by Kirubeal Mandefro
According to a federal Robotic Process Automation (RPA) Community of Practice publication, RPA is “a low- to no-code Commercial Off the Shelf (COTS) technology that can automate repetitive, rules-based tasks.” RPA products vary in what they do, but all RPA technologies copy human actions.
In the federal sphere, RPA is at its early stage of implementation. However, agencies are gradually adopting the technology for a range of benefits:
- Improved efficiency and accuracy, compared with humans performing the same actions
- Decreasing the resources (both human and financial) needed for RPA tasks, so people and budgets can be reallocated to higher-value work
- Compliance with emerging federal mandates and best practices.
RPA is already ubiquitous among numerous private industries. So, federal agencies may confidently implement a proven technology that lowers administrative burden, delivers mission-critical services and complies with applicable laws and regulations.
In our work with clients, Team Electrosoft has identified multiple opportunities where RPA could benefit clients. For example, we recommended RPA as a good fit for one client’s compliance and audit support. In addition to providing complete, accurate and timely documentation, RPA could assist data and system owners in documenting, tracking and reporting policies and procedures.
RPA is already ubiquitous among numerous private industries. So, federal agencies may confidently implement a proven technology that lowers administrative burden, delivers mission-critical services and complies with applicable laws and regulations.
As an automated process, RPA reduces human involvement and can lower the risks inherent in any human-centered process. For compliance and audit support, RPA could be assigned to repeatable processes such as:
- Transaction review
- Account management and monitoring (periodic recertification)
- Corrective Action Plan (CAP) management
- Plan of Action and Milestones (POAM) and task tracking (for audit purposes)
- Log monitoring
- Data retention, and
- Risk assessment.
With limited resources and a push to shift personnel from lower-value to higher-value work, federal agencies are adopting RPA solutions that support technology modernization and operational efficiency improvements. It’s early days for government, but RPA promises significant improvements. RPA for compliance and audit support is just the beginning!
REFERENCES
Office of Management and Budget | M-18-23: “Shifting From Low-Value to High-Value Work” | https://www.whitehouse.gov/wp-content/uploads/2018/08/M-18-23.pdf
Robotic Process Automation (RPA) Community of Practice (CoP) | “Guide to Robotic Process Automation: Overview” | https://digital.gov/guides/rpa/?dg