{"id":46435,"date":"2022-02-01T03:32:00","date_gmt":"2022-02-01T08:32:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/blog.cybercon1.com\/?p=46435"},"modified":"2022-02-01T03:32:00","modified_gmt":"2022-02-01T08:32:00","slug":"a-dirty-secret-rpa-is-not-designed-for-process-automation","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.cyberconservices.com\/index.php\/2022\/02\/01\/a-dirty-secret-rpa-is-not-designed-for-process-automation\/","title":{"rendered":"A dirty secret: RPA is not designed for process automation"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Maybe it is not precisely automation and more macro-esk, but if a user can do something else while an RPA program runs I’m good calling automation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By\u00a0Mike Fitzmaurice\u00a0<\/a> – Robotic Process Automation<\/strong> (RPA<\/strong>) has had a lot of deserved success in businesses seeking to carry out basic, repetitive tasks ordinarily handled manually; think about filling out forms, extracting\u00a0data<\/a>\u00a0from web pages, and so on. For these specific kinds of activities, RPA <\/strong>works great \u2013 it accelerates throughput, minimizes errors, and lowers some kinds of costs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That said, when organizations try to use RPA<\/strong> to automate business processes, they start to run into trouble. There \u2013 I said it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Contrary to its name, RPA<\/strong> is not actually designed for \u201cprocess\u201d automation at all. The key is the term robotic, as RPA is designed for highly-repetitive manual activities. These micro-workflows are designed to simulate human operations at a computer screen; they\u2019re task-focused far more than they are process-focused. They definitely eliminate manual activity, but their ability to automate anything other than basic decision-making is out of scope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Contrary to its name, RPA <\/strong>is not actually designed for \u201cprocess\u201d automation at all. The key is the term robotic, as RPA<\/strong> is designed for highly-repetitive manual activities. These micro-workflows are designed to simulate human operations at a computer screen; they\u2019re task-focused far more than they are process-focused. They definitely eliminate manual activity, but their ability to automate anything other than basic decision-making is out of scope. Read On: <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Maybe it is not precisely automation and more macro-esk, but if a user can do something else while an RPA program runs I’m good calling automation. By\u00a0Mike Fitzmaurice\u00a0 – Robotic Process Automation (RPA) has had a lot of deserved success …<\/span> Continue reading →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":46436,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"advanced_seo_description":"","jetpack_seo_html_title":"","jetpack_seo_noindex":false,"jetpack_seo_schema_type":"","_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_feature_clip_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":false,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2},"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false},"categories":[674,628],"tags":[675,629],"class_list":["post-46435","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-robotic-process-automation-processs-automation","category-rpa","tag-robotic-process-automation","tag-rpa"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack-related-posts":[{"id":32911,"url":"https:\/\/blog.cyberconservices.com\/index.php\/2019\/10\/21\/robotic-process-automation-rpa-how-it-works\/","url_meta":{"origin":46435,"position":0},"title":"Robotic process automation (RPA): How it works","author":"Rick Backus","date":"October 21, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"By\u00a0Kevin Casey - \u201cDo more with less\u201d might be a timeworn excuse for a business mantra, but\u00a0robotic process automation (RPA)\u00a0is a tool that could actually help teams do just that in the right circumstances. That\u2019s the big selling point of RPA. The phrase itself might sound complicated or scary, but\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Robotic Process Automation"","block_context":{"text":"Robotic Process Automation","link":"https:\/\/blog.cyberconservices.com\/index.php\/category\/robotic-process-automation\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cyberconservices.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/robot-2697683__340.png?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":31845,"url":"https:\/\/blog.cyberconservices.com\/index.php\/2019\/09\/05\/robotic-process-automation-rpa-3-use-cases-to-consider\/","url_meta":{"origin":46435,"position":1},"title":"Robotic Process Automation (RPA): 3 use cases to consider","author":"Rick Backus","date":"September 5, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"By\u00a0Ashley Hudson - Robotic process automation (RPA)\u00a0is primed to revolutionize the way companies operate, serve customers, and manage data. A 2017\u00a0survey\u00a0by Redwood Software reports that 83 percent of IT decision-makers believe robotic automation is key to their\u00a0digital transformation\u00a0strategy, and companies are increasingly investing to automate repetitive tasks, with 59 percent\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Robotic Process Automation"","block_context":{"text":"Robotic Process Automation","link":"https:\/\/blog.cyberconservices.com\/index.php\/category\/robotic-process-automation-processs-automation\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.cyberconservices.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/09\/technology-3393230__340-1.jpg?resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":77641,"url":"https:\/\/blog.cyberconservices.com\/index.php\/2025\/02\/04\/the-rise-of-rpa-robotic-process-automation-in-washington-is-driving-growth-and-excellence\/","url_meta":{"origin":46435,"position":2},"title":"The Rise of RPA Robotic Process Automation in Washington is Driving Growth and Excellence","author":"Rick Backus","date":"February 4, 2025","format":false,"excerpt":"RPA Robotic Process Automation Washington is transforming industries, enhancing efficiency, and driving innovation across sectors.","rel":"","context":"In "Robotic Process Automation"","block_context":{"text":"Robotic Process Automation","link":"https:\/\/blog.cyberconservices.com\/index.php\/category\/robotic-process-automation\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"Image of the inside fo the US Capital rotunda with people in suits interacting with humanoid robots. They are passing papers and accordian files between them and talking and shaking hands","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.cyberconservices.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Image-of-the-inside-fo-the-US-Capital.png?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200","width":350,"height":200,"srcset":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.cyberconservices.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Image-of-the-inside-fo-the-US-Capital.png?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=350%2C200 1x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.cyberconservices.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Image-of-the-inside-fo-the-US-Capital.png?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=525%2C300 1.5x, https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/blog.cyberconservices.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/02\/Image-of-the-inside-fo-the-US-Capital.png?fit=1024%2C1024&ssl=1&resize=700%2C400 2x"},"classes":[]},{"id":33010,"url":"https:\/\/blog.cyberconservices.com\/index.php\/2019\/11\/22\/robotic-process-automation-rpa-12-ways-to-learn-more\/","url_meta":{"origin":46435,"position":3},"title":"Robotic Process Automation (RPA): 12 ways to learn more","author":"Rick Backus","date":"November 22, 2019","format":false,"excerpt":"By\u00a0Kevin Casey\u00a0- Like most emerging or new-to-you technologies, robotic process automation (RPA) comes with a learning curve.\u00a0What is RPA? What are\u00a0some uses for it? Is\u00a0RPA the same thing as AI?\u00a0And so on. pixabay.com Thankfully, there are readily accessible ways \u2013 from books to articles, courses, and more \u2013 to get\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "RPA"","block_context":{"text":"RPA","link":"https:\/\/blog.cyberconservices.com\/index.php\/category\/rpa\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cdn.pixabay.com\/photo\/2018\/11\/20\/05\/16\/robot-3826558_960_720.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":41919,"url":"https:\/\/blog.cyberconservices.com\/index.php\/2020\/08\/17\/how-robotic-process-automation-rpa-and-digital-transformation-work-together\/","url_meta":{"origin":46435,"position":4},"title":"How Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and digital transformation work together","author":"Rick Backus","date":"August 17, 2020","format":false,"excerpt":"I am not quite sure how, ultimately, you could have one withot the other. Digital Transformation by ideal definition would include RPA-like automation. By\u00a0Stephanie Overby - \u201cRPA can touch the back, middle, and front offices with dramatic reductions in cost, increases in speed, improved compliance, et cetera,\u201d says Wagner. RPA\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Robotic Process Automation"","block_context":{"text":"Robotic Process Automation","link":"https:\/\/blog.cyberconservices.com\/index.php\/category\/robotic-process-automation-processs-automation\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/cdn.pixabay.com\/photo\/2017\/08\/07\/18\/27\/businessman-2606506__340.jpg?resize=350%2C200&ssl=1","width":350,"height":200},"classes":[]},{"id":46491,"url":"https:\/\/blog.cyberconservices.com\/index.php\/2022\/02\/22\/the-ultimate-guide-on-robotic-process-automation\/","url_meta":{"origin":46435,"position":5},"title":"The Ultimate Guide on Robotic Process Automation","author":"Rick Backus","date":"February 22, 2022","format":false,"excerpt":"It is not wrong to say the pandemic has pushed the global business ecosystem into dismay, forcing companies to accept the\u00a0\u2018Save to Thrive\u2019 approach instead of the \u201csave to transform\u201d approach. This\u00a0catastrophe primarily impacted companies\u2019 talent resources, underscoring crucial transformation initiatives such as robotic process automation (RPA).\u00a0The\u00a0induction\u00a0of RPA is one\u2026","rel":"","context":"In "Robotic Process Automation"","block_context":{"text":"Robotic Process Automation","link":"https:\/\/blog.cyberconservices.com\/index.php\/category\/robotic-process-automation-processs-automation\/"},"img":{"alt_text":"","src":"","width":0,"height":0},"classes":[]}],"jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cyberconservices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46435","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cyberconservices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cyberconservices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cyberconservices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cyberconservices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46435"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cyberconservices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/46435\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.cyberconservices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46435"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cyberconservices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=46435"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.cyberconservices.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=46435"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}