Tech Trends in Practice

TREND 22Robotic Process Automation

The One-Sentence Definition

Robotic process automation (RPA) is technology that can automate business processes that are rules based, structured, and repetitive.

What Is Robotic Process Automation?

RPA is about minimizing the time spent on routine, manual activities that are currently performed by humans but could be given to software robots. The aim of RPA is to improve productivity, reduce human error rates, and free people up to do the higher value work that can’t yet be performed by robots, such as solving more complex customer queries or developing “big picture” strategies. Consider RPA “robots” that are programmed to complete specific business processes such as interacting with other digital systems, capturing data, retrieving information, processing a transaction, and more.

Just as physical robots (see Trend 13) have been developed to carry out many elements of physical manual work, such as conveyor-belt manufacturing processes, or even building houses,¹ software robots can be used to carry out repetitive digital tasks. This generally requires the software to be “taught” how to do the job. However, increasingly, advanced implementations will make use of artificial intelligence (Trend 1) to become increasingly proficient – and eventually to automate tasks themselves, or prioritize which tasks should be automated.

RPA shouldn’t really be thought of as new processes, but instead as a new “layer” of activity that sits above all of your ...