FEATURE: ROBOTIC PROCESS AUTOMATION
RPA was once viewed as a threat by employees but is now being increasingly embraced as a productivityenhancing technology. This allows employees to shift their focus to more meaningful, higher-value activities. With the introduction of an intelligent virtual workforce, we are now seeing RPA transforming operations in various industries.
Most organisations realise a return on investment within six to 12 months of RPA implementation. Even with its many advantages, RPA is not without its challenges. The success of an automation initiative relies heavily on the initial assessment of processes to avoid automating unstable or poorly defined tasks. Additionally, not all processes are suitable for automation.
The ongoing collaboration between software robots and digital agents enables business processes to run 24 / 7, providing considerable advantages in efficiency, productivity and profitability. As job roles evolve and employees adapt to emerging technologies, the‘ augmented employee’ is the new type of worker that’ s starting to emerge.
Having a long-term vision and a structured plan of automation opportunities can help businesses grow in a sustainable and scalable way. This approach can help prevent fragmented, one-off efforts and maximise return on investment. RPA should be regarded as a strategic initiative within the organisation rather than just a tool or platform.
These are individuals who are able to perform tasks with improved speed and accuracy. Robots have already proven capable of performing large amounts of work and completing it in significantly less time. With easily traceable actions, they can ensure transparency and compliance.
RPA is non-disruptive by nature. It integrates seamlessly into existing technology stacks and offers adaptability as robotic workflows and code can be quickly updated to align with changes in business processes. As environments become more competitive, RPA has gradually shifted from a competitive advantage to a strategic necessity.
Keeping these robotic solutions updated and running smoothly still poses some challenges. Large companies have built RPA Centres of Excellence( CoEs), staffed with in-house experts to support governance, scalability and ongoing maintenance. Meanwhile, smaller businesses often remain concerned about the high initial costs, technical complexity and resource constraints, which are key barriers to adoption.
Agentic AI represents the next evolutionary step in automation, as it enables the handling of complex, exception-heavy processes and introduces a new design paradigm. However, to fully leverage it, RPA teams must acquire new skills and competencies. p
40 INTELLIGENTCIO MIDDLE EAST www www.. intelligentcio. com. com