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There are likely as many reasons for migrating between IT systems as there are systems themselves. Newer database technologies, changes in law and business processes, failing to keep pace with company growth, or top-down corporate decisions following acquisitions are just the tip of the iceberg. Changing a Robotic Process Automation (RPA) platform is also not a rarity. As a rule, life is much richer in creating events than the imagination of those who design IT systems. Therefore, if symptoms of serious RPA system failure appear on the horizon, it is time to think about migration.
Signals of a malfunctioning RPA system that requires migration
It is rare to find IT systems that have been running for decades, although there are, of course, honorable exceptions [i]. Sooner or later, users notice an increasing number of cumbersome flaws and deficiencies until their number crosses a magic threshold, beyond which the decision to replace the system is made. In the case of RPA solutions, there are several characteristic symptoms that lead directly to the discussion of whether the company has an automation platform suited to its needs [ii] and adequate tools, or if it is time for a change. First of all, it is worth paying attention to the speed of service performance. If simple, repetitive, and uncomplicated tasks are performed at a noticeably decreasing pace, this is a serious warning signal. After all, the point of introducing robotic process automation is to accelerate operational activities. If you add to this the difficulty in modifying robots and the time-consuming nature of such work, it means something is wrong. The accompanying increase in demands placed on administrators and the need for unique competencies that the local IT team lacks generates additional costs and complications. Sometimes it happens that employees have to spend too much time launching robots and monitoring their work – then the economic sense of the entire robotization project is also called into question. After all, everyone was supposed to have more time for other important tasks, and yet here they are – busy maintaining, diagnosing, and supporting the work of their digital assistants. Another group of typical reasons for changing RPA systems and platforms is related to broadly defined data security. If even theoretically unauthorized persons can gain access to confidential company data, this is a reason to take immediate action. Sometimes there are gaps in trivial macro security, and sometimes the lack of an appropriate level of protection results from fundamental flaws at the design level of the entire solution. The lack of user confidence that the data processed by robots is protected and secure is a weighty argument in favor of changing the RPA system. A completely different issue is determining the degree of robot utilization. This is a very important indicator that informs whether there is a chance of achieving the assumed return on investment. If something is wrong in this regard, attention should be paid to the selection of processes for robotization. Sometimes reorienting and modifying the robots will help, and sometimes it will require making radical decisions about migrating RPA to a different platform. In such situations, the biggest obstacle is the psychological barrier – no one likes to part with tools they already know. Most often, one encounters situations where a very complex and sophisticated platform with truly impressive capabilities has been implemented and launched, but in practice, only a small percentage of them is used. Added to this are unused licenses, a lack of proper training, and growing frustration that will lead to an inevitable RPA system migration. A signal for change is also complaints from management regarding the completeness, integrity, and timeliness of management data in areas covered by business process automation. Without a full picture of what is happening, especially in critical business processes, it is difficult to make accurate and optimal decisions. This phenomenon is usually encountered with “island” RPA implementations, where only one or a few departments of the company benefit from the advantages of automation, and there is a lack of knowledge sharing and broader cooperation with the rest of the organization. Such island implementations are very expensive because any errors and downtime strongly affect the functioning of the whole.What is the biggest difficulty in migrating between RPA platforms?
Migration between RPA platforms is a phenomenon so complex that it is difficult to speak of one single greatest difficulty or barrier. Much depends on the specific situation and context. What may be a challenge for some is just a problem to be solved for others. However, in its essence, the biggest trouble is always identifying the true causes of migration and prioritizing them correctly. This is difficult because technical issues are often intertwined and linked to organizational problems, conflicting goals, and personality clashes among management. If the causes of migration can be well identified and located, it will be possible to avoid making the same mistakes in the future. From a purely technical point of view, the most difficult issues include ensuring data security, their efficient transfer from one platform to another while ensuring business continuity, and minimizing disruptions caused by the change in the current operations of the entire organization. The degree of complexity of the entire migration process is high enough that the risk of failure is by no means negligible. Added to this is the time factor – the longer the RPA migration takes, the faster the fatigue of the involved team grows, along with anxiety about the final result. Unfortunately, stress encourages mistakes. Theoretically, after the first implementation, the organization already knows what it means and what it entails; everyone agrees on the necessity of careful planning and testing every detail, but reality can still surprise. This is facilitated by a complicated legal system, visible especially in finance and HR departments. The number of regulations and processes that bots must adapt to is so large that any unforeseen downtime can cause perturbations throughout the company.Who is needed for RPA migration and implementation?
In principle, all the dramatis personae are already on stage. There is the provider of the operating RPA platform, the company that has undertaken the implementation of the new RPA solution is present, and there is the client in whose organization the whole scene is playing out. Only the director is missing. This is the key person on whom the success of the entire play, i.e., the migration between RPA platforms, depends. Since too many factors affecting the implementation process can only be estimated, and planning on a timeline has absolute top priority, the experience and intuition of such a person become the key to the success of the entire undertaking. Plus one more trait – exceptional communication and interpersonal skills. With this scale of project complexity and two independent entities providing their solutions, it is very easy for resentment, excessive ambition, and communication errors to arise, which creates complications that affect the overall work. From the first provider’s side, a team is necessary to prepare data, processes, documentation, and tools for rapid data migration in a secure environment. The new platform also requires attention, because a necessary condition for success is the harmonious cooperation of both teams and the avoidance of previously made mistakes. The IT department of the organization conducting the RPA migration will also have its hands full – especially if the change requires new system software, different tools, and security procedures.What are the advantages of RPA migration?
If the decision to migrate RPA has been made, it means there is a large field for improvement and optimization of processes, better use of available modules and tools, further training, and the involvement of more employees to work with their digital assistants working in both attended and unattended modes. RPA migration is a new opening and another chance for a significant increase in ROI. After all, learning from one’s own mistakes is one of the most effective development techniques, not only personal but also business-related. It must be admitted that some decisions about RPA migration result not so much from technological imperfection as from unsuccessful cooperation with the solution provider. By changing the platform, you can reset your relationship with your RPA technology partner, and this often acts like removing a stick from the spokes of a bicycle wheel. The company gets a new impulse for development and improvement of operational efficiency. RPA migration is also an opportunity to rebuild and modernize the company’s IT infrastructure. Perhaps moving to cloud solutions, not only in RPA robotization, will help to more easily achieve the assumed economic indicators and increase the rate of return on investment in IT.What can be the disadvantages of RPA migration?
In a situation where the RPA migration process begins, it is difficult to talk about its disadvantages; these are rather inconveniences and difficulties to overcome. They include:- The need to learn a new programming language and new commands, as it is difficult to expect compatibility across different business process automation platforms.
- A new model for integrating bots with existing IT solutions, in particular business ERP systems.
- Rebuilding the credential system for individual bots and users. As a rule, system credentials are not seamlessly transferred between RPA platforms.
- Interruption of bot versioning continuity and loss of current insight into audit logs – insight into the history of their changes and modifications may be difficult or impossible on the new platform.
- Difficulty in comparing the performance of bots on both platforms – as a rule, their operation does not lend itself to simple comparisons, and without detailed analytics, it is difficult to assess the quality of the implementation and the business results obtained.
- Expensive and time-consuming training for employees, who should achieve at least the same efficiency and effectiveness as on the previous RPA platform. Familiarizing oneself with new tools and bot operation concepts may also require additional competencies.
