In one of my favorite scenes from the movie, Up in the Air, Ryan Bingham (i.e. George Clooney) asks the question…
“What’s in your backpack?”
Imagine for a second that you’re carrying a backpack. I want you to feel the straps on your shoulders. Feel ’em? Now I want you to pack it with all the stuff that you have in your life. You start with the little things. The things on shelves and in drawers, the knick-knacks, the collectibles. Feel the weight as that adds up. Then you start adding larger stuff, clothes, table-top appliances, lamps, linens, your TV.
One may ask, how does this relate to RPA? Actually, it does quite a bit.
Take look for a second at this architecture diagram of a semi complex Hospital System.
There are applications, servers and data everywhere. These can become burdensome, and like the collection of objects in Ryan Bingham’s backpack, weigh down an enterprise.
So, what problems do these complex systems create?
- Inefficiency
- Meaningless Data
- Repetitive Data Entry
All areas RPA can address seamlessly.
Inefficiency
On a macro scale, the measurement of inefficiency can be massive. The waste of time and cost, that organizations absorb is exorbitant. Process Discovery/Task Mining tools can show from an analytical standpoint how much waste is occurring.
Meaningless Data
Enterprise applications are typically inefficient because the data drives the design in many cases. Too many unnecessary required fields and needless work. In addition, cumbersome applications can also deteriorate the quality of data over time.
Repetitive Data Entry
Whether it be meaningless clicks, typing or repetitive loops of logic, today’s knowledge worker wastes vast amounts of time on tasks that could be automated. Not to mention, the lack of meaningful use of the applications being utilized i.e., ERP, CRM and EMR.
The more applications in a company’s “backpack” the more burdened down a user becomes, making said applications less effective. RPA can help navigate a user through these applications and provide a mechanism to re-design the experience so its meaningful and efficient.
More to come on this thought process… stay tuned.
Written by: Peter Camp, CTO & Founder, CampTek Software
