Somehow, the market’s perception is that RPA is both too complex and only for simple tasks! Read on to learn about why the notions of RPA being too complicated and only for simple tasks are both wrong and how RPA helps all complexity levels in a new edition of the What is Series.
Background
Early in the history of RPA, well before it was known as RPA, we had systems integration to send data back-and-forth between systems. From these humble beginnings, the platforms evolved into full-fledged software that can interact with anything and everything on your computer.
The contradicting conundrum
We use RPA to automate everything these days. The perception, though, is that maybe, just maybe, it can only automate simple tasks. If we were closer to its origin, I would agree. Still, it’s been many decades since its conception. All the smarts added behind the scenes of these platforms lead to being able to automate any complexity level. Over time, RPAs capabilities have increased.
We have some RPA platforms, like Automation Anywhere, that have implemented processes backed by artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) that can handle many complex processes and at many times the speed that a human would. Give the process enough training, like you would train a human, for a few days, or weeks and these bots can manage extracting data from scanned documents and placing that information into your existing systems.
But the complexity that exists behind the scenes doesn’t have to be visible to users!
The complexity behind the scenes takes us into the second misconception. Some think that RPA is too complicated. Like any modern platform, there are plenty of complexities baked into the software.
In this case, the complexity is not visible at all!
Thanks to user experience experts and their crack teams, the user interface of most RPA platforms is super-simplified while not losing its power. RPA platforms use logic and step-by-step programs, or bots just like any other platform. Instead of forcing you to program in a complicated language, you learn how to use the system and your program by creating graphical representations of flows for your processes.
Every day, ordinary people can quickly learn how to build basic bots. If you lean towards the logical side, or if you feel comfortable creating a list of steps to achieve a specific goal, then you are in luck and can create more complex bots. All you need is a bit of logic and attention to detail. The rest is pretty much drag-and-drop instructions your bot needs to follow.
Did you ever create a recipe?
Yes, creating a recipe is very similar to programming. Just watch out for details. Don’t mess up your measurements. Create a set of instructions for your bot to follow. By the time you complete all the steps, you have the recipe for a perfectly baked pizza… um… I mean perfectly programmed automation.
RPA Helps All Complexity Levels
As you gain more experience, you will be able to tackle more extensive processes. And in doing so, realizing that RPA is both simple and extremely capable of automating the most complex processes.