Essential Skills for Robotic Process Automation (RPA)

Overview 

Key Findings 

• Regardless of whether business or IT is driving adoption, RPA is software development and will require governance throughout the life cycle to deliver and maintain the solution. 
• The RPA developer persona drives team composition. Experienced developers might require operational support, whereas citizen developers might need support throughout the life cycle. 

• The adoption of multiple automation platforms requires governance to ensure that the optimal tool is used. Relying on developer preference or convenience will quickly accumulate technical debt. 
• Successful RPA teams have clear ownership of RPA scripts in production and have the right skills and roles in place to deliver production-ready code. 

Recommendations 

As an I&O technical professional that is part of a team responsible for developing, delivering or supporting RPA automation, you should: 

• Pursue a life cycle model that aligns to the needs of the developer community by striking a balance between governance and agility. 

• Clarify your role in ownership of RPA scripts at all stages of the life cycle, understand any transition processes and ensure that you already have, or have a plan to acquire, the required skills for your responsibilities. 
• Take advantage of formal vendor training and community resources to address any skill gaps. 
• Adapt existing expertise in software delivery to unfamiliar challenges that come with new tools and new roles in the RPA environment. Raise concerns when you see a gap in the skills or processes to avoid exposing production systems or data to risk that might have been overlooked.