Building a Robotic Capability Map of the Enterprise

Abstract

Currently, one of the major trends of digital transformation is business process automation, and, in particular, robotic process automation – i.e. replacing human work with software robots. In such context, the term Robotic Process Automation (RPA) may be viewed in two different ways – narrow and broad. In the narrow view, RPA is a fast growing class of software for developing software robots. In the broader view, it is a particular type of an organizational and technological change (the inherent part of which is the specific software implementation), leading to the emergence of a hybrid work environment within which humans and robots collaborate with each other. This is such a new field that a commonly accepted conceptual apparatus (terminology) has not been developed yet; also methodical tools for effective robotic process automation management are missing. Based on the above observations, it was deemed justified to conduct research aimed at: (G1): identifying the differentiators of robotic process automation and the key stages of its implementation, (G2): defining the “capability maps” concept and outlining the principles for designing capability maps; (G3): developing an initial version of the reference robotic capability map and completing its pilot verification. A set of the following research tools was used for this purpose: literature analysis method, semi-structured interviews, creative thinking techniques, case study analysis. The outcome of the research conducted is the development of a proprietary, initial version of the reference robotic capability map that was verified at one of companies operating in Poland. This tool enables obtaining a complete view of the current and required capabilities of an organization to conduct an effective robotic process automation.