With the constantly changing digital environment, you can see that many work processes are repetitive and need to be replaced. The fact that many companies and their clients expect more and better results, with fewer resources, ensuring consistency and quality is not surprising at all.
Robotic process automation, or RPA, is a significant step in the business industry that can take over manual work and replace it with mechanical movement.
In this way, robotic process automation allows workers to spend their time doing other tasks, such as improving the quality of products, shipping, etc. What is RPA, and what is so special about RPA?
Specialized computer programs, also known as robot software, can perform repetitive business processes for longer than humans can.
The brightest future will be predicted for the business model, combining workforce, robotic and human automation. By completely eliminating human error in quality assurance, RPA increases customer satisfaction by an astounding percentage.
Not to mention reduced time in the delivery system, reduced product manufacturing costs, and increased return on investment.
Working as virtual assistants, automated bots can create several benefits for employees and generate income through various tasks.
Intro to RPA Developer
Generally, an RPA Developer is a professional who works cross-functionally with business operations and business analytics to design and manage workflow automation projects.
RPA Developer is responsible for designing, developing, and implementing RPA systems. RPA systems are advanced automation technologies designed to increase business productivity and maximize efficiency.
Simply put, RPA developers create software robots or bots to work with humans to increase the efficiency of business processes or workflows.
RPA Developer Duties and Responsibilities
The RPA Developer’s duties and responsibilities are divided into two. The first task covers the business analysis of a problem and the design of an automation solution. The second includes coding, testing, and maintaining RPA bots and the entire ecosystem. Some of the tasks are:
- Responsible for exploring, identifying, and designing business processes that can be automated to increase productivity.
- Design and code automation software for documented business tasks.
- Control program quality. RPA is responsible for keeping bots afloat and finding and troubleshooting code.
- Designing an RPA ecosystem. RPA is responsible for creating an ecosystem of tools that includes user interface components, orchestration, training interfaces, and physical or virtual servers for deploying RPA software.
- Looking for solutions and ensuring that the bot system runs according to business tasks.
- When there is only one RPA specialist in a company, the person in this position likely acts more as a technology lead or manager for the development process.
How to Become RPA Developer
Robotic technology is gaining popularity due to its advanced features, and as developers, we need to meet these requirements. Hardware technicians have become very advanced and are regularly upgraded.
However, these machines require software to control and operate them. Robotic Process Automation (RPA) is used to perform actions that mimic human actions, such as data extraction and keystrokes.
To meet these software requirements, companies hire advanced RPA developers who are experts in this field.
These developers are responsible for identifying and implementing efficient automation workflow for businesses, increasing process efficiency, and monitoring the automated output to ensure software updates are made as needed.
To become an RPA developer, a computer science degree and an understanding of algorithms and problem-solving are necessary.
1. Learn RPA Development Fundamentals
Robotic process automation (RPA) is a recent addition to the field of information technology. It can significantly reduce the number of hours needed to perform tasks such as workflow management and repetitive tasks.
RPA mimics human actions by using similar language and details. However, it differs from artificial intelligence (AI) in that it utilizes advanced predictive analytics to anticipate where human intervention is needed.
While RPA and AI are closely related, they have distinct uses, techniques, and features. Therefore, learning the fundamentals of RPA includes understanding AI and its integration with RPA.
2. Practice Required Skills
It’s important to understand the skills needed to excel in the field of RPA development. Some key skills include:
- Strategic planning: The ability to set goals and plan initiatives for RPA projects and align them with workflow to ease implementation.
- Strong analytical skills: The ability to analyze processes and recommend appropriate environments for RPA technology.
- Problem-solving skills: The ability to troubleshoot and resolve issues that may arise during automation.
- Decision-making skills: The ability to come up with creative solutions to ensure smooth workflow during automation. As RPA developer, you will be responsible for these areas, and these skills are essential to succeed in this domain.
3. Learn Key Programming Languages for RPA Development
RPA developers need to have versatile skills that enable them to quickly adapt to programming languages and develop software products.
They should have a strong understanding of programming languages such as C, C++, Java, and Python to effectively work in their environment.
Additionally, RPA developers should have the ability to analyze and determine which platform will provide the best automation process workflow.
4. Understanding of AI, ML Concepts, and SQL
As an RPA developer, it is important to keep knowledge up-to-date when working with AI and ML.
Artificial Intelligence is a fundamental component of any automation process and RPA developers should be able to integrate AI in software to improve efficiency and enhance product quality.
Additionally, having a basic understanding of ML is crucial for implementing embedded machines.
In addition, SQL is an important skill for RPA developers to extract data from a company. This allows them to understand the company’s dynamic data. The ability to retrieve data using SQL queries is also important.
5. Get Certified!
It is recommended for an RPA developer to become certified in UiPath RPA development. This certification course teaches about automation tools and techniques.
Similarly, becoming a Blue Prism certified developer provides an understanding of automation processes and helps in making business processes more efficient.
Additionally, Automation Anywhere certification helps developers develop skills based on theoretical knowledge and practical solutions.
6. Develop Knowledge of Popular Robotic Process Automation RPA Tool
To maximize the effectiveness of automation, an RPA developer should be familiar with various automation tools that can be integrated into software products.
These tools help streamline business processes and increase efficiency. Two examples of such tools are UiPath and Blue Prism.
UiPath is commonly used in manufacturing processes that involve repetitive mechanical tasks and eliminates the need for human intervention.
7. Look for Experience and Contribute on Projects
As an RPA developer, it is important to have hands-on experience and knowledge in order to effectively address real-world problems within an organization.
Robotic process automation offers numerous benefits to various industries by streamlining critical services. Gaining experience with RPA can help you better understand advanced and intelligent applications and put you on a fast track for success.
RPA is a rapidly growing technology that improves real-time business operations and procedures.
To understand the skills required to become an RPA developer, it is important to understand the four main pillars of the RPA life cycle: identifying business problems to automate, designing the automation process, testing the bot to meet requirements, and deploying the bot.
8. Developer Portfolio
Here are 5 practical projects to improve your RPA skills:
- Web scraping
- Upgrading a CRM system
- Data migration
- Automating call center operations
- Streamlining payroll processing.
9. Get Hired!
To begin your journey as an RPA developer, start by taking an introductory RPA course that covers the basics of RPA concepts, workflows for different data types, and usage of RPA tools.
To further advance your career in RPA, consider enrolling in a certification course and hands-on training at a reputable training academy such as UiPath. With some initial training, you can start applying for RPA developer positions on various job portals.