Wondering when to use RPA vs BPM automation for your processes? TeccWeb understands how daunting this choice can be for companies. Each of these strategies provides incredible value to businesses in different capacities. Understanding these differences is pivotal in recognizing the unique capabilities they both bring to the table.  

In response to the insightful discussion about the nuances of automation in a previous blog post, we’d like to expand on the fundamental distinctions between Robotic Process Automation (RPA) and Business Process Management (BPM) automation.

At TeccWeb, we recognize the value of both RPA and BPM and with our innovative product, TeccBot, we offer a unified solution that seamlessly combines the strengths of each.

Defining Automation in Digital Transformation

Integration technology is the process of making independently designed systems work together. It acts as a bridge between different applications, allowing them to push and pull data, orchestrate, and execute workflows. Automation is the end result of successful integration.

Businesses need to plan automation and integration strategies jointly. A unified approach starts with integration technologies and methods, with automation as the final goal. TeccBot can handle these key technologies end to end, setting up your business for success with an Enterprise Automation Platform.  

What Is RPA (Robotic Process Automation)?

RPA is a form of automation based on software robots (bots) or artificial intelligence (AI) agents.

What Is Business Process Management Automation?

BPM automation is a form of automation that streamlines and manages structured workflows and tasks. It leverages various technologies such as Point-to-Point (P2P), Event-Driven Architecture (EDA), and Microservices/API. Additionally, the BPM framework often incorporates Data Hub Architecture to improve efficiency and integration between systems.

RPA vs BPM Automation: Differences & Key Benefits of Both Strategies

Where RPA Stands Out

• Workflow Automation: RPA is your go-to solution for automating structured, predefined processes. This is especially true when the application being automated does not have easy-to-access APIs or requires the use of its UI. It excels at executing repetitive tasks with precision and efficiency. RPA bots are like digital assistants that follow a set of predefined rules.
• User Interface (UI) Automation: RPA shines in automating tasks across various applications and user interfaces. Whether it’s web-based, desktop-based, or legacy systems, RPA bots can interact with different UI elements, input data, and extract information. They operate in the same way a human user would, making them versatile in UI-driven processes.
• Integration with Legacy Systems: RPA acts as a bridge, integrating and orchestrating data and processes between different systems. It is able to extract data from legacy or specialized applications, transform it, and feed it into your Epicor ERP solution or other systems, ensuring seamless end-to-end automation.
• Scalability and Agility: RPA offers remarkable scalability and agility. You can rapidly deploy, scale or adapt bots to meet evolving business requirements. This flexibility allows organizations to achieve automation results swiftly without extensive system modifications.
• Exception Handling and Decision Making: With the power of artificial intelligence (AI) and Machine Learning (ML), RPA can handle exceptions and make decisions autonomously based on dynamic data inputs. It reduces the need for manual intervention, improving operational efficiency.

Where BPM Stands Out

• Structured Workflow Management: Business process management is ideal for managing structured workflows and processes. It defines, optimizes, and monitors sequential processes with well-defined steps.
• Process Modeling: BPM software and tools allow you to model and visualize your business processes. You can design workflows, set rules, and define roles and responsibilities within the process. It’s a strategic approach to streamlining and improving business processes.
• End-to-End Visibility: With clear process mapping, BPM provides end-to-end visibility into your processes. You can track progress, identify bottlenecks, and analyze performance metrics. This insight helps in continuous process improvements.
• Compliance and Governance: BPM ensures that processes comply with regulations and policies. It helps enforcing governance and maintaining a high level of process consistency and quality.
• Collaboration and Communication: BPM platforms facilitate collaboration among team members by providing tools for communication, individual tasks assignment, and document sharing. It enhances teamwork and efficiency.

TeccBot: Unifying the Best of Both Approaches

With TeccBot, we recognize the importance of RPA and BPM style automation. For us, it’s not a matter of BPM vs RPA. We offer a unified solution that seamlessly integrates the strengths of both approaches. TeccBot empowers your business to:

• Automate Complex Processes: TeccBot extends the capabilities of your ERP system by automating complex, unstructured processes. It bridges the gap between structured workflows and flexible UI-driven tasks, providing a holistic automation solution.
• Seamless Integration: TeccBot seamlessly integrates with Epicor, legacy applications, and other systems, ensuring a smooth flow of data and processes. It promotes cross-system collaboration.
• Customization and Adaptability: TeccBot allows you to customize automation processes to meet your specific business needs. You can quickly adapt and fine-tune business process automation (BPA), ensuring agility in response to evolving needs.
• Compliance and Governance: TeccBot supports compliance by ensuring automated processes adhere to regulations and policies. It provides governance over automation activities.
• End-to-End Visibility: TeccBot offers end-to-end visibility into your processes, allowing you to monitor and optimize workflows, identify bottlenecks, reduce costs, and enhance overall process efficiency.

By understanding and exploiting the unique capabilities of RPA and BPM automation, TeccBot delivers a unified, comprehensive solution that empowers your organization to thrive. It is essential to have a toolbox of multiple architectures rather than enforcing a single architecture paradigm that may lead to over-engineering or a waste of resources in the long term.

Author: John Keiser

Not sure which type of automation would work best for your business? No matter your need, TeccBot has you covered.