Hybridizing humans and robots: An RPA horizon envisaged from the trenches

• Published in: Computers in industry 2022-06, Vol.138, p.103615, Article 103615
• Main Authors: Cabello Ruiz, Rafael, Jiménez Ramírez, Andrés, Escalona Cuaresma, María José, González Enríquez, José
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Computer-human interaction; Process mining; Robotic process automation
• ISSN: 0166-3615; 1872-6194
• DOI: 10.1016/j.compind.2022.103615

•A successful hybridization process must consider technical, psychological and governance aspects.•This paper proposed a general method for ensuring that these aspects are included in the development.•Process mining may offer a suitable environment to enrich and boost the iterations of the method.•The initial validation in real-world process reports efficiency benefits greater than 40%. After the initial hype on RPA, companies have more realistic expectations of this technology. Its current mature vision relegates the end-to-end robotic automation to a less suitable place and considers the human-robot collaboration as the most natural way for automating robotic processes in real-world settings. This hybrid RPA implies a vertical segmentation of process activities, i.e., some activities are conducted by humans while robots do others. The literature lacks a general method that considers the technical aspect of the solution, the psychological impact of the automation, and the governance mechanisms that a running hybrid process requires. In this sense, this paper proposes an iterative method dealing with all these aspects and results from a series of industrial experiences. Additionally, the paper deeply discusses the role of process mining in this kind of method and how it can continuously boost its iterations. The initial validation of the method in real-world processes reports substantial benefits in terms of efficiency.