Introduction

Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is gained popularity in the last six to seven years. Before this, companies were reliant on Business Process Outsourcing (BPOs) in order to minimize costs and increase productivity. Since 2014, RPA has emerged as a truly global technology that has the ability to change the face of several industries. In fact, RPA has now evolved to such an extent that it is viewed as a vital component for any company that wishes to gain a competitive advantage. However, the implementation of RPA is not a straightforward task. Companies can face several challenges during the implementation phase. This article discusses such key challenges and how they could be resolved.

RPA Implementation in Organizations

The opportunities presented by RPA are endless. Companies around the world are choosing to deploy this technology in order to become more efficient, reduce down-time, minimize errors, and ensure that customer needs are met. The technology is also viewed as a great way to transform into a leaner organization that focuses only on its key business objectives. RPA has come a long way over the past few years and has now become an integral part of almost all industries. At the same time, it is also important to understand that the technology must be implemented in the correct manner. Such an implementation process could face several hurdles that companies need to be aware of.

Key Challenges

The key challenges of RPA implementation have been discussed in the points below. These challenges include internal hurdles as well as external issues that could pose a threat to the implementation process.

Managing Resistance

Perhaps the biggest challenge is that companies could face a high degree of resistance from their employees. It is a common myth that robots are likely to steal all jobs in the future. This misconception could lead to implementation issues in terms of convincing the employees about the benefits of the technology. In order to resolve this challenge, companies must invest time and resources in educating and training their employees about the technology

Setting the Right Goals

Another challenge is to ensure that the company is setting the right goals while implementing this technology. The organization needs to assess the key areas in which the technology could make a difference. These areas need to be earmarked and tracked on a consistent basis. At the same time, the company must ensure that it is not too unrealistic in terms of its expectations from the new technology. The management must devise a plan that is achievable and includes quantifiable milestones at regular intervals.

Choosing the Right Processes

The company that is implementing RPA technology must ensure that it is choosing the right processes to be modified. It is quite often the case that companies cannot automate all of their processes. Selecting the right processes can be a major challenge. If an organization chooses to implement the technology in too many of its processes, then it could cause a lot of disruption. At the same time, not implementing RPA in an adequate number of processes could hamper its effectiveness. Therefore, companies must find the right balance when it comes to implementation.

Maintenance and Review

It is also a major challenge to ensure that the implementation can be tweaked as per the needs of the company. Even before the implementation process begins, companies must create a maintenance and review plan. This is because RPA solutions need to be evaluated from time to time. Companies must plan ahead and create an in-house team that is able to review the progress of the implementation. The maintenance process should be the joint responsibility of all decision-makers.

Ownership Challenges

Another challenge that is faced by organizations is that they are unable to delegate the ownership of the implementation process. This happens because of two major reasons. The first reason is that companies tend to have a business team and a technology team. It can be very hard for them to identify whether the technology team will lead the implementation process or the business team. In such a case, the effectiveness of the implementation can get negatively impacted. The best solution for this challenge could be to designate a team of business analysts that lead the implementation initiatives. These analysts could comprise members of the technology team and the business team.

Conclusion

Therefore, it is clear that RPA implementation could result in several challenges for an organization. It is vital that these challenges are identified and tackled at an early stage so that the technology can be implemented in a seamless manner. Sagacity Software provides a range of RPA solutions, including ones that cover the implementation phase. For more information about the company and our solutions, please contact us.