According to a Deloitte Global RPA Survey from 2018, 1 out of 4 executives responsible for running transactional operations declared that increasing the level of automation is a top strategic priority.

More than half the respondents have already embarked on the automation journey, and by 2020 the number is expected to reach 72%.

If the process continues at this rate, RPA will have achieved near-universal adoption within the next five years. Hence it is quite likely that you yourself are also among the ones who have considered starting robotic process automation implementation.

If you are feeling overwhelmed by the inherent uncertainties, don’t worry, you are not alone. We got your back, so you can continue reading some expert tips for successful RPA implementation.

How to make sure your RPA implementation is a success

1. Make a goal centred selection of the kind of RPA tool

One of the best practices for choosing the optimal RPA tool for your company is to start with a crystal-clear set of the objectives that you aim to attain. Automation projects often fail simply because expectations are not well aligned with what a particular RPA solution can do.

Therefore it’s highly recommendable that you think in terms of ‘good for’, and not merely ‘good’. A definite hierarchy of your company’s needs, goals, and available resources will help making the right selection. Remember that you can always ask a consulting company to assist you in the process of selecting the best fit RPA solution.

2. Run a comprehensive cost benefit analysis, to assess the economic viability of automation

Compare the investment with the expected return and allow this comparison to shape your decision. This assessment should be conducted per department in order to have a fine-grained understanding of the potential of robotic process automation in various sectors of your company. In order to specify your business case, involve relevant stakeholders in the process and opportunity scan.

3. Start RPA implementation with standard, rules based, mature processes

Cross-departmental back office processes are the best illustration, since 60% of those are high volume, repetitive, error prone and low fault tolerance, speed sensitive, and they have few exceptions and irregular labour requirements. Some more concrete examples are sales operations, customer due diligence, employee onboarding, data collection and validation, etc.

Before proceeding with RPA implementation, optimise the candidate processes so that you also improve customer experience. The idea behind all these steps is that, by establishing a solid foundation for the sky-scraper of enterprise wide automation, you maximise the likelihood of a successful endeavour.

4. Make RPA implementation a team work process

In other words, do not leave the management and the stakeholders aside, because their participation is key for effective long term development. They are the ones who can educate the employees as to what robotic process automation is, what it can and cannot do, and how it can make everybody’s life easier.

To this end, however, they themselves must be proficient connaiseurs of the nuts and bolts of software robots. Moreover, you should make sure that everybody in the team is fully aware of the impact of automation on the inner workings of the company.

A corollary of this point is the need to assess post-implementation changes in the organisational chart and to be prepared with ways to manage job redundancies and the subsequent need to upskill the human staff. As we mentioned in a previous article, gaining the confidence of people in your organisation is crucial for favorable outcomes.

The managerial framework is in fact necessary for successful implementation, in order to counterbalance the usual organisational resistance.