Robotic Process Automation in the Automotive Industry - Lessons Learned from an Exploratory Case Study

Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is the rule-based automation of business processes by software bots mimicking human interactions. The aims of this paper are to provide insights into three RPA use cases from the automotive domain as well as to derive the main challenges to be tackled when introducing RPA in this domain. By means of an exploratory case study, the three use cases are selected from real RPA projects. A systematic method for analyzing the cases is applied. The results are structured along the stages of the lifecycle model of software development. We provide information on every lifecycle stage and discuss the respective lessons learned. In detail, we derive five challenges that should be tackled for any successful RPA implementation in the automotive domain: (1) identifying the right process to automate,(2) understanding the factors influencing user acceptance, (3) explaining RPA to the users, (4) designing human bot interaction, and (5) providing software development guidelines for RPA implementation

Towards Quantifying the Effects of Robotic Process Automation

Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is the automation of rule-based routine processes to increase process efficiency and to reduce process costs. In practice, however, RPA is often applied without knowledge of the concrete effects its introduction will have on the automated process and the involved stakeholders. Accordingly, literature on the quantitative effects of RPA is scarce. The objective of this paper is to provide empirical insights into improvements and deteriorations of business processes achieved in twelve RPA projects in the automotive industry. The results indicate that the positive benefits promised in literature are not always achieved in practice. In particular, shorter case duration and better quality are not confirmed by the empirical data gathered in the considered RPA projects. These quantitative insights constitute a valuable contribution to the currently rather qualitative literature on RPA

Robotic Process Automation - A Systematic Mapping Study and Classification Framework

Robotic Process Automation (RPA) deals with the automation of rule-based process tasks to increase process efficiency and to reduce process costs. Due to the utmost importance of business process automation in industry, RPA attracts increasing attention in the scientific field as well. This paper presents the state-of-the-art in the RPA field by means of a Systematic Mapping Study (SMS). In this SMS, 63 publications are identified, categorised, and analysed along well-defined research questions. From the SMS findings, additionally, a framework for systematically analysing, assessing, and comparing existing as well as upcoming RPA works is derived. The discovered thematic clusters suggest further investigations in order to develop a more elaborated structural research approach for RPA

Robotic Process Automation -- A Systematic Literature Review and Assessment Framework

Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is the automation of rule-based routine processes to increase efficiency and to reduce costs. Due to the utmost importance of process automation in industry, RPA attracts increasing attention in the scientific field as well. This paper presents the state-of-the-art in the RPA field by means of a Systematic Literature Review (SLR). In this SLR, 63 publications are identified, categorised, and analysed along well-defined research questions. From the SLR findings, moreover, a framework for systematically analysing, assessing, and comparing existing as well as upcoming RPA works is derived. The discovered thematic clusters advise further investigations in order to develop an even more detailed structural research approach for RPA.Comment: 17 pages, 4 figures, 5 table

Checklist-based Support of Knowledge Workers in Robotic Process Automation Projects

Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is the rule-based automation of business process tasks by software robots mimicking human interactions. RPA projects often fail or do not achieve the expected benefits due to a missing support of the humans developing the robots. In practice, such software robots are often developed and configured by knowledge workers without any IT background. These non-IT experts require appropriate development and configuration support. The aim of this paper is to provide a checklist-based support of knowledge workers in conducting RPA projects. After an initial design, which is based on interviews with knowledge workers, an exploratory RPA case study in industry, and surveys among bot users, the checklist is improved in three iterations with comprehensive user feedback. The finally obtained checklist is evaluated in six RPA projects in industrial practice showing satisfying results. In particular, no project has failed and the expected full time equivalents savings, reduction of errors, and improvement of process speed have been achieved. Altogether, the checklist enables smooth process support of knowledge workers in RPA projects

A User Acceptance Model for Robotic Process Automation

Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is the rule-based automation of business processes by software bots mimicking human interactions to relieve employees from tedious work. However, any RPA initiative will not be successful if user acceptance is poor. So far, variables influencing RPA user acceptance have not been systematically investigated. The objective of this paper is to develop a model for assessing RPA user acceptance as well as variables influencing it. We derive this model using the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM) and extend TAM by RPAspecific variables. Our empirical validation indicates that the most important variables, which significantly influence perceived usefulness and perceived ease of use are facilitating conditions, result demonstrability, innovation joy, and social influence. These findings can be used to derive concrete recommendations for the design and implementation of RPA bots increasing acceptance of employees using the bots during their daily work. For the first time, an RPA user acceptance model is presented and validated contributing to an increased maturity of RPA projects

Seven Guidelines for Designing the User Interface in Robotic Process Automation

Robotic Process Automation (RPA) aims to automate rule-based business process tasks by software robots (bots) mimicking human interactions. Despite the partial automation achieved with RPA, humans still need to interact with the bots, which requires appropriate user interfaces. However, existing RPA research has not evaluated RPA from a software-ergonomic perspective so far and no corresponding user interface design guidelines exist. The objective of this paper is to evaluate the usability of RPA bots in industry and to provide user interface design guidelines to bot developers. The results we obtained from 50 questionnaires filled by RPA users indicate that both the input/output and the dialogue interfaces of RPA need to be improved, especially regarding error tolerance, perceptibility, directability of user’s attention, suitability for the task, and availability. Finally, we derive seven guidelines for designing the user interface of RPA bots. Potential improvements include, among others, the quality of error messages, the efforts for error handling, and the monitoring of the current status of the tasks assigned to the bot

Supporting Subject Matter Experts as Developers: Towards a Framework for Decentralized Robotic Process Automation Development

Robotic Process Automation (RPA) has emerged as promising automation technology in recent years. Firms seize RPA for fast and cost-efficient low-code process automation implemented and maintained decentrally in the business units by subject matter experts (SMEs) without IT development experience. However, decentralized RPA projects are reported to frequently fail and be prone to challenges as SMEs struggle to meet their new roles and responsibilities, such as developers or testers. Yet, research lacks an understanding of how challenges related to SMEs' roles and responsibilities unfold and how to address these challenges when executing decentralized RPA projects. To this end, our study employs a Design Science Research approach, drawing on literature and 14 expert interviews, to (1) systematically synthesize the challenges related to SMEs' roles and responsibilities and (2) derive a software development framework for supporting SMEs in their new roles and responsibilities in decentralized RPA projects. Thus, our study contributes to RPA and low-code development research and provides SMEs with guidelines to navigate decentralized RPA projects in practice