Are Agility and RPA just buzzwords at the moment; or are they genuine aids in times of crisis?
RPA – Robotic Process Automation is currently a relatively popular acronym. The automation of these processes is a major topic; especially in large companies with a large number of administrative transactions. Companies are able to save hours of employee work; thereby increasing the efficiency of processes as well as flexibility in times of crisis. Being "agile" is just as important. Agile project management is based on the idea of gradual product delivery in situations where the final product cannot be precisely defined at the outset. In other words; we know what we want to achieve; but we do not yet know some of the details for the assignment; or the environment around us is changing dynamically. An interesting aspect of this approach is that we can bring the final product to perfection through these gradual steps; but at the same time we are able to monitor costs very well precisely because we deliver and improve the product gradually. Cost control is particularly important at the moment. By combining agility and RPA; buzzwords become a very effective approach to automation in an era that requires flexibility and efficiency (automation) on the one hand; but at the same time; more than ever before; strict cost control. We will therefore gradually automate parts of the process according to how critical the process is to us and how much we have to spend on its automation. Ideal in a post-crisis era.
Is everything as simple as it seems at first glance?
In both cases; you need to know how to do it. When implementing RPA; you need to know which processes can be automated. Whether it is worthwhile; whether it is technically possible; and which processes make sense to automate sooner and which later. With agile project management; it is necessary to create the right conditions; involve the right people in the process; and follow certain rules that support agile projects. In both cases; it is then necessary to properly sell the "why" to the entire company team. One way is to have your internal experts trained; there are plenty of training resources on the market. Another way is to engage external specialists who will guide the company through the entire process. These can be external consultants; especially for shorter-term projects; or interim managers for longer-term projects. An interim manager can function as part of internal teams; thus eliminating concerns about working with a third; independent party.
