Opportunity Analysis of Right RPA Candidate

[SpandanaK]

Identifying the right RPA candidate is crucial for successful automation implementation. Below are a few questions to consider during the RPA opportunity analysis, though this list is not exhaustive:

1. RPA Type : Enterprise or Federated

   RPA can be implemented in two main ways: enterprise-wide (centralized) or federated.

   • Enterprise RPA: In this approach, automation is managed centrally by a dedicated team or department within the organization. All automation efforts, including development, deployment, and management of bots, are controlled from a single, centralized location.

   • Federated RPA: In a federated RPA model, automation is decentralized, and different departments or business units within the organization have their own automation teams. Each team is responsible for managing its own automation initiatives independently. However, there might be coordination and collaboration among these teams to ensure alignment with organizational goals and standards.

2. What is the total number of FTEs required to complete the process?

   The total number of Full-Time Equivalents (FTEs) required to complete a process depends on various factors such as the complexity of the process, the time required to complete each task, and the productivity of the workers. To calculate the total number of FTEs needed, you would typically divide the total number of hours required to complete the process by the number of hours worked by a single FTE in a given period.

   Here's the formula:

   Total FTEs=Total process hours/Hours worked by one FTE in a given period​

   For example, if the total process hours required to complete the process is 200 hours, and one FTE works 40 hours per week:

   Total FTEs=200/40=5 FTEs

   So, in this example, you would need 5 FTEs to complete the process.

3. What is the average handling time per case for the process (in minutes)? For example, if it takes 5 minutes to complete the process end to end.
4. What are the average volumes? Daily : for e.g. 118 cases Weekly : for e.g. 590 cases ( 118 daily cases * 5 working week days)
5. Expected number of hours to be saved per year?
   E.g. 60 per week x 10 minutes = 520 hours per year
6. Do process volumes increase during peak periods? Please provide details.
   E.g. During February and March volumes and workload increases by 20%
7. What is the exception (error/anomaly) rate for the process? (%)
8. How are exceptions currently resolved during the process?
   E.g. escalated to manager, sent offshore etc.
9. How often are errors experienced during process execution?
   i.e. how frequently are corrections required to ensure output is accurate?
10. How are errors currently resolved during the process?
    eg. re-keying data, correcting copy & paste errors, other re-work
11. Does the process address any specific financial, regulatory, audit findings, or customer pain points?
    eg. Please provide NFR (Non-functional requirements), CAP ( Corrective Action Plan), FAR (Federal Acquisition Regulation), etc.
12. How much of the process is (in %):
    1. Rule based with structured input (eg. 50%)
    2. Rule based with unstructured input (eg. 30%)
    3. Judgement based , Research & Analysis (eg. 20%)
13. Complexity of the process (Low, Medium ,Complex)
    1. Low: Process currently follow very easy straightforward and repeatable business rules in a single application. 
       • Number of applications that bot should interact with : 1 or 2 applications
       • Data injections to the bot : 1-2 inputs (excel etc.)
       • Time factor to complete the bot : <4 weeks
       • Attended/unattended : This is just a general rule and should be combined with rest of the criteria.
       • Number of steps : <30 steps
    2. Medium: Process follow simple business rules, but may involve a diverse number of transactions or multiple applications
       • Number of applications that bot should interact with : 3 - 4 applications
       • Data injections to the bot : 3-4 inputs (excel etc.)
       • Time factor to complete the bot : 4 - 6 weeks
       • Attended/unattended : This is just a general rule and should be combined with rest of the criteria
       • Number of steps : 30 - 100 step
    3. Complex: Process follow complex business rules, a high number of hand offs and/or high level of decision  making.
       • Number of applications that bot should interact with : >4 applications
       • Data injections to the bot : >4 (excel etc.)
       • Time factor to complete the bot : >6 weeks
       • Attended/unattended : This is just a general rule and should be combined with rest of the criteria.
       • Number of steps : >100 steps
14.  How many systems and applications interact within the process? 
15. Is the process triggered by (inputs), or does it interact with:
    -Paper (letters, cheques, etc.)
    -Digital (email, work queue, etc.)
    -Voice (telephone, etc.)
16. To what extent is process documentation available?
    E.g. documented process flow, training documents, templates of inputs and outputs
17. Is a new system or major change initiative due to be implemented in the foreseeable future which will affect this process?