The Role of Governance and Attended and Unattended Bot Use in Robotic Process Automation (Rpa) Performance – an Exploratory Study

Abstract

With the help of Robotic Process Automation (RPA) tools organizations have been automating deterministic tasks, especially those in accounting and finance. Yet, many organizations are challenged by their inability to successfully scale their RPA programs. To identify some potential roadblocks to RPA scalability, we examine the role RPA governance plays in achieving RPA program success. We conduct interviews with experienced professionals from large organizations in North America and Europe involved in RPA implementations. We find that stronger governance mechanisms are important in scaling RPA. We also document that the degree of unattended and attended bot use is highly divergent with most companies favoring unattended bot use. Yet, organizations pursuing attended citizen developed bot use should be aware of its risks and potentially limited performance outcomes in corporate settings.

Keywords: Robotic Process Automation, RPA, RPA governance, attended automation, unattended automation, RPA performance