Process Mining and RPA: Meet the ultimate automation power couple

There’s never been a greater need for automation

Are you looking for the perfect way to unlock hidden value from your business operations? Look no further than Process Mining and Robotic Process Automation (RPA). When these two powerful software tools are deployed in tandem, organizations can realize millions of dollars in savings and unprecedented operational efficiency. In this blog post, we'll explore how the two work together, what kind of results organizations are seeing, and how you can get started fast. Let's dive in!

The current climate of soaring inflation and labor shortages presents a unique opportunity for automation in the enterprise to demonstrate its value. Robotic process automation (RPA) can be a powerful tool to increase productivity and efficiency while freeing up talented employees to do the work they enjoy. However, the reality is that many RPA projects fail, with estimates of between 30 and 50 percent falling short of their goals.

If RPA alone is not enough to provide the enterprise-wide optimization necessary for businesses to stay competitive, then what is the solution? The answer is to use RPA in combination with Process Mining. This combination can provide the comprehensive, efficient, and effective optimization that organizations need to succeed. 

The transformational power of RPA

The rapid adoption of Robotic Process Automation (RPA) in 2021 is testament to its compelling value proposition. Recently, Deloitte reported that 78% of organizations are currently implementing RPA, with a further 16% planning to do so in the coming years, and only 6% saying they have no plans to implement it.  

RPA is ideal for taking on mundane and repetitive tasks, freeing up people to do more meaningful and enjoyable work. It is fast and affordable to implement, and requires no back-end integration work as it operates at the user interface level. This makes RPA a powerful tool for improving business processes, reducing errors, engaging employees, and providing a better customer experience. It also comes with the added benefit of reduced costs, increased revenue, and boosted efficiency.

Real-world results from RPA 

It's clear that the way RPA is implemented and deployed is crucial to success. For example, a single-departmental approach to RPA implementation may result in a bot that works well, but doesn't actually improve lead times. For RPA to deliver expected ROI, the process of deploying the technology must be part of a business-led strategy which takes the time to analyze processes and identify where automation can be most effective.

This strategy should also take into account how the solutions can scale up and be maintained over time. When these steps are taken, organizations can realize the full potential of RPA. 

It’s clear that the way RPA is implemented and deployed is crucial to success. Organizations need to approach RPA holistically, taking into account the organization’s overall objectives and examining the end-to-end process to identify opportunities for automation and optimization.

It’s not just about plugging in a technology solution. It’s about understanding how the process works, refining it, and then configuring the bots to meet the business’s needs. This requires a full-stack approach, from process analysis to bot development and deployment. It also involves strong collaboration between IT and business teams, and a shared understanding of the technology and its potential. 

Ways RPA projects can fail 

This simple example highlights several ways RPA implementations can fail: 

• Only one part of the process was addressed

• Automation was applied to a bad process

• KPIs weren’t clear

• Ad-hoc tool use made automation unsustainable

• Ongoing governance was lacking 

Five requirements for successful RPA 

What’s missing from the scenario outlined above are five elements that could have made the use of RPA successful—both in the short and long term: 

1. End-to-end visibility

2. Insight

3. Modeling of existing processes and accurate simulation

4. ROI calculations

5. Continuous monitoring 

Until recently, Business Process Modeling (BPM) has been an incredibly laborious and time-consuming endeavor. It often took months of manual analysis and mapping to determine where improvements could be made within an organization’s processes. However, that’s all changed with the introduction of Process Mining.

This innovative technology is revolutionizing how companies uncover the previously hidden inefficiencies that were holding them back—and it’s already unlocking billions of dollars of value worldwide. So, if you’re looking for ways to quickly increase the efficiency of your business operations, Process Mining could be the perfect solution.

source: https://www.ibm.com/resources/automate/get-started-with-ibm-process-mining-and-ibm-rpa