How to Keep RPA Maintainable

Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is a term for software tools that operate on the user interface while trying to mimic a real user. Organizations are eager to adopt RPA, since the technology promises significant benefits such as cost savings. However, it is unclear how organizations should govern RPA. The burden of maintenance, in particular, can become high once an organization scales up its RPA efforts. To prevent or diminish high maintenance efforts, we propose in this paper 11 guidelines to establish low-maintenance RPA implementations. The guidelines are particularly applicable in those contexts where business units themselves oversee these implementations with a Center of Excellence in the background. The guidelines are derived from a literature study and four case studies; they are validated with experts using the Delphi method.