Blog / Automation

Why RPA Projects Fail

There is a lot of hype surrounding the results of RPA (robotic process automation), which is a way to automate manual, repetitive processes in your business. When the application is implemented properly, for the right processes, businesses can gain enormous efficiencies.

The best-case scenario for RPA gets even non-technical people excited about an application that requires little to no intensive development. However, if your current processes lack efficiency, you might find yourself in the worst-case scenario: an application that doesn’t work, often because it wasn’t implemented for the right reasons, or with the right foundation in place.

Tailored RPA for Real Solutions

We’ve seen some RPA providers sling software at clients without taking the time to understand the business process they are trying to automate and improve, or without trying to assess if RPA is even the right solution. MetaSource is different. And, often RPA implementations fail because the robots are not reliable in their application use. It’s easy to deploy a RPA robot to perform a series of tasks, however it takes application experience to make that robot “Production” ready. When a robot is designed for “Production” readiness it is designed to handle various situations and responses that it may encounter. Timers and handshake protocols can be built into the RPA robot to kickoff other notifications or alarms if the expected outcomes are not achieved

As experts in business process automation, we have also seen many businesses succumb to the wishful thinking that software is a quick fix to all of their inefficiencies. But if your underlying processes are flawed, a software implementation project is likely to fail. RPA software implemented without a careful assessment of your processes is like hiring a bigger team of new employees without knowing why the last team failed. You’ll be making the same errors, only faster. Successful RPA implementation involves building improvements into the process for maximum efficiency.

MetaSource has deep expertise in process improvement and we don’t recommend a solution until we have taken the time to thoroughly evaluate your processes and needs and identify areas where you can increase your productivity.

Assure Successful RPA Implementation in 3 Steps

If you’re considering RPA, you need a partner you can trust to help determine if RPA is the right option, and the experience to ensure that any implementation will end in success – and the automation of the right processes in the way that works best for your goals.

  • Step 1: Work with process consultants who can understand and optimize your processes
  • Step 2: Build improvements into the process to prevent failure
  • Step 3: Assess, with the help of process consultants, whether your technology and/ or infrastructure needs to be upgraded

RPA Fails More Often than You Think

While the successes can be transformational, failures are not uncommon. An Ernst & Young report describes a failure rate of 30-50% of initial RPA projects, often as the result of the people who don’t approach the process with a big picture sense of what the outcome should be.

Very successful RPA implementations automate a process that wasn’t economically or technically feasible before. So don’t automate a bad process….use RPA to achieve an outcome that was not obtainable in the previous environment.

Contact MetaSource to Get Started

Learn more about how MetaSource can help you take advantage of the right workflow solutions, including RPA, by first taking the time to understand your processes. Give us a call or click on the link below to get started.

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