The Robotic Process Automation Handbook


Book Description

While Robotic Process Automation (RPA) has been around for about 20 years, it has hit an inflection point because of the convergence of cloud computing, big data and AI. This book shows you how to leverage RPA effectively in your company to automate repetitive and rules-based processes, such as scheduling, inputting/transferring data, cut and paste, filling out forms, and search. Using practical aspects of implementing the technology (based on case studies and industry best practices), you’ll see how companies have been able to realize substantial ROI (Return On Investment) with their implementations, such as by lessening the need for hiring or outsourcing. By understanding the core concepts of RPA, you’ll also see that the technology significantly increases compliance – leading to fewer issues with regulations – and minimizes costly errors. RPA software revenues have recently soared by over 60 percent, which is the fastest ramp in the tech industry, and they are expected to exceed $1 billion by the end of 2019. It is generally seamless with legacy IT environments, making it easier for companies to pursue a strategy of digital transformation and can even be a gateway to AI. The Robotic Process Automation Handbook puts everything you need to know into one place to be a part of this wave. What You'll Learn Develop the right strategy and planDeal with resistance and fears from employeesTake an in-depth look at the leading RPA systems, including where they are most effective, the risks and the costsEvaluate an RPA system Who This Book Is For IT specialists and managers at mid-to-large companies




Workflow Patterns


Book Description

A comprehensive guide to well-known workflow patterns: recurrent, generic business process constructs, described from the control-flow, data, and resource perspectives. The study of business processes has emerged as a highly effective approach to coordinating an organization's complex service- and knowledge-based activities. The growing field of business process management (BPM) focuses on methods and tools for designing, enacting, and analyzing business processes. This volume offers a definitive guide to the use of patterns, which synthesize the wide range of approaches to modeling business processes. It provides a unique and comprehensive introduction to the well-known workflow patterns collection—recurrent, generic constructs describing common business process modeling and execution scenarios, presented in the form of problem-solution dialectics. The underlying principles of the patterns approach ensure that they are independent of any specific enabling technology, representational formalism, or modeling approach, and thus broadly applicable across the business process modeling and business process technology domains. The authors, drawing on extensive research done by the Workflow Patterns Initiative, offer a detailed introduction to the fundamentals of business process modeling and management; describe three major pattern catalogs, presented from control-flow, data, and resource perspectives; and survey related BPM patterns. The book, a companion to the authoritative Workflow Patterns website, will be an essential resource for both academics and practitioners working in business process modeling and business process management.




Business Process Change


Book Description

Business Process Change, 3rd Edition provides a balanced view of the field of business process change. Bestselling author Paul Harmon offers concepts, methods, cases for all aspects and phases of successful business process improvement. Updated and added for this edition is new material on the development of business models and business process architecture development, on integrating decision management models and business rules, on service processes and on dynamic case management, and on integrating various approaches in a broad business process management approach. New to this edition: - How to develop business models and business process architecture - How to integrate decision management models and business rules - New material on service processes and on dynamic case management - Learn to integrate various approaches in a broad business process management approach - Extensive revision and update addresses Business Process Management Systems, and the integration of process redesign and Six Sigma - Learn how all the different process elements fit together in this best first book on business process, now completely updated - Tailor the presented methodology, which is based on best practices, to your organization's specific needs - Understand the human aspects of process redesign - Benefit from all new detailed case studies showing how these methods are implemented




Business Process Management


Book Description

According to the authors, every significant breakthrough in business technology has been underpinned by mathematics. They explain how Pi-calculus provides the theoretical computer science foundation for a new type of business software that allows business people, not just technicians, to design, imp




Fundamentals of Business Process Management


Book Description

This textbook covers the entire Business Process Management (BPM) lifecycle, from process identification to process monitoring, covering along the way process modelling, analysis, redesign and automation. Concepts, methods and tools from business management, computer science and industrial engineering are blended into one comprehensive and inter-disciplinary approach. The presentation is illustrated using the BPMN industry standard defined by the Object Management Group and widely endorsed by practitioners and vendors worldwide. In addition to explaining the relevant conceptual background, the book provides dozens of examples, more than 230 exercises – many with solutions – and numerous suggestions for further reading. This second edition includes extended and completely revised chapters on process identification, process discovery, qualitative process analysis, process redesign, process automation and process monitoring. A new chapter on BPM as an enterprise capability has been added, which expands the scope of the book to encompass topics such as the strategic alignment and governance of BPM initiatives. The textbook is the result of many years of combined teaching experience of the authors, both at the undergraduate and graduate levels as well as in the context of professional training. Students and professionals from both business management and computer science will benefit from the step-by-step style of the textbook and its focus on fundamental concepts and proven methods. Lecturers will appreciate the class-tested format and the additional teaching material available on the accompanying website.




Modern Business Process Automation


Book Description

The ?eld of Business Process Management (BPM) is marred by a seemingly e- less sequence of (proposed) industry standards. Contrary to other ?elds (e.g., civil or electronic engineering), these standards are not the result of a widely supported consolidationofwell-understoodandwell-establishedconceptsandpractices.Inthe BPM domain, it is frequently the case that BPM vendors opportunistically become involved in the creation of proposed standards to exert or maintain their in?uence and interests in the ?eld. Despite the initial fervor associated with such standardi- tion activities, it is no less frequent that vendors either choose to drop their support for standards that they earlier championed on an opportunistic basis or elect only to partially support them in their commercial offerings. Moreover, the results of the standardization processes themselves are a concern. BPM standards tend to deal with complex concepts, yet they are never properly de?ned and all-too-often not informed by established research. The result is a plethoraof languagesand tools, with no consensuson conceptsand their implem- tation. They also fail to provide clear direction in the way in which BPM standards should evolve. One can also observe a dichotomy between the “business” side of BPM and its “technical” side. While it is clear that the application of BPM will fail if not placed in a proper business context, it is equally clear that its application will go nowhere if it remains merely a motivational exercise with schemas of business processes hanging on the wall gathering dust.




INTELLIGENT AUTOMATION


Book Description




Nonprofit Digital Transformation Demystified


Book Description

In this compelling journey into Digital Transformation (DT) tailored for Nonprofit Organizations (NPOs), this book unravels the intricacies of technological integration. Grounded in over one hundred years of extensive research by authors and the editor, real-world examples, and using the San Diego Diplomacy Council (SDDC) as a primary case study, it introduces a tailored Digital Maturity Model (DMM) for NPOs. At the heart of this transformation are three pivotal pillars: Culture, Ethics, and Security. Part I sets the stage, painting a landscape of how NPOs have intertwined with the digital realm. As technology's omnipresence surges, Chapter Two offers a panorama of DT's historical and contemporary intersections with the nonprofit sector. The subsequent chapter emphasizes the stark reality: for many NPOs, digital adaptation is no longer about relevance but survival. Part II delves into the comparative digital strategies of NPOs and their for-profit counterparts in Chapter 4, highlighting the need for tailored approaches. Chapter 5 explores the Nonprofit Digital Maturity Model (NDMM), using the San Diego Diplomacy Council as a focal point. The journey then unfolds further in Chapter 6, which casts a spotlight on the strategic execution of DT in NPOs, weaving in comprehensive analyses to dissect the forces shaping an NPO's digital trajectory. Part III dives deeper, with Chapter 7 laying the foundation of the NDMM. The subsequent chapter meticulously unpacks the NDMM, culminating in Chapter 9, which emphasizes the pillars of DT—Culture, Ethics, and Security—forming the essence of the Nonprofit DT Strategic Framework (NDTSF). This chapter also crafts a tailored roadmap for NPOs, charting a comprehensive DT course. Concluding with a forward-looking stance, Chapter 10 thrusts readers into the enthralling fusion of AI and NPOs, exploring transformative potentials and ethical concerns. Through real-world cases, it positions AI as both a potent tool and a vital dialogue for NPOs. Essentially, this book equips NPOs with tools like the NDMM and insights from successful DT narratives. It seeks to provide a practical guide for nonprofits through their DT journey, ensuring they harness technology ethically and effectively without compromising their core values.




The Master Guide to Controllers' Best Practices


Book Description

The essential guide for today’s savvy controllers Today’s controllers are in leadership roles that put them in the unique position to see across all aspects of the operations they support. The Master Guide to Controllers’ Best Practices, Second Edition has been revised and updated to provide controllers with the information they need to successfully monitor their organizations’ internal control environments and offer direction and consultation on internal control issues. In addition, the authors include guidance to help controllers carryout their responsibilities to ensure that all financial accounts are reviewed for reasonableness and are reconciled to supporting transactions, as well as performing asset verification. Comprehensive in scope the book contains the best practices for controllers and: Reveals how to set the right tone within an organization and foster an ethical climate Includes information on risk management, internal controls, and fraud prevention Highlights the IT security controls with the key components of successful governance Examines the crucial role of the controller in corporate compliance and much more The Master Guide to Controllers’ Best Practices should be on the bookshelf of every controller who wants to ensure the well-being of their organization. In addition to their traditional financial role, today’s controllers (no matter how large or small their organization) are increasingly occupying top leadership positions. The revised and updated Second Edition of The Master Guide to Controllers’ Best Practices provides an essential resource for becoming better skilled in such areas as strategic planning, budgeting, risk management, and business intelligence. Drawing on the most recent research on the topic, informative case studies, and tips from finance professionals, the book highlights the most important challenges controllers will face. Written for both new and seasoned controllers, the Guide offers a wide range of effective tools that can be used to improve the skills of strategic planning, budgeting, forecasting, and risk management. The book also contains a resource for selecting the right employees who have the technical knowledge, analytical expertise, and strong people skills that will support the controller’s role within an organization. To advance overall corporate performance, the authors reveal how to successfully align strategy, risk management, and performance management. In addition, the Guide explains what it takes to stay ahead of emerging issues such as healthcare regulations, revenue recognition, globalization, and workforce mobility. As controllers adapt to their new leadership roles and assume more complex responsibilities, The Master Guide to Controllers’ Best Practices offers an authoritative guide to the tools, practices, and ideas controllers need to excel in their profession.




Business in the Information Age


Book Description

The industrial society is fast becoming an information society. As a result, many companies are experiencing serious difficulties in developing the new internal structures required. The increasing use of information technology has a profound effect on markets, products, and processes, as well as the management of and co-operation between companies. Recognising the possibilities and grasping the emerging potential is an important challenge for todays management, if the organisations and systems are to develop over the next twenty years. Business in the Information Age offers models and techniques for transforming company structures to help face this challenge. Viewing the business process as a new model to describe the organisation forms the link between company strategy and information systems. The book points out advantages accessible through IT, together with ways of integrating this knowledge in effective and efficient processes.