What is Robotic Process Automation?

Robotic Process Automation (or RPA) is more of a strategy than a single technology. Marketers do a great job of redefining common business objectives as new tangible technology. The value being pitched here is that RPA helps companies significantly reduce their manpower cost by completely automating repeatable processes. There is some truth to the claim in situations where past technologies have enabled new capabilities within disparate workflows but never a way to connect them as one.

Ironically most of the common value of RPA lies within processes held at bay by outdated policies. We witness very good technologies in place that simply do not integrate with other great technologies because of cultural policy or ignorance of how compliances can be retained without daily human intervention. So having the right executive-level guidance during an operational audit is more important than the RPA technology itself.

About understanding processes, a process is only one of the many moving gears within a workflow. A workflow will only perform to the degree of its weakest process. The more you ask of your workflow, the more complex your processes will need to be. It’s here where we find one-size-fits-all technologies simply don’t exist so what can you do? Fortunately, most functions required within a workflow ARE common, and with a solid technology partner willing to learn your ecology building a value-added bot is possible.

Its obvious RPA technology will become more powerful as the study and advancement of machine learning improve. In the near future RPA will be defined as an artificial intelligence, today we would classify them as intelligent processes or, as we already said before, process improvers, no more. There is due diligence in data health and strategic alignment that must be considered when investing in any technology that will touch your workflows. As we will explore below, you can automate a process within an inefficient workflow and find you’re not much better off. Why does this happen?

The First Step is the Hardest

Before you even think about automation a top-down audit of purpose needs to be achieved. This includes the CEO’s vision through the board all the way down into workflows and processes. Because the vision of the executive-level goals needs to be strickly translated into action understanding the competitive ecology of your products and services is key. With sound strategic guidance, redundant and poorly performing workflows can be identified and measured. Only processes that align with strategic goals should be considered for automation and their current performance plotted as a benchmark.

Where is RPA a Good Fit?

From a top-down perspective identify core processes that align with the audit mentioned above. When you optimize all efforts around the top-performing initiatives, everything gets more accessible, costs less, and produces better quality and margin. Stop fighting battles that do not result in your best result. For instance, do not spend 50% of your effort to compete for the top 10% of a market. These inequalities of energy and results are the cornerstone of our metrics and method and guild your RPA efforts.

At Tallgrass.ai, our AI-based technologies literally sync your customer’s demand to the Competitive Ecology that naturally shifts over time. Your competition is not sitting still.  They’re doing the same as you -trying to learn where the competition is weak and make you compete on their terms.

All companies seek to understand their competition, but very few can act and pivot quickly enough to get in front of demand. Fewer still can define, demand and own it.  Amazon is getting close as a stark example and reminder.

Tallgrass Powered RPA Solutions

“Bots” or RPA (Robotic Process Automation) is coming to every modern company. Not all bots are made equally even though they claim to do the same thing.

Tallgrass can help you create the right RPA implementation strategy by truly understanding your processes and your competitive strength. Our team of in-house consultants and technology experts will help you align your strategic outlook first and then processes. Only Tallgrass provides the right blend of executive leadership in context to these emerging technologies and the ability to roadmap a clear path to ROI and capability to compete.