Organizations can look to emerging technologies to transform the way they do business. Robotic process automation (RPA) allows organizations to automate high-volume, repeatable, rules-based tasks with minimal effort. RPA can drive down costs and effort associated with many types of processes, which improves operational efficiencies and the quality of results.

Intelligent automation is a key building block of a digital transformation

Becoming a digital organization is a complex journey for established organizations as transformation affects the business model, human capital, and use of technology. In the 2021 CGI Voice of Our Clients insights, our clients across industries cite a need to transform their business activities to meet rising customer expectations. Additional priorities from our clients include managing growing cyber risks, attending to relentless regulatory demands, addressing the growing use of digital technologies, and growing collaboration and interoperability capabilities. Intelligent automation, including RPA, is just one of the building blocks of a truly digital organization.

What is robotic process automation?

RPA delivers a virtual workforce that mimics and emulates the human workforce, with no changes to underlying processes, workflows, and systems. RPA automates high volume, manual, and repetitive tasks.

Implementing process automation

Our approach to RPA keeps the risk of implementation low and brings quick results. We first leverage an assessment to identify key candidates for RPA implementation. This assessment includes key activities outlined below:

  • Detailed analysis of lines of business and current operations to identify best candidates for RPA implementation
  • Cost/benefit analysis of automation candidate business process scenarios
  • Prioritization of scenarios balancing implementation complexity with value added

For broader, strategic efforts, CGI leverages a governance framework that includes:

  • Strategy for implementing RPA across the organization
  • Operational definition for supporting RPA, including roll-out, change management and support
  • Implementation that defines the model for development, testing, and related activities

Successes with RPA

RPA brings cost savings and process efficiencies, allowing people to focus on more critical projects and tasks. Sample results from one of our client engagements show:

  • Process cost reduction of 20 to 50 percent
  • 15 percent increased process transaction throughput, increased scalability and responsiveness
  • 20 percent improved quality, reduced error rates, and reduced process variation
  • 3 process proofs of concept live in 4 weeks, with 330k USD per year savings and 4 full-time employees freed-up for higher value work
  • Over 1,500 hours per week of workload delivered by software robots
  • 60 percent reduction in processing time (based on 100,000 transactions)
  • Reusable library of over 1,500 IT infrastructure operations automations