the Auto-hide option can be enabled. Have you got more queries? Come
to our RPA Community and get them clarified today! The Ribbon - The ribbon is a
simple window andRead More
Recording & Screen Scraping with UiPath

Recording with UiPath:: The recorder of UiPath enables users to record UI mouse
movements, keyboard activities to generate automation scripts. The activities are
recorded and generated as a sequence. You can find the record option on the Design
tab. There are two types of recording known as - automatic and manual recorder. The
capability of each recorder is listed belowRead More
Workflow & Citrix manipulation

How to Invoke a Workflow?: What is a Workflow? As we already saw, a workflow is a

set of an individual process executed in UiPath for automating the activities. Why we
need Workflows? When we are developing a large process, it is difficult to follow and
test the process from top to bottom. So it is recommended to split intoRead More
UiPath coding & debugging

UiPath Coding:: An activity in UiPath is like a set of blocks in UiPath automation

process. UiPath comes with various built-in Core activities. There is an option to create
certain custom activities to automate processes for ease of use. There are two
important steps to create a custom activity. They are: Writing custom activity code
Adding external assembly (.dll) inRead More
RPA Cheat Sheet

Introduction:: If you are a Software Developer and wants to automate the business
process, then RPA is of consideration. This cheat sheet will be a handy reference for
you which covers all the basic concepts you need to know to start working on it You
can also download the printable PDF of this RPA cheat sheet Further, if you wantRead
More
 RPA Architecture
The architecture of Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is a combination of several tools,
platforms, and various infrastructure elements to form a complete RPA tool.

There are several blocks available in the RPA solution:

Learn end-to-end RPA concepts through the RPA Course in Hyderabad to take
your career to a whole new level!

 Applications under robotic process execution – This is well suited for enterprises
applications like ERP, SAP or any other record processing application. These applications are
data intensive and they are loaded with repetitive tasks.
 RPA Tool – To develop software robots to the automation of applications in Desktop, Web
and Citrix environment. Exception handling, ability to write to/from various data sources and
to build reusable components.
 RPA Platform – RPA Software bots can be stored in a shared repository and they can be
shared across software robots libraries. RPA platform has the ability to develop meaningful
insights on the bots and execution process.
 RPA Execution Infrastructure – They act as a bank of parallel physical or virtual lab
machines which is controlled based on usage patterns. Machine scale up or down in parallel
to achieve the automation can also be performed.
 Configuration management – Updation of bots to a newer version is performed.
Branching and merging of RPA bots are also performed since they are reusable across the
libraries.

Go for the most professional RPA Training Course for a stellar career now!

Check out the top RPA Interview Questions to learn what is expected from RPA
professionals!

RPA is a combination of various layers of application and tools that makes the whole
architecture.
Layer Purpose Benefit

Process  Business rules  Focus on business rule without needing to

 Hand-off point create links
 Prioritization if not in  Simplify changes
management control

Subprocess Reusable business logic  Reusability

 Identity  Avoid multiple changes in the process when
 Verification logic changes

Reconciliation

Object Procedures for performing Reusability within systems

specific tasks
Eg. Log on, enter the  Development does not require business rule
address understanding
 Component Individual screen  Lower risk, faster changes
interaction
Eg. Enter address inline 1  Target application integration can be changed
without the risk of changing business rules.

Watch this RPA Automation Anywhere Training video

We come to an end of this session on RPA Architecture of this RPA Tutorial. In the next
session, we will be covering RPA Lifecycle.
 Life Cycle of RPA
The life cycle of RPA doesn’t have a defined structure but, in general, there are four
stages in RPA. They are:

 Analysis: Identification of the business process for RPA development

 Development: Fulfillment of requirements
 Testing phase: Performance of quality checks
 Deployment and maintenance: Deployment and maintenance of bots

Watch this RPA video

Visit our RPA Community to get answers to all your queries!

Let’s understand all stages individually.

Analysis:

Analysis is the beginning of the RPA life cycle. A business analyst team along with an
RPA architect work together to come up with a plan as to why they need RPA and how
it can be helpful to them. They use a developmental methodology and develop a
strategy to automate tasks in order to eradicate manual work as much as they can.
The RPA lead decides a timeline to put this plan to work. After the paperwork and the
rest of the formalities, they start the development process.

Development of the Bot:

The development team starts working on the requirements for the automation task.
Depending on the kind of automation required, there might or might not be coding
involved. Usually, there is no coding. But, there can be exceptions.

Testing Phase:

Depending on the kind of automation developed and the organization, the bot is tested
either by the development team itself or by a separate testing team, which is similar
to the regular software testing.
Deployment and Maintenance:

After the successful development and testing of the bot, it is now ready for
deployment. Once deployed, if there seems to be a problem, then it again undergoes
checking by the development team and testing. Every time the bot is deployed, it
undergoes maintenance and updating.

Get familiar with the top RPA Interview Questions to get a head start in your
career!

We come to the end of this session on RPA Life Cycle. In the next session of this RPA
tutorial, we’ll be talking about RPA tools.

Go for the most professional RPA Training Course for a stellar career now!