Process Automation

The coming revolution in robotic process automation

Over the past few years, robotic process automation (RPA) has become a central tool for back-office performance improvement. Yet despite the relative ease of implementing this technology, RPA solutions often come with a steeper learning curve than is expected. While mainstream adoption of RPA remains low, many companies today are considering adoption of this technology that may deliver as much as 60-80% in savings and significant improvements in quality, productivity and speed.

Along with other emerging intelligent automation solutions, robotic process automation represents an entirely new type of software with new assumptions, dynamics and best practices. As you move to incorporate these new tools into your operations, you’ll undoubtedly discover a world of potential – as well as a myriad of questions.

Realizing the promise of performance improvement through process automation requires clear insight and long-term strategies. That’s why more organizations considering RPA adoption seek input and advice from experts at The Hackett Group.

Three factors in successfully deploying process automation

The Hackett Group^® has identified three steps that can help businesses successfully implement robotic process automation.

Select the right opportunities

Companies that successfully deploy RPA are disciplined and methodical about identifying and evaluating potential opportunities within their operations. By deconstructing back-office processes, companies can analyze specific activities and subprocesses to determine which ones are a good fit for process automation.

Plan the journey

A well-developed roadmap is critical to introducing process automation, scaling it and achieving the potential value it holds. Plans may involve selecting the right tools for specific use cases, building realistic expectations, managing change associated with implementation, securing sufficient resources to scale, and establishing governance for management of RBA throughout its lifecycle.

Build an RPA team

An RPA team can help organizations as they extend the use of process automation throughout different areas of the business. RPA teams or centers of excellence should combine multidisciplinary skills in leadership, business analysis, design and technical development.

The Hackett Group: the smart route to automation

The Hackett Group is a leading independent advisor and implementation partner for process automation and smart automation, providing strategy, design, build and RPA-as-a-service hosting and support. Our teams have extensive experience with leading RPA platforms and provide advice on an agnostic basis. Our proprietary methodology and RPA transformation platform provide a tested toolset for quickly identifying and implementing the right scope, software and operating model.

The Hackett Group’s extensive benchmarking database of best practices and performance metrics help our clients deliver RPA projects that target improved business performance and outcomes while enabling improvements in efficiency, effectiveness and customer service. Our process automation teams use proprietary assessment tools – including our digitized Smart Automation Accelerator – to simplify the process of targeting the best opportunities for process automation within your operations. Our analyses include both a deep-dive assessment that targets the best automation candidates as well as a rapid assessment to filter out low-value opportunities.

With the support of The Hackett Group at every step in the journey, you can:

• Discover unique opportunities for process automation.
• Automate with clarity and confidence.
• Advance the right and best automation opportunities.
• Mobilize automation around a well-crafted strategy.
• Accelerate performance improvement by hosting and running automation solutions.
• Scale process automation deployment and capabilities.
• Evolve your organization’s use of automation and scale as necessary.

Training to drive process automation strategy

Our robotic process automation training program combines real-world automation strategy and implementation experience with our digital transformation best practices, benchmark data and intellectual property.

Our training includes two levels of training to build essential RPA knowledge and delivery skills.

• RPA fundamentals. This on-demand, online master class is designed for senior management, GBS, operations and functional management along with RPA delivery teams. To maximize the value proposition of process automation, RPA Fundamentals training helps managers better understand and support pilot programs and process automation as well as full-scale implementations.
• RPA Delivery Excellence. Delivered on-site or through virtual classroom sessions, this three-day workshop is designed to help managers and team members as they design, build, deploy, manage governance and set up centers of excellence.

Through process automation training with The Hackett Group, your organization can:

• Gain a better understanding of what RPA is and the benefits of its deployment.
• Identify and capitalize on the most advantageous RPA opportunities.
• Scale RPA strategically.
• Implement best practices when deploying RPA.
• Achieve continuous process improvement.
• Realize the benefits and returns you expect from process automation.

Why choose The Hackett Group?

The Hackett Group is an intellectual property-based strategic consultancy and leading enterprise benchmarking firm for global companies. Focusing on digital transformation through robotic process automation and enterprise cloud application implementation, The Hackett Group also provides dedicated expertise in business strategy, operations, finance transformation, human capital management, strategic sourcing, procurement, shared services, and information technology.

Drawing from an acclaimed benchmarking and best practices database, The Hackett Group offers executive advisory programs, consulting for business process engineering initiatives, developing digital transformation roadmaps, and continuous improvement programs.

The Hackett Group is a leading global strategy and operations consulting firm with particular expertise in performance benchmarking, business process change, and business transformation. Through our more than 26,000 engagements with nearly 9,100 major corporations The Hackett Group has developed the world’s most comprehensive performance benchmarking and best practices database. Across this wealth of data and real-world results, we have rigorously analyzed the relation between practice and performance. For back-office functions including finance, human resources, procurement, and information technology, we’ve carefully identified the best practices that drive performance optimization in the world’s most efficient and effective organizations. This unmatched intellectual capital informs the performance optimization consulting services that we provide our clients.

FAQs

What is process automation?

Process automation uses technology to automate business processes, centralize information, and minimize the need for human intervention. Process automation is designed to eliminate bottlenecks, minimize errors, and increase the speed of processing.

What is robotic process automation?

Robotic process automation (RPA) uses software tools to automate activities typically performed by humans. RPA technology interacts with software applications to perform data entry, to process transactions, or to respond to simple queries. For example, chat bots are a form of robotic process automation that are designed to handle a wide range of routine interactions with customers.

What are the benefits of robotic process automation?

Robotic process automation allows human workers to avoid tedious tasks and to focus instead on higher value work. RPA technology is far less prone to error and can often complete tasks more consistently and quickly than human workers.