FEATURE: ROBOTIC PROCESS AUTOMATION
Still, let’ s be realistic. Cutting a few FTEs from invoice processing isn’ t transformation. The true leaders aren’ t using RPA as a short-term efficiency fix, they’ re using it as a scaling layer to augment human capacity.
In those organisations, bots are handling repetitive grunt work, while people focus on insight, exceptions and experience. That’ s when RPA shifts from a cost play to a growth enabler.
Despite the promise, RPA still struggles with a credibility gap in many boardrooms.
Why? Because expectations were set sky-high, and reality didn’ t always deliver. Some sponsors imagined lights-out automation and instead got brittle bots that break the moment an interface changes. Maintenance overhead is now a top concern. RPA may be easy to deploy but not always easy to sustain.
Another red flag: lazy automation deploying bots over broken workflows without redesigning the underlying process. All this does is automate dysfunction.
mainstream technologies are created equal. Some evolve quietly into foundational infrastructure. Others remain stuck in pilot purgatory clinging to buzzwords and half-baked implementations.
The reality in the Middle East is revealing. Banks, telcos and public sectors are deploying bots at scale. Yet the actual business value captured varies dramatically. For every success story, there’ s a cautionary tale: unmaintained bots, failed scale-ups, unclear ownership. And the difference? More often than not, comes down to executive intent.
Ownership is another friction point. Who owns RPA? IT? Operations? A shadow innovation team? Without clear governance, momentum evaporates. And while vendors promote‘ citizen development’, few enterprises are truly ready to let the business self-serve bot development without introducing risk.
And let’ s talk about scale. Too many organisations deploy a few bots and declare victory. But true enterprise-scale RPA means orchestrating dozens – sometimes hundreds – of bots across geographies and functions. That’ s not a script. It’ s a platform. And few teams are equipped to make that leap.
So, where do we go from here?
RPA isn’ t magical. But it is surgical when deployed with precision.
Forward-thinking CIOs are using it to eliminate operational waste in layers that haven’ t changed in decades. Ideal candidates? High volume, rule-based tasks with low variation and high stakes: cross system data entry, regulatory checks, reconciliations, or onboarding processes.
At the executive level, RPA’ s appeal is its time-tovalue. Unlike deep system overhauls, it doesn’ t require ripping out your digital backbone. It works with legacy ERPs, cloud tools, and third-party platforms getting things moving fast. Many Middle Eastern enterprises report ROI within three to six months, with process cycle reductions of up to 80 %.
The next evolution – particularly visible in GCC economies – is the shift toward intelligent automation ecosystems. RPA is no longer a standalone solution. It’ s one layer in a broader automation stack that
FORWARD-THINKING CIOS ARE USING IT TO ELIMINATE
OPERATIONAL WASTE IN LAYERS THAT HAVEN’ T CHANGED IN DECADES.
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