•A contemporary review of the state of the art on Robotic Process Automation.•A research agenda in the form of 15 challenges.•Introductory paper for a special issue on Robotic Process Automation.
...Through the application of Robotic Process Automation (RPA) organisations aim to increase their operational efficiency. In RPA, robots, or ‘bots’ for short, represent software agents capable of interacting with software systems by mimicking user actions, thus alleviating the workload of the human workforce. RPA has already seen significant uptake in practice; solution technologies are offered by multiple vendors. Contrasting with this early practical adoption is the hitherto relative lack of attention to RPA in the academic literature. As a consequence, RPA lacks the sound theoretical foundations that allow for objective reasoning around its application and development. This, in turn, hinders initiatives for achieving meaningful advances in the field. This paper presents a structured literature review that identifies a number of contemporary, RPA-related themes and challenges for future research.
Business process automation has been gaining more and more space in the management of organizations, since it translates into a reduction in the execution time of routine tasks in an organization, ...freeing up employees for other more creative and interesting tasks. However, it is important to check what types of processes are eligible, benefits, and challenges in the adoption of RPA technology. Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is a growing trend in business process restructuring, combined with digital transformation. This technology can be applied in various areas of business processes, and by organizations from any sector of activity. This work, through a literature review, aims to clarify the RPA's concept, the benefits found in this adoption, the main characteristics that the processes must have to be eligible, and the main barriers encountered for successful RPA adoption. In short, this preliminary literature review aims to contribute to the organization's clarification of RPA adoption.
Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is an emerging technology that enables the automation of rules-based business processes and tasks through the use of software bots. Drawing upon the theory of ...Task-Technology Fit (TTF) and Technology-to-Performance Chain (TPC) (Goodhue and Thompson 1995) and research on expert systems (Messier and Hansen 1987; Sutton 1990), this study explores emerging themes surrounding bot implementation for accounting and finance tasks. We collect and analyze interview data from adopters of RPA and document task suitability, task-technology fit, implementation issues, and resulting performance outcomes. We find that securing technical capability is only a part of RPA implementation process. Organizations engage in standardization and optimization of processes, develop scorecard-like tools to rank tasks, adjust governance structures to include digital employees, and redefine internal controls. Organizations benefit from automating only certain processes, those that are structured, repeated, rules-based, and with digital inputs. Along with cost savings, organizations experience improved process documentation, lower error rates, more accurate measurement of process performance, and better report quality.
•Securing technical capability is only a part of RPA implementation process.•Organizations engage in standardization and optimization of processes, and develop scorecard-like tools to rank tasks.•Organizations also adjust governance structures to include digital employees and redefine internal controls.•Organizations benefit from automating processes that are structured, repeated, rules-based, and with digital inputs.•Along with cost savings organizations experience improved process documentation, lower error rates and better report quality.
Robotic process automation Hofmann, Peter; Samp, Caroline; Urbach, Nils
EM,
03/2020, Letnik:
30, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
Within digital transformation, which is continuously progressing, robotic process automation (RPA) is drawing much corporate attention. While RPA is a popular topic in the corporate world, the ...academic research lacks a theoretical and synoptic analysis of RPA. Conducting a literature review and tool analysis, we propose – in a holistic and structured way – four traits that characterize RPA, providing orientation as well as a focus for further research. Software robots automate processes originally performed by human work. Thus, software robots follow a choreography of technological modules and control flow operators while operating within IT ecosystems and using established applications. Ease-of-use and adaptability allow companies to conceive and implement software robots through (agile) projects. Organizational and IT strategy, governance structures, and management systems therefore must address both the direct effects of software robots automating processes and their indirect impacts on firms.
This paper summarizes a panel discussion at the 15th International Conference on Business Process Management. The panel discussed to what extent the emergence of recent technologies including machine ...learning, robotic process automation, and blockchain will reduce the human factor in business process management. The panel discussion took place on 14 September, 2017, at the Universitat Politècnica de Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain. Jan Mendling served as a chair; Gero Decker, Richard Hull, Hajo Reijers, and Ingo Weber participated as panelists. The discussions emphasized the impact of emerging technologies at the task level and the coordination level. The major challenges that the panel identified relate to employment, technology acceptance, ethics, customer experience, job design, social integration, and regulation.
A framework to support Robotic process automation Farinha, Diogo; Pereira, Rúben; Almeida, Rafael
JIT. Journal of information technology/Journal of information technology,
03/2024, Letnik:
39, Številka:
1
Journal Article
Recenzirano
Odprti dostop
With the increasing demand for digitalization, organizations look to emerging technologies such as Robotic Process Automation (RPA) to increase their business performance. This makes it essential to ...identify and select the most suitable processes to maximize the benefits for organizations. However, despite the increasing interest of academics and professionals in RPA, the literature lacks a study on the main criteria organizations should consider to decide which processes to automate. Therefore, this research lists the main criteria for process automation based on scientific and professional know-how. A systematic literature review was performed, followed by a Delphi study with RPA professionals, to tune the former insights collected from the scientific literature. Our findings point to 32 criteria that organizations and decision-makers should consider before choosing which processes to automate. Feasibility, process description, and input and output data are the most voted. The criteria are evaluated with 18 processes in six organizations with positive results. While professionals may find valuable information in this document to help them decide which processes must be automated first, academics are now aware of which areas deserve further investigation.
Purpose
Robotic process automation (RPA) seeks to automate business processes, using software robots that interact with systems through their user interface, improving efficiency and reducing costs. ...However, some critical steps, such as identifying processes suitable for RPA automation, can have a tremendous impact in organizations if a wrong process is selected. Therefore, the purpose of this paper is to provide an approach for analyzing RPA development in business organizations.
Design/methodology/approach
This research presents a cohesive literature review about RPA, in order to identify RPA main concepts, which should be reported and considered in all RPA case studies. A model connecting the main elicited RPA concepts is presented as well as its evaluation and applicability grounded of past RPA case study (CS) analysis, using design science research.
Findings
The results from this research show that most of the RPA main concepts gathered in the literature review are not reported in the selected RPA CSs.
Originality/value
As RPA is a recent topic, literature lacks a synthetization of RPA main topics. This research aims to fill the gap on that, by identifying and synthesize the main topics related to RPA and proposing a model that connects the main RPA concepts, which can be used by researchers as a schema for conducting and writing RPA case studies.
This research paper explores the risks associated with Robotic Process Automation (RPA) projects, with a focus on the impact of disregarding key factors that affect project success. While previous ...studies have identified challenges and success factors for RPA projects, there is a lack of research that systematically and quantitatively evaluates these factors. To address this gap, the study uses a two-dimensional matrix to rate the impact and controllability of such risks associated with key factors in RPA projects, with data collected from 20 subject matter experts. The findings suggest that project managers should pay close attention to RPA development and process management. The high controllability ratings imply that proper planning and execution can effectively manage the identified risks. The study offers valuable insights into risk assessment for RPA projects and can assist project managers in increasing project success rates.
Robotic process automation (RPA) has been widely adopted in many industries, including the accounting industry, to automate well-defined and repetitive tasks; however, its application to auditing has ...lagged behind because of the unique nature of this industry. This study applies RPA in the auditing area. An RPA framework is proposed that frees auditors from doing repetitive and low-judgment audit tasks and enables them to focus on tasks that require professional judgment. This paper also demonstrates the feasibility of RPA by implementing a pilot project that applies RPA to the confirmation process.
•A 4-stage robotic process automation (RPA) framework in audit practice is proposed.•Based on the framework, an RPA pilot confirmation process is successfully implemented.•The evidence from this study may provide valuable insights to regulators and help them understand RPA and facilitate its adoption and use in auditing.
With the rapid development of digital technologies, many supply chain professionals are wondering how to move forward. Three technologies are poised to change supply chain business processes: robotic ...process automation (RPA), artificial intelligence (AI)/machine learning (ML) and blockchain. Based on interviews with supply chain professionals in 14 large, mature manufacturing and service organizations, we outline the promise of each technology and forecast their broad-scale adoption potential. Organizations should take the following measures to ensure their readiness to adopt and effectively use one or more of these technologies: (1) identify a supply chain technology visionary who can lead through the maze of technologies and the changing digital landscape, (2) develop a digital technology roadmap for their supply chain processes, and (3) update foundational information systems.
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