Enterprise Architecture Management – M. Sc.
(Summer 2020)
“Impact of Robotic Process Automation on Enterprise Architecture Management”
Submitted at
TH Köln
Campus Gummersbach
Faculty of Computer science and Engineering
Master’s Program Informatics/ Computer Science
Under the supervision of
Prof. Dr. Frank Victor
Submitted by: Moumita Liza (11139710)
Gummersbach, 14 August,2020
Abstract
Robotic process automation (RPA) is a recent buzz word in corporate sector that describes the
automation of business process and adapted for high-volume, repetitive, and rule-based tasks with
the mean of intelligent agent. Usability and flexibility permit organizations to consider and
actualize software robots through agile projects. Hierarchical and IT methodology, administration
structures, and the management system accordingly should address both the immediate impacts of
software robots mechanizing measures and their backhanded impacts on firms. This paper
highlights how RPA is interrelated with enterprise architecture management and workflow as well
as the area of implementation for RPA. In this paper it also been described how RPA can be
adapted in real life scenario with an example of invoice processing. Further research regarding
maintenance and error handling of RPA is required to implement RPA with a successful manner.
Key words: Robotic Process Automation (RPA), Enterprise Architecture (EA), Workflow, Invoice
processing system.
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Adoption of RPA in EAM: described with use case scenario of invoice processing system
The Emergence of Robotic Process Automation (RPA)
It has long been thought that robot will take over blue-collar employees whose tasks are manual
and repetitive. A study of McKinsey Global Institute (2015) shows that 50% of labor activities are
already altered with current automation technology and recent data suggests that white color
employees whose works presumes a lot of reasoning, higher paychecks, job security-might not be
safe from the continuous process of automation, analyzed by Molla (2019). Fettke & Loos (2018)
mentioned that in many cases automatic system may not work as efficiently as intelligent human.
However, today machine has working as humanly in many games like chess. On the other scenario,
automatic translating tool can translate from any language to another like Bengali to English but
here translation quality is a big factor to think of rather than the speed. So, it is clear that
performance evaluation of robot comparing to human intelligence can be interesting but it is
challenging to perform. Nevertheless, machine is performing photo tagging, speech recognition,
face recognition, targeted online advertisement generating etc. and many more tasks in efficient
way. 54% of European companies has plan to automate at least ten of their processes through RPA
by the year 2020, according to Information Services Group (2018).
This idea of qualitative automation led to the area of Robotic Process Automation (RPA). RPA is
a kind of software which can be designed to execute forms utilizing similar advances, adhering to
a similar business governs and getting to similar applications and frameworks a human
representative does regularly. Fettke & Loos (2018) also stated that Numerous business forms dealt
with physically today are effortlessly mechanized with enterprise class, server-based RPA. RPA
attempts to substitute scholarly work in office and organization forms with software robots stated
by Auth et al. (2019). Lacity & Willcocks (2016) identified RPA as one of the new breed of
software which ensures safe automation for enterprise management and their study reflected that
early adopter achieved tremendous business results by using RPA in case of FTE savings, effective
use of fewer resources results in big success and providing qualitative service with increased
delivery speed as the robot performs as it is programmed to do. Moreover, it results into job
satisfaction of employee as they can focus on social interaction, empathy and other interesting
tasks. According to Jackfrano (2019), RPA can make worker more productive by enabling them
to focus on more strategic work but only proper governance can make these benefits achievable
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Lacity & Willcocks (2016) stated further. Although RPA is strongly associated with business
process management, its functionalities are also adaptive for process management activities.
RPA in Enterprise Architecture Management (EAM)
According to Auth et al. (2019) the turn of events, improvement, or usage of data frameworks is
an intricate errand that impacts different pieces of an enterprise. The displaying of those parts is
upheld by EA ideas. They give structures, layouts, and techniques for the general plan and
depiction of a venture. From a methodological point of view, EA can be viewed as a basic
component that bolsters the general arrangement plan. The extent of EA is ordinarily wide, and
regularly covers the entire or significant pieces of the endeavor. An EA incorporates both, the
substance of the depicted engineering just as strategies for their plan and the executives. From the
substance point of view, an EA is a basic and complete representation of an enterprise.
Auth et al. (2019) describe RPA as an initiative to automate the enterprise process in the existing
application system by only making changes in the presentation layer. It is also been highlighted
that using RPA does not require any technical knowledge and does not need strong support from
IT department to implement this into enterprise architecture.
RPA with Workflow
Walker (2020) stated that core task of Workflow automation is to mechanize enterprise processes
through a software solution that makes a consecutive arrangement of steps that need to occur.
Usually, these means are utilized to encourage the progression of correspondence for endorsement
forms. Steps inside the work process are regularly individual to-individual. For example, workflow
may start with a structure that is rounded out by an individual, which commences the endorsement
procedure to the following individual. The objective is to archive and play out a procedure that
empowers organizations to work all the more proficiently
Workflow automation and robotic process automation may sound similar in a conceptual way as
these two are implemented to eliminate the mundane, manual and repetitive tasks in the enterprise
system. However, slide difference is there in the process.
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According to a blog of Nintex (2019) RPA bots works perfectly for individual tasks, but they come
up short on the abilities to effortlessly interface those assignments together to smooth out the
progression of work and this is the case where workflow automation is implemented. Instead of
computerizing the individual segments of a task, workflow automation utilizes the technology to
join all the tasks as a feature of a comprehensive procedure.
Robotic Process Automation vs. Traditional Enterprise Automation tool
Lacity et al. (2015) highlighted an interview in their paper which expressed that what an enterprise
system already has automation just uses that rather changing anything in the system. Automation
is very familiar concept in the field of business process management and enterprise architecture
management but according to Senter (2016) Robotic Process Automation is system agnostic which
means it can work across application type and this is one of the key differentiators from traditional
automation process. Senter (2016) also highlighted two types of automation process:
i. Screen scraping/capture which is for capturing specific information on web forms and
place on the screen by using coordinates. It can be programmed to give instruction on
where to position the pointer to perform a click. This form is good till the pop-up box
location is not changed.
ii. Product specific workflows are bundled workflow tools with software especially for
larger ERP vendors. For scheduling certain task or triggering for example alerts or
email etc. tasks are easy to handle in this case. However, these systems are difficult to
use and system agonistic too.
RPA is similar to these two approaches in addition it is more advanced than these. Senter (2016)
pointed RPA as enterprise scalable. Rather than coding, robots are built by processing what to do
step by step exactly in the way as an employee works with the end user system. Figure1 shows the
nature of Robotic Process Automation. RPA is not aimed to build a completely new software and
“RPA is used for the idea of developing software programs that operate on the user interface of
other computer systems in the way a human would do” claimed by Fettke & Loos (2018). RPA is
the mixture of both artificial intelligence and machine learning and Fettke & Loos (2018) stated
that “robots are not explicitly programmed by an algorithm, instead the development of the
algorithm is automated by machine learning.” RPA bots can interact as human by working at the
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level of UI and enables businesses to take prompt action. Jackfrano (2019) claimed in his research
that combination of RPA and human worker reduced the error level drastically and in addition,
RPA can take over the routine tasks of the traditional worker.
Figure 1: The Nature of Robotic Process Automation
Source: Hofmann, P., Samp, C., & Urbach, N. (2019). Robotic process automation. Electronic
Markets, 30(1), 99-106. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12525-019-00365-8
Where to Implement RPA
Before the implementation of RPA, it is needed to be identified that which processes will be
impactful with RPA.
The processes which are costly and touch customer are most impactful according to the study of
12 step best practice RPA implementation guide (2020). Quote-to-cash is such type of process
which can be costly if the pricing is not generated properly. Effectiveness and speed of this task
may break or built the sale. This type of process is good to go with RPA implementation. Then,
highest volume of process should be automated first so that it will reduce the human effort.
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Moreover, if the process is unable to handle errors, quality control process should be ensured to
handle the errors. RPA bots are depended on user interface (UI) for carrying out the
responsibilities. As an example, invoice processing can be automated by RPA. However, after a
certain amount transaction may need approval from human employee. Furthermore, in case of
customer facing task error level should be lowest as it effects badly on customer experience so if
there is RPA implementation on error prone task, company will be beneficial and it can also speed
up the process. In addition, in which cases temporary labor is required RPA can take that place as
temporary hiring is time consuming process and also difficult.
On the contrary according to the study of 12 step best practice RPA implementation guide (2020)
if the rules of a certain process cannot be programmed, RPA may not be a good idea to implement.
It is possible to train AI with complex query and rules but it will need deep observation for such
automation with RPA as AI may misinterpret the rules. However, RPA should be implemented in
the mature stage of a business otherwise it will be more expensive to change the settings while
business is on preliminary stage or not stable.
Use case scenario: RPA Deploying into Invoice Processing System
To understand the theme of how RPA can be accumulated within real life scenario, in this paper I
am going to discuss about deploying RPA into invoice processing system.
According to Makadia (2020), RPA can reduce manual effort by implementing touchless business
process automation to back office and also can decrease the expenses and human error. A hugetask
of an entire enterprise system goes to back office related jobs like financial accounting and invoice
processing. Financial transaction between supplier and client should be tracked properly for the
business growth. It involves employees to cautiously go through each and every invoice which are
usually generated in pdf form by the supplier. “It can take anywhere between 4 to 16 days for
companies to process an invoice, from receipt to payment approval”, according to Makadia (2020).
This is very monotonous and time-consuming work which can results into delayed payment or
incorrect payment amount etc.
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Figure 2: Typical invoice processing system
Source: Mategaonkar, A. and Blue, P., 2018. Invoice Processing In The Digital World, Powered
By BPM And RPA - Cloud Computing News.
Through a survey Mategaonkar & Blue (2018) found out some key pain points from the employee
who deals with it regularly.
i. Invoice processing includes many manual functions which are repetitive and mundane.
Starting from downloading the attachment from email, reading the invoice carefully
and entering data into enterprise application system are very time consuming and takes
lots of continuous effort.
ii. Shadow IT as example spreadsheets and local database access regarding problems are
also create challenges. Invoice processing systems of many business organizations are
supported by a number of shadow IT artifacts such as the spreadsheet which tracks
deduction of tax and tax payment amount. It is very complex to integrate other
workarounds documents into the IT solution and as a result these shadow functions are
not integrated in automation initiatives
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iii. Lots of manual activities and approvals required from different department and
hierarchical roles within an organization are mandatory in this task which make the
invoice processing lengthier. Service level agreement (SLA) violation can be resulted
into frustration of vendor and also costs in the form of penalties.
To solve this challenges RPA can be a best solution. Then, the question arises that how can
Robotic Process Automation be implemented into invoice processing system and how it
reduces the burden of the employee?
Considering the Figure 1 to find out which functions are possible to be replaced with RPA that is
noted in Table 1.
Download and read pdf Yes
Update Excel Yes
Check for Bill in QuickBooks Yes
Check for Amount Match Yes
Create Bill Yes
Mark Bill Ready for Payment Yes
Enter Missing Data Manual
Review/Approve Bill Manual
Manager Approval Manual
Table 1: Possibility of replacing the functions of invoice processing with RPA
According to Makadia (2020), typically invoice comes in a pdf form. Monitoring the e-mail or the
folder where invoices are saved will be monitored by the software robot and it will extract only
that information from the document which are instructed by the developer for example cross check
the purchase order and the invoice, cross check the duplicate entry etc. For any missing data it will
be delivered to the dedicated human employee to fill the missing information and after getting
approval from the managerial level robot will update the company excel by fulfilling all missing
data. Record keeping is essential task for robots as it is very helpful for future references in case
any inconsistency happens with supplier After that software robot will try to match it with
company quick books and if all the information and required amount is matched then it will be
flagged as ready for payment otherwise it will go for managerial consideration.
Almost 60% features of invoice processing are possible to executed by the bots except the
managerial approval. Deploying RPA in architecture of invoice processing system help to reduce
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the manual activities. Ultimately, this software robot will be used as virtual worker and mimic the
human employee. Deploying RPA effects individual employee by saving the time as well as
ensures quality. In addition, technology can create fear for workers which leads them to work with
accuracy, according to Fernandez &Aman (2018).
Conclusion
Hofmann et al. (2019) stated using RPA in business architecture enables software robots executing
their movement uninterruptedly, rapidly, perfectly, and recognizably even as at the equivalent time
being anything but difficult to place into impact at exceptionally low expenses contrasted with
standard technique mechanization, RPA meets up with both subjective and quantitative objectives.
Organizations can likewise follow RPA for one or additional targets alongside methodology
execution, proficiency, versatility, auditability, security, comfort and consistence. However,
organizations should review the advantages and disadvantages of RPA against other
mechanization methods such as workflow automation. Subsequently, enterprise must install RPA,
as one of a few mechanization strategies, in authoritative approaches supporting way robotization.
Nonetheless, according to Hofmann et al. (2019) some gripe that RPA is not tantamount to back-
end process computerization arrangements and is just an advance between human work and
procedure re-building and upgrade. The authoritative system must address both the immediate
impacts of software robots mechanizing forms and their aberrant effects on the association. In this
manner, scientists should address how RPA impacts on authoritative and IT techniques,
administration, and the executive frameworks, in order to determine the most appropriate ways for
overseeing RPA in associations. This may incorporate for occurrence talking about the relevance
of administration approaches, for example, bimodal IT or the free enterprise model While RPA
may computerize forms quicker and simpler, administration structures may turn out to be
additionally testing and complex. Accordingly, it firmly relies upon each organization whether it
sees RPA as just a transitory arrangement or on the other hand in the event that it intends to connect
with RPA as a major aspect of its key ability. Specialists may examine which key ways to deal
with RPA arrangements ought to be picked to structure the usage procedure and the progressing
the board of programming robots in a fruitful and economical manner. The lithe arrangement of
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RPA ventures achieves the need to consider present moment and long-haul impacts just as vital
changes to vital association structures. Similarly, as with any significant choice in an association,
dynamic with regards to RPA must follow a key methodology. Scientists should look to figure out
what sort of key methodology is appropriate, given distinctive RPA usage objectives. Thinking
about a human work point of view, scientists may consider the plan of human-robot connection
designs just as RPA's expected future effects on representatives what's more, their impression of
software robots. Investigation into conceivable human-robot association plans will push us to
investigate RPA's impacts on the human workforce. In this unique situation, key activities to send
RPA ought to think about representative commitment, aptitudes advancement, and sourcing
choices. Given changing regions of obligation, organizations need to reevaluate workers' jobs.
Associations need to choose if they need to apply RPA utilizing their own assets or by connecting
with redistributing suppliers. As associations can consolidate RPA through various sourcing
options redistributing specialist organizations may need to reexamine their methodologies and
contributions. In this paper it is been focused the theoretical approach of how RPA is different than
traditional automation system and which sections of invoice processing may be replaced with
software bots. Further implementation and experiments are needed to analyze the feasibility of this
discussion.
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