Summary: RPA failures are rarely about the technology. The main causes: the wrong process, unrealistic expectations, and no governance.

  1. Automating a messy process. Fix and simplify first. See the process criteria.
  2. No measurable target. Set baseline metrics and calculate ROI.
  3. Starting with something too complex. A small, clear pilot proves value faster.
  4. Ignoring the process owner. Involve the people who do the work daily; they know every exception.
  5. No exception handling. Design an escalation path to humans and a review queue.
  6. No monitoring or alerts. A bot that silently fails is worse than no bot. Add notifications and a dashboard.
  7. Careless credential storage. Use a vault, dedicated service accounts, least privilege.
  8. Ignoring changes in the target application. Schedule regression tests and coordinate with the application's IT owner.
  9. Using RPA when an API exists. Choose the right approach (RPA vs API).
  10. No documentation or handover. The bot becomes a black box when the developer leaves. Document flow, dependencies, and a runbook.

Go-Live Checklist

  • Parallel run with the manual process for at least one cycle.
  • Logs and audit trail active.
  • Alerts sent to a monitored channel.
  • Rollback plan.
  • Bot owner assigned.

FAQ

How long is the stabilization period after go-live?

Usually a few weeks of close monitoring while exceptions are tuned.

Who should own the bot?

One business owner (process) and one technical owner (maintenance).

Next steps

RPA project stuck? Request a free review from the Oneflux team.