RPA

The usual definition, and why it is incomplete RPA — robotic process automation — is usually described as software that

The reputation problem RPA is sold on demonstrations of a robot filling in forms. That is what people picture. It

The situation A published government dataset needed to reach a business system. The data lives on a public website, released

The work is not the building People expect the difficulty to be in the software. It is not. The difficulty

The difference Attended runs on a person’s machine, usually started by them. They are there while it works. Unattended runs

The four reasons In rough order of how often they cause a failure. The interface changed. A button moved, a

The test before anything else Four questions. A task needs a yes to all four. Is it high volume? The

Three different things They get discussed together and they solve different problems. RPA operates applications through their interface — and,

The failure that costs most Not the automation that crashes. The automation that fails and reports success. An error is

The cost nobody budgets for Automation projects are usually costed as a build. They are a build plus maintenance, indefinitely.