| The RWM application was deprecated with Appian 24.1. The application will no longer be updated or pre-installed for new Appian Cloud sites with Appian RPA enabled. RWM will be removed in a future release and we encourage customers to use the Operations Console to manage robots instead. |
Business users who want to centrally automate and deploy a robotic process require tools that can provide the necessary governance to manage the entire lifecycle of each robotic process.
Key questions that business users often ask are:
The Automation Planner helps answer all of the above questions and more.
The Automation Planner consists of five key tabs:
Figure 2.1.a: The submodules of the Automation Planner Module
You're brought to the Dashboard when you open Automation Planner. It usually takes a few weeks from the time the automation request is made to the time the request is approved, actual automation development is done, and the automation is deployed to Production. During this time, the requester and other stakeholders might be interested in the status of a particular automation request, which may involve business process management (BPM), robotic process automation (RPA), or artificial intelligence (AI). The Request link appears on the dashboard, which allows users to view the status of a particular automation request, all the automation requests in production, and requests by status made in the last six months. A request can be initiated from the New Request tab.
Figure 2.1.1.a: The Dashboard tab allows users to view the status of an Automation request
From the Dashboard, click the link in the Automation column to view the request status report.
This report is used to view collective information about the request. It will give information regarding all the approval stages, deadlines, and current stage in the request lifecycle. The report also allows the requester to edit the details of the request before the budget approval stage gets completed. When a requester edits the request, the flow will start from the beginning. Once the production mapping is done, the Technical Owner can delete the request, which will remove the request from the Automation Planner.
Figure 2.1.1.1.a: The Dashboard tab allows user to view the status of an Automation request
Figure 2.1.1.1.b: The Edit functionality of the Automation Process Request
Figure 2.1.1.1.c: The Delete functionality of the Automation Process Request
On this tab, the overall value of the automation is assessed based on parameters supplied in the earlier step. Key metrics include Licensing Cost Per Robot + Maintenance Cost, Monthly Revenue, Monthly Cost Savings, the time required for performing the task (manually), and the number of full time employees (FTEs) required, which are factored in arriving at the calculation.
Figure 2.1.2.a: Key questions captured as part of the Value assessment
Once the above data is entered, the system computes the cost savings and the estimated revenue from to the automation. The following graph shows the estimated revenue for one such automation project over the last 12 months. It also allows the user to filter data based on the particular automation.
Figure 2.1.2.b: Estimated cost and revenue
Business users typically start off by creating a new Automation Request. The Automation Request form asks for key information such as the process name, process owner, business justification, SLA, etc.
Note: When requesting a new automation, the following special characters should not be used in the name: \/;:"|?'><*. Text and paragraph fields do not support emojis and -.
It also captures information pertaining to the current manual operation. This information is vital to compare the value of the robotic process with the current manual effort. If the value of the automation is perceived to be low and the business justification is low, then it gives the approver (typically business head) an opportunity to either ask for additional information or reject the automation request.
Thus, this tab helps act as a vanguard to help businesses achieve better ROI and bring better governance to the automation practice within the Center of Excellence (CoE).
Figure 2.1.3.a: The new RPA process request form
Once the business user submits the automation request, a built-in Appian workflow is initiated where the Business Owner and then the Technical Owners are notified and their approval is required. Based on the Technical Owner's decision, the flow will move towards the AI Specialist Review or Budget Approval. Once all the necessary approval is done, the request will move to the Development phase and later to the Deployment phase.
Figure 2.1.3.b: The typical workflow of an automation request
Figure 2.1.3.c: The workflow of the automation request involved AI Specialist review
Use this tab to add or modify enterprise systems that are in the department or enterprise. These systems are involved in creating a new automation request. Users can select the related systems when they request an automation so approvers can quickly understand how both the system and automation will be impacted.
Figure 2.1.4.a: Add new systems or manage existing systems
Once the automation request has gone through Value Assessment and is deemed to be of merit, the next step would be to go through the System Impact Analysis. In this step, users (typically, the Technical Owner) needs to analyze which enterprise system is impacted by the automation of this process. This analysis will help the Technical Owner understand the security and integration impacts of this automation.
The Technical Owner of the automation process will also assess the requested release timeline and assess the feasibility of such a request.
Figure 2.1.4.1.a: System impact analysis
This tab is used to view the list of tasks assigned to the particular group of users, which may be the Automation Requester, Technical Owner, Business Owner, AI Specialist Reviewer, etc. It will show the details of all the tasks assigned to that group of users. Tasks are assigned once the request has been raised. Within the request, a user can give the specified details so that the process continues to the next level of approval.
Figure 2.1.5.a: Pending requests
