

In September 2022, Prakash Hariharasubramaniyan, HGS Automation Director and Practice Lead, spoke at the HGS roundtable about transforming PoC to CoE with RPA implementation.
Robotic Process Automation or RPA is a very hot topic and a buzzword in the industry and most of the time, people generally ask, “What is the time frame for us to see the benefit?” So, how fast can an organization really move from a Proof of Concept (PoC) to an established Center of Excellence (CoE) and reap benefits from the implementation of RPA?
The Critical Success Factors of Moving from PoC to CoE
Since its conception, RPA has evolved to become a digital disruptor helping businesses achieve goals, such as reduced operational costs, streamlined processes, and value-added services.
However, 50% of automation fails to demonstrate expected results primarily due to poor strategy and project management. HGS Digital, with an extensive background in RPA implementations, has realized five critical factors for successful RPA implementation:
The following case study showcases how HGS was able to create benefits for its client, one of the leading supply chain and logistics companies in the US by following the above implementation methodologies.
Case Study—Turning PoC to CoE
The client wanted to upgrade a fractured legacy bidding system with bottlenecks, which cost the business and significantly degraded the customer experience.
The implementation started with a very small PoC and with its implementation, HGS realized good synergy with the client. Working together with their in-house team, they were able to create solutions with defined and feasible automation, defined scopes, and standardized tools across the board.
The project was eventually able to move to the CoE phase within the first three months of engagement. No major changes were introduced, and existing solutions and tools were used to cut down the time invested allowing for automation to be implemented well within the expected time.
Additionally, generating net new revenue helped solve a previously unsolved problem as the EDI component was an integration solution.
Key results of the RPA implementation included:
If there is a defined strategy and good synergy between the RPA team and the stakeholders across the board between multiple departments, one can observe quick returns when moving from PoC to CoE.
Prakash Hariharasubramanian, Director & Practice Lead, Intelligent Process Automation (IPA), HGS
Prakash has led various IPA implementations across multiple industry verticals in his tenure of 7 years with HGS. In his role, Prakash develops IPA practice frameworks, creates IPA solutions, and serves as a key automation evangelist for HGS.
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