In any RPA project, apart from the development aspect, there are a high number of other tasks that need to be performed competently to ensure its success. Particularly during the project implementation phase, the IT department plays a crucial role by setting up the system for production.
Furthermore, before commencing work, the IT department also provides all the necessary access pertaining to the project. The actual work on any project begins once the access has been provided. The importance of providing access can be realized from the fact that if any access is on hold, the chances of the whole project getting delayed are high.
In the development or testing phase of any project, the developers might face system or application-related issues that need to be fixed on high priority and this can be done with the assistance of the IT department.
The significant role played by the IT department in RPA implementation demands that the organization has a dedicated team for these projects. This is highly advisable for MNCs that have a wide scope for RPA.
To be competent enough to figure out and fix issues rapidly, the IT department must possess deep knowledge of the architecture of RPA and Orchestrator.
Below are the roles of the IT department that are performed in the lifecycle of any RPA project.
- Setting up Virtual Machines with the required configurations
- Creating and managing the user accounts for bots
- Installation of UiPath and supporting applications
- Managing licensing of UiPath
- Providing access for the applications to be automated
- Handling issues in the applications to be automated
- Updates and issues in server
- Setting up Orchestrator and connecting the bots
- Managing roles in Orchestrator
Creating and Managing the User Accounts for Bot
The IT team has to create the user account for each bot that is to be implemented. For the phases of development, UAT, and production, it might be required to create different user accounts or different VMs.
Managing Licensing of UiPath
The IT team will be required the keep track of the available licenses and the ones that are in use. It has to ensure that the licenses are utilized correctly.
Providing Access for the Applications to be Automated
The bot needs access to each application which is automated in the process. These applications should be installed in all the environments that are used for the process. Also, some applications need access to submodules and this is taken care of by the IT department.
Handling Issues in Applications to be Automated
An application might encounter an unexpected issue which can cause the bot to stop during the execution. It is one of the primary responsibilities of the IT team to handle and fix these issues adroitly. If it’s a third-party application, it might need to raise tickets to the respective service teams and follow up until it gets resolved.
Updates and Issues in Server
It is the responsibility of the IT team to maintain the system and application updates by keeping track of the same. Furthermore, the issues in the server need to be handled on time to avoid holding the bot execution.
Setting up Orchestrator and VMs and Configuring the Robots
The orchestrator must be set by following all the prerequisites for installation. Based on the requirement of the process, the number of VMs has to be decided. The IT team must also configure the robots in each VM to connect with the orchestrator.
Managing Roles in the Orchestrator
For each user created, roles need to be assigned with respect to the need of the user in the process. The IT department has to ensure the smooth handling of these roles for flawless delivery of the project.
Thus, it can be concluded that the role of the IT department in the implementation of RPA is a significant one. Among the bunch of functions that it provides, the primary highlights are the access to the systems and the handling of issues that block the robot.
