Business Process Automation

vs. Robotic Process Automation:

How are they similar,
how are they different?
Geetika Tandon
 BPA vs. RPA: How Are They Similar, How Are They Different?

BPA vs. RPA: How Are They Similar, How Are They
Different
As we wade through the sea of technologies within the modernization realm, automation, especially
process automation, has grown by leaps and bounds, taking on a new guise in the form of robotic
process automation or RPA. However, process automation is not by any means new to the
computing industry. Starting from the days of lean manufacturing and assembly-line production, the
process automation movement has been about optimizing processes to increase efficiencies and
reduce costs, while providing a higher quality end product.

What Is Business Process Automation?

Business process automation (BPA) automates workflows to improve an organization's efficiency.
BPA does not focus on a single department, but rather on the entire organization by implementing
software systems that integrate all existing applications. Rather than focusing on individual tasks,
BPA focuses on the overall end-to-end process.

An in-depth analysis of the business’s inefficiencies is typically required with business process
automation to assess the largest problems the organization is facing. That’s because business
processes lay the foundation for back-office and front-office business functions — from managing
invoices and records to quickly opening customer accounts and offering real-time promotional
offers to prospects.

At the end of the day, business processes allow all the different parts of an organization to efficiently
and effectively work together. Back end functions such as enterprise resource planning (ERP) and
customer relationship management (CRM) implement BPA. Benefits of business automation
include, lower costs, increased employee productivity and customer satisfaction.

What Is Robotic Process Automation?

Robotic process automation (RPA) contains software robots (bots) that imitate human
tasks. These bots complete rules-based tasks by recording the process workflow humans
perform. They can log into systems, navigate the page and input and extract data, mimicking
the interactions humans have with computer systems.

Traditional automation has followed instructive code, whereas bots are trained following
illustrative steps. This allows bots to adapt to dynamic circumstances. Traditional
automation cannot execute steps outside of its code. For instance, when processing data in
an excel sheet, traditional automation would find an error in a blank field and need human
intervention. RPA bots would identify the issue and find the relative data missing in the blank
field. Bots interact with other applications regardless of the technology the application uses
— once trained they continue to perform their action.

Small and large corporations are quickly incorporating RPA in business functions to improve
their productivity. As a result, the RPA market is growing, with different vendors targeting
different needs. Certain vendors incorporate machine learning and cognitive data, allowing
 BPA vs. RPA: How Are They Similar, How Are They Different?
bots to operate with structured and unstructured data, while other vendors focus on large-
scale automation.

Industries in finance, banking, healthcare and many more have implemented RPA to
streamline processes, mitigate risk and increase productivity. Bots improve data analytics
and accuracy through sophisticated data management by extracting data from different
sources and screens, then combining and migrating the data to form metadata. Inaccuracies
and duplications are removed. Another benefit of RPA is its easy implementation: it is
integrated in current software without changing existing computer systems. Employees have
more time to perform value adding activities that require human characteristics such as
creativity, emotional intelligence and customer service.

What Is the Difference Between RPA and BPA?

BPA and RPA both have a similar purpose: to execute business functions more effectively through
automation. BPA was first introduced to the technology market and can implement RPA within its
system. Three main factors distinguish BPA from RPA: integration, workflows and pricing.

1. Integration
BPA follows a more holistic approach, by addressing the overall end to end process. The goal of a
BPA is to streamline all the work processes in an organization to make quicker and more accurate
decisions. On the other hand, RPA's primary function is to replace time-consuming human tasks with
software. RPA does not disrupt existing business processes and can be integrated in existing BPA
software like ERP and CRM.

An example of RPA implemented in CRM is chat boxes on websites. Chat boxes that pop-up saying
“how can I help you” are run by bots. These bots transfer the collected information to an employee
who then handles the customer. RPA is commonly used in procurement automation, where human
tasks like submitting forms, reviewing emails and populating vendor-specific forms are replaced by
bots. On the contrary, BPA is a very invasive form of integration. It overhauls existing systems with
its own software and implements its own system. BPA uses a central system that all business units
are connected to and automates all workflows. The entire business process efficiency stems from
the BPA.

2. Workflows

The goal of RPA and BPA is to create more efficient and effective workflows. However, both use
different forms of automation.

RPA bots access the existing user interface on desktops and perform human tasks — e.g., copy and
paste, move files, send emails. The entire workflow is recorded and repeated by the bot, completely
replacing human tasks. Although certain bots have decision-making and intelligent abilities, most
bots have not advanced to this stage. Bot automation follows screen scraping, meaning they record
certain information on web forms and store the recorded data for later use.
 BPA vs. RPA: How Are They Similar, How Are They Different?
The workflow used in BPA is more complicated, where a single processing model is used to create
workflows that integrate diversified systems. These systems exchange and extract information with
each other in order to automate tasks, requiring APIs and database access. This requires heavy IT
support for coding and development. There is no need for an API when using RPA: the bots record,
train and act on their own.

3. Pricing

RPA and BPA pricing varies. The estimate of pricing differs according to the subscription, number
of licenses, kind of bot, size of the corporation, business functions covered, among others.

In essence, Business Process Automation or Business Process Management is the umbrella term
used to describe process engineering as well as automation of large-scale end to end business
processes in an organization whereas RPA is a tactical technology used to automate specific
manual and repetitive process in a large workflow. As technologies they are synergistic and can
form a part of a total modernization approach based on need and viability.

About the Author

Geetika Tandon is a senior director at Booz Allen Hamilton, a management and

technology consulting firm. She was born in Delhi, India, holds a Bachelors in
architecture from Delhi University, a Masters in architecture from the University of
Southern California and a Masters in computer science from the University of
California Santa Barbara.
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