RPA Should Be Called Repetitive Task Automation (RTA)

If investors are to be believed, nothing at all. But a closer and more critical look at RPA shows a reality that is far less sexy than the labeling suggests. In our work with clients and the public over the past few years, we have often said that RPA would be more accurately labeled if it was called RTA (Repetitive Task Automation) as that is what the tools do. 

To be crystal clear, there are no “robots” as such. At best, there are “bots” — small, pre-configured elements that run against a set of rules. Second, RPA doesn’t automate processes. It automates tiny tasks within broader processes. RPA is, in essence, the grown-up equivalent of ‘Macros,’ short sequences of code written to perform a single task or a series of tasks. RPA tools are smarter (well, usually smarter) than the macros of old. They can also run more complex tasks and can orchestrate those tasks at scale. 

Yes, RPA is Overhyped… But It Has Essential Business Value

To be clear, we are not anti-RPA. Far from it. RPA tools are a welcome, timely and essential addition to the world of automation.

But let’s get real. RPA has been spectacularly over-hyped. This over-hyping of RPA has generated a lot of money for many people, but that is not where the problem lies. The problem lies in overpromising and underdelivering those promises to private and public organizations that have spent good money on RPA tools and find themselves short-changed. 

Scores of repetitive tasks happen manually within organizations. They are the Achilles heel of efficiency improvements. They are the sources of bottlenecks and inaccurate data. Almost every mid to large organization has an army of these problematic repetitive tasks, such as re-keying customer details from one screen into another. They are the cause of frustration; they are boring to undertake and should be automated. RPA tools used wisely can dramatically reduce the number of these manual activities and boost productivity, efficiency and accuracy. All hail RPA!

The Secret is Knowing How and Where to Use It

The key is knowing how and where RPA fits. Think about it this way. If you have been playing with your cat and you get scratched, you may need a band-aid. That’s a good use of band-aids. If you need to use 100 band-aids after playing with your cat, then maybe you should go to your local emergency room.

RPA tools are band-aids used in moderation. They are perfect remedies for annoying and inefficient tasks. But if you need to use them at scale, then you have more significant problems to resolve. Rather than a patchwork quilt of band-aids, you may need to rethink broken business processes. 

RPA tools and associated bots are excellent for automating repetitive manual tasks, i.e., those tasks that are done the same way every single time. But they are worse than useless if those tasks are not undertaken the same way every single time. That may seem obvious, but when we’ve run workshops with enterprises (remember those days pre-pandemic?), we found few enterprises knew that. And more worrying still, these were enterprises that had already bought thousands of licenses for RPA tools. 

Our advice here is simple: RPA tools are precious if used correctly to automate repetitive tasks. But their value plummets when the number of tasks to automate gets out of control or when there is any variation in the task.

Start with Process and People

Before rushing to spend a lot of money on RPA, take a true and honest look at what you are trying to achieve. If you need to re-engineer, remove or rethink a business process, there are much better and more efficient ways of doing that.  

Like any household, ours has a box of band-aids that gets used at times. But they are not a replacement for comprehensive and emergency healthcare. Nor is RPA a replacement for business process management. It is just one small piece. Moreover, RPA is increasingly commoditized and bundled for free. It is a component of a much broader tapestry of enterprise automation tools and techniques. 

That may not be how the investment community views RPA, but where the rubber hits the road, that’s the reality. 

Alan Pelz-Sharpe

Alan Pelz-Sharpe is the founder of Deep Analysis, an information management advisory firm focused solely on disruption and innovation in the industry. He has over 25 years of experience in the IT industry.