Penn Bot is a University program to explore and apply robotic process automation (RPA) to support Penn’s mission. Robotic process automation uses software to “read” data from forms, spreadsheet rows, and other graphical interface elements and perform repetitive tasks by acting on those data, including feeding results to existing University systems. Bots can complete some processes independently, while others are designed to be attended by humans. Not all processes are suitable for robotic automation. For those that are, benefits include increased productivity, reduction of errors, and freeing staff for higher-value activities.
Following an RFP process, industry leader UiPath has been contracted for a three-phase engagement: creating a pilot bot and moving it into production; building the next set of automations from a predefined list; and participating in discovery to characterize campus interest and candidate processes for robotic automation.
In partnership with Division of Finance and Procurement Services, ISC successfully moved a pilot bot into production in September, 2022 to help process purchase order final close requests while routing and updating support tickets. Additional automations are being developed.
ISC is now engaging campus to raise awareness of RPA and identify processes with potential to benefit from this technology. It is also working to establish a governance framework: governance and broad collaboration will be crucial to the acceptance of RPA and to maximizing the University’s investment in it.
Questions & Feedback
We encourage you to contact penn-bot@isc.upenn.edu for more information, to discuss what makes a good candidate process for robotic automation, or to collaborate in discovery and governance activities.