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Build your
Center of Excellence

Embed RPA effectively in your workflow

Regardless of its task, a robot’s essential job is to make the company vision come true. In our approach to automation, we think of RPA as a long-range capability meant to empower organizations to evolve strategically and increase business value.

 

To achieve this goal, we advise our customers and assist them towards developing as part of their Robotic Process Automation journey an internal, self-sustaining and scalable RPA expertise to run and maintain robots. A Center of Excellence (CoE) is essentially the way to embed RPA deeply and effectively into the organization,and to redistribute accumulated knowledge and resources across future deployments.

 
 

And here’s how to do it:

 
 

1

Build the skills and
capacity for RPA

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1.1

Setting up the Robotic
Operating Team

 

At the core of your CoE lies the Robotic Operating Team. This team consists of a set of clearly defined roles and responsibilities and is charged with implementing and managing the automation as quickly, as efficiently and as safely as possible throughout the enterprise. UiPath recommends these key robotic roles to be appointed from the business side as well as internally, within the actual CoE team:

  
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RPA Sponsor

First you will need to identify a Robotic Process Automation Sponsor from the business side who will establish the technology as an enterprise-wide strategic priority and will underwrite corporate resources.
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RPA Champions

Next, you will want to name an RPA Champion. They will evangelize and drive RPA adoption across the organization. The Champion is the guardian of the Robotic Process Automation solution overall. They are responsible with ensuring a healthy automation pipeline, while leading the operational management of the virtual workforce.

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RPA Change Manager

An RPA Change Manager is essential for securing an easy adoption of RPA within the company. They are the ones who create the Change and Communication plan aligned to the deliverables of the project. They are a catalyst in the transition process, making sure each stakeholder is well informed and comfortably tuned to the changes taking place.

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RPA Business Analyst

The RPA Business Analysts will be the Process Subject Matter experts located in business operations. They will be in charge of creating the process definitions and process maps used for automation.
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RPA Solution Architect

They are the ones who define the architecture of the RPA solution and oversee it end-to-end, assisting both in the development, and in the implementation phases. They select the appropriate set of technological tools and features and ensures the alignment of the solution with enterprise guidelines.
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RPA Developer

They are in charge of designing, developing, testing the automation workflows and supporting the implementation of the RPA solution. The Developer works side by side with the Business Analyst for documenting process details and assists the engagement team in implementing & testing the solution as well as during maintenance.
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RPA Infrastructure Engineer

Part of both the deployment team and future operations team, they are mainly in charge of the infrastructure support for server installations and troubleshooting. The Engineer also contributes to the completion of the solution architecture for the Robotic Process Automation project. During the implementation phase, they are the one leading the infrastructure workshops.
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RPA Supervisor

An RPA Supervisor will manage, orchestrate and control the virtual workforce as part of the operational environment. Their focus is on continuously improving robotic operational performance and resource allocation, by exploiting the advanced reporting and analytical tools within the Robotic Process Automation solution.
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RPA Service Support

Last, but definitely not least, is the RPA Service Support role, acting as the first line of assistance for the RPA solution in deployment.

The UiPath
training formula

Each of these roles committed to steer the automation need special training. UiPath provides
several customizable training options for the Center of Excellence team—all of which have the common traits of highly structured curriculum, accurate testing and reliable assurance of RPA capabilities—up to and including certification. 
CONTACT US

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1.2

Creating a scalable, functional
& technical environment

 

While the roles and responsibilities are being established, you must focus at the same time on the functional resources & technical tools, clarifying and configuring them in support of the implementation. Fundamental areas in the development environment will be addressed: robotic configuration, maintenance & support, performance & connectivity.

 

For due diligence it is a good idea to involve IT and to do it early in the project, this way many issues can be prevented and a coherent governance process can be put in place.

 

 

 

2

Articulating an effective
governance model

This is highly important. Creating a good governance process goes a long way. The sooner in the automation journey it gets set up, the better.

 

Governance takes responsibility for assessing RPA opportunities and prioritising automation activities. It provides the guidelines and templates for assessment, design, development and deployment of robots, managing the demand pipeline. It involves assigning roles & accountability and ensures good collaboration and communication between units. Within the governance process, change management issues & risks are laid out and frameworks & templates for change management are established.

Performance and productivity metrics & measurement are also circulated via the governance process in order to carry out impact assessments and highlight areas for business improvement.

 

While RPA is usually business-driven, getting IT onboard is essential to integrating the technology into the project and managing dependencies. This is why governance actually sits somewhere between Business and IT.

3

Enable CoE &
prepare for scale-up

Now that everything has been set up and all functions are in place, you are ready to push the go button and launch the CoE into orbit. The team will now focus on making sure strategic expectations are met and a growth plan is elaborated to sustain and develop your RPA expertise throughout the enterprise.

 

Managing change is never easy and it takes time. But as you progress, you become more sustainable. Soon, the emphasis will change to creating higher business outcomes.

Performance framework
and growth plan

 

At this point it is important to have the Robotic Operating Team ready for action, with activities and accountability suitably assigned according to the certification program. You will determine, measure and monitor key performance indicators and hold regular operational governance review calls involving all relevant stakeholders. Establish a performance framework and document your lessons learned.

 

This way you will have full view over expectations, measures of outcome and benefits, which will enable you to further redistribute resources in a realistic manner and build an agile development plan for the entire enterprise.

Key recommendations

Treat RPA as an
enterprise capability

Treat RPA as an enterprise capability and resist the temptation to make quick wins by implementing automation in siloes. It is difficult to scale and brings only short-range benefits.

Focus on developing
your RPA skills

Focus on developing the skills and competency of your core Robotic Operating Team, with clear roles & responsibilities and SLAs. This ensures avoiding a weak set-up of your RPA service delivery. Involve everyone, build a reliable relationship between Business and IT units.

Establish a mature
communication plan

Leadership is crucial, as the strongest possible implementation manager must be selected. This key figure will focus on key aspects, by selecting the most advantageous process for proof-of-concept: well-documented, reasonably high volume, repetitive and rules-based.

Choose the right
RPA tool

One that is enterprise ready, easy to scale, flexible enough to changing business needs, and responds to the future roadmap vision.

Read Our Guide

Choose the right
RPA tool

One that is enterprise ready, easy to scale, flexible enough to changing business needs, and responds to the future roadmap vision.

Read Our Guide

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