RPA Vendor Evaluation and Selection using AHP and Kano Model

Aishwarya Banerjee, Shilpa Parkhi

doi:10.17762/pae.v57i9.2713

Abstract

Robotic Process Automation (RPA) as a technology has gained momentum due to the onset of Industry 4.0. RPA is considered to be the simplest forms of automation in which, typically, the human actions are mimicked without taking into account the complex judgements associated with it. Hence, RPA is deemed fit for the rule-based tasks which are highly repetitive, bulky and are error-prone. Traditionally, organizations looking to increase its operations efficiency improve workforce utilisation, turn to RPA. With the shift in working pattern enforced by COVID-19, RPA adoption is no more a luxury, but a necessity. In a short span of time, the number of RPA vendors, that is the developers and providers of RPA software have significantly increased and due to current demands of RPA, it is expected to grow further. This increase in choices makes the vendor selection part of any RPA Implementation Project highly complex and confusing. Keeping in mind the significance of the vendor selection process, various methods of RPA Vendor Selection have been previously proposed but it is still evolving along with the changing needs of the Businesses. This Research paper aims to propose a standard model using Kano Model and Analytic Hierarch Process (AHP) such that it can be customized during each new RPA implementation project without compromising on the basic structure and method for evaluation.

Highlights

Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is a boon of Industry 4.0 and it is a “relatively new phenomenon as it started getting traction at the end of 2014”(Noppen, 2019)
The scoring has to follow the Saatys scale and be consistent. This will be ensured through the conventional Analytic Hierarch Process (AHP) calculation, that is by checking the Consistency Ratio (CR) which needs to be less than or equal to 0.1 in order to be consistent
In this paper an evaluation model for RPA vendors has been developed by taking references from the Kano Model and Analytic Hierarchy Process

Summary

Introduction

RPA is a boon of Industry 4.0 and it is a “relatively new phenomenon as it started getting traction at the end of 2014”(Noppen, 2019). “RPA uses software to automate tasks previously performed by humans that use rules to process structured data to produce deterministic outcomes. It automates the repetitive, largely physical, clerical tasks typical of much office work.”(Willcocks, 2020) Further it has been confirmed that for “tasks that are largely driven by rules, schedules, or events, a robot can take the wheel and get the job done.”(Scheppler & Weber, 2020). RPA is the most common form of automation that companies are quickly adopting and “its (RPA) successful implementation across various sectors during COVID-19 has embarked on the upsurge in its future demands undeniably”(Srivastava, 2020) Time-consuming tasks that demand accuracy and speed, but don’t require decision-making to accomplish.” RPA is the most common form of automation that companies are quickly adopting and “its (RPA) successful implementation across various sectors during COVID-19 has embarked on the upsurge in its future demands undeniably”(Srivastava, 2020)

Objectives

Results

Conclusion