What is RPA, and is it still worth it?

Written lesson · about 3 minutes to read

The short answer

RPA, or robotic process automation, is software that works a computer screen like a person: clicking, typing and copying between systems. It is still worth using as a bridge to an old system with no other way in, but if a system offers an integration, use that first, because RPA breaks when a screen changes.

Three things to remember

01RPA is software that clicks and types on a screen the way a person would.
02Use it as a bridge to old systems with no other way in, not as a foundation.
03If a system offers an integration, use that first, because a changed screen breaks RPA.

What RPA is

RPA is a software robot that operates other programs the way a person does, through the screen. It opens the program, logs in, clicks the buttons, types into the fields and copies numbers from one system to another. No physical robot is involved.

A typical job: every morning it opens the old job-costing program, copies yesterday's hours and types them into the payroll website. It follows exact steps and does not think. If the screen looks the way it expects, it works, which is why it suits old programs that offer nothing but a screen.

When it is worth it, and why it is fragile

It earns its place with an old system that has no other way in, where someone repeats the same steps by hand every day. An older supplier portal, where you download invoices one at a time, is a fair example. The task should be high in volume and stable in layout.

It is fragile because it depends on how the screen looks. A software update that moves a button, renames a field or adds a pop-up can stop it, sometimes without any warning, sometimes by typing into the wrong place. Count what it costs to keep it running as well as to build it, because someone will have to fix it each time the screen changes. Each robot needs an owner and an alert for when it fails.

Where AI changes it

Newer AI tools can look at a screen and work out what to click. This is often called computer use. You describe the goal in words, such as downloading this week's invoices from a supplier's site, instead of scripting every click. They cope better when a screen changes and can handle messier steps.

They are also slower, and they can still get it wrong. A person should check anything they do that changes money, changes a record someone relies on, or reaches a customer.

The rule, and where to start

If a system offers an integration or an API (its published way for other programs to exchange information), use that first: a built-in connection, then an automation tool, then a custom link. RPA is a bridge, not a foundation, so treat it as a stopgap until the old system is replaced or gets a proper connection.

This week, list the tasks where someone retypes from one screen into another. Ask each vendor whether an integration exists. For any task with none, and only if it is worth automating, pick one stable, high-volume task, name its owner and switch on failure alerts.

Next lessonWhat is an integration, really?

More in part 6

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