We live in an age awash with , mental health days, and modern benefits like which all revolve around the idea that it is important to recognise employee well-being for a variety of reasons. But what does Robotics Automation have to do with employee well-being? In some ways it seems like organisations are interested in the well-being of robots more than people. And aren鈥檛 these BOTS just here to take away our jobs?

鈥渋ts is about enhancing the experience and putting people where it matters, so automation is highly used鈥�

In a nutshell RPA, when done correctly, can remove the need for some employees to engage in tasks that are largely repetitive but perhaps high value. By doing this, these employees can instead focus on other, higher value tasks that more fully use their skill set. I was very privileged recently to meet with Tammy Ryder, General Manager of People and Culture Central for Coles and discuss this topic with her.

I was interested in her view on this topic as she runs Coles HR Shared Services as well as People and Culture Digital Transformation. She was deeply involved in the rollout of , integrated with for Talent Acquisition where much of the RPA solutions implemented were used. As part of that project Tammy implemented RPA in the form of several BOTS to close some gaps and bring greater efficiency to the whole process. In discussing this topic, she said that one of her team鈥檚 key learnings was 鈥溾�� it is about enhancing the experience and putting people where it matters, so automation is highly used鈥�.

Tammy mentioned that early on there was a misconception at Coles that RPA automation would take away jobs or replace people. Tammy and her team were careful to select automated tasks that were important to the business because they are related to critical processes like pay or hiring but were also highly repetitive.

These choices meant that these workers could use the time that automation frees up to instead train team members, interact with customers and other higher value tasks for example, however the BOTs were also providing a valuable service. She said 鈥淸Coles employees] want to do worthwhile work, they want to do work that makes them feel that it has real purpose and meaning behind it.鈥�

鈥�83% [of Australian consumers] are prepared to pay more money for products or services that enhance their feelings of well-being鈥�

While well-being itself as a concept is a hot topic in HR circles these days, trying to quantify the business benefits of well-being can be challenging for HR professionals. Tammy mentioned that when meeting with the executive board, they were, not surprisingly, interested in facts and figures more than feelings.

So how does an HR executive get funding or support for programs like this that support well-being?

We discussed what metric could be used when proposing one of the benefits of RPA as being related to employee well-being. At present there isn鈥檛 any such industry metric and it is challenging to articulate the benefits in numbers, but she was optimistic that over time this kind of metric could be developed and socialised, especially given the strong support for well-being and well-being programs at Coles like . A recent Australian showed that 鈥�83% are prepared to pay more money for products or services that enhance their feelings of well-being鈥�, so the desire for support of well-being programs is real.

I asked Tammy what were some of the challenges in implementing effective RPA? She said there were challenges around understanding how the technology works of course, but an unexpected challenge was the misperception and stigmatism among employees that 鈥淏OTS are going to take over the world鈥� and people would lose their jobs.

Therefore, being clear that, in reality, the aim was to have 鈥減eople where it matters鈥� so that employees could instead focus on high value work was key for success. Tammy鈥檚 advice was to carefully examine if the proposed RPA solution had any measurable benefit, not just automation for the sake of automation. She said that in the end her team got very proficient at looking for tasks that had a clear decision tree, and minimal human centric intervention.

In conclusion, RPA can be a strong contributor to employee well-being by , allowing employees to focus on high value work and potentially reducing employee turnover, which is a useful metric to justify such a program. The key, as always, is not to assume that any given automation is a benefit just because it automates something. Additionally, leaders need to be sensitive to employee鈥檚 perception that BOTS are here to take away their jobs.

With the right discussions, and communication, RPA can be a benefit to the organisation, to employees and even to customer鈥檚 well-being. I, for one, embrace the arrival of our robot friends and look forward to less drudgery.

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However, there are many hurdles towards automating various aspects of a business鈥� operations, due to some of the limitations found in last generation tools:

• Rather than streamlining tasks requiring human supervision, additional steps are added to existing processes, creating opportunities for errors and increases in processing times. Existing automation tools often focus on tasks being completed 鈥� but as we know, business processes are made up of many tasks and interdependencies, each of which need to be addressed and orchestrated to truly automate a process.
• Automations, that rather than being 鈥榮et and forget鈥�, require as much (or often more) time being spent in configuration as underlying processes or data structures change during the growth or transformation of a business
• Automation development still requiring relatively deep technical expertise. This has compounded the two issues above in the past 鈥� stretched development resources becoming compromised with respect to the time spent on overhauling existing automation deployments, architecting & implementing new automations and then having to discover how processes and related tasks / interdependencies actually work.

Three key developments are now being integrated within automation technology, to improve both the effectiveness and efficiency of automation initiatives.

Dubbed Hyperautomation, vast new opportunities for businesses to improve front and back end process are now being unlocked through the following developments:

• bringing intelligence to automations. By leveraging the insights from data generated through the conduct of different tasks, as well as underlying corporate data, automations can be made much for effective and efficient through automations being able to dynamically address different issues as they occur 鈥� for example, an unforeseen process change, that would otherwise need to be resolved with the assistance of a developer, can be sensed and solved by these new automation technologies. This improves the experience provided to business users, end customers and of course developers also.
• providing insights into how businesses really run. During projects to really explore different processes with customers, it’s often the case that the issue is ultimately decoupled from where people think the problem lies. Process mining allows for insights as to how the different steps within a process run with detailed metrics, providing transparency as to the 鈥渁verage鈥� of a process, but also the extremes. It鈥檚 these insights that allow for the development of truly robust automations.

In conjunction with Machine Learning and Process Mining, the incorporation of Low/No-Code technology within automation tools will support this Highway to Hyperautomation across businesses. Low/No-Code technology, where people without any programming experience can develop software using simple interfaces, will allow those employees such as business process owners that know and operate business processes most closely to develop new automations as needed. This will supercharge the uptake of these technologies, assisting companies in their transformation initiatives.

51风流has released exciting new solutions that address each of these hyperautomation drivers 鈥� from , available as part of the Business Technology Platform, to the innovative solution, allowing frontline workers to develop and deploy automated workflows using low-code functionality. In conjunction with our and recently acquired Process Mining technologies, the highway to hyperautomation is here!

This article originally published on .

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In a , the move from an operational to an outcome based focus was outlined as a critical mindset shift, paving the way to develop new business models rather than simply optimise existing processes.

As we鈥檝e seen through the impact of Covid-19 lockdowns and solutions offered by 51风流to check in on , we also need to consider how technology can improve the experience for staff, beyond simplifying existing business processes.

Looking at emerging technology solutions, such as and the major benefits that can be achieved applying this solution to enable time savings and quality improvements, we need to look at the problem being solved not just from a process perspective. We also need to consider the people element and more importantly, the experience being delivered to employees to the same extent we now look at the .

For many business processes, the insights and skillsets brought by employees with many years鈥� experience in a domain are critical in maintaining a competitive edge, or perhaps required for regulatory reasons. While medical images can be interpreted by algorithms, we still rely on the expertise of radiologists and other medical professionals to analyse these insights and communicate the results and meet required medical professional standards.

This is an important factor in the design phase of automating processes 鈥� understanding those parts of a process that can be completely automated, those that need to be 鈥渁ugmented鈥� by people with skills and expertise (this could be in-process supervision, quality assurance or other review mechanisms) and finally those aspects that must be undertaken by employees due to regulatory reasons or scenario complexity e.g. when a specific scenario is presented that can鈥檛 be automated.

A lens needs to be applied beyond just this process view 鈥� taking a 鈥減eople first鈥� approach to a situation or automation scenario to understand what employees are both good at and also enjoy doing 鈥� be it social interaction through to the opportunity to apply their valuable skills across a range of operational issues or perhaps customer engagements. Solutions such as are perfect to be able to ascertain these sorts of views and ideas when changing from a process- to a people- mindset as part of becoming an Intelligent Enterprise.

One current focus for SAP鈥檚 Innovation Services & Services Ventures鈥� group is on enabling energy traders at 鈥� using the insights from Machine Learning applied across massive datasets to empower traders in applying their expertise to trading decisions.

Rather than completely automating the trading process, our research has shown the insights traders have built up in understanding all facets of the market are critical to the operational and financial success of utilities. There is a role for technology derived insights to inform these traders, however by taking a people-led view of trading, not just process-led, our solution will enable utilities to continue on the path of becoming Intelligent Enterprises.

This article originally published on .

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In our , I was fortunate to speak with 51风流Vice-President and Global Innovation Evangelist, . We discussed the ever-shifting world in the light of COVID-19 and the technology solutions that are helping business adjust, adapt, and evolve.

Due to the rapidly developing situations across international governments and businesses, Timo acknowledged that change is not optional for most organisations right now. 鈥淎round the globe, people are being forced into more digital transformation in a tighter timeframe than they had ever imagined,鈥� he explained.

鈥淓verybody is facing the same issues: how to embrace the changes with as much confidence as possible. How can companies minimise the risks and maximise the opportunities, to stay resilient now and reinvent themselves in the future.”

鈥淲hat is important are the same things they鈥檝e always been 鈥� how do companies define and focus on their core competency, how can they drive deeper customer relationships, the advantage of new business models, how can they streamline operations, and ultimately emerge stronger than ever before?鈥�

Timo noted that the most critical element at times like this is transparency, which stems from good data. 鈥淭o make decisions we need to take the data we have available and turn it into reliable insights,鈥� he explained.

鈥淲e鈥檝e been talking about the data value equation, in general, 鈥榓mount times quality times usage equals value鈥�. The more data you have, the better the quality, and the more people get to access and use it, the more value you鈥檒l get. I think that鈥檚 a good basis for thinking about how organisations can move forward in this environment.鈥�

According to Timo, cloud-based data orchestration allows business to connect that data to create a holistic view of business networks without physically moving it. 鈥淭hese data pipelines connect to business applications, or a data warehouse, or your suppliers鈥� data, a data lake, or some spreadsheets someone鈥檚 pooled together, and you can bring that information together to get a single view.鈥�

At the heart of all this is the breakthrough technology of machine learning, Timo expressed. 鈥淧redictive analytics, advanced statistics, machine learning 鈥� these technologies have been around for decades, but really in the last few years they鈥檝e made a breakthrough in terms of the computing power available and the quality of the algorithms and the amount of data available.”

鈥淢achine learning technologies are more powerful when you鈥檝e got lots of data to build the models. It鈥檚 basically sophisticated pattern matching 鈥� it鈥檚 not magic or anything like human intelligence. It really is automating complex and repetitive decisions in new ways. This is a huge opportunity for any kind of data leverage. It means, firstly, that we can automate applications.鈥�

Timo noted that automation is not about eliminating roles rather freeing people from repetitive tasks and instead focus on core competencies. 鈥淧eople are the technology you should be maximising right now in your organisation,鈥� he added. 鈥淭here is nothing more intelligent than people, they鈥檙e the only ones that can understand what鈥檚 going on 鈥� the full context of the environment 鈥� and what needs to be fixed to move forward with solutions.鈥�

For times of uncertainty, Timo said, the keys to success are agility and flexibility. 鈥淭his is an era of constant change, so fast adaption and innovation has to become core competencies for all organisations. Technology is a huge advantage; the organisations that embrace the cloud are undoubtedly better off right now than the companies that still have to have people working on their on-premises data system.鈥�

According to Timo, the biggest area of benefit is taking the power of cloud and integrating it with business processes. 鈥淭he idea is that you can rapidly adapt and change your business processes without having to wait for new functionality in your core systems. Running your systems in the cloud, you just want to spin up a quick application where you can add new functionality on top of your core foundation quickly and easily.鈥�

Timo said, 鈥淔or example, you may need a lot of visibility in your supply chain, so you quickly create a mobile application that takes sensor data from your manufacturers, combines it with some core business master data, maybe some location data, and gives you visibility in the end-to-end supply chain.

鈥淯sing cloud platforms makes it easier to adopt agile development. Using things like Design Thinking, you can quickly create programs and tests and iterate, so you can learn as you go, based on the feedback of users.鈥�

You can join Timo with other industry experts for a virtual event for businesses looking to build resilience and reinvent during this turbulent time.

鈥淲e鈥檙e trying to be as helpful, optimistic and forward thinking as possible, Timo explained. 鈥淲e鈥檙e absolutely going to be talking about technology and how it鈥檒l be helping them to the extent that鈥檚 possible. We鈥檒l be investigating how the technologies can help people do their jobs better. And then we鈥檙e trying to be helpful, look forward to the future.鈥�

To learn more about how this unlock the power of Business Technology Platform and data-driven insights 鈥� check out this , visit the , or today. Listen to the .

This article originally published on

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The key here is that to realise any benefit, the task has to be repetitive to realise value in automating, and simple enough for the technology to perform reliably. What is considered simple is changing as time moves on with the technology becoming more capable and incorporating AI technologies.

Tasks like , , payroll are excellent candidates for RPA as they typically include tasks that are relatively easy to capture as a workflow, with high repetition rates which increases the value of the automation.

Who are the big players?
Although the industry is relatively new, there are a number of major players in the market including Blue Prism, UiPath and Automation Anywhere. , enabling built in automation for 51风流systems. By incorporating RPA technology into the 51风流applications and databases, the automation will become easier to implement and more tightly integrated with the applications.

Pros and Cons?
Simply put, RPA will enable businesses to reduce costs by freeing up employees from drudge work into tasks better suited to humans 鈥� tasks requiring creative thought, initiative and the ability to deal with variation.

By the end of 2020, Gartner is predicting RPA and AI technologies will free up 65% of employees in business shared services centres and the RPA market itself will grow to be worth over $1B.

There is a potential dark side to this bonanza though – jobs losses and stifling of application innovation are some of the issues. Magical success for a deployment is by no means guaranteed. Careful use case evaluation and selection is very much required. Project oversight, change management and governance is essential.

Who is using it?
I thought I鈥檇 talk to an actual RPA developer to get some insight to real world application. My son happens to be employed by an Australian government agency where he has worked on automating their systems.

What sort of systems have you automated with RPA tools?
The systems I have experience applying automations to are; 51风流payroll and HR systems, 51风流Child systems, and Outlook.

Where do you think RPA technologies help the most?
The best candidates for RPA software in government typically are HR systems and financial reports. The generation of invoice management reports and budget reports is one of the biggest time-consuming requests the agency handles on a regular basis. The implementation of automation in these areas is massively beneficial as the returned massive resources to the business unit and added improved perception from clients.

RPA in government is most successful when implemented on processes that are already defined and not undergoing other development.

Where do you think RPA technologies don鈥檛 help?
RPA implementation struggles in areas that are already undergoing change, such as departments effected by the recent Machinery of Government (MOG) change that has huge process and policy changes.

In my experience automations are quickly scrapped where the system is still undergoing development and in-system changes adversely affect surface based automations.

What is the hardest thing about developing RPA systems?
The biggest hurdle when developing in-system automation is process definition and managing stakeholder expectations.

If the process has other changes ongoing it is always best to define the process after the changes are implemented. Any developer knows the pains of creating something that can鈥檛 be included as part of an update due to compatibility issues. In short, develop completed systems 鈥� there is no point working with a beta as the entire platform may not work with the finished automation.

This can be hard to do in government as the push to roll out updates in-parallel means managing stakeholder expectations on delivery timeframes. I would advise all developers to stay in the loop with all system development meetings and engage with local subject matter experts at every available opportunity.

Are there any downsides to using RPA technologies?
The only real downside to RPA is the perception that staff have of the new technology potentially 鈥渄oing them out of a Job鈥�. This is never the case however, in every successful case of in-system automation staff are able to get new training and new experience to further their careers. Although the perception can make implementation of the change hard, once it鈥檚 done the perception is quickly turned around.

What was the hardest thing to get right?
One of the most important and most critical aspects of RPA is performance capability mapping – you need to know how well the process currently performs and how the automation is expected to perform.

As with every system it needs to be capable of handling increased workload with no effect on reliability. So, when undertaking the development plan for new automations, make sure to investigate the systems limitations and issues with current functionality.

It鈥檚 always best practice to improve on reliability when implementing automations – an intelligent automation with the ability to self-diagnose issues and recover from errors is more valuable than an automation that requires constant intervention.

Finally, where do think RPA technology is going?
RPA technologies are being implemented in almost every modern business or government around the world.

It is quite literally the way of the future.

I expect that by 2025 we鈥檒l see RPA established in every government department and as the technology is implemented, we鈥檒l see the perception totally change.

The Future
As my son mentioned, RPA is going to become pervasive in modern organisations. AI technologies are increasingly being included in RPA, enabling an easier, less proscriptive way of designing the workflows.

51风流is investing in this future with an intent to bake intelligence in to create an integrated automation platform.

Of course, with less human direction comes more risk of the wheels falling off, so even more time needs to be spent in the oversight of the project. And of course, the potential negatives mentioned above are amplified.

The end state of this is replacement of the human oriented applications altogether, allowing the machines to exchange data directly. Perhaps we鈥檒l call that system Skynet 😊

Like it or not RPA is here to stay (until it is superseded or made irrelevant). I think when that happens I鈥檒l go get a beer 鈥� I wonder if I can automate that process?

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