1. Is the implementation of the robotization a necessity or an opportunity for companies?
Answer: Robotization of processes and automation is a reality that aims to bring specific economic benefits to companies. There is no obligation to implement robotization in companies, but if it can increase the efficiency of work, why not use it? Entrepreneurs should wait no longer, and if they want to keep pace with the competition, they should start their changes right now.
2. What are the limitations regarding the implementation of robotization?
Answer: RPA implementation may prove more difficult but not impossible, incl. in processes that:
3. Is it possible to audit robotic processes in the company?
Answer: Yes, automated processes can be, and even should be, subject to periodic audits. This allows the value, profitability and safety of the process to be assessed over time.
4. How long can it take to implement the first robot?
Answer: RPA implementation may take several weeks. However, it can take longer to automate larger business processes, depending on the level of complexity. The time to implement robotization will also depend on the chosen method – the traditional model is up to 20 weeks, the Rent-a-Robot model is about 6 weeks.
5. How does the robot’s life cycle begin?
Answer: A very good question that should be asked at the very beginning of the project is whether we really need a robot in a specific case. Just because a robot can do something doesn’t mean it should. However, if we decide that the robot is the solution we need, its life cycle should start with the proper recognition of processes to automation and effective management of ideas.
6. What are the basic documents in the RPA implementation project?
Answer: There are two basic documents. The first is PDD (Process Design Document). It helps developers understand how the process works. The second document is SDD (Solution Design Document), usually created by process architects for programmers. Thanks to it, programmers should be clear about what standards to use in coding a particular process
7. Should we prepare both PDD and SDD when preparing project documentation?
Answer: The implementation of robotization in the company involves the preparation of appropriate documentation. However, an experienced development team may opt out of SDD. Ultimately, the working robot code is, after all, the incarnation of the SDD into a real implementation, so it can ultimately serve as self-documenting code.
8. Is the production of robots in line with the spirit of agile?
Answer: Robots are a welcome field for agile software development methods. By their nature, they are in line with the agile spirit, i.e. continuous, incremental building of new value. The agile nature of the robots allows such a quickly detected bug to be repaired just as quickly.
9. How can we verify the prepared robot code?
Answer: The first method is called the peer review technique, which involves the evaluation of the code produced by colleagues from the team. It perfectly supports the exchange of knowledge and increases the quality of not only the selected fragment of the solution. Peer review is one of the most appreciated and liked agile techniques. The second option is to build automated robot tests, which make it easy to detect errors before they even enter production environments.
10. What does the term “train release” mean in robotics?
Answer: One of the biggest challenges in software development is the synchronization of change implementations between multiple systems. Companies most often optimize such points by building the so-called “Train release”, which in practice means that at a certain time interval all software ready at this point is implemented in production.
11. What can robots do at work?
Answer: As an employee, a robot can work almost all day and night – it takes over boring, repetitive and often demotivating tasks. It can take care of, among others verifying the correctness of applications (e.g. for a loan), copying and pasting data, and then comparing them, as well as generating documents from templates.
12. Why is a robot perfect as an employee?
Answer: From the company’s point of view, the robot works faster than a human, but at the same time does not make mistakes – this is an advantage that is hard to underestimate. It also costs less than the salary and maintenance of an employee who performs exactly the same tasks. The robot will not give up work, and in the event of a sudden increase in the volume of work, it will be able to take up new challenges without any problems.
13. Can the robot’s work be performed in more than one IT system?
Answer: The work of a Digital Teammate is not limited to just one IT system. It is able to run on many completely separate and different systems.
14. Can a robot be created by recording the process flow?
Answer: Yes. Recording a robot’s process flow is one of the possible methods of creating it. Its advantage is undoubtedly the simplicity and short time necessary to create the robot. However, it should be remembered that the code of such a robot is very difficult to maintain.
15. How does a robot react when it encounters an unfamiliar situation?
Answer: The robots operate according to a strictly defined sequence of actions, so the robot will stop and report it from an emergency. Then the Robot Shepherd analyzes the cause of the stoppage and returns the robot to work.
