DEV Community: Kolawole Emmanuel

What Is RPA?

Kolawole Emmanuel — Mon, 14 Mar 2022 13:04:32 +0000

More CIOs are turning to robotic process automation (RPA), a new technology practice, to streamline enterprise operations and cut costs. Businesses can use RPA to automate routine rules-based business processes, allowing business users to devote more time to serving customers or other higher-value tasks. Others see RPA as a stopgap measure on the way to intelligent automation (IA) via machine learning (ML) and artificial intelligence (AI) tools that can be trained to predict future outcomes.

We look at what robotic process automation is and how CIOs can make the most of RPA to achieve business goals.

RPA (Robotic Process Automation) is a technology that allows software “robots” to perform repetitive, rule-based digital tasks. Humans typically carry out these tasks via the user interface, which includes the mouse and keyboard. RPA robots can mimic human actions, and they are usually more accurate, faster, and consistent at it. RPA can target more sophisticated work when combined with Artificial Intelligence (AI). This opens up a world of possibilities on the road to a fully automated enterprise. Automation is a term that more accurately describes these possibilities that go beyond the scope of basic RPA. Given that RPA is still at the heart of automation, we sometimes use these two terms interchangeably. A Robot is the computer software that performs the operations. The RPA robots can:

Extract structured data from documents,
Log into and run applications,
Open emails and attachments,
Fill in forms,
Read and write to databases,
Make calculations,
Connect to other systems,
The read/write of a database,
The extraction of content from forms or documents, and a lot more. The robots interact with data and applications in the same way that human workers do, by using the mouse, keyboard, and User Interfaces. Such things may appear mundane, boring, and simplistic. But that’s exactly the point.

To get a better sense of all this, I think it’s a good idea to look at how various RPA software companies view the concept. Here’s a look:

UiPath: “Robotic process automation (RPA) is a software technology that makes it easy to build, deploy, and manage software robots that emulate humans’ actions interacting with digital systems and software.”

Automation Anywhere: “Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is software technology that’s easy for anyone to use to automate digital tasks. Think of RPA bots as a Digital Workforce that can interact with any system or application. For example, bots are able to copy-paste, scrape web data, make calculations, open and move files, parse emails, log into programs, connect to APIs, and extract unstructured data. And because bots can adapt to any interface or workflow, there’s no need to change business systems, applications, or existing processes in order to automate”

PEGA: “Robotic automation is software that does the rote work so that you and your employees don’t have to. For example, robotic software can automatically fill out forms, look up information, and enter data. If your employees are focusing on these manual tasks, they have less time to focus on connecting with customers.”

ElectroNeek: “RPA is an automation technology that allows you to get rid of repetitive tasks in a digital environment. To do so, it employs bots, software programs that are trained to mimic human employees’ actions to perform various assignments. These can be data entry in CRM systems, automated invoicing, text recognition, and more.”

Let’s take a final definition by our CEO, Kolawole Emmanuel, he defined

RPA as ” RPA is the process by which a software bot performs a set of high-volume, mundane and repetitive tasks that are rule-based.”

These all provide a fairly good view of RPA, showing the broad applications and benefits. These definitions also highlight that the vendors in the industry have their unique twists and approaches to technology (in this book, we’ll take a deeper look at the different solutions). In some cases, the differences can be quite stark.

But boiling things down, I think the best way to think of RPA is as “the virtual employee we didn’t know we needed”

RPA Myths

There are many misconceptions surrounding the use of automation. Here are some common myths of RPA implementation, and what you should remember instead.

*The Robots are Physical *

In our minds, the term robot in RPA conjures up an image of a metal humanoid. One of the most common misconceptions about RPA is that it employs physical robots or humanoids. However, there is no use of physical robots or industrial robots in RPA. Robots, on the other hand, are software or virtual robots that automate mundane and repetitive digital tasks. Hence, the title of this book is RPA: the virtual employee we didn’t realize we needed.

We require a Bot army

This is also a myth, as some people believe that hundreds of thousands of Bots are required to get things started. RPA can begin with just one or two bots, and the workforce can be scaled up in accordance with the company’s success. Many businesses will not need to own a Bot at all, instead of relying on Robot-as-a-Service (RaaS) technologies.

*Our jobs will be taken over by robots *

Human labour and intellectual capacity are far too valuable. In many cases, RPA has resulted in an increase in job opportunities as teams become more productive, causing businesses to expand. Bots can alleviate the burden of certain tasks on a workforce, but this also provides businesses with the opportunity to upskill and multi-skill their employees through proper training. Bots are excellent virtual assistants that can be used by your team to perform routine tasks while leaving higher-level thinking to us humans. Bots are there to help us be more efficient and effective, not to replace us. RPA, in reality, only reduces the need for repetitive human effort. Rather than replacing a human workforce, RPA will enable it to handle higher-value tasks that require human intelligence.

*Bots do not make mistakes *

Even if a bot does exactly what it is told to do, if it is programmed incorrectly, it will perform a task incorrectly a thousand times. Furthermore, unforeseen exceptions or incorrect data inputs may cause the bot to complete the job incorrectly or not at all.

Robotic process automation (RPA) robots can eliminate human errors and are completely accurate. However, the main idea is that software robots are only as accurate as they are developed or programmed to be. RPA bots lack cognitive and intelligence capabilities. They simply carry out the set of instructions that have been programmed for them.

*RPA is risky and untrustworthy. *

Contrary to popular belief, RPA was designed with safety and dependability in mind. RPA technology has been shown to be difficult to hack and to provide the same level of security as a human employee. Furthermore, the technology provides a higher level of security in terms of privacy and safety, compliance, and administrative simplification.

RPA heralds the end of business process management (BPM).

Unlike RPA, BPM is a method for streamlining a process rather than software. Consider it like a car driving down a road: BPM is constructing the road to take a specific route, while RPA is a self-driving car driving down the same road.

RPA means the end of business process outsourcing (BPO)

Rather than being replaced by RPA, BPO providers are utilizing the software to provide more timely and effective services to their customers. Even as RPA evolves, the need for outsourcing will persist, especially since RPA cannot automate all front-office tasks. As a result, BPOs are here to stay.

RPA will almost completely eliminate the need for IT departments.

RPA is EXTREMELY RELYENT on the IT team, so it’s critical to involve IT as early as possible. Once bots are deployed, they must be managed — this is where the concept of Digital Workforce Management comes into play. The bot is nothing more than a virtual employee.

Watch the YouTube version of this.

How Robotics Process Automation is transforming work patterns and processes

Kolawole Emmanuel — Tue, 01 Feb 2022 18:02:07 +0000

Today, Robotics Process Automation (RPA) is gaining more acceptance across industries as it's extensively adopted by many future-thinking companies.

Barely some years ago, I had no idea about the possibilities RPA has to offer. I started my career as a junior analyst and was introduced to Business Process Management and RPA.

I knew this was the future and decided invest my 100 per cent into it, thanks to UiPath for simplifying my baby steps as a beginner. I was able to transition from a total novice to certified business automation professional. Presently, I have built a couple of live processes using at least 4 different RPA tools. So I decided to share my two cents to help business leaders looking to leverage this innovative solution for growth.

What is Robotic Process Automation?

There's a popular misconception that RPA relates to building mechanical robots that physically move around to perform tasks. This is quite far from the reality. RPA, or robotic process automation, is the use of technology to automate rule-based business processes. It can mimic any repetitive human action to streamline workflows and increase efficiencies, resulting in significant return on investment and resource savings.

UiPath defines it thus, “Robotic process automation (RPA) is a software technology that makes it easy to build, deploy, and manage software robots that emulate humans actions interacting with digital systems and software."
Similar to how humans work, software robots can perform tasks like understanding what’s on a screen, completing the right keystrokes, navigating systems, identifying and extracting data, and executing a wide range of defined actions. But software robots can do it faster with zero errors than people, yet without the need to get up and stretch or take a coffee break.

RPA serves as a one-of-a-kind temporary or full-time employee to augment your department or business unit. It completes projects in a fraction of the time, working 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and never tires.
The ROI is almost immediate when any workflow is automated faster and more accurately than a human user. Because of the significant time, cost, and resource savings, your organization will be able to remain sustainable and continue to save money over time. I love to see RPA as the virtual employee we didn’t know we needed until now. In fact, Forrester predicts the RPA software market to total $2.9 billion this year, 2022.

How the future of work is evolving with RPA

With a post-covid reality and dynamics of customers expectations, businesses must stay on the edge to maintain relevance. RPA is helping organization reimagine their business operations for several benefits. Here are some of them;

*Scalability and efficiency *
Unlike human users, robotic process automation enables organizations to scale repetitive tasks almost instantly, which can contribute to productivity improvement. Building a workflow to streamline a process in one area of your organization can be expanded by reusing or creating similar automated workflows for other projects across job functions and even across the entire organization.
This means you can build a reusable component process that can be used in a different area of your organization. For example, deploying a reconciliation process in a bank significantly reduce output timeline, driving work efficiency.

Quality and Compliance Improvement

Automation technology is not affected by fatigue or human error. Using emulation in day-to-day operations can assist in providing a consistent foundation for service and care activities. Even the most perfect employee may make a few human errors, which RPA can easily avoid. In the long run, the consequences of these errors could be significant while quality is consistently sustained.

*Labor Cost Savings *
Using automation to replace labour-intensive tasks can save a significant amount of time, completing tasks in a fraction of the time it would take full-time equivalent employees.
Relieve your team of tedious, repetitive data entry tasks. Instead, promote your employees to higher-level positions that require the expertise for which they have been trained. In return, your team can focus on what truly matters to your business goals.

*Waste Reduction *
Most organizations report a return on investment (ROI) in less than a year after implementing an RPA solution. Aside from obvious time, labour, and cost savings, the use of paper and spreadsheets, as well as other workarounds required for an overburdened workload, can result in a lot of waste. Go digital with RPA and eliminate unnecessary costing that comes with traditional workflows.

The RPA Effect

A lot of people have asked if RPA will affect the job security of employees. The answer today, tomorrow and forever will always be NO. Let's take a look at the impact of RPA on your employees.

RPA fundamentally restructures business processes, allowing employees more time for mutual interaction and releasing energy that fuels creativity.
Employees devote their efforts to strategic initiatives that aid in the achievement of organizational goals.
The reduction of manual error boosts customer confidence, and tasks that were previously too difficult for humans become doable and straightforward.
Great, right?

*Where exactly has RPA been used so far? *

Accounting and financial services: RPA is used by businesses in both the accounting and financial services departments. Boring tasks in general accounting, operational accounting, transactional reporting, budgeting, exchange payments, automating account openings and closings, managing audit requests, and processing insurance claims can be handled by the software robot. Examples are Bad debt write-offs, GL Reconciliation, Insurance processing, Payroll processing, Tax processes etc.
Medical Facilities: RPA is used in healthcare to handle patient records, patient admission and discharge records processing, Patient records access audit, Scanned document processing etc.
Human Resources: RPA platforms can be used by HR organizations and departments to automate tasks such as onboarding and offboarding, updating employee information, Employee benefit processing, Employee credentialing and de-credentialing etc.

Customer Service: Organizations can use RPA to improve customer service by automating the entire customer interaction process. Software robots can automate contact centre tasks, validate e-signatures, upload scanned documents, and validate data for automatic approval and rejection. RPA allows you to handle more customer requests by automating the steps one at a time.

*Leslie Willcocks once said and I quote *

"In every case we looked at, people welcomed the technology because they hated the work machines now do, and it relieved them of the rising pressure of the work."

Still want to know more or learn about RPA? Follow me.

You can also watch this beautiful piece by UiPath

What's the hype about JavaScript?

Kolawole Emmanuel — Sat, 08 Jan 2022 13:35:54 +0000

Over the years, I have asked myself this question over and over again. Why use JavaScript? A little bit of background about this post. I started my programming career as a Java developer. Built stuff with Java and was really excited to introduce myself as a Java developer. I had little knowledge of JavaScript then but preferred Java. Fast forward to the present day, I have met more JavaScript developers than you can imagine, which always begs the golden question “Why JavaScript?” *or *“Why use JavaScript”.

Note, I am not trying to compare JavaScript with Java at all. Rather, this article is to talk about JavaScript and why I have come to love it also.

JavaScript, abbreviated as JS, is a scripting language that adheres to the ECMAScript standard. JavaScript is a high-level, multi-pattern, just-in-time compiled language. Dynamic typing, curly bracket syntax, first-class functions, and prototype-based object orientation are some of the qualities that make JS outstanding. JavaScript, along with CSS and HTML, is one of the most important technologies on the Internet.
JavaScript is a programming language that enables interactive website pages and is an essential component for modern web applications. A large chunk of websites use it for client-side web page behaviour, and all major web browsers include a dedicated JavaScript engine. It's also worth noting that JavaScript is a multi-paradigm programming language that supports imperative, event-driven, and functional programming paradigms.
Dates, text, standard data structures, the Document Object Model (DOM), and regular expressions can all be calculated using the application programming interface (API). Previously, JavaScript engines were primarily used in web browsers, but they are now used on a variety of servers, most commonly via Node.js, TypeScript, CoffeeScript, Dart, and Kotlin are examples of JavaScript derivatives.

Isn’t this cool?
Of course, it is.

Another very important thing to note is, JavaScript is in high demand these days, as it is used by the majority of online browsers and web-based apps. It's also used in servers, software, and embedded hardware controllers, in addition to the web.

The edge that comes with JavaScript

JavaScript is both entertaining and interactive to use. You'll be able to use a full user interface right away. JavaScript has a graphical user interface that is simple and easy to use. You can write browser-based scripts to create interactive projects early in the learning process. Using the Chrome console to code is fun is just an amazing feature.

Since JavaScript is the programming language browsers employs, it's easier to get started with and understand. You can start working right away. Unlike other languages, JavaScript does not require you to install a large number of programs before you can hit the ground running.

JavaScript has the most extensive and dynamic repository of library code in the ecosystem. Individuals in the JavaScript community are extremely helpful and active in sharing and utilizing each other's code. In a random sample of a developer's circle, 6 out of 5 friends are likely JavaScript developers. Hence, it's quite easy to get help when faced with a daunting task. So let's just say you can never walk alone with JavaScript.

It is a good language to learn programming styles and its syntax is simple and adaptable to newcomers. It also makes complex application development easier by allowing developers to simplify the app's composition. The numerous frameworks and packages available also help developers' lives to some extent.

Finally, it is a multifaceted language. Yes, the primary application of JavaScript may still be frontend web development. However, over the years, JavaScript has evolved to accommodate more. It is used for Server-side code, Mobile apps, API integrations, the list goes on and on.

I hope this helps you understand what JavaScript is, why it's trendy in the dev community today.
If you're at a crossroads or considering which programming language to learn as a part of your 2022 learning curve, you might want to do a double-take on JavaScript.