Business Process Automation A Productivity Lever

"While technical team build / implement systems and solutions to automate business process, there is still ample work to be done by end users as part of the business process which mainly include data building, cleansing, consolidation, validation, reconciliation.

This exercise includes accessing diff systems, websites (internal/external), communication with diff agencies, building reports, comply with regulations.

Most of these tasks are performed following very standard steps with minimum or no exceptional scenario. Even exceptions occurs, resolution path is predefined.

Being routine tasks, either organization has to engaged high cost resources to perform these tasks or add more manpower to support the team. This adds to productivity issues.

Business Process Automation, using S/w Bot (also called RPA) is a tool which help to automate these processes by configuring all steps, business rules and exceptions with required security measures.

Thus RPA tool helps to business multiple ways (beyond cost saving) viz. Team Productivity, Consistency, Predictability and improved customer / user experience.
"

1. Business Process Automation using RPA
Simplify - Document - Automate
Initiative to improve End User Productivity
Feb 17, 2023

2. Agenda
Background
What’s & What’s NOT Robotic Process Automation
Key Benefits RPA can bring to business
Processes Automation Criteria’s
Typical Requirement – Deployment Cycle
RPA Application Areas in Business Process & IT

3. Background






• Monitoring jobs
• Non value added tasks
• Info Security activities
• User Access Management
• License renewal management
• Backup - monitor / resubmit
• Monitor Support Queue
• Alert SLA window nearing to close
• Request additional info from requester
• Role Base Access (RBAC) creation
• Application job monitoring
• Support Ticket Audit
• Monitor Asset Scanning jobs
• Vulnerability tracking to closure
• Build Asset Health Reports
• License life cycle management


•Repetitive process [Statutory, Periodic,
Monitor]
•Skilled resources are blocked for low end
tasks
•Person dependent tasks (bottleneck)
•Odd hours / shift working
•Risk of human omissions (may be costly)
•Manpower budget constrains


Solution
IMPACT
Higher operational cost

Possible attrition of skilled
members

Under utilization of skilled
resources

Bottleneck of certain
process / individual

Audit NCs / Observations

Missing SLA / due dates /
license expiry
Robotic Process
Automation (RPA)

4. Business Challenges
❖Looming economic recession threat

❖Dealing with pandemic after effects

❖Hiring and Retention with Work From Home
become New Normal

❖Process, Technical & Talent debt
❑Enhance Technology Portfolio :
DevOps, Cloud Adoption, DataMesh etc.
❑Modernize existing solutions
❑Chatbots / Conversational Platforms
❑AI & ML
❑Process Mining / Discovery Tools
❑Business Process Automation using software robots
Solutions
could be
Business Process Automation using software robots ! ‘The Art of Possibilities’

5. Business Challenges
Business Process Automation using software robots ! ‘The Art of Possibilities’
Process
Debt
•Legacy process
•Complexity
•Compliance
•Driven by external force
Technology
Debt
•Legacy technology
•Business Needs
•External Mandate
•Industry needs
•Modernization cost
Skill
Debt
•Associated with process
/ technology
•Limited availability of
resources
•Skills certified by
statutory agencies

6. What’s Robotic Process Automation
Perform repetitive tasks, viz. Data Entry, Report Generation, consolidation, alerts,
notifications etc.

Perform monitoring of backup, restore, SLA windos, alerts & events

Perform SOPs based actions those have definite steps & exceptions

Perform data operations in excel (or similar) on large data set

Perform specific tasks those are pre-requisites to major processes, e.g. Month
Closure, Annual Physical Inventory, AP Process etc.

Perform post event operations during non office hours








Instead of human working like
robot

Let Robot do the work of human
beings

Let human continue to be more
like human

7. What’s Robotic Process Automation is NOT
It’s not humanoid
Robot
Cannot replace
Human Being
01
02 04
Cannot replace
human cognitive
functions
03
It’s not just
another cost play

8. •Close programs
•Read Config file
•Fetch Secrets
•Open Email program
Initialize /
Prepare
• Read Inbox
• Validate Sender
• Attachment exists
• Attachment with data
• I/p template followed
Read Email
Validate
Attachment (Part-I)
•Login to Application
•Download Masters
•Validate Input with master
•Validate input other
columns
•Erroneous file, reply to
Sender
Validate
Attachment
(Part-II)
• Open Invoice entry screen
• Enter invoice
• Save Invoice
• Update “Inv Ref” to user input
file

Enter Invoices
into System
• Create Summary for Email –
Subject Line [ Count of Email,
Attachments, records,
processed, errors

• Send Summary Email to
Sender

Send summary
Email
• Logout Invoice Application
• Close Browser
• Close Excel

Closure
Demo – Enter invoices from input received over email
+ Loblaw Demo : New Arrival Exception (live - Agent)
+ Loblaw RU x Helios Inventory upload (live)
+ Loblaw CSBO Inventory Validation (Recorded)

9. Economics


Cost Saving between 20% -
50%

Improved End User
Productivity


Accuracy
Consistent execution of process, data
formats, communication etc.

Eliminate inconsistency in applying
business rules, exceptions etc.

Reduce error rate close to Zero


Speed
Perform 20-40 times faster than
user

50%+ reduction in cycle / waiting
time

Lessor time & cost of
implementation over standard
technologies


Transparency

Keep track of work done (audit log)

Easy to perform RCA of failures

Option to watch as it perform to
identify errors


Scalability


Available for 24 x 7 [ schedule work
by priority ]

Scalability on demand, Parallel
Execution

Applicability to all business domains
+ IT, Infra, Info Security functions


Customer
Experience
Accuracy
Predictability
Flexibility &
High Volume
Management
Effort & Errors
Dependency
Cycle Time
Cost
Key Benefits RPA can bring to business
RPA will help Human to
be more Human at Work

10. Processes Automation Criteria's
Automate
Process Y/N?
Data Used


Preferred Digital & Std template Alternatively Manual & Std
template Volume of data to process


Stability


Changes by OEM/Dev
cycle Exceptions /
Processing steps
Complexity




No. of Applications
involved
Exceptions /
Processing steps


Decision Matrix
High
Low
High
Business Benefits
Complexities
Prioritization

11. Typical Requirement to Deployment Cycle
Business
Share business process
+ Demo

Share all steps /
exceptions / Input
templates

Grant Dev access


RPA Team
Feasibility Analysis

Process change
recommendations

Complete Vs
Collaborative
automation


Business
Review
recommendations

Make Go x No-Go
Decisions

Provide required
Accesses




RPA Team
Solution Design

Build Automation

Test in Attended
mode


Business
Test in Attended
mode

Sign-off for
deployment

Grant Prod access to BOT
UserId




RPA Team
Deployment

Monitoring

Stabilization

Audit Trail

Handover

12. HR Processes


●Employee Onboarding
●Compliance follow-up
●Compliance Reporting
●Leave Management
●Benefits Administration
●Training Data Admin.
●Input to Payroll
●Statutory input extract
+consolidate
Supply chain


●Master Management
●Reconciliation
●Inventory Reporting
●Quote Admin
●Contract Admin
●Logistic Admin
●Follow-up Communication
●Statutory Reporting
●Return Processing

Finance & Accounting




●Record to Report
●Reconciliation
●Master Management
●Transaction Entry
●Periodic Communication
AP/AR
●Order Entry
●Month Closure Monitoring
●Report Generation &
Consolidation


RPA Application Areas in Business Process & IT (Partial List)

13. Application Support
●Monitor Applications & Server
●Action on Jobs per SOP
●User Access Management
●Email base events admin
●Batch Processing
●Pro-active monitoring &
Actions
●Incident Resolution per SOP
●Application Testing

Infrastructure Support




●VM Creation
●Pre-Requisite Checks
●User Access Management
●Back-up / Restore monitoring
●Asset parameters monitoring
●Queue monitoring (print,
email, tickets)


Information Security




●Vulnerability Reports from 3rd
party sites
●Vulnerabilities tracking to
closure
●Data cleansing
●License management
●Asset connectivity tracking



RPA Application Areas in Business Process & IT (Partial List)
This is partial list; more business domain processes possible to automate.
Any process could be considered for automation based on steps followed, exceptions and actions

14. Recommended RPA Software Tool
Browsers,
MSOffice, Appl.
Client, UIPath Agent
Inbound comm
resources API,
WebService, DB
Business Applications
IT Admin
(Remote)
Cloud / External
Applications
Orche=stator
UI PATH infra
Orchestrator - High End Desktop (#)
Runtime - One Desktop for each bot (Attended / Un Attended) (#)
Development Environment – Desktop (UI Path Studio) (@)
(#) Option to use virtual or cloud (@) option to use VMs
UI Path Architecture

15. How to Sale RPA to you manager / business?

Features Accuracy, Speed, Consistency, Volume
Scalability, Economics and Speed

Cost ROI < 4 – 6 months, driven by Processes, work volume, frequency, process criticality etc
Infrastructure a)Cloud version features no infra at organization
b)Only desktop required for BOT licenses ( similar to user working in office)
c)RPA OEM provides on-demand VMs for short duration to deal with surge)

Security a)Working in place of user / users within organization, therefore all those security applicable to
users is applied to BOT User
b)Credentials and other secrets are stored in encrypted format
c)No data shared outside organization network. (even we do it using VMs or cloud based RPA
components

Scalability Depending upon nature of automation,
(a)one automation can use multiple BOTs to work in parallel
(b)BOTs can be obtained from RPA product OEM for specific event

HR Impact (a)Nominate individuals as Process Champions & Build them Citizen Developers to build for process
automaton
(b)Redeploy the members within the organization for high value work

16. Bouleverd of Good Dream, 89898
[phone]
facebook.com/templateparade
@Temparade
Thank You!
Stay in Touch

17. Case Study : Invoicing Process Software Services company
Invoicing window
15
th
– Last Day -1 Day

Invoice cancellation
due to Error (All
causes) :1.0%–1.5%
Volume :
3.5K – 4.0K
Invoices / Month
Team : 4 Managers &
10 Associates
14 User Access Licenses
14 Laptops / Desktops
Geographies : Global.
Statutory Requirement :
India – GST, Europe – Sales Tax
N.A. – State Tax, Latin America – InterCompany
Mid Sized Software Services company with ~0450MUSD Revenue

Order to Cash Process, timely invoicing is the key to report revenue, keep DSO under control and obtain payments as per terms
Sales Order
creation
Timelog /
Milestone
Taxation
Review
Line Items
Review
Invoice
Generation
India GST
Process
Invoice
Posting ERP
Invoice
Printing
Invoice to
Delivery Team
Start
Teams grouped by Region and customer A/c owned by Manager & Associates

Challenges / Constrains:
•GST Process involves : Submission > Review Status > Receive IRN No and reconciliation / exception handling
•Invoicing window early closure not able to invoice some invoices
•Missing invoicing resulting into Unbilled Revenue, Higher DSO and delay in receiving payment
Automation : Collaboration – Attended mode Automation

Open SO
Report
Identify SO to
Process & SUBMIT
Invoicing
Process
Start
Open SO
Report
Invoice to
Delivery Team
End
MANUAL
S/W BOT
MANUAL
Invoicing window
15
th
– Last Day - 8
Hrs
Extra 16 hrs
Invoice
cancellation due to
Error (All causes) :
< 1.0%
Team : 2 Managers &
5 Associates
7 User Access Licenses
7 Laptops / Desktops
Benefits
Additional 16 Hrs window for invoicing
Team re-deployment to other key activities
Generated more invoices per person
Productivity improvement (invoice per person)
More revenue accounting
Improved DSO & collection process
Improved Compliance
ROI 6 – 7 months