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Robotic process automation (RPA) is a preconfigured software instance that uses business rules and predefined activity choreography to complete the autonomous execution of a combination of processes, activities, transactions, and tasks in one or more unrelated software systems to deliver a result or service with human exception management. . Features of RPA are Works at the server level, independent of human intervention (unattended automation). Fully automates end-to-end processes. Scalable across multiple systems and departments. Ideal for structured, rule-based processes. Robotic desktop automation (RDA): computer application that makes available to a human operator a suite of predefined activity choreography to complete the execution of processes, activities, transactions, and tasks in one or more unrelated software systems to deliver a result or service in the course of human initiated or managed workflow. It can also be called as agent-assist automation, assistive automation, in-line automation. It Operates on an individual's desktop. Features of RDA are Requires human intervention (attended automation). Best suited for tasks where decision-making and manual oversight are needed. Limited scalability Below are the different stages for designing an automated tool or a robot Discover; Structured approach to review process landscape and identify best candidates for automation Design - Simple rapid engagement approach to understand the process and design and implement an automated solution Manage - Central deployment and management of automations with key governance controls and strong change management Run- Automations execute the business processes they are designed to perform while being monitored Engage -Communicate with business process teams to ensure the process is performing and exceptions are reported Measure - Reporting of utilization and impact of automation We have to make choice between RPA and RDA at the discovers stage itself. This is also illustrated by the diagram below If the process requires frequent human interaction, RDA is preferable. If the process is rule-based and can be fully automated without human input, RPA is the better choice. If scalability is a priority, RPA is more effective. If process mapping accuracy is a concern then we should start with RDA to refine the workflow before transitioning to RPA. The issue of complexity of the data can still be handled by RDA through below means Modular Design: By dividing complex processes into smaller, reusable modules, RDA can address different parts of a workflow independently, making it easier to manage and update specific components without affecting the entire process. Conditional Logic: RDA tools allow for "if-then" statements and decision points within the workflow, enabling robots to adapt to changing situations and make choices based on specific conditions within the data. Data Extraction and Manipulation: RDA can extract relevant data from various sources, clean, transform, and manipulate it as needed within the workflow, handling complex data structures and calculations. Application Integration: By integrating with diverse applications and systems, RDA can automate cross-platform processes, pulling data from one system to perform actions in another, even if they have different interfaces. Looping and Iteration: RDA can repeat certain steps within a workflow based on defined criteria, making it suitable for handling repetitive tasks with variable data input. Error Handling: Advanced error handling mechanisms allow robots to identify and recover from potential issues during execution, automatically retrying steps or notifying users when necessary.