What are you using to manage your development process?

[Lars Olufsen]

Many RPA development tasks are different from traditional IT development, in that it doesn't change any systems, but mere automates the manual processes between existing interfaces. This usually (definitely in our case) allows the RPA developers to use less restrictive development methods, and even makes it possible to some extent, to allow business process specialists to "model" or develop the automated processes.

We try to help them by providing templates for all the needed documentation and a "shell" for development of new robots, but we lack a proper tool to manage the actual development proces, from ideation over process description to development iterations, testing, logging, SLA's and sign off of allsorts of relevant issues, such as GDPR etc. through a simple user interface that doesn't confuse the users with a gazillion artefacts that aren't relevant for their process.

Have any of you found a suitable tool for managing robotics development?

It's a 30-minute development job in a tool like Lotus Notes, but sadly that is not available to me (and no, Sharepoint is not a viable alternative). :-/

 

[anisjolly]

Hi @Lars Olufsen

Great question. To be fair, there isn't one specific tool for managing the robotics development. You should be provided with a specific framework for documentation and development (depending on the tool you are using) which gets you started, however there are other areas of expertise that can be overlooked by the RPA tool provider. Areas such as running and logging Test Scripts and their results.

Organisations have their preferred tools for such tasks, which means that you have to build your own combination of tools to manage robotic development.

Hopefully, someone, somewhere develops an all-in-one solution for such a task. Looking at you @adebroise

 

[adebroise]

@Lars Olufsen out of curiosity, what RPA tool are you currently using?

Historically I've always used Sharepoint libraries and forms to manage the end to end process, or an IT ticket system.

 

[Lars Olufsen]

Hi @Lars Olufsen

Great question. To be fair, there isn't one specific tool for managing the robotics development. You should be provided with a specific framework for documentation and development (depending on the tool you are using) which gets you started, however there are other areas of expertise that can be overlooked by the RPA tool provider. Areas such as running and logging Test Scripts and their results.

Organisations have their preferred tools for such tasks, which means that you have to build your own combination of tools to manage robotic development.

Hopefully, someone, somewhere develops an all-in-one solution for such a task. Looking at you @adebroise

Hi @anisjolly - thanks for your reply.
I had reached the same conclusion, and we are currently looking at our existing portfolio, trying to selector a proper set of tools.
My question was really of a more specific, less generic nature. I was hoping to get some input not to HOW it's done, but to WHAT specific tools the members have chosen in their respective organisation, to handle the different areas.

We are implementing RPA in a federated model, with IT owning the platform, but development being handled in the business areas, so we need to present a simple toolset with no overhead, that can be used by people who are not familiar with complex IT-terminology and systemsdevelopment lingo.

We have looked at HP QC, but find it very complex for the non tech-savvy users. Another alternative could be Sharepoint, but that would need to be built bespoke which takes its own development project to make possible.

Ideally, we would like a cloud-based, per user licensed tool, that can handle the end-to-end workflow : ideation - description - documentation - approval cycles - ressource allocation - development - testing - quality control - sign off - bug reporting - incident handling - portfolio management - sign off.

What? Is that too much to ask? :-D

@adebroise We are using Kofax Kapow.

 

[anisjolly]

@Lars Olufsen I see. I'm afraid I only have experience using HP's Quality Centre but I do agree with you that QC is a complex tool. For me personally, it didn't capture the right kind of data. Thankfully I only used it on a small number of projects.

I don't think it's too much to ask at all. Lol. Only if there was something out there that didn't cost too much money (or none at all) and provided everything we need under one roof.

I hope others on the forum can share their experiences with such tools and methods they've adopted to carry out such tasks. I'm keeping a very close eye on this conversation.

 

[DeviousDi]

Hi @Lars Olufsen

We are experiencing the same! We currently use Google Docs. Easily shareable, and multiple user can log in at once. I have however found that we are increasing using more and more Google Docs, and its becoming larger and larger!

I've looks for a program, like you that would do everything, from original automation request, through UAT, and beyond, alas, there doesn't appear to be one out there, that I've found anyway! I'm currently building an access database that will, hopefully(!), meet our needs, and will be expandable as our robotic workers grow.

Sorry I couldn't give you a definitive answer. Give me a nudge if you want some more info on what I'm doing. I'm know the struggles your going through!

Di

 

[jlabbe]

I just met with a company this week that offers an RPA process management service. The service, called Botstatz (http://www.botstatz.com/), offers everything from project ideation and evaluation through production trouble tickets. The only part of the process it does not handle is the actual automation build. I thought the pricing was a little steep but if your organization has a strong compliance culture, it might be a good fit. FYI, I have nothing to do with the organization other than I received a demo from them earlier this week so I can't vouch for how well it performs. I will be investigating that myself in the coming weeks.

 

[Sudhakar Varma P]

Hi @anisjolly - thanks for your reply.
I had reached the same conclusion, and we are currently looking at our existing portfolio, trying to selector a proper set of tools.
My question was really of a more specific, less generic nature. I was hoping to get some input not to HOW it's done, but to WHAT specific tools the members have chosen in their respective organisation, to handle the different areas.

We are implementing RPA in a federated model, with IT owning the platform, but development being handled in the business areas, so we need to present a simple toolset with no overhead, that can be used by people who are not familiar with complex IT-terminology and systemsdevelopment lingo.

We have looked at HP QC, but find it very complex for the non tech-savvy users. Another alternative could be Sharepoint, but that would need to be built bespoke which takes its own development project to make possible.

Ideally, we would like a cloud-based, per user licensed tool, that can handle the end-to-end workflow : ideation - description - documentation - approval cycles - ressource allocation - development - testing - quality control - sign off - bug reporting - incident handling - portfolio management - sign off.

What? Is that too much to ask? :-D

@adebroise We are using Kofax Kapow.

Hi Lars

About AORTA-automation platform (RPA) is applied to automate back office, rules based processes for operations and other related areas.
AORTA can automate Access Provisioning, Data Processing, Automated Testing, Updating HR Details, Report Generation, End-Of-Period Processes, Integration Of Disparate And Third-Party Systems along with other key areas based on our client needs.
And modules covered under AORTA are Control Hub, Automator ,Workflow Server and can be scaled up on business needs.

We have successfully implemented in couple of large multi-national banks,Logistics Companies and saved both time and money.
We appreciate if you can give us a chance to give you a demo of AORTA(RPA).

Please reach me on +919676540180/sudhakar.varma@labridge.co.in

 

[Sudhakar Varma P]

I just met with a company this week that offers an RPA process management service. The service, called Botstatz (http://www.botstatz.com/), offers everything from project ideation and evaluation through production trouble tickets. The only part of the process it does not handle is the actual automation build. I thought the pricing was a little steep but if your organization has a strong compliance culture, it might be a good fit. FYI, I have nothing to do with the organization other than I received a demo from them earlier this week so I can't vouch for how well it performs. I will be investigating that myself in the coming weeks.

As you are already reviewing products in this area we would like to introduce AORTA.
About AORTA-automation platform (RPA) is applied to automate back office, rules based processes for operations and other related areas.
AORTA can automate Access Provisioning, Data Processing, Automated Testing, Updating HR Details, Report Generation, End-Of-Period Processes, Integration Of Disparate And Third-Party Systems along with other key areas based on our client needs.
And modules covered under AORTA are Control Hub, Automator ,Workflow Server and can be scaled up on business needs.

We have successfully implemented in couple of large multi-national banks,Logistics Companies and saved both time and money.
We appreciate if you can give us a chance to give you a demo of AORTA(RPA).

Please reach me on +919676540180/sudhakar.varma@labridge.co.in or share us you mail id so that we share our product details.

 

[Lars Olufsen]

I just met with a company this week that offers an RPA process management service. The service, called Botstatz (http://www.botstatz.com/), offers everything from project ideation and evaluation through production trouble tickets. The only part of the process it does not handle is the actual automation build. I thought the pricing was a little steep but if your organization has a strong compliance culture, it might be a good fit. FYI, I have nothing to do with the organization other than I received a demo from them earlier this week so I can't vouch for how well it performs. I will be investigating that myself in the coming weeks.

Hi Jlabbe. Thank you for your reply.
I had a demo of Botstatz last week, and they are currently setting up a trial for me.
Like you, I think that it offers almost exactly everything we need to support the federated governance-model, but the pricing model seems a little steep, and very different from normal software licensing models.
This was also the reason I didn't mention Botstatz myself, because I was looking for alternatives, and wanted to hear, what areas others feel they need to cover with tools.
I will keep you updated, regarding pricing models, if we begin a purchase process.

I think, for organisations that use a more centralized model, with all development being handled by IT, more traditional tools like Jira, VSTS or HP QC might be a better fit, but for a federated model, where as much responsibility and development work is handled in the business units, Botstatz seem to provide a very good hub for all the needs.

Keep the good ideas coming.

 

[Lars Olufsen]

As you are already reviewing products in this area we would like to introduce AORTA.
About AORTA-automation platform (RPA) is applied to automate back office, rules based processes for operations and other related areas.
AORTA can automate Access Provisioning, Data Processing, Automated Testing, Updating HR Details, Report Generation, End-Of-Period Processes, Integration Of Disparate And Third-Party Systems along with other key areas based on our client needs.
And modules covered under AORTA are Control Hub, Automator ,Workflow Server and can be scaled up on business needs.

We have successfully implemented in couple of large multi-national banks,Logistics Companies and saved both time and money.
We appreciate if you can give us a chance to give you a demo of AORTA(RPA).

Please reach me on +919676540180/sudhakar.varma@labridge.co.in or share us you mail id so that we share our product details.

Hi Sudhakar. Thank you for your reply.
This topic is not about RPA and other automation tools, but about tools to handle the governance surrounding RPA development.
Perhaps you should ask the admins to add AORTA to the list of RPA tools in the Forum, so you won't have to mention it in other topics?

 

[Wesley]

Hi @Lars Olufsen

We are experiencing the same! We currently use Google Docs. Easily shareable, and multiple user can log in at once. I have however found that we are increasing using more and more Google Docs, and its becoming larger and larger!

I've looks for a program, like you that would do everything, from original automation request, through UAT, and beyond, alas, there doesn't appear to be one out there, that I've found anyway! I'm currently building an access database that will, hopefully(!), meet our needs, and will be expandable as our robotic workers grow.

Sorry I couldn't give you a definitive answer. Give me a nudge if you want some more info on what I'm doing. I'm know the struggles your going through!

Di

Hi DeviousDi,
You can build your own application, but, we have the platform to manage RPA program already built specifically to manage RPA projects. i would recommend to have a look at it.

 

[jking]

We utilize Kofax Kapow.
Our RPA team is a hybrid COE environment with IT support for the platform and robot development/build-out handled in each business areas.
We use the Agile Planning & Delivery tool by CA technologies to document each robot from from Defined (process idea, description) to In-Process (build-out), to Completed, Testing and finally Quality Reviewed. All "bugs" and edits to each robot are documented in the tool and we track all versioning with the tool.

 

[Lars Olufsen]

Hi DeviousDi,
You can build your own application, but, we have the platform to manage RPA program already built specifically to manage RPA projects. i would recommend to have a look at it.

Hi Wesley and others.

Please don't use this topic to advertise your product.
The idea is to have an open discussion of what products are being used, independently of vendors or consultants.

 

[Lars Olufsen]

We utilize Kofax Kapow.
Our RPA team is a hybrid COE environment with IT support for the platform and robot development/build-out handled in each business areas.
We use the Agile Planning & Delivery tool by CA technologies to document each robot from from Defined (process idea, description) to In-Process (build-out), to Completed, Testing and finally Quality Reviewed. All "bugs" and edits to each robot are documented in the tool and we track all versioning with the tool.

This sounds very much like our setup. Can you post a link to the tool you use, please?

 

[DeviousDi]

We utilize Kofax Kapow.
Our RPA team is a hybrid COE environment with IT support for the platform and robot development/build-out handled in each business areas.
We use the Agile Planning & Delivery tool by CA technologies to document each robot from from Defined (process idea, description) to In-Process (build-out), to Completed, Testing and finally Quality Reviewed. All "bugs" and edits to each robot are documented in the tool and we track all versioning with the tool.

Hi @jking,

Can I ask what you think about the Agile tool, and how did you decide on that program, or was that the only only available?! Sorry, I'm having problems trying to find something suitable to use, and I'm currently building a database to meet out needs.

Thanks

Di

 

[jking]

This sounds very much like our setup. Can you post a link to the tool you use, please?

Lars: here is a link to the product we use:
https://www.ca.com/us/products/ca-agile-central.html

 

[jking]

Hi @jking,

Can I ask what you think about the Agile tool, and how did you decide on that program, or was that the only only available?! Sorry, I'm having problems trying to find something suitable to use, and I'm currently building a database to meet out needs.

Thanks

Di

Di:
The CA Agile tool was already in use by our IT department to manage projects, tickets, etc. We do not use the product exactly as IT does, but it does a good job of following our projects from Requested → Defined → In Process → Completed → Accepted → Quality Control (or, what ever stages would work for your process). It also tracks Revisions, has Parent - Child dependencies, Discussions, Tasks, etc.
There are also built in dashboards, (Kanban, etc.) or you can build you own dashboard on the fly, or you can save a dashboard, The built in reporting is very strong as well, and as in dashboards you can build you own reports if the out-of-the box reports do not fit your needs.
Prior to the CA Agile tool we used a shared Excel Spreadsheet then moved to an Access Database, but neither of those products gave us as many tracking and reporting features that we have with CA Agile.

 

[DeviousDi]

Cheers @jking,

We are using Google Docs, and then I was in the process of building a database, but that, like the Google Doc was constantly changing, and expanding!

Could I ask, with Agile, can you upload standard documents, such as our RPA questionnaire, and distribute them through Agile, or do you have to use your email program?

Agile - I've had a look at the link, thanks by the way, but which program / solutions do you use? Agile Planning and Delivery?

Thanks again!

Di