Don’t miss this if you’re looking to get max ROI from Oracle RPA

RPA can be an incredibly lucrative investment with proven results for streamlining business processes, and increasing productivity and efficiency. Like any business decision, the decision to implement RPA should be made alongside an in-depth cost-benefit analysis to ensure the highest possible ROI. Fortunately, with all of the available solutions out there, it’s not difficult to launch a successful automation journey; even implementing RPA with legacy systems, such as Oracle Forms and EBS applications, has never been easier.

In my years of consulting experience, I’ve found that businesses that invest early on in developing a solid RPA strategy realize the greatest ROI, and also benefit from RPA implementation that dovetails with their overarching organizational vision - in the short and long term. On the other hand, implementing RPA without a solid plan can put you on a path laden with frustrations, delays, and setbacks.

In earlier posts, I shared some initial considerations for determining whether or not RPA is the right approach, selecting the best workflows to automate, and choosing an RPA provider. If you’ve already checked those boxes, you’re on the right track, and ready for the next step.

In this post, and others to follow, I’ll delve deeper into the RPA journey -from planning to implementation and beyond — by examining best practices and sharing insights on how to circumvent common pitfalls.

Assess the value and costs

The first stage in a solid RPA plan includes choosing a high-value use case and determining the long-term costs to deploy and maintain the automation.

The key is to home in on high-value use cases that can bring maximum ROI rather than automating too much too fast — or automating the wrong processes. Not all workflows are created equal, and not all business cases should be automated.

Automated workflows should bring you the best bang for your buck; an ideal candidate is a use case that is repetitive, routine, and simple. (See my previous post for tips on picking a good use case.)

Avoid use cases that are one-off, dynamic, or require decision-making. Any attempts to automate them will likely lead you down a dead end of constant fixes and wasted resources, inevitably derailing your overarching RPA strategy and business goals.

Plan the journey, and draw a map

Once you’ve calculated your costs and identified one or two simple use cases to pilot, you’re already on the road to success. But it does not end there. Sometimes there is a big gap between the end goal organizations are trying to automate, and how the business processes the actual “flows” in their operation.

Mapping out the workflow is a critical step that cannot be overlooked. In their race to the finish line, organizations often don’t invest enough in planning. They pay the price later on with system errors, backtracking, unexpected results, and popup windows that cause delays.

I can’t say this enough: don’t bite off more than you can chew. Break down processes into micro tasks and deploy automation in stages.

Successful automation requires mapping a workflow step-by-step, plunging deep into the nitty-gritty. Data and analytical tools can help to track processes through the system and identify use cases that are good candidates for automation.

Let’s look at the example of sales order creation, which is an ideal use case for automation. It is both an end goal and a process that can be broken down into smaller “behind-the-scenes” steps that require specific data inputs. To create a sales order, customer data, inventory, and shipping must be retrieved and updated. But the order cannot be completed if that customer doesn’t yet exist in the system. So, if they don’t yet exist, to properly automate this process, you need to set protocols for creating new customers in the system first. This is just one example of the need to plan and map out the flow.

Account for outliers

At each stage, the decision point and data set need to be considered, regardless of how inconsequential these steps may seem. This is because you are not just automating the ideal workflow concept; you are running an automation of a human workflow with all the checks and balances.

Account for outliers and the full spectrum of possibilities; what happens when things veer off course is as important as when things run smoothly. Bots need controls telling them how to act when errors or exceptions exist, what information needs to be conveyed, and to whom.

Bots can be programmed to send an email or notification to the appropriate employee when its workflow is disrupted. For instance, with an Oracle EBS purchase order, what happens if the order is not created to completion? Should it be saved as a draft? Should any changes be rolled back? Should an email be generated to notify relevant personnel? Should you exit the whole workflow?

Consider how snags in the system might affect operations and data. You don’t want human actors going in to fix errors all the time. This is why it is so important to map out each workflow stage using response data to ensure a smooth and seamless process.

In the early stages of implementation, the focus is mainly on costs surrounding creating automations and the required licensing. However, as time goes on, it becomes clear that the major value and ROI of RPA will come from implementing stability. The goal is to establish automations that are not prone to instability or rapid changes, therefore avoiding the need to repeatedly re-record and test workflows.

Build on stable ground

It is not a good idea to alter methodology and workflows while automating at the same time. Once organizations begin drilling down their operational processes, it’s common for management to start thinking about ways to “tweak” workflows to make them more efficient. But if that is the case, these workflows shouldn’t be automated until the new process is completed; doing so runs the risk of malfunction. Remember: an ideal use case should have clear rules and set parameters that lead to clear outputs.

Also, automation needs a stable infrastructure to run smoothly. If you’re planning on upgrading your system or installing updates or patches, you can go ahead and design your RPA workflows — but wait until the system is stable to deploy bots. Bots are very sensitive to operational or platform changes; even slight changes to processes, data, and user interfaces can cause bots to malfunction. You can’t automate on a rocky foundation.

Conclusion

RPA automation is a great way to streamline complex back-ends, such as Oracle EBS applications. Automating simple, repetitive, and manual tasks can bring substantial results, specifically in use cases that rely on batch data entry, such as invoices, sales orders, and purchase orders.

There is no question that RPA automation is an incredible adventure and worth getting excited about! But the key is to move ahead with a measured, calculated plan with proper direction and preparation. And if you feel yourself getting into the weeds feel free to reach out!